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STALKER 2 Heart of Chornobyl
Difficulty Differences and How to Change
★ Best Weapons | Best Armor | Best Artifacts
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★ How to Unlock All Endings
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★ Locations: All Bases | All Artifact Farms
☆ How to Get All Unique Weapons
There are three difficulty options in STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Read on to know all difficulty options, differences between all difficulties, which one is best for you, and how to change difficulty in game.
Difficulty Differences in STALKER 2
List of All Difficulty Options
| Difficulty | Summary |
|---|---|
| Rookie | This difficulty is intended for players who are not used to first person shooters or are newcomers to the STALKER franchise. There will still be a slight challenge, but not too much to get in the way of appreciating the story. |
| Stalker | This is the most balanced game experience, tuned toward both moderately challenging combat and an immersive story. Choose this mode if you are more familiar with FPS games. |
| Veteran | The hardest difficulty mode meant for true STALKER Veterans. Combat is far more challenging and punishing, upping the overall intensity. You will receive less loot, making efficient resource management extremely vital. |
Rookie Difficulty
| Difficulty Details |
|---|
| ・Intended for beginners and lore-focused players. ・Offers less combat challenge compared to other difficulties. ・Allows players to focus more on the story rather than gameplay. ・Players take less damage from enemies, and enemies have less health. ・Players can get more items from loot boxes, stashes, and corpses. ・Random enemy encounter are less likely to happen ・Offers higher Coupon reward for completing missions. |
Rookie Difficulty is the recommended difficulty for players who are new to shooter games or the franchise and players who wants to focus on the story.
Players on this difficulty will take less damage from attacks, and less likely encounter random mutants or group of hostile humans as they explore the zone. They will also get more rewards for completing missions and get more items from looting.
Stalker Difficulty
| Difficulty Details |
|---|
| ・Perfect for players with some experience in FPS games. ・Offers a balanced combat challenge to enjoy gameplay and the story alike. ・Encounter with random enemy humans and mutants happens more. ・Get slightly less amount of loot from the overworld. ・Offers the right amount of Coupon reward for completing missions. |
Stalker Difficulty is the perfect difficulty to enjoy the game mechanics and challenges, and immerse yourself in the story.
Players who are playing on this difficulty will experience more challenging combat, as there will be more enemies and they will have slightly higher health than in Rookie Difficulty. This will require players to do resource management to survive.
Veteran Difficulty
| Difficulty Details |
|---|
| ・Best for players with tons of FPS experience and have played the first STALKER games. ・Offers the highest level of challenge among all difficulties. ・Expect more random enemy encounters when exploring the zone. ・Get less items from loot boxes, stashes, and corpses. ・Enemies are far more aggressive and very tanky. ・Rewards players with the least amount of Coupon for completing missions. |
Veteran Difficulty is best for more experienced players who have played and finished the first STALKER titles. You can expect it to be more punishing as there will be fewer resources to play around against more numbers of stronger, tanky enemies.
Players should avoid most of the trouble and use their resources better to survive around the zone. They can also opt for stealth gameplay to kill enemies more easily if the situation allows it.
Best Difficulty Options
Stalker is the Best Difficulty for Most Players
Even though Stalker difficulty is STALKER 2's equivalent of "Normal Mode", this mode will still be very challenging, and will test even the most seasoned of gamers. We recommend this mode for anyone new or returning to the series.
Play on Veteran if You're a STALKER Expert
If you've played the previous games extensively and on the highest difficulties, then this difficulty is for you and you alone. Expect harder fights and way less loot. Good luck, Stalker!
Rookie is for Story Enjoyers
If all you want to do is experience a bleak post-apocalyptic atmosphere, enjoy the beautiful or horrific liminal landscapes, and experience the story at your own pace, then this mode is for you. Nothing shameful about prioritizing a good, immersive story!
How to Change Difficulty in STALKER 2
Change at Any Time in the Options Menu
In order to change the difficulty in STALKER 2, simply open up the options menu and change the difficulty from there. You can change the difficulty at any time, so don't be afraid to choose any difficulty and adjust later on.
STALKER 2 Related Guides
STALKER 2 Heart of Chornobyl Walkthrough Wiki
Recommended Guides
STALKER 2 Wiki
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Difficulty Differences and How to Change
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