Stalcraft: X trims contract grind and overhauls barter menus in latest update
The July 1 patch also reworks the Bar exit area, changes Subdivision Battles ranking math, and tweaks several weapons.
Stalcraft: X got a broad July 1 update that cuts back some contract busywork, cleans up the barter flow, and reshapes the area around the Bar exit.
The patch also adds new Guide pages for mutants, brings new Northern faction quests into the mix, pauses Operations rating, and adjusts balance across several weapons and session systems.
Patch Notes [01.07.2026]
Contents
- SSPP contracts
- Improvements to the gear barter system
- Bar exit area rework
- Updating the Guide
- New tasks for the Northern factions
- Operations
- Session Modes
- Balance adjustments
- Other changes and fixes
SSPP contracts
Changes in difficulty
Some tasks have been simplified to strike a balance between difficulty, risk, time spent and reward.
Easy contracts
| Before | Now |
|---|---|
Clear out 2 Abandoned Posts;
|
This task was deleted. |
Clear out 1 Officer’s camp;
|
Destroy 1 Officer’s camp or Supply Base;
|
Destroy 1 Supply Base;
|
Destroy 2 Outpost of opposing faction;
|
Medium difficulty contracts
| Faction | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Rise | Destroy 3 Frontier, Mercenary or ZIVCAS Outposts;
|
Destroy 2 Frontier, Mercenary or ZIVCAS Outposts;
|
| Mercenaries | Destroy 3 Frontier, Covenant or ZIVCAS Outposts;
|
Destroy 2 Frontier, Covenant or ZIVCAS Outposts;
|
| Mercenaries | The same set of tasks, but the factions change according to this logic: the farthest faction + the nearest one. | The same set of tasks, but the factions change according to this logic: the farthest faction + the nearest one. |
| Covenant | ||
| Frontier |
Hard difficulty contracts remained unchanged.
Wild North contracts
| Before | Now |
|---|---|
Clear out 1 Murmur Outpost;
|
Clear out 1 Murmur Outpost or Murmur Control Point;
|
Clear out 1 Murmur Outpost;
|
Clear out 1 Murmur Outpost or Murmur Control Point;
|
Clear out 1 Murmur Outpost;
|
Clear out 1 Murmur Outpost or Murmur Control Point;
|
Economy Changes
- Removed the first free tasks for each contract difficulty. A deposit is now always required to take a contract.
You can cancel a contract by speaking with Major Kaganovich. In this case, 80% of the deposit you paid will be refunded. - Adjusted the deposit amount:
Before:
| Difficulty | Deposit |
|---|---|
| Easy difficulty | 5700 |
| Medium difficulty | 15 200 |
| Hard difficulty | 34 200 |
| Wild North contracts | 36 500 |
Now:
| Difficulty | Deposit |
|---|---|
| Easy difficulty | 11 500 |
| Medium difficulty | 22 500 |
| Hard difficulty | 31 000 |
| Wild North contracts | 36 500 |
- Adjusted the reward in rubles:
Before:
| Task | Rubles (deposit + reward) |
Receipts |
|---|---|---|
| Easy difficulty | 16 200 | 100 |
| Medium difficulty | 51 700 | 350 |
| Hard difficulty | 142 700 | 1100 |
| Wild North contracts | 164 000 | 1300 |
Now:
| Task | Rubles (deposit + reward) |
Receipts |
|---|---|---|
| Easy difficulty | 27 000 | 150 |
| Medium difficulty | 121 000 | 1000 |
| Hard difficulty | 254 500 | 2250 |
| Wild North contracts | 365 000 | 3300 |
Other
- Contracts are no longer considered failed upon death in Session Battles.
Improved gear barter system
Reworked barter menu with a focus on usability and faster interaction. Bartering gear now requires fewer unnecessary actions, and all key information is presented more clearly.
Barter tree
- Added display of the total amount of barter resources available to the player.
- Minor interface adjustments.
Trade menu
The trade menu is now significantly more convenient for final item barter.
- Added auto-fill of barter resource slots when opening a trade. This works with both inventory and personal storage resources.
- Added the ability to purchase missing barter resources directly from the trade menu using trade coins.
- Updated discount coupon display — coupons are now more visible and correctly shown in the interface.
General
- Updated the display of discount coupons in both the barter tree and trade menu for clearer understanding of available discounts and crafting options.
Bar exit area rework
Updated the location around the Bar exit to make early routes after leaving the location more convenient, and to ensure a more even distribution of activities.
Location changes
Slightly reworked the terrain and environmental layout around the Bar to improve navigation and overall gameplay flow.
Activity redistribution
Moved some points of interest to Factory outskirts and Pogoreltsy Village. This will help spread players across a larger area and make exploration more varied.
Quest changes
Moved a daily quest that was previously located in the hostile Pervomaisky Factory side to the other place, so it no longer requires entering an opposing faction’s territory to complete.
