How to Start STALKER 2 Cost of Hope DLC Guide

FAST ANSWER

Three official entry paths let returning players preserve progression or skip directly toward the expansion.

There are three official ways to start Cost of Hope: continue a campaign until its PDA signal appears, choose Early Start, or choose Advanced Start from New Game > DLC Content. You do not need to finish the entire base game first.

Normal campaign entry

Continue playing with the expansion installed. GSC says the first part becomes available shortly after leaving the Lesser Zone. The second part opens after A Minor Incident. Watch the PDA rather than searching the map for an invented unmarked trigger.

Early Start

Choose New Game > DLC Content > Early Start. This unlocks the first portion of the expansion route while avoiding a full opening replay. It is the better official shortcut for someone who wants the intended first-stage entry without jumping to both parts.

Advanced Start

Choose Advanced Start to unlock both expansion portions. The setup asks for Spark or Ward. GSC states that this selection affects main-game faction choices, not the separate Cost of Hope story. Treat it as a base-world state choice rather than a hidden DLC ending selection.

Before committing

Keep a manual save from before the start selection. Confirm the expansion entitlement and remove incompatible mods if Update 2.0 has just been installed. Once a save contains Cost of Hope progress, loading it without the DLC is restricted; see the save compatibility page.

If the DLC Content menu is missing, do not search for a mission marker yet. First confirm the game reports Update 2.0 or later, the signed-in account owns Cost of Hope through a direct purchase, Ultimate Edition, or Season Pass, and the platform says the expansion is installed. Fully restart the game after an entitlement download. A missing ownership flag and a missing in-world trigger are different problems and need different evidence.

For an existing campaign, keep playing until the relevant progression threshold instead of treating the skip-ahead menu as a repair tool. Early Start and Advanced Start create prepared world states for direct DLC entry; they do not repair a damaged campaign save or preserve every choice from another file.

Sources

• Cost of Hope and Update 2.0 — everything to know
• Official STALKER 2 FAQ