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Steam News1 July 20261mo ago

Patch Notes [01.07.2026]

Contents SSPP contracts Improvements to the gear barter system Bar exit area rework Updating the Guide New tasks for the Northern factions Operations Session Modes Balance adjustments Other changes and fixes SSPP contra

In this update13

Full notes

Full STALCRAFT: X update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

What changed

3 fixes8 additions22 changes4 removals
  • Gameplay
  • Balance
  • UI and audio
  • Store
  • Maps
  • Fixes
changedContentsImprovements to the gear barter system
addedContentsNew tasks for the Northern factions
changedContentsBalance adjustments
changedChanges in difficultySome tasks have been simplified to strike a balance between difficulty, risk, time spent and reward.
removedEconomy ChangesRemoved the first free tasks for each contract difficulty. A deposit is now always required to take a contract. You can cancel a contract by speaking with Major Kaganovich. In this case, 80% of the deposit you paid will be refunded.
changedEconomy ChangesAdjusted the deposit amount:

STALCRAFT: X changes

changedImprovements to the gear barter system
addedNew tasks for the Northern factions
changedBalance adjustments
changedSome tasks have been simplified to strike a balance between difficulty, risk, time spent and reward.
removedRemoved the first free tasks for each contract difficulty. A deposit is now always required to take a contract. You can cancel a contract by speaking with Major Kaganovich. In this case, 80% of the deposit you paid will be refunded.

Contents

  • SSPP contracts

  • Improvements to the gear barter system

  • Bar exit area rework

  • Updating the Guide

  • New tasks for the Northern factions

  • Operations

  • Session Modes

  • Balance adjustments

  • Other changes and fixes

SSPP contracts

Changes in difficulty

Some tasks have been simplified to strike a balance between difficulty, risk, time spent and reward.

Easy contracts

BeforeNow
Clear out 2 Abandoned Posts;Clear out 2 Anomalous Rifts;Kill 35 mutants;Destroy a group of ZIVCAS Arthunters.This task was deleted.
Clear out 1 Officer’s camp;Clear out 5 Encampments of opposing faction;Kill a highly Dangerous Mutant;Kill 15 mutants.Destroy 1 Officer’s camp or Supply Base;Clear out 3 Encampments of opposing faction.
Destroy 1 Supply Base;Clear out 5 Encampments of opposing faction;Protect allies in ZIVCAS Raid;Kill 25 mutants.Destroy 2 Outpost of opposing faction;Clear out 3 Encampments of opposing faction.

Medium difficulty contracts

FactionBeforeNow
RiseDestroy 3 Frontier, Mercenary or ZIVCAS Outposts;Destroy 6 Frontier, Mercenary or ZIVCAS Encampments;Clear out the stronghold.Destroy 2 Frontier, Mercenary or ZIVCAS Outposts;Destroy 4 Frontier, Mercenary or ZIVCAS Encampments.
Destroy 3 Frontier, Covenant or ZIVCAS Outposts;Destroy 6 Frontier, Covenant or ZIVCAS Encampments;Clear out the stronghold.Destroy 2 Frontier, Covenant or ZIVCAS Outposts;Destroy 4 Frontier, Covenant or ZIVCAS Encampments.
MercenariesThe same set of tasks, but the factions change according to this logic: the farthest faction + the nearest one.The same set of tasks, but the factions change according to this logic: the farthest faction + the nearest one.
Covenant
Frontier

Hard difficulty contracts remained unchanged.

Wild North contracts

BeforeNow
Clear out 1 Murmur Outpost;Clear out 3 Murmur Camps;Clear out 2 Murmur Bases;Bring an item that drops from the event.Clear out 1 Murmur Outpost or Murmur Control Point;Clear out 2 Murmur Camps;Clear out 1 Murmur Base.
Clear out 1 Murmur Outpost;Destroy 2 Murmur Antennas;Clear out 2 Murmur Bases;Bring an item that drops from the event.Clear out 1 Murmur Outpost or Murmur Control Point;Destroy 1 Murmur Antenna;Clear out 1 Murmur Base.
Clear out 1 Murmur Outpost;Destroy 2 Murmur Antennas;Clear out 4 Murmur Squads;Bring an item that drops from the event.Clear out 1 Murmur Outpost or Murmur Control Point;Destroy 1 Murmur Antenna;Clear out 2 Murmur Squads.

