STALCRAFT: X stream mapped out April events, North map changes, and AI upgrades

During the EXBO stream on March 26, 2026, the Stalcraft: X team laid out short‑term plans for the next few months and sketched several longer‑term systems changes. The company highlighted upcoming events, a northern map rework, AI and animation work, and a new program for media partners.

April: InsideOut event and map changes

The developers said an InsideOut event will arrive in April. It will run in the open world and will not be purely PvE, following a structure similar to the winter event. The team added the event will most likely remain in the game permanently, though that was not presented as final.

The North region will receive both visual and technical updates. Home locations and contested faction areas are being merged into larger combined zones, shrinking the number of distinct areas to five in total for the North. The direct passage from faction bases to Forge‑11 will be removed, leaving only a central, wider route through the contested area.

Forge‑11 loot will be improved alongside the northern changes. The team also plans to add special radars inside faction home locations that reveal nearby enemy positions; those radars will be destroyable to avoid detection.

The stream confirmed a small April Fools’ mini‑event with session battles scheduled for April 1.

May and summer events

A main seasonal event themed around World War II is scheduled for May. For summer, the team said there will be unique content aimed at global servers only, and a larger marketing push planned for global regions around the same period.

AI, NPCs, and new mechanics

On combatants and NPCs, the developers said they are working on a fix to stop NPCs and mutants from spawning directly on top of players. They are building new concepts and prototypes for mutant AI behavior now, and plan broader NPC AI improvements that cover movement and positioning. They described future NPC behaviors that include taking cover, flanking, or focusing attacks rather than a single predictable pattern.

New first‑person drone movement mechanics will be added to Operations and the Wild North in the near future. The studio also wants to improve how NPCs interact with one another at bases and is exploring faction‑specific NPC classes with unique abilities.

Animations, vehicles, and motion capture

Work is underway on a new weapon animation engine and the developers have begun adding motion capture to the game. Examples mentioned during the stream include more detailed NPC actions such as weapon cleaning, weapon assembly and disassembly, sitting on furniture, and scientists handling flasks. New vehicle animations will be introduced, but the team said those vehicles will not be controllable and did not tie them to a specific upcoming update.

Media program and community plans

The studio expects to launch a Global Media Program within the next two to three months. Media partners would receive perks including access to a dedicated media server for content creation, priority support, monetization options via supporter contributions, direct developer chat, and opportunities for voice meetings.

An event‑based feature for endgame players that can grant legendary equipment is planned for summer; an “Evil” update is expected; PvP‑oriented quests will be available from captured outposts; the English‑language forum is on hold; and the global Lyubech update is postponed indefinitely. The developers also said new routes may appear in the Wild North and that clan bases are a strong possibility. Finally, proximity chat is planned for NA, SEA, and EU regions.

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