Hunters!
A new update has arrived in the Zone, bringing a mix of new content, gameplay improvements and quality-of-life changes. And to make the update even sweeter, we’ve slapped on our biggest discount ever! For the next two weeks, you and your friends can pick up ZERO Sievert with a 40% discount.
With this update, we've added some new toys to play with, made a few systems easier to use and spent plenty of time polishing things behind the scenes.
As always, there's a little bit of something for everyone, so grab your gear and see what's changed.
New Languages
To make the game more accessible, we’ve added five new languages, so now even more Hunters can play in their native tongue. The new languages include:
French
Italian
Polish
Russian
Turkish
We’ve also improved our localisation system in general to prevent incorrect text from showing among other changes (but more on that in the bug fixes section).
New Ammunition - 5.56x45mm M856A1
A new round has arrived for 5.56 weapons to help bridge the gap between M855 and M955, adding another stage of progression for seasoned Hunters.
Added 5.56x45mm M856A1 ammunition.
Added dedicated M856A1 ammo boxes.
M856A1 has been fully integrated into the game's systems, including:
Loot
NPC loadouts
Traders
Crafting
Quest rewards
The new ammunition isn't just something you'll find in a single location either! It is now a fully integrated part of the Zone's ammunition economy.
Container Improvements
Managing your resources just got a little easier as we've added a ‘Collect’ button for containers. With a single press, every stack for that container, be it in your backpack or stash, will collect instantly, cleaning up your storage so you never lose that final stack you need again.
Added a new Collect interaction for Containers.
This makes it easier to retrieve stored items without having to manually manage every item inside.
Quest Markers
We've added additional guidance for two important quests:
Added quest markers for The Crystal.
Added quest markers for Outer Deity.
New Difficulty: Standard
Not only has the difficulty menu received an overhaul, but a new difficulty option has also been added for players looking for something between the existing settings.
Improved difficulty menu selection visuals
Added Standard difficulty.
Rookie difficulty has been renamed to Relaxed.
Improved the difficulty selection screen to better communicate the differences between each difficulty.
New Game Improvements
Starting and getting into a new game is now a lot more straightforward. We removed the confusing tickbox so now you can choose directly between:
Start Prologue
Start Main Game
This makes it easier for returning players to jump straight into the main experience without replaying the introduction.
Gameplay
Automatic Ammo Switching
Running out of ammunition at the worst possible moment is never fun. And frantically trying to mash Y to get another round in the chamber is just not the life we want. So now, if you run out of a type of ammo, when you next reload another compatible type will be loaded instantly instead.
Added an option for automatic ammo switching.
When enabled, your weapon will automatically switch to another available ammo type once the current type runs out.
For those purists out there, you can also decide whether you want the game to handle the switch for you or keep full manual control over your ammunition.
Bolt Cutters
Bolt Cutters have been notoriously hard to find in the Zone, causing for unnecessary delays in progression. Now, they are now easier to find when you need them, both in drop rates and from Mr Junk!
Increased the frequency of Bolt Cutters appearing in the world.
Bolt Cutters can now be purchased from Mr. Junk.
Grenades & Mines
Various explosives have received a number of changes to make them more useful and convenient during raids. Because who doesn’t want to run around with a backpack full of em!
Grenades:
Grenades now stack up to 4.
Mines:
Reduced mine size.
Mines can now be assigned to quick slots.
Reduced deployment time.
Reduced fuse time.
Reduced weight.
Traders will also now stock more grenades and mines, making explosives easier to incorporate into your regular loadouts. But we still don’t recommend standing on your own ones…
Phantom
Phantom has received another pass to make encounters with him more consistent, more dangerous and more rewarding.
Phantom is now more effective during off-screen combat, leading to a greater chance you’ll find him alive rather than already dead
Updated the loot found in Phantom's stash, giving you another reason to track him down.
UI & Quality of Life
We've made a large number of smaller improvements across the game's interface and everyday systems, making the general experience feel more polished and more intuitive.
Inventory & Equipment
Fixed inventory weight not updating correctly when equipping backpacks through Quick Move.
The weapon modification screen now properly supports taller attachments.
Added an option to automatically close the inventory screen in chests and stashes when taking damage.
Movement & Combat
The default sprint behaviour is now Hold to Sprint.
Shooting now cancels sprinting (instead of sprinting cancelling shooting), giving movement and combat a more responsive feel.
Added a Sprint status icon.
Added weapon and armour wear icons so you can more easily keep track of your equipment condition.
Menus, HUD & Interaction
Numerous improvements to the HUD.
Improved cursor behaviour.
Improved gamepad support.
Improved interaction prompts.
Improved various menus and interface elements.
Settings menus are now scrollable where required.
Added additional difficulty and settings tooltips.
Improved the difficulty selection page, making the differences between settings more clearly visible.
Hidden unnecessary talk prompts for NPCs who don't currently have dialogue or tasks available.
Audio
Your character will now give more feedback about their current condition.
Added audio barks for states including:
Wounded
Bleeding
Hunger
And other player conditions
This should make it easier to recognise what's happening to your character without constantly needing to check your status.
Prologue
We've given the Prologue a significant pass to improve the experience for new players.
Improved the tutorial flow.
Improved pacing.
Refined dialogue.
Improved the overall onboarding experience.
The goal is to make those first steps into the Zone clearer and more natural, while helping new Hunters understand the game's core systems without overwhelming them.
Fixes
As always, we've also spent time tracking down bugs and cleaning up issues across the game.
Technical
Updated the game's runtime to resolve several NVIDIA driver-related issues.
Missing localisation will now correctly fall back to English.
Bunker & World
Bunker lights now correctly remain off after exiting the game.
Fixed the Weird Phenomena quest marker.
Fixed procedural quest objectives occasionally spawning outside the playable map.
Fixed building entrances causing door sprite changes.
Fixed issues with door and entry point positioning.
Inventory & Loot
Fixed several inventory-related issues.
Fixed zero or negative quantity loot being saved to the stash or inventory. These invalid quantities are now removed when loading a save.
Fixed loot stack quantities changing incorrectly when merging stacks.
UI & Menus
Fixed cursor issues occurring after changing resolution or display mode.
Fixed several scoped HUD overlay issues.
Fixed various interaction prompt issues.
Fixed death screen issues.
Fixed trader UI issues.
Fixed keybind display issues.
Fixed various menu and interface bugs.
Gameplay & AI
Fixed various AI issues.
Fixed various additional gameplay bugs and edge cases.
This update is all about making the Zone a better place to survive: whether you're a new Hunter taking your first steps through the Prologue or a veteran returning for another run.
If you would rather watch these patch notes instead of reading, you can check out our full rundown here:
[dynamiclink href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vbnpSOR8LM"]
As always, thank you for your feedback! So much of this update came from suggestions and observations made by Hunters just like you. So please, keep letting us know your thoughts in the comments.
