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Went back to S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 now that about a year has passed and we're on the 1.6.1 patch to see how far the game has come and...well, they've added Night Vision Devices, and the Mosin, and it does run more stable, but other than that very little seems to have changed about the things I disliked. In fact, one of my main complaints, enemy spawning, seems to have regressed since I last played, even at release with enemies obnoxiously spawning around you it'd take some effort to actually catch them "popping in", but on 1.6.1 I've literally had enemies pop into existence right in front of me on enough occasions that it's become rather bothersome. There's also generally too many, it's literally impossible to get from A to B without the game spawning a bunch of enemies around you, if you're lucky they'll be too busy fighting each-other (which, I suppose, is an improvement over release where they'd all go for you). To test whether it was the game or I was just imagining things it I decided to make the trek from Quiet to Azimuth Station (after the mission that takes place there) multiple times in a row, this is a short distance that has you cross a tiny strip of empty bog, of the 8 times in a row I made the corssing (4 in each direction) I didn't run into anything only once, every other time there was something going on in this tiny strip of land. That's ridiculous, especially since there's no realistic way for anything to get there. Missions still have the same issues they've always had with exposition but they've somehow managed to break in-world subtitles (which is a bit of an issue, seeing as I can't stand the English VO, but I also don't speak Ukrainian...) so I have to rely on memory for much of the context. Haven't had any main missions outright break though, which is nice. Worst I had was an early side missions for the Ward in the Chemical Plant that I had to reload 6 or 7 times to get to function correctly. So yeah...there's supposed to be an engine update in the next patch (1.7), honestly not sure what good it'll do unless it somehow also fixes the spawn issues.

I'm loving it too. Although does anyone know if there's a mechanic to turn down the radio when people are talking? If there is an option, I don't see it. So it would be nice for this to be an option if possible. I'd like to turn it down both for actual conversations and for party banter.

Wow thanks for all the info! Also, I blame my iPads spell check, Raedric gets corrected into that 😅 based on this feedback I now have.. and after a very unsuccessful cave fight at lvl 2 with like 4 con (hey I was curious! 😋) I went with : pale elf with mig 16 / con 10 / dex 10 / per 16 / int 18 / res 8 I did a quick bear cave test and it worked like a charm! Pre-cast chill fog just on the edge of bow range, so bear didn’t aggro when the cast broke stealth. Pre-cast veil1. Shot bow, instantly switched to hatchet and small shield (fun fact, the AI that supposedly doesn’t advance most certainly advanced when I switched to melee weapon.. so one panicky run back and disabled AI later..) cast wizards double. Barely made it before Bear and baby bear got into melee. Baby got blinded. Big bear grazed for 21 (ack) cast summon healing staff. Attack baby bear. Kill baby, get health back. Panicky veil2. (I don’t have spare spells for another wizards double!) hit with arcane blast which dazed big bear. Another healing hit. Big bear is dead. Wohooo! I was about to pop a healing potion, which I didn’t sell cause I thought I’d need it here. so it seems 10 is like the slowest possible dex value with breastplate. Anything slower and you’ll suffer too much. But I was happy with 8 res and the extra def from hatchet and small shield. I’ll probably walk around with +2 dex gloves until I get gloves of speed. (Sorry.. swift action 😋) my spells hit hard (yes I missed once but I also critted twice for 25ish on chill fog) I’ll try to keep records and maybe write about my success (or failure and need to respec lol) in any case, thanks again, you’re a star. ps: I reloaded a save just before resting so I could reach gilded vale on the right day to get my mantle of freeze (ZERO chance I’ll remember that name correctly) , fun fact, playing on a big screen tv on a lazy boy with the Xbox copy, the loot tables weren’t fubar’d 😃

Nah, just being out of the Corvette and jet pack space flying around in space. Typically not much use for that new function outside of "visuals, neat" but Expedition has ppl looting "space wrecks" POI's that way.

A couple minor things to add: For Wizard, direct damage spells of a given level tend to drop off in power as you gain levels. Fan of Flames and Necrotic Lance are beastly at level 3, but kind of meh at level 13. Use them early, then cycle them out for more self-buffs or CC as you level (Eldrich Aim is not worth a slot at level 3, but is one of your best spells at high level). For Cipher, a little wrinkle is that most of your good powers target will, which makes Eyestrike and Body Attunement relevant picks later into the game. When you on occasion fight something with a strong will defense (or run into Lagufaeth Broodmothers spamming Crowns like it is going out of style) it's useful to be able to target a different defense and still debuff those mobs.

