STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl Update 1.7 brings persistent faction battle & territory control

Big changes have come to STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl this week as GSC Game World once again unleashes a wave of improvements and updates to the game. Some of the biggest things here are a new survival-focused Expedition Mode and an improved AI life in the game that will have factions fighting over territory. There’s much more in STALKER 2 Update 1. 7 as well. GSC Game World released the details for STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl Update 1. 7 as the game prepares to hit consoles such as the PS5 this week. The headliners in Update 1. 7 are the new Master Difficulty and Expedition mode, but it sounds like faction battles and territory control will be the one that affects all facets of the game. Now, opposing factions of humans, as well as groupings of mutants, will seek to fight each other over precious territory and keep as much of The Zone for themselves. You’re likely to get caught up in the crossfire several times over as you navigate the world on your own mission. Master Difficulty and Expedition Mode should still provide an intense new challenge for all players. Expedition Mode in particular applies a new set of rules to the game on any difficulty. Manual saves are limited to quitting the game, and auto-saves will only happen when you enter or leave a camp, so you’d best not be caught slipping if you’ve had a long trek, which are quite frequent in STALKER 2 and some of Guides Editor Sam Chandler’s favorite parts of the game in his Shacknews review.
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146862/stalker-2-heart-of-chornobyl-update-17-patch-notes