Things to do first in STALKER 2

Key takeaways

• Learn early game tips like saving Gloomy to get good loot and resources.
• Stock up on medkits due to high damage threats to heal quickly.
• Visit Zalissya early to find merchants, complete quests, and repair equipment.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is the latest release in the long-running STALKER. series. It is a first-person survival horror title set in the exclusion zone created after the explosion of the Chornobyl reactor. The game mixes realistic and immersive shooting mechanics, with survival elements and a host of supernatural and mutant threats.

STALKER 2 is a difficult game, as players not only have to balance survival elements, but also maintain weapons, navigate, and engage in tons of varied battles. This means that especially for new players to the series, the game can feel overwhelming and a bit directionless. This is why it is very important that players learn some of their options in the first few hours of the game and what they should do first.

1 Save Gloomy

Access to a warehouse

After finishing the prologue and waking up without their equipment in the Exclusion Zone, players are introduced to Richter, who they can follow towards a nearby city. Players can then encounter and rescue Zhorik in a nearby house, who tells them to rescue his ally, Gloomy. This begins the quest, “Dangerous Visitors.”

After rescuing Gloomy, players will have experienced a decent amount of combat with human enemies, which will teach them a bit about in-game gunplay. They also receive a cash reward, as well as access to any loot in the building and the details of a storage space located in the nearby cave. Looting this space is good early loot and resources that make the early game easier.

2 Store Medkits

Incredibly useful healing

STALKER 2 is a difficult game, even when playing on standard difficulty. There are a lot of threats in the zone, and most of them deal huge amounts of damage early on, especially compared to the player's overall health. Certain attacks from mutants or gunfire will hit 50-75% of the health bar, and other actions, such as falling from even a small height, can be near fatal.

This is why players should make sure they are stocked with medkits, in particular. These heal a huge amount of health and do so almost instantly. After a short animation, players can restore their health and return from the brink of death. Of course, players must have bandages to stop the bleeding, but no other health item can compare to the massive healing that medkits offer. They can be bought and found frequently throughout the zone, but players can get through them quickly. That's why stockpiling is a good idea.

3 Travel to Zalissya

First friendly city

After completing the prologue and possibly completing the early side quest, “Dangerous Visitors”, players are then tasked with heading towards Zalissya. This is the first friendly city players will find and is easy to navigate towards due to the airskate that hovers above the city. Here players will find traders, quest givers, story relevant NPCs and a host of other tools.

Getting to Zalissya is especially useful as early as possible simply because of how the game opens up after visiting the city. It is the first real step of the journey and is where players will continue the main quest as well as any side quests that can be placed in the city. Zalissya is also safe from all threats from the zone, meaning it's nice for players to know where they can travel if the zone proves too deadly in the first few hours.

4 Talk to merchants

Sell ​​unwanted items and get items repaired

Zaliyssa is home to many NPCs, most notably a couple of merchants who trade in various goods. There is Hamster, which allows players to purchase armor, ammo and weapons. There is also Warlock, which allows players to repair and upgrade their weapons and items. These are two important merchants for players to familiarize themselves with during the starting hours STALKER 2.

Throughout the journey leading to Zaliyssa, players should make sure to collect all items and weapons to be sold, as long as they don't have red durability. Simply collecting everything and then selling it to Zalissya merchants will allow players to make a good amount of money from the surplus weapons they collect. Players can then use the money to stock up on more items and repair their gear at the Warlock.

5 Take Zalissya's side quest

Good early money

There are a number of side quests in the zone, and the first ones players find are mainly located in Zalissya. These are fairly simple tasks that allow players to gain knowledge and familiarity with their surroundings, as well as earn a solid amount of money and potentially other items.

One of these quests comes from Warlock, the trader, and is a simple debt collection quest near Zalissya. This allows players to make some really quick money, as well as take down some bandits for their gear. Another side quest is from Mityay, titled “The Poppy Field”. This allows players to travel a little further and loot many items along the way, culminating in a decision to sell the item they were tasked to claim or return it to Mityay, either rewarding an AR416 if they choose to sell it or a cash reward if they return it to Mityay.

6 Find Stashes

Useful early implements and objects

The zone i STALKER 2 has a plethora of hideouts scattered throughout, each containing a variety of items found in all sorts of places. Players simply have to pay attention to the map to find the stashes in the starting area and get a solid early loot.

Many of these hideouts are good to go to when completing side quests, some of them are close to the quests' objectives. One is even found in a barn on the outskirts of Zalissya, a particularly convenient storage space to raid. Players, especially in the early game, should always be aware of these caches and loot them when they are nearby.