STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylis a big game. While the primary focus may center around surviving the harsh environment of The Zone, the game also features a complex story which relates to both the earlier STALKER games and the original novel, Roadside Picnic.
Throughout your time in STALKER 2, you’ll come across mutants, militant factions and crazed shamans; soviet facilities both abandoned and occupied, along with all manner offantastical and deadly anomalies and artifacts.
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If you want to make any sense of what is going on among all the chaos, it can help to pay attention to the main story quests.
In addition to learning more about the game world and advancing through it methodically, the main story also provides some of the most dramatic spectacles in the game, which only increase in their scope and scale as the various narrative threads begin to intertwine.
The decisions you make throughout the story can have a major impact on the game world as well as the overall ending, but the following missions are the most likely to have a lasting impact on you.
8There and Back Again
The Lesser Zone
As far as opening missions go, “There and Back Again” does an excellent job of conveying the mystery, tension, and moral uncertainty ofentering The Zone illegally for the first time.
After a short argument with Hermann, Skif will hop over the outer boundary and immediately be faced by an otherworldly anomaly, suspending giant chunks of concrete in the air.
Although the mission itself is quite linear, there is a considerable challenge in the form of a lone Bloodsucker who attacks near the chemical anomaly pools.
At this stage of the game, it can be a very daunting task indeed, but it perfectly sets players up for the hostility and brutal nature of The Zone.The mission does a great job ofintroducing players to the various weapons, creatures, gadgets, and even factions of The Zone, making it quite clear that you are a very small fish in a very big pond.
7Wishful Thinking
“Wishful Thinking” and its follow-up quests represent quite a change of pace for the game’s story. Instead of the grueling, inhospitable Zone, Skif is taken into a very polished scientific facility run by the SIRCAA organization.
This moment of respite, brief as it is, really gives you a chance to appreciate the limited nature of The Zone and understand the levels of authoritarian control going into the attempted management of it.
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The missions “In Search of a Miracle” and “A Long Overdue Visit” also take place as part of this brief detour, and players will finally get the chance to confront several important characters, such as Dr Dalin and Agatha.
Along with exploring the facilities and experiencing the Monolith artifacts first-hand, there is also an objective requiring you totake out several mutants which have escaped from the Cryptobiology lab.
6The Assault on the Duga
“The Assault on the Duga” can be approached in two different ways depending on whether you have sided with Spark or Ward, but in both cases, you will be treated to one hell of a cinematic spectacle.
For Spark/HTC Malachite, the mission will take place during the night, starting with a stealth section before devolving into all-out chaos once you climb up to the surface. Taking place at night, it is truly incredible to see the Duga light up for the first time.
For the Ward pathway, the mission will take place during the day. The difference here is that the battle will be much more out in the open rather than having stealth sections clearing tunnels.
Nonetheless, Faust activates the Duga and causes a Ward helicopter to crash in the area, which is quite a remarkable sight to witness. In both cases, the mission will result in Skif having to retreat from the overwhelming power of the device itself once Faust has activated it.
5Happiness for Everyone
Taking its title from one of the key lines in Roadside Picnic,the novel upon which the STALKER series is based, “Happiness for Everyone” refers to Red Schuhart’s request when confronted with the Wish Granter anomaly at the end of the story.
In this mission, Skif is tasked with completing his follow-up assault on the Duga, as well as killing Faust.
Things take a bit of a bizarre turn at the conclusion of the boss battle, however, when Faust starts lecturing Skif on the nature of The Zone and C-Consciousness, two essential topics for understanding the lore and story of the STALKER games.
In addition to the stealth sections and boss battle with Faust, players will also be treated to an amazing view of The Zone from the top of the Duga.
4Legends of The Zone
Even though I only briefly played the early STALKER games many years ago, the “Legends of The Zone” was a delightful nostalgia trip.
In this mission, you will have to revisit several iconic locations and characters from the earlier games, but even if you haven’t played the originals, it will still feel as though you are finally aligning with the few trustworthy people in The Zone.
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The quest itself will send you back to the town of Cordon to speak with Sidorovich. He makes manyreferences to events and characters of the earlier games, including mention of the “Marked One”, Strelok, who was the player-protagonist in the first game.
As the quest develops, you will soon meet Strelok in person and uncover lots of information regarding the mysteries of The Zone and how the Noosphere manipulates Stalkers' minds and creates illusions.
Crossing into Pripyat for the first time is certainly a memorable experience, and it feels as though the entire game has been leading up to this point.
“The Road to the Foundation” is the first mission after crossing into the Pripyat region - and it does not disappoint in the slightest.
Your first objective is to rendezvous with Col. Degtyarev at the Energetik Palace of Culture, a location manyCall of Duty players will recognize from the iconic “All Ghillied Up” mission.
Upon arriving, an insane gunfight will ensue between the defending Corps forces and the attacking Monolithians. After dealing with the Monolithians, Col. Degtyarev will then send you out into the abandoned city to retrieve some data from a crashed helicopter.
Funnily enough, the helicopter is occupied by an extremely aggressive Chimera, leading to an epic boss fight which concludes the mission.
2Down Below
“Down Below” represents STALKER 2’s point of no return, meaning from here on out, you will not be able to return to The Zone and explore or complete any additional side quests.
There are several different routes the quest may take depending on your prior decisions in the story, but ultimately, they all culminate in an epic boss fight with Colonel Korshunov unless you have chosen the Ward path at every stage of the game.
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The mission also offers the option of either taking a stealthy approach or launching a full-on assault on the facility entrances, and in both cases, you will receive support from Strelok’s elite soldiers.
Overall, it is avery memorable quest with the Korshunov boss fight inside the giant reactor facility being a particular highlight.
1The Last Wish
Red Forest/Cooling Towers
Following on from “Down Below” is “The Last Wish”, in which players will take part in a full-scale assault of the Monolithian base - one of themost epic and difficult challenges in the entire game.
However, first, you will be faced with the moral dilemma of whether or not to kill Dr Kaymanov, a decision that will have major implications for the outcome of the story.
What makes the quest so good is the feeling that all your skills and weaponry have finally come together for this moment. Richter will also join the initial assault, which is a nice touch, considering he is arguably the only true friend you meet in The Zone.
Clearing one floor at a time, you will have to fight your way all the way to the rooftop, which in turn provides some of the best views in the entire game.