Faction territory protection
Added guards to faction territories to protect bases from unwanted visitors. Infiltrating an enemy base is now significantly more dangerous.
Guide update
Mutants section was added to the Codex.
Pages about mutants will appear when a player first interacts with a mutant of that type.
Guide notifications
Now, when new players interact with certain mechanics for the first time, a notification will appear linking to the corresponding page of that mechanic in the Guides. Notifications are also sent when new pages containing lore are opened in the Codex. Notifications can be turned on or off in the settings.
New quests for the Northern factions
Typhoon’s arrival threatens to upset the balance of power in the North. Frontier and Covennt are looking for ways to collaborate with the SSPP, Mercenaries are seeking a way to get ahead of their rivals, and Rise is trying to sort out its complicated relationship with the military.
Operations
- Operations rating has been suspended indefinitely. We have taken your feedback on board and have decided to make Operations better prepared for the ranking system.
- In the Tech boss arena in Sea of Exclusion Operation, the decorations that players could climb on (various crates, boxes, pipes, etc.) have been removed.
Changes to the Subdisivion Battles ranking system
The formation of pairs in brackets
When the pairs are drawn in the first stage, the 8 teams will be divided into 2 groups: top 4 in the rankings and bottom 4 in the rankings. The pairings for the first stage are drawn at random on a best-vs-worst basis.
Protection against repeat encounters
From the second and third rounds onwards, the system will automatically avoid pairing teams that have already faced each other in this tournament. You won’t play the same opponent twice in a single bracket.
Changes to the rating calculation
Instead of a linear formula based on the difference in ratings, we are introducing a comprehensive approach based on the Theoretical (TWR) and Factual (FWR) win rates.
Theoretical Win Rate (TWR): The system calculates the mathematical probability of your victory based on your current rating and your opponent’s rating, taking into account the elasticity of the curve resulting from rating volatility across different divisions (the stronger the division, the lower the volatility).
Factual Win Rate (FWR): If you have played a specific opponent five or more times in Tournaments, the system takes into account your actual wins and losses against each other over the last 10 matches. The system does not take into account matches played outside of ranking seasons or in other modes.
Expected Win Rate (EWR): The system calculates the arithmetic mean of the expected values (TWR) and the actual historical data (FWR) to produce a fair value for the rating gained and lost.
Deactivating the boost system
The multiplier (1.25, 1.5, 1.75) applied to the rating earned for a 3-0 victory has been disabled.
The kill-death ratio in Session Battles is now calculated based on the last 50 games, with the earliest match having the least impact on it and the most recent match having the greatest.
Balance adjustments
| Item | Changes |
|---|---|
| АК-15 | Damage: 46.8 → 47
Although AK-15 is a popular weapon, it is still slightly less effective in firefights than other assault rifles, particularly at ranges of up to 20 metres. |
| QBZ-191 Thunderbird | Damage: 37.3 → 37.5
QBZ-191 performs well at medium and long ranges, matching FN F2000 Tactical, but falls slightly short of it at close range. |
| HK XM8S | Recoil: 0.58 → 0.55
|
| XM8 (A) | Recoil: 0.55 → 0.52
|
| HK XM8 | Recoil: 0.58 → 0.55
HK XM8 (and its variants) has a good kill-to-death ratio, but has long been a very unpopular weapon. |
| ASh-12 | Horizontal recoil to the left has been completely eliminated
ASh-12 performs well at close range (at the level of average assault rifles for medium ranges), but very poorly at medium and long ranges, falling short of almost all other assault rifles, which has a negative impact on its popularity. The complete absence of horizontal recoil to the left will make the recoil more predictable and allow for better control. |
| M60E4 | Damage: 50 → 50.5 |
| RPL-20 | Damage: 43.5 → 43.8
M60E4 and RPL-20 perform well at medium and long ranges, but are outperformed by their counterparts at close range, so they will be slightly upgraded. |
| PM | Damage: 27.1 → 34.5
|
| PB | Damage: 28.4 → 36.2
|
| PMPB Extended Magazine | Reload: 3 → 2.75
|
| TT | Recoil: 1.12 → 0.88
|
| Mauser C96 | Rank: Stalker → Newbie |
Other changes and fixes
- Updated basic loading screens.
- Improved cursor behaviour when selecting characters in a text field.
- Fixed the position and animation of the GLK-1 style’s magazine spring. Also adjusted the paint scheme — the pistol frame no longer is painted in a random colour.
- Updated the way NPC weapon stats are displayed. This is a technical change and should not directly affect NPC balance, but if you notice anything unusual, please report it to support team.
- Fixed multiple English voice-over bugs.
- Fixed multiple English lip sync bugs.
- Added several adjustments related to the quality of English voice acting.
Stalcraft: X has a lot going on in this patch, and the contract and barter changes alone will reshape how many players plan their next run. Tell us what you think in the comments, and join us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, and Instagram.
Source: Steam
Stalcraft: X
Developed by EXBO
