Zefir's Artifact Overhaul

Artifact Overhaul

This mod is {BPATCHED}, meaning it should be update-proof and compatible with 99. 99% other mods.

The sheet with all the changes can be found HERE

Introduction

This mod replaces the effects of nearly every artifact. Rarity, price, weight, and element stay untouched. What changes is what each artifact actually does. The goal isn't to make artifacts stronger or weaker overall, but to make choosing between them an actual decision - no more artifacts that do the same thing and, more importantly, no more artifacts that are straight out weaker than other ones in the same rarity tier.

The problem with vanilla

A few examples of problems with vanilla balancing:

• []Slug, Crystal Thorn, Mica, and Thorn (all common, all chemical) have the exact same effects: Radiation -10%, no downside. Four artifacts that are just duplicates of each other. There's also Bubble, which has the effect Radiation -15%, making it a straight upgrade over the previous four.[/]

  []Whirlwind has Radiation resistance, Physical protection, and Stamina regen - all on one common artifact with zero downside. Three effects valued by players, on one item. Making its friend, Pebble, pointless by comparison.[/]

  []Mold, Meat Chunk, and Horn all give the identical Chemical +10%, Radiation +10%. Three separate artifacts adding nothing but redundancy to the loot pool. Not to mention they give only elemental resistances and nothing else, so they're very rarely used by anyone. Basically three wasted artifacts.[/]

These are just some examples representative of how often vanilla repeats itself or lets one artifact flatly outclass another in the same tier. This mod sets out to fix such situations.

Philosophy of this overhaul

The artifacts above (and many others like them) were redistributed so each one fills its own niche instead of overlapping with, or straight up beating, its neighbors. A few common-tier doubles are kept on purpose, since some effects (like basic radiation or elemental protection) are meant to be easy to find early on.

No artifacts should stack two "always-wanted" effects for free. Vanilla lets you get several good perks on one item, while this mod spreads them out so you have to think to compose the build you want. It's no longer possible to just wear the objectively OP artifacts.

Trilogy-inspired

Effects and identities are pulled from the original Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear Sky, and Call of Pripyat artifacts. For balance's sake not all artifacts are exactly like their trilogy counterpart, but where possible, I tried to retain their past identity. Artifacts that appear for the first time in Heart of Chornobyl usually keep their vanilla identity or are inspired by their in-game descriptions.

This mod doesn't invent new effects - even if the original trilogy had a few which are not present in Stalker 2. Since it's meant to be a vanilla+ mod that respects the base game's systems, it only utilizes already existing effects, just redistributed across artifacts more sensibly. It's the same game, just rebalanced, not a completely different one. This also keeps the mod simple and less prone to imbalance.

Legendaries

The five legendaries were redesigned individually. Let me explain the reasoning behind the changes because some might seem controversial at first.

[]Liquid Rock was, admittedly, pretty nerfed. Previously it had Chemical protection, Durability, and a -50% radiation reduction, which also meant it had no radiation buildup - effectively four strong effects on one item. It now keeps Chemical protection and Durability only, but no longer gives -50% to radiation. But it still doesn't GIVE radiation, which is it's third advantage now. You will have to find a major radiation reduction source elsewhere, or put your other legendaries into shielded slots.[/]

[]Hypercube, Thunderberry, and Magic Cube were slightly "lifted up" to match Liquid Rock. Each now carries two real effects associated with its element, plus a radiation cost. These changes are meant to give these legendaries more of its own identity.[/]

[*]Compass [/b