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!

Gameplay Tips

Decide What to Do Before Leaving the Base Stock Up on Supplies Discover New Base Camps

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:

• Progress through the main story
• Complete side quests
• Hunt for Artifacts
• Explore the underground

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

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

Find the Nearest Stalker Camp Use Your Detector to Find Artifacts Use Bolts to Temporarily Disable Anomalies Make Every Resource Count

Find 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

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 Detector (Best!)	Detector shows the exact location of the Artifact relative to your position.
Bear Detector	Detector uses lights as compass and proximity detector. Follow the direction of the lights until it turns into a full circle.
Hilka Detector	Use the number on the detector as a gauge to see how far away you are from the Artifact.
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

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

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

Repair Weapons as Needed Avoid Combat Whenever Possible Take Care of Skif

Repair Weapons as Needed

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

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
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	-
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 Heart of Chornobyl Walkthrough Wiki

STALKER 2 Wiki

STALKER 2 Guides
Main Missions	Side Missions
Weapons	Armor
Interactive Map	Choices
Endings	Tips and Tricks
Artifacts	Factions
Bases	Attachments
Ammo	Detectors
Puzzles and Codes	Anomalies
Technicians	Vendors and NPCs
Stashes	Mutants
Achievements	Bugs and Errors
Multiplayer	News
Blueprints	-

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?	-