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The wasteland is an extremely dangerous environment, but the warring factions can be even more dangerous. Even the strongest people need a little help to survive in the unforgiving world ofS.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl, but everyone has their own motivations, so it may be tricky to know who to trust.
Review: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
Welcome (back) to The Zone, Stalker.
While fighting off mutants andnavigating those awful anomaliescan be challenging, the biggest threat may be the people you meet along the way. Early into your adventure through the wasteland, you will be faced with a choice after completing the “Needle in a Haystack” quest, in which you will obtain Ward Sensors from a man named Squint. After obtaining this invaluable item, you willchoose between giving the Ward Sensors to Richter and Captain Zolov, which can have an impact on this stage of your journey. Here are the results of the choice between Richter and Zotov in S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
How To Obtain the Ward Sensors
During yourtime in the intriguing yet potentially deadly Lesser Zone, you will learn about a man named Squint. Both the Stalkers and the Ward are interested in finding him and you will eventually need to track him down. Once you are able to find out Squint’s whereabouts, you will have to go to the windmill on the farmstead. Getting to him will not be very easy, as there can be mutants nearby and the path to Squint up the windmill has a couple of traps.
When first entering, there is a tripwire on the first flight of stairs that will trigger a shotgun, then there are two more explosive tripwires. Look out near the ground as you navigate the stairs.
Should You Kill Or Cooperate With Squint?
Once you get to Squint, you will have to choose to either kill him or retrieve an artifact for him.Killing him does not matter, so if you are trying to complete the quest quickly, it is the best choice. However, if you travel to the nearby cave and retrieve the Mold Artifact, you may choose to keep it. This is a common artifact, which weakly increases radiation and weakly protects against chemical damage when equipped. If you’d like it for your inventory, take the brief detour.Whichever choice you make, you will wind up with the Ward Sensors.
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Giving the Ward Sensors to Richter
Giving the Ward Sensors to Richter will result inyour character receiving 2,024 coupons out of the gate,and willgive you a route through The Ribs to get to the Sphere. This route will let you sneak into the Sphere away from the guards at the IPSF outpost. However, you will have to navigate the outpost to escape, so it may be more dangerous.
There are a large number of guards at the outpost, so prepare to either be slow and stealthy or take on a difficult firefight.
Escaping the outpost will complete the mission andallow you to return to Zalissya to retrieve a key to leave the Lesser Zone at the North Checkpoint.Once you pass the checkpoint, you will be given2,699 coupons and the “Answers Come at a Price” Mission. You will be tasked with meeting Scar, who will then give you information about Nestor, the leader of Garbage.
Using this intel, you willnavigate the Factory Lab and find a PDA with information about Diode,a person of interest at the Slag Heap. Following this mission,you will meet Scar, the leader of the Spark faction,who will hold you in higher regard after your encounter is concluded.
The last unique interaction from aligning yourself with Richter comes later, during the “Deal with the Devil” quest. After obtaining the Unusual PDA, you will return to the Slag Heap to find it taken over by the Ward.If you choose to help Richter,the new leader, Korshunov will not be very fond of you.
Giving the Ward Sensors to Captain Zotov
Choosing to give the Ward Sensors to Zotov will align you more with the Wards and will give you an alternate path through the IPSF outpost. You will be able to sneak into the Sphere, then escape through the Ribs, as opposed to the other way around.
This mission may be easier if you take this path, with a potentially less dangerous escape route. Note, though, that Zotov will be less generous with you to start with: You’ll be given 1,350 coupons.
As this currency can be used toupgrade or repair your weaponsonce you get to the next settlement, you may not be quite as well equipped when you get there as you would if you’d given the Ward Sensors to Richter.
Once you escape the Sphere, you will be tasked with going to the Western Checkpoint, which eventuallyleads to your first meeting with Colonel Korshunov. He will give you an alternate “Answers Come at a Price”, which will task you with raiding the Depot and speaking with Chornozem.
You will have to clear the gang out whether you choose to talk to Chornozem or not, so be prepared for some intense action. After that, you will hear about Diode and will perform the same missions as before through him. At the conclusion, the Ward still takes over Slag Heap, butKorshunov will be more friendly since you aligned more with the Ward.
Is There A ‘Better’ Choice?
There isn’t necessarily a ‘right’ choice, as both will send you on slightly different paths through slightly different missions to the same ultimate location.Your choice between Richter or Zotov, really, is one between eitherthe Stalkers or the Ward. Choosing Richter will align you more with the Stalkers, while choosing Zotov will result in more trust with the Ward. Ulltimately, the choice can come down to your preference for the characters' personalities and the factions they are representative of.
The Stalker faction is a hardy group of downtrodden survivors who try to earn coin and survive in the Zone. The Ward is a powerful new faction, outfitted with heavy weaponry and strict rules. The rewards and paths are slightly different, but the storyline eventually converges.You’re free to pick between them without either choice fundamentally impacting anything later.It might simply come down to whether you’re more strapped for cash and want to take the option that immediately yields more money (Richter), or whether you’d prefer not to fight quite so many enemies (arguably Zotov).
There are many opportunities in the wasteland to make choices and earn different rewards, such asweapons, attachments, ammo, and more. Whether you align with Richter or Zotov,you will still be able to access many of the same missions throughout Stalker 2.
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