S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is set to have its first major story expansion for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox Cloud Gaming, PC, and PlayStation 5.
Named S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope, the DLC is a non-linear expansion of the base game that provides dozens more hours of gameplay to waiting fans. Focusing around a conflict between two factions of the zone Duty, one of the oldest factions around, believes that the zone has to be contained and destroyed. But on the other hand, there is Freedom, the opposing faction, who believe that the zone is a gift and can be used for the greater good. These two factions formerly had an agreement, but it seems like it fell through.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope puts you back into the boots of the main character from the base game, Skif. The DLC takes place concurrently with the events that unfold in the main game, where once the DLC is installed, a signal will appear on the PDA that will lead to the new content.
That new content includes two new regions to explore, the first of which is the iconic and infamous Chornobyl Nuclear reactor. The reactor has been abandoned and closed up for decades, but it is now calling stalkers into its borders. The second region is the Iron Forest, where players can find uncharted areas and labyrinthine paths. Each area has its own hub, activities, and quests, plus brand-new weapons and gear to use against any anomaly that could interfere.
The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 expansions are being released in installments, and Cost of Hope will be the middle chapter of what they call the “second trilogy.” That, in addition to an as-of-yet unrevealed planned future story DLC, will make up a new narrative arc in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. saga.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope will be released this summer.
