Siding with the Ward or Dubny and Noontide is a choice you have to make during the Wishful Thinking in STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Read on to learn the outcomes of siding with the Ward or Noontide during this mission and find out if it will affect any of the game's endings.

Side With Ward or Noontide Choice Outcomes

At the end of Wishful Thinking, Skif will have to choose between siding with the Ward or with Dubny and the Noontide. Your choice here will only affect the missions and rewards you get after finishing Wishful Thinking. It will not affect the endings you can get since all endings are still free to get before the main mission, Subtle Matter.

Put simply, siding with the Ward here will have you working closely with Col. Korshunov well after the events of SIRCAA. All missions after Wishful Thinking will present the Ward and their Chemical Plant base as allies (at least until you reach Subtle Matter).

Similarly, siding with Dubny, Strider, and the Noontide will mean you'll have to work with Scar and his Spark faction after the events in SIRCAA.

Wishful Thinking Walkthrough

Should You Side With Ward or Noontide?

Side with Dubny and Noontide to Work with the Spark Faction

Choosing to side with Dubny means supporting Strider and the Noontide faction. This will trigger the main mission, To the Last Drop of Blood after Wishful Thinking.

However, do note that regardless of who you side with (Noontide or Ward), the Noontide will revert back to Monolithians. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to save Strider and his Noontiders from their fate. This also means you will fight both Ward and Monolith soldiers as you escape SIRCAA.

After escaping SIRCAA, you will be working for Scar and the Sparkers, killing the Ward as you progress the main story. This will lock you out of the Chemical Plant base, which makes it hard to fast travel to mid game missions later on (since a lot of them happen in the Chemical Plant, Burnt Forest, and Duga regions.

To the Last Drop of Blood Walkthrough

Side with the Ward to Help Col. Korshunov and Dalin

Choosing to side with the Ward means supporting the Ward faction. This will trigger the Law and Order main mission, and you will only have to fight Noontide during this mission.

After getting out of SIRCAA, all main story missions after Law and Order until Subtle Matter will have you working with the Ward. Compared to working with Noontide, the Ward missions post-SIRCAA are much easier to complete.

Law and Order Walkthrough

Does Siding with Ward or Noontide Affect Endings?

No, This Choice Does Not Affect any Ending

Siding with Ward or Noontide in Wishful Thinking will not affect the endings you get in STALKER 2. The only major choices that affect the ending you get will occur in Subtle Matter, Dangerous Liaisons, and The Last Wish.

While this decision does not alter the game's ending, it shapes the rest of your playthrough after SIRCAA by determining faction alliances and mission experiences. Choosing the Ward offers a more structured storyline, whereas siding with Dubny and Noontide provides a deeper exploration of the Zone's mysteries.

How to Unlock All Endings

STALKER 2 Related Guides

List of All Choices

Choice Guides