Hardly any shooter was as eagerly awaited this year as Stalker 2. However, the idiosyncratic survival open world mix also had to contend with a number of problems at launch. So that you can still get through the zone in the best possible way, we have put together a few setting tips for you that will improve the graphics, ensure more immersion and, above all, improve the operation.
You can jump to the individual points here:
Note on the platform
Our settings are based on the Xbox version, but many of the options can also be found on PC. If a setting is not mentioned, we left it at the default value.
If you are specifically looking for PC graphics settings, then you will find what you are looking for at GameStar.A guide for more FPS was put together there:
Object highlighting
- Our recommendation:Out of
So that you inIf you know which objects you can interact with, they are smeared with yellow paint. This is helpful, but it also breaks the immersion in the zone a bit, especially since most of the interaction options are very obvious.for example with locks or ladders:
Object highlighting on Object highlighting OffThe yellow color is primarily an accessibility option, but experienced players should be able to recognize typical interaction items even without the effect.
We have therefore switched off the highlighting and have made good progress, but if you like the visual aid, you can of course leave it on.
Difficulty level
- Our recommendation:Beginner or stalker
Basically, Stalker 2 doesn't want to be an easy game, but due to the many bugs and incorrect enemy spawns, we currently recommend playing on the lowest or at most the middle of the three difficulty levels.
In this way, you avoid a few moments of frustration because the hit damage dealt is reduced and enemies no longer hit your head as precisely.
The game won't be a walk in the park even on the easiest and medium levels of difficulty, as a shortage of ammunition is a constant companion and you will be targeted by bandits, bloodsuckers and military men even from the greatest distances.
Change the color of the crosshairs
- Our recommendation:Enabled
In Stalker 2 it is often extremely difficult to distinguish between friend and foe, as many items of clothing are used by several factions. So you can color the crosshairs green when aiming at an allied person.
But be careful, this information is not always correct!In some situations, our crosshairs turned green even though we were running towards enemies. As a result, we ate a large amount of lead.
Enemies also don't have their own coloring, so the crosshairs remain white. So it's entirely possible that you're shooting at a neutral person and not noticing it.
Therefore:Don't pull the trigger immediately if your crosshairs don't turn green. You could catch a potential ally!
Quality overall
- Our recommendation:Quality or performance depending on the situation
Stalker 2 doesn't make it easy for us to choose the graphics mode, as each has advantages and disadvantages. But first to the performance data:
- Quality:dynamic resolution at approximately 1512p, 30 fps with drops to 25 fps
- Performance:dynamic resolution at approximately 936p, 45 to 50 fps with drops to 30 fps
The successful scaling of Unreal Engine 5 sharpens the performance mode enormously despite the low resolution, but the quality mode is clearly ahead when it comes to image sharpness and pixelated edges appear much less frequently.
There are also a few nicer reflections, while in performance mode they regularly degenerate into an indistinct, black abyss:
The quality mode shows perspectively correct reflections on a modified ray tracing basis.
At the beginning of the game, the quality mode runs at a fairly stable 30 fps, but with a high number of NPCs and complex building structures, there are more drops.
The performance mode, on the other hand, is generally shakier and usually fluctuates up and down at 45 to 55 fps with many exceptions. You can reduce the jerkiness a little with a VRR display, but the mode never runs really smoothly.
However, the higher frame rate is noticeable in many fights, as you lose sight of enemies less often in green-brown game worlds. So you have to weigh up a bit what you like better: a somewhat more consistent gaming experience at a low frame rate or a higher frame rate that is quite bumpy.
Motion blur quality
- Our recommendation:Low
Annoying:Motion blur cannot be turned off completely in Stalker 2, so the image output generally looks a little muddy when the camera moves.
However, on "low" the effect is smallest, with no major differences between the settings.The "epic" motion blur effect pixelates details in the surrounding area just a little more:
On 'Epic' you can see a few more pixelated edges on the thin branches against the bright horizon.
The fact that the effect cannot be switched off completely is a little questionable, as it does not simulate the feeling of movement without the distortions typical of cameras, but rather reduces the image quality without any need.
Field of view
- Our recommendation:100
The 90 field of view in the standard setting is already decent, but we increased it slightly to see more of the surroundings. After all, there could be mutants or one or two pretty forest panoramas lurking around every corner.
HDR and SDR colors
- Our recommendations for HDR:
- Contrast:73
- HDR black point:-3
- HDR white point:corresponds to the peak brightness of your television
- HDR brightness:29
- HDR brightness for UI:7
- Our recommendations for SDR:
- Image encoding:sRGB (for monitors), Rec709 (for TVs)
HDR
Unfortunately, setting up HDR gets unnecessarily complicated as the title doesn't offer any visual calibration aids, but we'll walk you through the options in individual steps.
