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STALKER 2 Heart of Chornobyl

Beginner's Guide: Tips and Tricks

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★ Best Weapons | Best Armor | Best Artifacts
☆ All Door Code Locations and Solutions
★ How to Unlock All Endings
☆ All Main Mission and Side Mission Guides
★ Locations: All Bases | All Artifact Farms
☆ How to Get All Unique Weapons

Stalker 2 Beginner

Here is a beginner's guide on what you need to know before playing STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Check out the early game tips and all other gameplay tips and tricks here!

List of Contents

Gameplay Tips

Check markDecide What to Do Before Leaving the Base
Check markStock Up on Supplies
Check markDiscover New Base Camps

Decide What to Do Before Leaving the Base Camp

Decide What to Do Before Leaving the Base Camp
Make sure to set your current goal before setting foot to the Zone. This will help you determine which supplies to buy and whether to choose to save Coupons or buy an upgrade for your weapon.

Here are a select number of activities that you can do:

Stock Up on Supplies

Stock Up on Supplies
Stock up on supplies as these will ensure your survival when at the Zone. You can find traders and technicians at the base camp that sell consumables that will help alleviate status conditions such as hunger, bleeding, and low health.

Discover New Base Camps

Discover New Base Camps
Base Camps act as the central hubs in each region of the Zone. These provide safe havens where you can recoup and restock supplies before embarking to the Zone again.

In addition, the base camps also house Guides. These are special NPCs that allow you to fast travel to unlocked areas for a price.

All Guide Fast Travel Point Locations

Exploration Tips

Check markFind the Nearest Stalker Camp
Check markUse Your Detector to Find Artifacts
Check markUse Bolts to Temporarily Disable Anomalies
Check markMake Every Resource Count

Find the Nearest Stalker Camp

Finding the Nearest Stalker Camp
The world of STALKER 2 is cruel and unforgiving. It would be a good idea to first make your way to the nearest Stalker Camp to complete a few smaller jobs and get yourself some Coupons and equipment for the beginning of your journey through The Zone.

Interacting with the different NPCs in the Stalker Camps will also help give you some direction as to where to go and what to do moving forward. However, how you progress is entirely your choice.

All Base Locations

Use Your Detector to Find Anomalies and Artifacts

Bear Detector Anomaly Field

The Detector will lead you to the precious Artifacts that all Stalkers are striving to obtain, and it also has the added benefit of helping keep you alive by detecting Anomalies in The Zone.

Hold the Tab key to bring up the radial menu and press the Q key to take out your detector. You can then press the 6 key to pull out a Bolt or press the 2 key to take out your pistol.

All Four Detectors and How to Use

Detector How to Use
Veles DetectorVeles Detector (Best!) Veles Detector in Action Detector shows the exact location of the Artifact relative to your position.
Bear DetectorBear Detector
Bear Detector
Detector uses lights as compass and proximity detector. Follow the direction of the lights until it turns into a full circle.
Hilka DetectorHilka Detector
Hilka Detector
Use the number on the detector as a gauge to see how far away you are from the Artifact.
Echo DetectorEcho Detector
Echo Detector
Listen to in-game beeping sounds and check the frequency of the blinking light to determine how close you are to the Artifact. Most difficult to use among the four detectors.

Best Detectors

Use Bolts to Temporarily Disable Anomalies

Throwing Bolts Burner Anomaly

Using Bolts as you traverse The Zone is extremely important. Some Anomalies can lethally damage you in an instant and are typically hard to see or invisible unless you throw Bolts at them. Bolts are infinite, so you can use them as many as you like to detect Anomalies.

You can also temporarily disable some of these Anomalies by throwing Bolts, allowing you to pass through them for a short period of time.

Make Every Resource Count

Inventory and Equipment UI
Everything is scarce in the world of STALKER 2 — You are surviving in The Zone, not thriving. Ammo is limited, healing is hard to come by, and food/drinks are an occasional treat.

This scarcity, the dangers of The Zone, plus the fact that Skif has to manage his hunger, health, radiation, and drowsiness, means that every little thing counts. Use your resources strategically and leave nothing to waste.

Combat Tips

Check markRepair Weapons as Needed
Check markAvoid Combat Whenever Possible
Check markTake Care of Skif

Repair Weapons as Needed

Technician Menue

Go to Technicians and have your weapons repaired when needed to avoid any malfunctions out in the field. Weapon failures could be the difference between life and death when facing the uncertainties of The Zone.

