It’s probably the most anticipated shooter of the year. After more than 14 years in development, Heart of Chornobyl takes you back to the radiation-contaminated zone. In our STALKER 2 Tips and Tricks, you’ll learn how the combat system and weapons work, how to make money, and how to explore the area most effectively.
Table of Contents
1) Avoid unnecessary fights
Of course, STALKER 2 is neither Call of Duty nor Battlefield. It would be a big mistake to actively seek out every confrontation and shoot wildly. Instead, you should consider which fights are necessary and which you can avoid. Especially in the first few hours of the game, your opponents will put you down quickly, and on-screen death lurks around almost every corner.
We also recommend that you save frequently. Not only is the game prone to crashing due to bugs, but it can make sense to solve enemy contacts in different ways.
2) Always have your detector ready
Outside of combat, the Tab and Q keyboard shortcut should be second nature to you. Use it to hold the detector in your left hand and scan the area. This will allow you to spot artifacts that would otherwise remain hidden.
When your detector in STALKER 2 detects something nearby, it will beep. You can also carry a small weapon in your right hand while holding the detector. So, if an enemy takes you by surprise, you can still defend yourself and not be defenseless.
3) Always carry these items
If you travel through the Chornobyl contaminated area in STALKER 2, you should always have some basic items in your backpack. For minor injuries, you will need bandages. You can use them to stop bleeding and restore some HP.
If you’ve been hit harder, take a medkit. It won’t help with blood loss, but it will restore much of your health. After you’ve taken it, stop the bleeding with a bandage.
Food will satisfy your hunger and also restore your health points. So always have some food with you. The same goes for water. It reduces your hunger by a small amount and increases your stamina.
4) Lure mutants to settlements
Instead of shooting mutants yourself, wasting ammunition, and risking your life, you can get others to do your dirty work for you. If you have enemies in your way that need to be eliminated, lure them near the soldiers in the settlements.
Once they spot the enemies, they will swarm out and finish them. Of course, the principle also works the other way around. If you want to weaken wandering bandits, lure some mutants in their direction.
5) How to fight mutants
The mutants in STALKER 2 will probably give you more trouble than human opponents. It is good to know their strengths and weaknesses.
- Bloodsuckers can disguise themselves and attack at close range. It’s best to face them from a position where they can’t attack from behind and finish them off with a well-placed shot from your shotgun.
- Psy Dogs can duplicate themselves. The only way to defeat them is to destroy the original. It’s best to kill a few clones and see which one glows when a new duplicate is created. That’s the real one. Once you’ve taken it out, the copies will disappear as well.
- Under no circumstances should you engage Chimeras in melee combat. Not only can they do a lot of damage, but they can also take a lot of punishment. It’s best to shoot them from cover or an elevated position and keep them at a distance.
- Burners can force you to drop your main weapon. Switching to your pistol when they appear and fighting them with it is best. Otherwise, your own gun may turn on you.
6) Looting tips
There is a lot to find in the world of STALKER 2. However, not everything is worth taking. Many items are damaged and need to be repaired before you can use them. If an item is marked red, merchants won’t buy it. You can leave these items alone. Usually, the cost of repairing them will be more than you can sell them for, and you will make a loss.
For red weapons, take only the ammunition by emptying the magazine. However, if you find loot marked yellow, you can easily sell it to the nearest vendor.
7) Minimize your load
Your inventory in STALKER 2 isn’t unlimited. Once you exceed a load of 50 kilograms, your stamina will be used up more quickly. This will limit your ability to jump and sprint. When you reach the weight limit, you’ll be unable to move at all.
When you’re ready to go, it’s best to clean out your backpack and take only what you need with you. To have enough room for loot, it’s not worth dragging more than 35 kilograms of luggage through the zone. To keep it under that, sell excess items and keep consumables like food, drink, and ammo to a reasonable level.
8) STALKER 2 tips for fast travel
With a map size of about 60 square kilometers, fast travel can’t be missing from our STALKER 2 Tips and Tricks. However, it’s only available to a very limited extent in the game. You can access it once you’ve discovered two main camps.
