When it comes to open worlds, the STALKER series has always delivered in providing an atmospheric and lore-rich environment. Throughout the game world you’ll encounter all kinds of mutants, anomalies, warring factions and, of course, other stalkers.
The game features a compelling story with multiple outcomes, andplayer choices can shape the course of events drastically throughout. There are also a plethora of side quests within the Zone, giving you plenty of chances to earn extra money and gear along the way.
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STALKER 2 has plenty of missions and different pathways as part of its main story. Here are a few of the best quests in the game.
The following side quests are the best in the game, but for a variety of reasons. While some will yield more bountiful rewards, others willtake players on crazy journeys to new areasor demand difficult moral choices to resolve. Keep an eye out for these key side quests in STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
10Warlock’s Debtor
Location: Zalissya
One of the earliest side quests players will come across is Warlock’s Debtor. The quest can be accepted from Warlock in Zalissya and presents players with a multiple-choice scenario along with the chance to grab some very strong gear early in the game.
The best way to maximize the rewards of the mission is to side with Valik Lummox. Doing so will require players to scale the nearby water tower, but at the top is Valik’s personal scoped AKM 74S. This is one of the best weapons to retrieve in the early game and certainly makes the quest worth seeking out.
9The Poppy Field
Location: Lesser Zone
The Poppy Field is one of the more trippy and bizarree areas within the Zone, particularly giventhe hallucinogenic effects it has on those who venture there. The quest can be started by talking to Mityay in Zalissya, who will ask you to retrieve an Orthodox icon.
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While the quest can be frustrating as it will teleport you around the fields, it is very atmospheric, and there is truly no other place in the Zone like it.
It is also possible to gain huge rewards from the quest, but it will require you to both sell the icon to Pomor and then betray him to get it back.
Location: Slag Heap
This unique side quest is a great one to do early, but not for the reasons you might expect. As anyone who has been in the Zone longer than a few hours will realize, having morals doesn’t get you very far in such a hostile and treacherous environment.
You can start the mission by talking to the drunk men in the Slag Heap bar. They will ask you to visit three stashes and place vodka inside them, though when you get to the stashes, they actually have some great items inside.
Stealing the items will not please your contractors, and you will be attacked as a result, but that shouldn’t be too much of a problem for your newly acquired M10.
7No Honor Among Thieves
Another great side quest to complete early in the game is No Honor Among Thieves. While challenging, this mission can yield some great rewards if you make the right decisions, includinga very rare and unique Viper SMG.
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To start the mission, speak with the weapons dealer, Huron, in Slag Heap. He will ask you to retrieve a shipment from nearby, but the encounter will soon turn aggressive, and you will have to deal with a gang of bandits.
Following the fight, speak with Docent and let him live in order to gain the coordinates to the Shah’s Stash.
6Deceive The Deceiver
Few side quests offer insight into the bloodthirsty and back-stabbing ways of the Zone, such as Deceive The Deceiver. Speak with Zakhar in Slag Heap, the loitering Stalker by the vehicle entrance, to start the mission.
The mission has multiple outcomes, both of which will yield similar rewards, but ultimately, it comes down to a choice ofwhether or not you will betray Zakhar, who has, in turn, been revealed as a traitor himself.
The result can lead to an absolutely brutal execution of Zakhar inside a shipping container, which also contains a stash of valuable goods.
5The Mysterious Case
Location: Sultansk
The Mysterious Case is not the most complex of side missions, but it will take you to one of the coolest environments in the game and lead to a battle in a harbor and onboard an abandoned cargo ship. Speak with Sonya in Sultansk and then the Sultan himself to start the mission.
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While containing a degree of Pulp Fiction-style mystery surrounding the contents of the important case, this mission can also providean interesting insight into the political nature of Stalker settlementsand how agreements are made between groups.
4Three Captains
After completing The Mysterious Case, another side quest will later become available from Sonya. This mission, Three Captains, is one of the longer and more detailed side quests in the game, providing players with several different choices that havea major impact on the region.
The mission involves overseeing a meeting between Beard and the Sultan, but from the vantage point of a sniper’s lookout.
Ultimately, you will get to decide whether to kill both or neither of the men, though either way, a handsome payout will be transferred.
3In The Name of Science
Location: Ahroprom Factory
One of the most challenging side quests in the game, In The Name of Science, will send you to all four corners of the Zone in search of electronic collars for a mad scientist’s controller project.
Each collar must be acquired in a different way, with somestrapped to chimeras and pseudogiantswhile others can be won over through dialogue and bribery.
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To start the mission, you will need to have completed “Visions of Truth” for STC Malachite, after which a radio message will come in from Dr. Scherba.
As well as being an interesting mission in itself, the sheer breadth of the task will also inevitably lead to further improvised adventures.
2On The Edge
Zalissya is one of the first locations players will come across in STALKER 2, and represents a small beacon of humanity within the Lesser Zone.
Following on from the SIRCAA main story missions, however, it will come under attack from a force of Monolithians.
In this side quest, which triggers whenever you get near Zalissya, players are tasked with fending off the assault alongside the stalkers residing there. It’s a great mission that feelsalmost like an Old Western gunfightat times.
1The Freedom Colosseum
Location: Rostok
The Freedom Colosseum is a series of quests in Rostok that enable you to take part in a combat arena. Each level will get progressively more difficult, and Skif will be assigned specific weapons and equipment for each stage.
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The quest can be found by heading down the stairs behind Ganja’s bar and speaking to Arnie. Completing all five rounds will yield a total of 12,700 coupons on Stalker difficulty, with a slight reduction for easier difficulties.
Interestingly enough, the way other stalkers and vendors talk to you after becoming arena champion will change drastically, and everyone will show a lot more respect and adoration to Skif as a result.