I reset my password just so I can login and like this guys reply, lol

Charm/Dominate/Confusion spells are insanely good. They create a buffer between you and your enemies, taking the heat away from you and allowing you to damage the other dudes. Charming/Dominating/Confusing more or less = a chance to cast summon spell in terms of effect, except it has the benefit of taking enemies away from combat. Be a bit careful though with passive/active AoE buffs that your own dudes put out. I went through the spell lists and these are the ones that I tend to cast most often when I use both classes: Wizard Level 1: – Chill Fog (long duration blind, combine with combusting wounds) – Eldritch Aim (+20 accuracy, to be cast before CC, stacks with devotions for faithful) – Slicken (AoE prone) – Spirit Shield (Good if you need concentration in a pinch – Wizard's Double (With hardened Arcane Veil you'll be more or less unhittable – Combine with Draining Wall!) – Concelhauts Parasitic Staff (Great in early game) Level 2: – Bewildering Spectacle (Useful in early game before Confusion at level 4, aoe Confuse) – Binding Web (Combine with Druid's form of the Delemgan) – Combusting Wounds (Combine with any non-DoT repeat damage spell/ability/attack, loads of damage!) – Curse of Blackened Sight (Party friendly long duration AoE blind, use when things too messy for chillfog) – Fetid Caress (Decent single target paralyses) – Miasma of Dull Mindedness (Good to soften up before will attacking spell) Level 3 – Deleterious Alacrity (One of the best buffs in the game, cuts recovery in half – with 0 armor penalty leads to no recovery for spells) – Expose Vulnerabilities (Better than dropping a fireball) – Kalakoth Minor Blights (With Blast, Penetrating Blast + Combusting Wounds + Deleterious Alacrity + expose vulnerabilities will pressure cook enemies) – Llengrath's Displaced Image (Good buff if under duress) Level 4 – Confusion (Great AoE confusion, party friendly) – Maura's Writhing Tentacles (Very good, keeps dudes locked down) – Ninagauth's Shadowflame (One of the best spells in the game, fast cast AoE Paralyse) – Ninagauth's Death Ray (Decent single target damage with good might) – Pull of Eora (Use to suck people for Barbarians/Citzals Spirit Lance) – Wall of Flame (great for interrupt/combusting wounds) Level 5 – Blast of Frost (Good nuke) – Arkemyr's Wondrous Torment (For when you really need a will spell to land) – Call to Slumber (One of the best AoE CCs in the game) – Malignant Cloud (Good Raw aoe damage, combine with – Ninagauth's Bitter Mooring (Good damage) – Ryngrim's Enervating Terror (Great Debuff) – Wall of Force (Good for combusting Wounds/Interrupt) – Citzals Spirit Lance (Has an AoE effect, does great damage) Level 6 – Gaze of the Adragan (Probably best CC spell in the game, petrified targets take 2x damage) – XXX Blunt Wisdom (Insane damage weapon summon, but gotten very late in game) – Ninagauth's Freezing Pillar (Good damage) Level 7 – Concelhaut's Crushing Doom (Insane single target prone, made for messing with dragons) – XXX Siphoning Image (Very good protection spell, gotten late) – Wall of Draining (Insanely good spell, can get infinite duration buffs = near invulnerability) – Chaotic Orb (Good when there's two targets) Level 8 – Kalakoth's Freezing Rake (Insane Damage) – Wall of Many Colours (Insane CC) Cipher Level 1 – Antipathetic Field (Insane damage for early game, withdraw a guy at a choke point then do this over them) – Whisper of Treason (useful from start to finish, fast cast single target long duration charm, messes up dragons) Level 2 – Mental Binding (Great AoE CC, cheap with good duration) – Phantom Foes (Use in combination with vs flanked resting bonus for certain classes, increases spell damage too) – Recall Agony (Good damage vs single targets) Level 3 – Ectopsychic Echo (Party friendly version of antipathetic field, cast on your own dudes) – Puppet Master (Dominate version of whisper of treason, insanely good, messes up dragons) Level 4 – Going Between (Nice defensive boost) Level 5 – Borrowed Instinct (If no Priest) – Ringleader (Great AoE dominate/charm debuff) – Tactical Meld (Stacks with every other ACC Bonus, great for landing CC against high def targets) Level 6 – Amplified Wave (Insane spell, damage and prone in massive area) – Disintegration (Insane single target damage, doesn't destroy loot!) Level 7 – Time Parasite (Will massively increase focus generation, though use deleterious alacrity potion in big fights) Level 8 – Defensive Mindweb (Hands down best defensive spell in the entire game, trivialises the late game) – Reaping Knives (Infinite focus generation, Insane)

Milverstreet is moving his mouth like he's talking to someone but there's no one there. I can't get any quest update from him because there's no way to interact with him. Playing on PC / Steam.

Upon completing a refreshing bit of news; I somehow have locked myself out of the next quest from milverstreet. My dialogue is constrained to an end conversation option and the quest “the brain benders of aunties choice” never commenced. I am currently stuck from progressing for whom the bridge tolls and the saboteur of paradise until it gets fixed, I guess?

Stygian: Outer Gods. Still Early Access, with a final release scheduled first half of 2026 or so. But as I'm playing highest difficulty and really take my time, I've already clocked ten hours into it according to the in-game clock. Still not finished. Stygian's got Cthulhu, Lovecraft's Kingsport as a sort of hub world gradually unlocking, some RPG elements (including a skill that lets you talk with 'em dead), a bit of stealth -- plus Raphael Colantonio (Arkane's founder, former CEO and gaming's Last Action Hero) as the voice of THE SEER. Had to have it. The mood is already pretty damn spot on. Positive that this can be a better game than the ancient Dark Corners Of The Earth.