Cost of Hope is a great reason to return to the hostile world of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
The world of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is undoubtedly one of the most hostile out there, with not only fierce mutants and rival Stalkers out to get you, but also a wide range of hazardous anomalies that are often hard to spot. It’s also one of the most enthralling to explore as a result, however, with opportunities awaiting you around every corner. So, if you’ve been eager for more, you’ll be happy for the arrival of Cost of Hope, the game’s first expansion.
Included in the Ultimate Edition of Stalker 2 and available as an additional purchase for everyone else, the content introduced via Cost of Hope is woven seamlessly into the main campaign. If you have a game currently in progress, then, you can start the new questline provided by the expansion pretty much any time you like, carrying over the choices you’ve made so far as well as well as everything else. Though if you want to start a new game for any reason, you can jump ahead to one of two points, either giving you access to the start of the expansion with you needing to progress the campaign further to access it all, or with it all available from the outset.
However you choose to play Cost of Hope, you’ll initially find yourself drawn to the Iron Forest, one of the numerous new locations introduced by the expansion, which also include the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. There’s a strange new anomaly there called the blast, which make the enemies nearby more fearsome than ever. There are other mysterious goings-on, too, and you’re going to get to the bottom of them. You’ll not be working alone, though. Shortly after arriving in the Iron Forest you’ll encounter one of the game’s factions, Duty, and against all odds they’re working with another faction, Freedom, to resolve the anomalies in the area.
As you’d expect of an expansion, there are new enemies to encounter, new weapons to obtain, and a whole lot more. There are some choices to make, too, though don’t expect anything too impactful; the fact that this is woven into the main campaign means that it can’t have you do anything too drastic. Cost of Hope’s story will likely keep you hooked, though, and you might want to play through it aligning with both of the factions involved just to see how things play out with each. The highlight for many will be exploring the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which is as haunting as you’d expect. Though all the new locations added here are a joy to explore, despite their hostility.
Add in the fact that a major update has arrived for Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl alongside the expansion, introducing a whole host of improvements ranging from customisable difficulty settings to AI improvements, and there’s never been a better time to play this challenging open world adventure. Whether you’re a newcomer, a fan simply wanting more, or a player who has fallen off for one reason or another, there’s something for you thanks to the double-whammy of the latest update and Cost of Hope.
Stalker 2: Cost of Hope is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.