Weapon Durability Explained

Avoid Combat Whenever Possible

You do not need to engage in every fight that you encounter in The Zone. It is recommended to flee especially if you are low on resources and choose to engage only if it is a battle that you know that you can win.

Take Care of Skif

Skif Eating Canned Food

Make sure that Skif is not afflicted by status conditions like hunger, bleeding, and radiation. Letting these status conditions linger will negatively affect Skif's performance and will make it difficult for you to traverse The Zone dynamically.

All Status Conditions and Cures

All Tips and Tricks Guides

All Tips and Tricks

General Tips and Tricks Guides
Where to Sell Red Broken Weapons Why Can’t You Drop Quest Items?
How to Increase Weight Carry Limit How to Stash Loot
How to Access DLC and Claim Bonus Content Suits with High Degree of Psi-Protection
How to Get Out of the Anomalous Field What to Sell
What to Buy What to Do With PDAs
How to Lure Zakhar Out How to Unlock Arena Round 4
How to Get the Malachite Pass Coupons Farming Guide
Technician Cannot Install Upgrade Fix Money Glitch Guide
How to Do the Jump Anomaly Glitch Best Place to Sell Artifacts
How to Kill Scar How to Beat the Faust Boss Fight
Beginner Guides
All Status Conditions and Cures How to Change Firing Mode
How to Use the Flashlight How to Equip Attachments
How to Use Scanner How to Remove Hunger
How to Remove Bleeding How to Restore Health
How to Regain Stamina How to Remove Encumbered Status
How to Repair Weapons How to Loot All
How to Play Guitar How to Sort Items to Quick Access
How to Trade How to Get More Ammo
How to Take Shelter From Emissions How to Quick Melee
How to Find Artifacts How to Attach Sight
How to Use Grenade Launcher How to Kill Bloodsuckers
What to Do if Radiation Keeps Going Up How to Save
Exploration Guides
How to Get to Pripyat Where to Find Chimeras
How to Get Northern Checkpoint Door Key How to Enter Diode's Workshop
How to Get Down From the Cooling Tower Detention Center Artifacts
Stone Village Guide All Shop Locations
All Personal Stash Locations All Agricultural Workshop Key Locations
Old Church Locked Door Solution Where to Use the Old Key
Leshy Location How to Get Inside the Spark Bunker
How to Get to the Roof of the Red Fortress How to Get Down From the Crane
Where to Get and Use the Heavy Key -
Game Systems Explained
Weapon Durability Explained Stealth System Explained
Reputation System Explained Sleep and Resting Effects
Death Penalty: What Happens When You Die? What Does Endurance Do?
What is Flatness? -
Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Save Scum? Is There Character Creation?
Is There Third-Person POV? Is There Crafting?
Can You Lock On Enemies? Is There A Minimap?
Is There Base Building? Is There a Difficulty Achievement?
Can You Use Night Vision? -
Game Settings Guides
Best Settings for PC List of Controls
Best Brightness and Flashlight Settings How to Change FOV
How to Change Language Settings -

STALKER 2 Related Guides

Stalker 2 Walkthrough Wiki

STALKER 2 Heart of Chornobyl Walkthrough Wiki

STALKER 2 Wiki

STALKER 2 Guides
Main MissionsMain Missions Side MissionsSide Missions
WeaponsWeapons ArmorArmor
MapInteractive Map ChoicesChoices
Endings PartialEndings Tips and TricksTips and Tricks
ArtifactsArtifacts Factions Factions
BasesBases AttachmentsAttachments
AmmoAmmo Detectors PartialDetectors
Puzzles and Door Codes.pngPuzzles and Codes AnomaliesAnomalies
Stalker 2 TechniciansTechnicians Stalker 2 Vendors.pngVendors and NPCs
StashesStashes MutantsMutants
AchievementsAchievements Bugs and ErrorsBugs and Errors
MultiplayerMultiplayer News and UpdatesNews
BlueprintsBlueprints ConsumablesConsumables

Recommended Guides

Difficulty Differences Game Length
Best Weapons Best Armor
Best Detectors Best Technicians
Best Endings Guide Fast Travel Locations
Techinician Locations Journalist's Stash Locations
All Missables and Points of No Return Best Artifacts
List of All Unique Weapons List of All Unique Armor
Is There New Game Plus? -

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    STALKER 2 Heart of Chornobyl Walkthrough & Guides Wiki

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