Honest Zone Economy v1.0
A lightweight economy rebalance that only tweaks global difficulty multipliers instead of individual traders. Prices, buy/sell rates, quest rewards and artifact values are adjusted so Easy/Medium stay comfy, while Hard/Master feel harsh.
The mod doesn’t touch individual traders or prices of specific items – it only gently tweaks the global economy multipliers tied to difficulty level.
The core trading logic stays vanilla, but how money feels across difficulties becomes fairer and smoother.
Easy – Comfortable StalkerThe overall economy is almost completely vanilla.
– Artifact prices stay at their base level
– Artifact_Cost = 1.0 (from Empty) — no hidden buff or nerf.
The main focus of this difficulty is gentler weapon/armor wear and free saving, not the economy.
This mode is for those who want to wander the Zone without harsh resource pressure.
Medium – Fair Default BalanceDurability is still softer than vanilla, armor lives a bit longer.
Artifacts become slightly more valuable:
– Artifact_Cost = 1.05
It’s a small income boost that doesn’t break the economy, but rewards artifact hunting a bit more.
Medium remains the “classic” Stalker experience, just with more satisfying returns from artifacts.
Hard (Veteran) – Tough but Not Punishing EconomyVanilla Hard is very punishing money-wise. Here the economy is made fairer:
Buying from traders is much less brutal:
– BuyCondition raised from 0.5 → 0.9
(you no longer overpay almost twice for everything).
Selling is not as miserable:
– SellCondition reduced from 1.25 → 1.0
Quest rewards are brought back to 100% of the base level:
– Main story: 0.75 → 1.0
– Side quests: 0.75 → 1.0
Artifacts become one of the key, but not the only, sources of income:
– Artifact_Cost = 1.2 (vs 1.0 in vanilla)
As a result, Hard is still challenging in combat and survival, but it no longer forces you to feel completely broke after every purchase.
Stalker (Master) – Hardcore Zone with Fair EconomyThis is the harshest mode, but now the harshness is about survival, not “minus all your money for everything”.
Buying from traders:
– BuyCondition = 0.9
– instead of 0.4 (vanilla)
– Prices are still high, but no longer absurd.
Selling:
– SellCondition = 1.05
– instead of 1.65 (vanilla)
– You’re still not the king of the market, but you’re also not selling loot for peanuts.
Quest rewards are increased:
– Main story: 0.55 → 0.9
– Side quests: 0.55 → 0.85
Artifacts are truly valuable here:
– Artifact_Cost = 1.3
– Artifact hunting becomes noticeably profitable.
The save system, save limits and autosaves on Master remain completely vanilla.
I only change economy and durability – the save rules stay exactly as the developers intended.
