In case Zone-fanatics did not know coming into it, GSC Game World practically bombed announcement on them: The Habar Pack collector’s edition of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will shut down pre-orders on September 15th, 2025. So yes, you will not have much time to grab what are said to be some of the “rarest artifacts from the Zone” before they truly vanish.
What is in it? The upgraded Artifact Container Lamp (cool looking from what I have gathered), Stalker figurine, backpack, artbook, and a few more things. Essentially everything you’d want to put on your shelf being a hardcore stalker. But concretely said, the icing on the cake turns into the problem: the Habar Pack does not come with the actual game! No, you are paying for physical collectibles; the game is separate. Shipping is scheduled to start in early 2026, which feels an eternity away.
You would expect the community would be hailing damn near utterly. And well, not really. The reception on Twitter has been, to put it lightly, as far from cordial as a bloodsucker encounter inside the Zone. Players are roasting GSC as hell for its move.
Then another @Stalker2News popped in with the burning question on every player’s mind: “Why is this edition sold at the same price as the old one, while this one does NOT have the game itself, but the old did?” And they’ve got a really good point-The old collector’s edition actually had the game in it, but the new Habar Pack is priced more or less the same without the game. Tsk tsk, bad behavior.
Then from someone who’s still waiting for his physical edition from many months ago, @Craptain_Crunch uttered: “10 months since I ordered my physical edition, and I still haven’t gotten a thing. No one should be paying you scam artists.” That hurts. But the frustration is all but imaginable.
Even pricings are muddy in terms of regions. @smoliar_vlad has dished out that in Ukraine prices have in fact gone down since before, just making international pricing look even more suspicious. Like why would different regions get different treatment? That’s never sat well with gamers.
Technical issues with the game began popping in per se. @BrokenHashtags didn’t mince words: “Nobody cares. Your game is still a shell of what was advertised. So fix this technical dogpile first,” and @The_AngryScot stated a similar sentiment on the state of the game while pushing merch.
But there’s more to worry about: @WyattListon asked if the lamp still burns itself up, implying there may have been issues with these collectibles in the past. Then, @PaganscotMuir commented that they’re still waiting on the original collector’s edition merch, which really kind of makes the announcement for these new collectibles feel painfully tone deaf.
The questions are sprouting worldwide. @lmaolazy wanted to know if they’d be shipping to Australia; @Hypnofear wants to know about UK availability, and then there’s @BadgeCricri just asking, “Le prix ? Svp” (meaning “The price? Please” for anyone not fluent in French).
There seems to be a bit of confusion amongst the players regarding the entire idea. @AMX912_ asked, “What is it with this new trend of collectors editions not having the game?” That’s honestly a very good question. Since when did collector’s editions stop getting the actual game? It’s like buying a fancy case for something you don’t own yet.
There still are some hopeful voices amidst all criticism, with @corvin_leon in Ukrainian asking for Monolith lamps and embryo flask collectibles, signaling there is still love for iconic items from the franchise. The Ukrainian official variant of the announcement also gained some engagement.
Somewhat of a mess. Let’s say on one hand, due to hype, it is in GSC’s blood to sell the exclusive collectibles. On the other hand, there exist these players feeling burned from past orders, technical issues of the game itself, and a pricing system that seems nonsensical when put next to previous offers.
Typical video game’s collector’s edition hiccups, only buttressed by the fact that the development of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 has not been so smooth-oh-so-painfully-ever. These players do have pizza for the franchise; they’ve waited a couple of years for this sequel, and really want the developers to treat them better.
The Habar Pack might really sell out, due to die-hard fans wanting those artifacts. But in all honesty, the relationship between GSC and their community is currently somewhat strained. Maybe they should consider putting their effort into fixing the game and fulfilling outstanding orders before marketing more premium swag.
The bottom line is: It is your money, and the choice to either throw it at these collectibles or not is entirely up to the consumer. Maybe instead they should wait to give them more business until they fulfill their promise. The Zone will still be there in 2026, but if those items aren’t, then they’re practically going to be sold on eBay at half the price.
