Stalker 2 beginner tips and tricks to survive in the Zone

Tips and tricks for beginners that will help you navigate Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl's hostile environment

Stalker 2 / GSC Game World

The Zone is an unforgiving place, and if you go in unprepared or expecting your average shooter experience then you’re not going to last very long. You need to consider a lot more than usual to stay alive, which is where our handy hints will come in helpful. We’ve put together this list of tips and tricks of things you might not know about to help you stay alive when battling through the monsters and harsh conditions of Stalker 2’s world.

If you're looking for some more basic information on the game, check out our Stalker 2 FAQ for all the details.

Save constantly

Stalker 2 / GSC Game World

This may be obvious to some, but if you’re used to autosaves keeping you float you’ll need to remember to go out of your way and save your game regularly in Stalker 2. The autosave system is decent in this game when you’re on missions, but if you’re just out exploring the world then unexpectedly running into a deadly monster could set you back a long way.

Headshots or bust

Stalker 2 / GSC Game World

In any shooter you want to go for headshots when you can, but in Stalker 2 they are so incredibly valuable. You may be quite fragile, but the enemies are not, and many of them are surprisingly spongy and can take a lot of shots. However, headshots get most humanoid enemies down in one, which not only saves you time and damage, but massively reduces the amount of ammo you’re using, and ammo is one of your most valuable resources.

Watch your weapon’s durability

Stalker 2 / GSC Game World

You may have spotted that weapons in Stalker 2 have durability that degrades the more you use them. This isn’t like Breath of the Wild though, where the weapon is totally fine until it suddenly breaks. Even before your durability meter is empty, it’s possible for your gun to malfunction, and there’s nothing worse than getting a jam mid fire-fight, so always repair your gear before setting out.

Guns use multiple ammo types

Stalker 2 / GSC Game World

If you think you’re out of ammo, you might actually not be. There are several different ammo types in Stalker 2, and most guns can use more than one ammo type, as long as it’s appropriate for that class of gun. It’s always worth hitting the button to switch ammo type when you run out (‘N’ on PC) just in case you have more than you thought.

Empty looted guns of their ammo

Stalker 2 / GSC Game World

As we said before, ammo is precious in this world and after a firefight, it’s always worth scavenging as much as you can from corpses. However, if you’re leaving their weapons, you’re missing out on some. In the inventory, you can empty any gun of the ammo that’s currently loaded into them, letting you get as much as an extra clip from anything you loot.

Sell weapons for easy cash

Stalker 2 / GSC Game World

If you need to stock up your supply of cash, then selling weapons is a good way to do it. Most weapons you loot from enemies won’t be in the best condition, but in the early game, the cost to repair a weapon to full durability is usually less than you’ll get for selling it, meaning you can turn a profit on almost everything you find.

Don’t overburden yourself

Stalker 2 / GSC Game World

Our last tip may think it’s a good idea to fill your bag with loads of weapons but hold on, as if you’re carrying too much weight then you’ll quickly find moving around a chore. Not only will you move slower, but you’ll eventually lose basic functions like jumping altogether, so never take on more than you can carry.

Sleep to heal

Stalker 2 / GSC Game World

When you’ve got healing items in your inventory, it can be tempting to use them, but if you do you’ll quickly rattle through them and be stuck later on. Instead, as much as it can be a pain to do so, come back to base and sleep to heal yourself up, as it’s completely free. If you can put up with going back and forth constantly, then this will let you keep your healing items for when you really need them.

Always take the high ground

Stalker 2 / GSC Game World

Aside from the obvious advantages having the high ground in a firefight offers, Stalker 2’s enemies don’t have the best AI, and standing above them in a hard-to-reach place will lead to them making mistakes. Often they will come up to you and crowd around below you as they try to take you down, which makes them easy pickings for a quick grenade.

Listen out for grenades

Stalker 2 / GSC Game World

Speaking of grenades, in Stalker 2, you’ll need to unlearn one of the most useful features of shooters. When someone throws a grenade at you in most shooters, you’ll get a helpful arrow on your screen showing you that one has been thrown, and pointing to where it is. This game affords you no such luxury, and if you want to stay safe from grenades you will need to listen out to the familiar metallic sound of one landing nearby, as well as when enemy barks notify you that one is coming.