Quick links
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Weapons and accessories from the tutorial
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Full Durability Boomstick
Making sure you have good gear is the best way to stay alive Stalker 2but good quality clean gear can be quite hard to come by. Fortunately, there are plenty of hidden (and not so hidden) items throughout the zone that players can use to their advantage.
The following is a quick guide showing some of the best items players can get before leaving the Lesser Zone. Some may not be useful right away, but they can set you up for an easier time once you're done with the first main quests in Stalker 2.
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Stalker 2: How to get the artifact at Ribs
The artifact by the ribs will vary from player to player, but here are some tips on how to get it in Stalker 2.
Free debut costumes
The Debut Suit is the first step you will get in terms of protection. You can get one by finishing the needle in a Haystack mission and giving the Ward sensors to Captain Zotov. Alternatively, you can get a free Debut Suit early Stalker 2 by going to the Old Mill and checking one of the houses. The costume is on top of a box in the living room.
The debut suit offers significantly better protection against almost everything compared to the standard leather jacket. If you're having trouble surviving enemy encounters, be sure to grab it from the Old Mill as soon as possible.
Free gas masks
To complete your beginner Stalker kit, you'll need a gas mask. You can find an Aurora Gas Mask lying on top of a backpack storage northeast of Zalissya. The storage in question is on the roof of the square compound near the northern checkpoint. From the main gate, go to the back of the building on the right, then climb the ladder to the roof. You will find the storage and the gas mask on the edge.
There are also an optician gas mask in a space in the barns just west of Zalissya. You will find the storage tucked away in a corner of one of the sheds. This mask offers better ballistic protection compared to the Aurora, although it is slightly worse against elemental hazards.
Explorer suit
The next armor upgrade beyond the Debut Suit is the Explorer Suit. This one is found in the tunnels under the dome. You can reach this area when you go through the Behind Seven Seals quest and reach Solder. After your fight with him, eliminate all incoming enemies and search the adjacent tunnels. The suit is on a table in a dark corner.
The Explorer suit is better than the debut suit in almost every way, especially when fully upgraded. It will of course be overshadowed by other costumes you can find later.
Choice Lummox's AKM74-S
You can get Valik Lummox's AKM74-S Stalker 2 by going up the water tower just north of Zalissya. It is a scoped AK that is in good condition, making it one of the most reliable weapons you can use early on. If you want to get some extra loot or money along with this gun, talk to the Warden at Zalissya Bar and take the Warden's Debtor quest, where you will be asked to help Valik Lummox himself out of a difficult situation.
Weapons and accessories from the tutorial
Stalker 2 the prologue ends with Skif being ambushed and looted by unknown assailants. This leaves him with nothing but his trusty knife and gun in his inventory, and none of the fancy tools and useful accessories from the tutorial. You can keep some of these weapons and any supplies you can manage keep them in a nearby safe during the tutorial. When you wake up, go back to the storage and take all the stuff.
The tutorial's AKM74-S and AR416 will disappear even if you use this method, but the AKM-74u carbines from the military guys in the prologue will not.
Full Durability Boomstick
Shotguns are your main form of defense against mutants, and if you don't want to bother with bandit drops that are in bad shape, you can get a full durability Boomstick by going to the windmill at the Old Mill POI. There is a Boomstick rigged to a trap on the stairs. Disarm the trap and grab the shotgun. It has a maxed damage stat, and should deal the same damage as any other shotgun in the game. However, its range is poor, and it can only hold two shells at a time.
M860 Cracker Shotgun
This one will rely heavily on sheer luck. There is a small chance that Bandits will have one of these pump-action shotgunsand if you see one, be sure to bring it back to Zalyssia's techs. The Cracker is leagues better than the break-action shotguns in the Lesser Zone, and will be your primary weapon against Stalker 2 mutants like Poltergeists and Bloodsuckers. Repair should not be too expensive, and it will be well worth the investment.
Unknown Stalker's AR416
This is a possible quest reward from the side quest Poppy Field given my Mityay in Zalissya. When you reach the poppy field, talk to Pomor, a Stalker in one of the houses. Collect some weapons and ammo from the field for him, and he will tell you where Mityay's religious icon is. He will also ask you to give him the icon instead in exchange for a gun. Give the icon to Pomor to get the weapon.
This AR416 is a modified version that comes with some pre-installed upgrades, including a forend grip to soften the weapon's recoil. However, its durability will be extremely low, and repairing it will set you back around 14-18k coupons. Earn money on Stalker 2 is hard at first, but once you get past the Lesser Zone it should be easier to get past.
SVD sniper rifle
You can get an SVD by going to the depot next to the north control. From the closed gate to the checkpoint, head east to find a large warehouse. The building is full of traps, and there is a bandit named Leshy sitting on the catwalk. Disarm the traps and kill Leshy so you can take his rifle.
Unfortunately, Leshy's SVD is in bad shape, and repairing it will cost quite a few coupons. But since it's meant as a long-range weapon, you'll still be able to use it somewhat effectively, since you don't really have to worry about your weapon being jammed if the enemy doesn't know where you are. Still, the possibility of the gun jamming can make follow-up shots more difficult to take if the first bullet doesn't kill your target.