Economy Changes

  • Removed the first free tasks for each contract difficulty. A deposit is now always required to take a contract. You can cancel a contract by speaking with Major Kaganovich. In this case, 80% of the deposit you paid will be refunded.

  • Adjusted the deposit amount:

Before:

DifficultyDeposit
Easy difficulty5700
Medium difficulty15 200
Hard difficulty34 200
Wild North contracts36 500

Now:

DifficultyDeposit
Easy difficulty11 500
Medium difficulty22 500
Hard difficulty31 000
Wild North contracts36 500
  • Adjusted the reward in rubles:

Before:

TaskRubles (deposit + reward)Receipts
Easy difficulty16 200100
Medium difficulty51 700350
Hard difficulty142 7001100
Wild North contracts164 0001300

Now:

TaskRubles (deposit + reward)Receipts
Easy difficulty27 000150
Medium difficulty121 0001000
Hard difficulty254 5002250
Wild North contracts365 0003300

Other

  • Contracts are no longer considered failed upon death in Session Battles.

Improved gear barter system

Reworked barter menu with a focus on usability and faster interaction. Bartering gear now requires fewer unnecessary actions, and all key information is presented more clearly.

Barter tree

  • Added display of the total amount of barter resources available to the player.

  • Minor interface adjustments.

Trade menu

The trade menu is now significantly more convenient for final item barter.

  • Added auto-fill of barter resource slots when opening a trade. This works with both inventory and personal storage resources.

  • Added the ability to purchase missing barter resources directly from the trade menu using trade coins.

  • Updated discount coupon display — coupons are now more visible and correctly shown in the interface.

General

  • Updated the display of discount coupons in both the barter tree and trade menu for clearer understanding of available discounts and crafting options.

Bar exit area rework

Updated the location around the Bar exit to make early routes after leaving the location more convenient, and to ensure a more even distribution of activities.

Location changes

Slightly reworked the terrain and environmental layout around the Bar to improve navigation and overall gameplay flow.

Activity redistribution

Moved some points of interest to Factory outskirts and Pogoreltsy Village. This will help spread players across a larger area and make exploration more varied.

Quest changes

Moved a daily quest that was previously located in the hostile Pervomaisky Factory side to the other place, so it no longer requires entering an opposing faction’s territory to complete.

Faction territory protection

Added guards to faction territories to protect bases from unwanted visitors. Infiltrating an enemy base is now significantly more dangerous.

Guide update

Mutants section was added to the Codex.

Pages about mutants will appear when a player first interacts with a mutant of that type.

Guide notifications

Now, when new players interact with certain mechanics for the first time, a notification will appear linking to the corresponding page of that mechanic in the Guides. Notifications are also sent when new pages containing lore are opened in the Codex. Notifications can be turned on or off in the settings.

New quests for the Northern factions

Typhoon’s arrival threatens to upset the balance of power in the North. Frontier and Covennt are looking for ways to collaborate with the SSPP, Mercenaries are seeking a way to get ahead of their rivals, and Rise is trying to sort out its complicated relationship with the military.

Operations

  • Operations rating has been suspended indefinitely. We have taken your feedback on board and have decided to make Operations better prepared for the ranking system.

  • In the Tech boss arena in Sea of Exclusion Operation, the decorations that players could climb on (various crates, boxes, pipes, etc.) have been removed.

Changes to the Subdisivion Battles ranking system

The formation of pairs in brackets

When the pairs are drawn in the first stage, the 8 teams will be divided into 2 groups: top 4 in the rankings and bottom 4 in the rankings. The pairings for the first stage are drawn at random on a best-vs-worst basis.

