Pavlo Zibrov’s voice will appear in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2

Ukrainian singer Pavlo Zibrov will appear in the story expansion for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl titled "Cost of Hope." The singer will voice the "Arena," and his song "School Waltz" will also play on the in-game radio. This was reported by UNN, citing the developers.

Details

Pavlo Zibrov will return in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope. Look forward to hearing his voice in the Arena and on your radios

His hit "School Waltz" will play amid the post-apocalyptic atmosphere of the Zone, while the singer will also provide the voice of the Arena—the location where stalkers compete in battles for survival.

Among the other artists whose music will appear in the expansion will be Monokate. The studio has already presented a video featuring her song "Carried Away." S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will also feature the well-known song "Stefania" by Kalush Orchestra, which brought Ukraine victory at Eurovision 2022.

In addition, Monokate, whose real name is Kateryna Pavlenko, will appear in the game as a radio host on the local radio station. 

Expansion

In update 2.0, "Return to the Zone," which will be released on August 20, the developers say that the Zone's appearance, the impression it creates, and the way it lives have been radically reworked.

This is a completely free update to the base game, released on August 20—simultaneously with the "Cost of Hope" expansion. This time, we have made more technical changes than ever before: substantially updated the game engine, added new mechanics that stalkers have been asking for a long time, and prepared several surprises that we were eager to show you

According to the developers, the lighting in the Zone has changed noticeably. In open areas, the sun shines just as brightly, but its rays now fall on the surroundings in a completely different way—shadows and reflections have come alive in a new way. 

We also worked on enclosed spaces: lighting in buildings and underground areas now looks much more realistic. Moreover, we reworked the landscape and vegetation to make them look more natural, eliminated hundreds of issues involving objects hovering in the air, and fixed numerous other bugs that sometimes made it seem as though anomalies were appearing where they had absolutely no place being

The A-Life system is also being updated, meaning that there will be more places in the Zone where you can encounter its inhabitants. People and mutants will now fight more often over campfire spots, bus stops, and other key locations, while stalkers will collect loot from the fallen at all times, rather than only when they are within your line of sight.

A binoculars item will also appear in the game, as it did in the previous installments. 

From now on, stalkers will have not one but as many as three types of binoculars at their disposal. Use them to survey the surroundings, spot friends and enemies, and plan your moves in advance. Each pair of binoculars differs in its "inner workings," available features, and purpose. Find the right model across the Zone or buy it from certain traders at an exorbitant price—the developers emphasize.

In addition, the new expansion will introduce new weapons, including the Arev assault rifle, the GP3A and SKP marksman rifles, and the "Fora-230" submachine gun. 

The optics selection has also become more extensive: a new three-times scope for Western-style weapons and a red-dot sight for Eastern-style weapons have been added. You will now be able to easily choose the perfect equipment for your own playstyle. It is also now possible to aim offset without an equipped NVG

Reminder

On August 20, Ukrainian studio GSC Game World will release the first story expansion for the game S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: "Heart of Chornobyl." The DLC, titled "Cost of Hope," will simultaneously become available on PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.