It was only a matter of time before the modding community took it upon themselves to adjust Stalker 2 to their liking, whether in terms of balancing, visuals, new features, or even performance improvements. The Stalker series is known for its extensive mod support, and dedicated modding fanbase, and Stalker 2 is no exception. Even if you’re going for a purist run, some mods are undeniably useful, and here are our picks for the best Stalker 2 mods you can install on PC.
Best Mods for Stalker 2 on PC
There are plenty of mods for Stalker 2 coming out daily, but there are a few standout ones that aim to improve the balancing of the game’s systems and add quality-of-life improvements for a smoother experience that doesn’t compromise the tone and oppressive feel of the world.
Note: You will need a Nexus mods account to download the mod files.
Adjustable Carry Weight
Your inventory in Stalker 2 isn’t infinite, and the default carry weight is 80 KG. Going above that will reduce your movement speed, increase stamina consumption, and reduce stamina regeneration. There are multiple ways to increase the carry weight in-game, but if you’re looking for an easy way to get it done early, this mod has you covered. Here is the modded in-game weight set to 200 instead.
The mod author has provided multiple values for the maximum carry weight up to 9999.
Mod Link: Adjustable Carry Weight by NickMillion
Reduced Repair Cost
Repairing weapons and items in Stalker 2 can cost a pretty penny, especially if the item’s default price is high. If you aren’t a fan of the high repair price, this mod reduces that by a given value (80%, 60%, 50%, 40%, 20%), or you can remove the repair cost entirely.
The mod author has provided multiple presets and you can adjust the repair price accordingly.
Mod Link: Reduced Repair Cost by hawkidoki
Ledge Grabbing
Skif, for all his physical prowess, suffers from a common video game protagonist disease that stops him from vaulting over easily vaultable ledges. This didn’t sit right with modder Kennymylenny who has made it possible for Skif to vault and climb over different obstacles with ease. Here is the mod in action:
The fact that they added a small animation to support the vaulting action is extra impressive. It’s one of the best quality-of-life mods we’ve seen so far, and it’s a shame it’s not something available by default.
Mod Link: Ledge Grabbing by Kennymylenny
Increased Melee Range
Not a fan of the default range of the hunting knife? Don’t like crouching to bash open crates? Well, this mod is designed specifically to address these complaints. The mod makes a simple adjustment and increases the default melee range of the hunting knife, as well as the weapon bash action.
Mod Link: Increased Melee Range by SteampunkTV
Readable Ammo
This fantastic mod by JCaleb adds labels to the ammo icons in the inventory and the bottom right corner of the HUD. There are two versions of this implementation, and both are available separately to download. The first simply color codes the ammo, while the other labels the ammo type with common abbreviations.
This makes it super convenient to know which ammo type you’re actually loading into a gun, and the modder has labeled all 30 ammo types in Stalker 2.
Mod Link: Readable Ammo by JCaleb
Radiation Noise Remover
Radiation is a big part of the Stalker series, and areas with higher radiation provide players with audio and visual feedback. Players will hear the Geiger sound effect and see radiation noise on-screen as well.
The radiation visual noise can be a bit excessive and should be a toggle in the accessibility features. If you’re just fine with the sound effects and don’t want to see the noise during gameplay, this mod is made for you as it removes the effect entirely.
Mod Link: Radiation Noise Remover by pneumohippo
No Weapon Durability Loss
Weapon Durability is a big part of Stalker 2 and adds another layer of tension to combat encounters and exploration. Using weapons will lower their durability gradually, and will often jam during combat.
This is a core part of the combat system, but if you’re not a fan of weapons jamming on you, this mod addresses that by disabling it entirely or reducing the effect by 50%.
Mod Link: No Weapon Durability Loss by Tacgnol
Longer Sprinting
Stalker 2 has a massive open world to traverse, and Skif isn’t the fastest stalker out there. If you aren’t happy with the default sprinting duration, this mod adjusts the stamina cost of sprinting, allowing you to run more. Players can choose between different percentages provided by the mod author, and reduce the stamina cost of sprinting by 25%, 50%, or 75%.
Mod Link: Longer Sprinting by NickMillion
Sell Damaged Stuff
Are you tired of carrying around stuff that’s damaged, but not worth repairing either? This mod created by Stalker_Boss allows you to sell items that are damaged, or have low durability.
By default, you can only sell items and weapons that aren’t damaged, and need to repair those before selling. This mod removes that condition and allows you to sell whatever you have at vendors.
Mod Link: Sell Damaged Stuff by Stalker_Boss
We’ll be adding more noteworthy mods to this list, but for now, these offer a decent variety of balancing, quality-of-life features, and utility. Mods aren’t the only tools to make the Stalker 2 experience better, and you can disable the shader compilation process, mouse smoothing, vignette, and even adjust the FOV beyond the in-game limit. If you’re struggling to maintain a decent framerate, check out our recommendations for the best graphics settings for Stalker 2.
Published: Nov 26, 2024 11:43 am