In each main base, there is a local guide. You can identify them by the crosshair icon on the map. Talk to him to travel between the bases you have already discovered. A total of 20 main bases can be discovered. For each trip, the local guide will charge you a certain number of coupons you must pay for. The value of the coupons depends on the distance to the chosen base.
9) How to make money in STALKER 2
You can make most of your money quickly by selling loot to the merchants. The zone is full of items, and every enemy you kill has some. The only problem is that you have to manage your carrying capacity well. It’s best to combine your raids with smaller missions.
You can accept missions from technicians and merchants in STALKER 2. Most of the time, your job will be to kill a few mutants or wipe out a group of bandits. Occasionally, you’ll be asked to retrieve an artifact. Before you go on a mission, clean out your backpack and return to your client with the loot from your defeated enemies.
A third way to earn money is through stalker hideouts. These appear dynamically on the map and house the property of other stalkers. Be careful when looting them, though. No one in the zone gives up their possessions willingly.
10) These weapons pay off
Due to weight restrictions in STALKER 2, you should only carry weapons you actively use. For short ranges, such as against bloodsuckers, we recommend a shotgun. For longer ranges, such as against Chimera, use an assault rifle or submachine gun. As you progress through the game, you can also switch to a sniper rifle.
In addition to the two main weapons, you will need a pistol to stand up to Burers. If possible, equip it with a silencer to take out enemies one by one without being noticed. Round out your arsenal with some grenades.
11) Repairing weapons?!
Equipment wears out over time. The more you use your weapons in STALKER 2, the faster they break down and must be repaired or replaced. To see how badly your items are damaged, hover over them in your inventory. Before you repair an item, consider whether it’s worth it.
Weapons that you find frequently should be discarded if they are broken. Only repair rare models or guns that you have already upgraded. The latter should be repaired regularly. The more they wear out, the more expensive it will be to fix them.
You can have the repairs done by Linse, for example. He’s the guy with the glasses and the beard in the village of Zalissja. You’ll meet him quite early in the game, and he can also give you some useful quests.
12) Upgrading weapons
Just like repairing your weapons, you can also upgrade them at Linse’s in Zalissja. In the dialog menu, select your gun and then the upgrade slot. Many of the upgrades are interdependent. You’ll need to do the basic upgrade before you can do any other upgrades.
You can only upgrade a weapon after it has been fully repaired. There is no leveling system in STALKER 2. The only way to get stronger is to improve your weapons and armor.
13) Be aware of radiation
Crackling noises on the Geiger counter in STALKER 2 indicate that you have been exposed to radiation. This can happen when you walk through certain areas or come into contact with water from rain or rivers. Taking medicine will help lower your radiation levels.
If the level rises too high, your HP will gradually decrease. However, remember that medications can only slow the increase in radiation, not stop it completely. If an area is too dangerous, you should avoid it.
14) Exploration Tips
Exploring is one of the most important aspects of STALKER 2, and there is only one situation in which you should stop this activity as soon as possible. An emission is imminent when you hear thunder and warning radio messages from the NPCs. In this case, you must take shelter immediately.
From the very beginning, the world is open to you, and it’s up to you which paths you take and what you do first. Although there is a main quest, you can follow it at your own pace. You should only complete the Quiet Zone mission to familiarize yourself with the basics of the game.
As you look at the map during your explorations to decide which route to take, remember that time does not stand still. During this time, you may be attacked or exposed to radiation. If you want to pause the game, you must go to the main menu.
One last piece of advice: the most direct route will not always lead you to your goal. Sometimes, buildings seem inaccessible at first glance. But if you search the neighboring houses, you might find a hidden passage or tunnel.
Survive in STALKER 2 with PLITCH!
With our STALKER 2 tips and tricks, you will be well-prepared for your forays into the zone. PLITCH’s STALKER 2 cheats will help you customize the game to your liking. Turn off the radiation or set your health to infinite so you can explore uninterrupted.
With our trainer, you can adjust the damage values for yourself and your opponents, change your walking speed, and adjust your feelings of hunger and tiredness. With the trainer, Heart of Chornobyl can be made easier and harder.
To learn more about PLITCH, check out this blog and our YouTube channel!
Happy Gaming!
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