You should start with the HDR white point.In Stalker 2, you can use this to determine the peak brightness at which bright image elements are displayed.
Simply select the peak brightness of your television in nits or cd/m² (candela per square meter). You can find the information either in the product details of your TV, on review portals such as RTINGS.com or via the Xbox's HDR setup.
But it's quickest on the Xbox:There you can simply use the HDR calibration steps and press all shoulder buttons at the same time to read the exact nits numbers of the TV. Calibrated TML and FFTML values correspond to the ideal HDR white point in Stalker 2.
You can find out more about this here:
Then it comes to the HDR brightness.This determines how bright the entire image output should be. From 35 onwards we noticed an increasing fading, but in the range of 25 to 30 meters you can vary well and opt for a brighter or slightly darker image.
In this scene, you can see from the histogram on the right and the avgCLL display (i.e. the average nits value) how the HDR brightness increases as the number increases. 20 Complies with the standard.
Last but not least, you shouldHDR black pointand theContrastestablish. The black point determines the gray values from which the game outputs complete blackness. Using a value of -3 to -1 (-4 is standard) you can bring out some shadow details, although some areas may appear slightly grayish.
At theContrastWe also went down a few points by slightly increasing the brightness in our case. This avoids pale color representations. You can also leave the setting at 75.
SDR
In most cases, you should stick to the standard values for the SDR display. Only thatImage encodingyou have to adapt it to your screen.
For example, if you use a monitor, you shouldsRGB-Use the option in conjunction with a full RGB color space in the Xbox settings for an optimal image. However, if you use a television or HDMI television with a limited RGB color space, you shouldRec709set.
It sounds complicated, but in practice it is very simple:If the image looks faded, select Rec709; if it is too dark, then go with sRGB.
Audio
- Our recommendations:
- Playback device type:headphones
- Dynamic range:Complete
- Music volume:85 to 90 percent
If you use a headset or headphones, you unsurprisingly select the 'headphones' option. In addition, he ensuresfull dynamic rangeensure that quiet and loud sounds are reproduced as such.
If you are using a fairly inexpensive set of headphones, you should set the dynamic range to 'Medium' or 'Narrow' so that weakly reproduced frequencies are not lost in the mix.
When it comes to 'Speaker Setting', Stalker 2 depends on the settings in your Xbox audio settings. If you have activated Dolby Atmos there, more channels should be addressed than stereo.
Apropos Stereo:The narrow or medium dynamic range is also suitable for small TV speakers to prevent some sounds from being reproduced incorrectly.
We also decided to turn down the music volume a little so that the background sound moves further into the background. The game's mix is generally quite buggy, which is why a lower music volume helps you not to miss any relevant game sounds.
steering
- Our recommendations:
- Controller sensitivity:69 percent
- Controller sensitivity when aiming:38 percent
- Type of aim assist:Custom
- Camera slowdown speed:70 percent
- Target search speed:30 percent
It gets quite tricky when operating Stalker 2, as the game is fundamentally extremely sensitive to your stick inputs. To counteract this, we lowered the controller sensitivity a bit, which doesn't sound like much, but the differences are sometimes clear, especially in the 65 to 75 percent range.
We also increased the target sensitivity to 38 percent because it was very slow by default.
And so that you can keep your enemies in your sights when aiming, we have themAim assistadjusted. TheSlowing downWe increased it due to the higher target sensitivity, just like thatFocus. Focus helps you target enemies when you aim slightly next to them.
And another tip:Use a Pro Controller if possible!As mentioned, Stalker 2 reacts extremely sensitively to any stick tilt, as the game completely avoids any dead zones.
This is extremely annoying because even the slightest touch is enough to set the camera in motion. Even more so in battles when the gamepad's rumble effect is triggered by your AK. However, with controllers like the Victrix Pro BFG and the Wolverine V3, you can set deadzones to, say, 10 percent regardless of the game, making it far more pleasant to aim in Stalker 2.
Stalker 2 has huge technical problems at launch
You can modify a lot of things in the settings of Stalker 2, but all of the technical problems of the open world shooter cannot be avoided.This is one of the reasons why, just like our colleagues at GameStar, we are issuing a purchase warning for the title:
If you're already diving into the zone and scouring the red forest for weapons, ammunition and artifacts, we've hopefully been able to help you with our tips. Otherwise, we'll probably just have to wait a while until more patches are released for the survival title.
Are you already stalking through the bushes near Chernobyl or are you still waiting cautiously?