Protection against repeat encounters

From the second and third rounds onwards, the system will automatically avoid pairing teams that have already faced each other in this tournament. You won’t play the same opponent twice in a single bracket.

Changes to the rating calculation

Instead of a linear formula based on the difference in ratings, we are introducing a comprehensive approach based on the Theoretical (TWR) and Factual (FWR) win rates.

Theoretical Win Rate (TWR): The system calculates the mathematical probability of your victory based on your current rating and your opponent’s rating, taking into account the elasticity of the curve resulting from rating volatility across different divisions (the stronger the division, the lower the volatility).

Factual Win Rate (FWR): If you have played a specific opponent five or more times in Tournaments, the system takes into account your actual wins and losses against each other over the last 10 matches. The system does not take into account matches played outside of ranking seasons or in other modes.

Expected Win Rate (EWR): The system calculates the arithmetic mean of the expected values (TWR) and the actual historical data (FWR) to produce a fair value for the rating gained and lost.

Deactivating the boost system

The multiplier (1.25, 1.5, 1.75) applied to the rating earned for a 3-0 victory has been disabled.

The kill-death ratio in Session Battles is now calculated based on the last 50 games, with the earliest match having the least impact on it and the most recent match having the greatest.

Balance adjustments

ItemChanges
АК-15Damage: 46.8 → 47Although AK-15 is a popular weapon, it is still slightly less effective in firefights than other assault rifles, particularly at ranges of up to 20 metres.
QBZ-191 ThunderbirdDamage: 37.3 → 37.5QBZ-191 performs well at medium and long ranges, matching FN F2000 Tactical, but falls slightly short of it at close range.
HK XM8SRecoil: 0.58 → 0.55Recoil buildup: 4% → 3%
XM8 (A)Recoil: 0.55 → 0.52Recoil increase: 3.5% → 2.6%
HK XM8Recoil: 0.58 → 0.55Recoil increase: 4% → 3%HK XM8 (and its variants) has a good kill-to-death ratio, but has long been a very unpopular weapon. XM’s recoil was slightly overpowered to compensate for its high damage per magazine compared to other guns of its type, but its recoil will now be more in line with other weapons designed for long-range combat.
ASh-12Horizontal recoil to the left has been completely eliminatedASh-12 performs well at close range (at the level of average assault rifles for medium ranges), but very poorly at medium and long ranges, falling short of almost all other assault rifles, which has a negative impact on its popularity.The complete absence of horizontal recoil to the left will make the recoil more predictable and allow for better control.
M60E4Damage: 50 → 50.5
RPL-20Damage: 43.5 → 43.8M60E4 and RPL-20 perform well at medium and long ranges, but are outperformed by their counterparts at close range, so they will be slightly upgraded.
PMDamage: 27.1 → 34.5Minimum damage: 17.4 → 22.8Rate of fire: 400 → 300Recoil: 0.64 → 0.8
PBDamage: 28.4 → 36.2Minimum damage: 18.2 → 23.9Rate of fire: 400 → 300Recoil: 0.63 → 0.78
PMPB Extended MagazineReload: 3 → 2.75Tactical Reload: 2.4 → 2.25
TTRecoil: 1.12 → 0.88Reload: 2.25 → 2.5Tactical Reload: 1.85 → 2
Mauser C96Rank: Stalker → Newbie

Other changes and fixes

  • Updated basic loading screens.

  • Improved cursor behaviour when selecting characters in a text field.

  • Fixed the position and animation of the GLK-1 style’s magazine spring. Also adjusted the paint scheme — the pistol frame no longer is painted in a random colour.

  • Updated the way NPC weapon stats are displayed. This is a technical change and should not directly affect NPC balance, but if you notice anything unusual, please report it to support team.

  • Fixed multiple English voice-over bugs.

  • Fixed multiple English lip sync bugs.

  • Added several adjustments related to the quality of English voice acting.

Source

Steam News / 1 July 2026

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