The first big choice players will make in STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl has players choosing between two factions: an unofficial, unnamed group of independent Stalkers who inhabit the city of Zalissya, and the authoritarian Ward, an organized militia that wishes to establish greater control over the Zone and its inhabitants. STALKER 2 protagonist Skif comes among them entirely by accident: he is looking for Solder, the man he believes sold him to the Ala during a previous excursion, and both the Zalissya Stalkers and the Ala seem to have some idea where he has gone.
Skif should already be familiar with both sides: Richter, representing Zalissya’s independents, is a recurring ally and quest giver throughout the game. Zotov, the man in charge of the Wing’s presence in Zalissya, appears to know of Skif’s previous failed excursion, which was interrupted by Wing troops. Either way, they both promise the same reward as long as he is willing to complete a task for them: Richter or Zotov will point Skif to Solder once he returns a sensor cache, stolen by civilian Zalissya Squint, to one of the NPCs. See how either choice works.
What happens if you give the sensors to Richter?
Pros and cons of siding with Zalissya
Once Skif tracks the thief to an abandoned farm north of Zalissya, he can help or kill Squint to recover the sensors. Return to Zalissya and follow the quest markers to deliver them to Richter, who will be grateful for your safe return. He’s not that concerned about what’s in them, per se – he simply doesn’t want the Wing to have them, or they’ll use them to fabricate false accusations against independent Stalkers, thus justifying the Zone’s takeover. Richter then offers a slightly better monetary reward than Zotov: 2024 coupons.
Richter will then explain that Solder works for the International Perimeter Security Force, an organization tasked with controlling the Zone’s borders, keeping intruders out and dangerous artifacts in. If he wants a meeting with Solder, Skif will have to sneak into the IPSF. HQ in the Zone, a heavily guarded building known as The Sphere. Don’t worry: Richter knows the code to a secret tunnel that will put Skif through a back door. However, he will have to navigate a room full of anomalies – specifically, he will be bypassing pools of acid.
Still, Skif will enter the IPSF and talk to Solder, learning a little more about his motivations and choosing how to deal with him. After he leaves, he will receive a radio message from Richter asking how things went, and Skif will explain that Solder pointed him in the direction of Nestor, another mysterious figure. Apparently well-connected, Richter knows people who can also help, and sends Skif to the Detention Center for more help.
Completing the next mission,”Answers have a price,” will unofficially introduce Skif into the Spark faction, as he is tasked with finding their leader, Scar. From there, the main quest will be nearly identical either way until “Back to the scum pile“, when Ward and Spark face each other. If Skif chose Richter, Scar will trust him more during the initial negotiationbut your future choices during this mission could change that.
Finally, Skif will receive a radio message announcing that the Wing has left Zalissyaand if he enters the old headquarters at the Palace of Culture, he will find that this is true. The people of Zalissya silently rejoice as their unsung hero advances to the next region of STALKER 2map.
What happens if you give the sensors to Zotov?
Pros and cons of being wing-side
If the player decides to bring the sensors back to Zotov, they will be sent on a similar chase but along a different path. They will still need to contact Solder in The Sphere, but instead of taking the path back, Zotov will put them in touch with an IPSF agent, who will simply open the gate for them. (Your colleagues, however, may not be as friendly.)
The mission with Solder will proceed in the same way, but instead, Skif will receive a radio message from Zotov afterwards. Zotov will tell him to go to the floating bridge checkpoint instead of the detention center, but that will take him to the same place: either way, Skif will end up in the Trash region and move on with the main quest.
The Ward will leave Zalissya (albeit under different circumstances), and the story will continue to move forward. “Answers have a price will take a different form, with Skif meeting Colonel Korshunov, leader of the Wing. Later, during “Back to the scum pile,” Skif will have the benefit of Korshunov’s trust during initial negotiations.
You should give the sensors to Richter
An Independent Zalissya
For basically every conceivable reason, it’s better to hand over the sensors to Richter instead of Zotov. On the one hand, Richter and Zalissya’s independent Stalkers are clearly the good guys in this situation. They take a definitive stand against the Wing’s violence and authoritarianism, and are the only ones who indicate that they care whether Squint lives or dies. Richter has been consistently kind to Skif throughout the game, taking a sort of paternal view of him as a less experienced Stalker, while Zotov gives the sense that he would be happy to sell Skif as soon as he could benefit.
Furthermore, Richter’s monetary reward is better and his solution to entering the Sphere is significantly easier than Zotov’s. Even from the side entrance, the courtyard in front of the Sphere is filled with hostile IPSF forces, many of whom are observing the scene from elevated vantage points. Stealth will get Skif very far here, but he’ll slip up once and probably mean instant death as dozens of heavily armed and armored soldiers collapse. There are no special rewards for taking one path over another, so players might as well take the easier route.
Richter’s approach still requires some stealth when Skif enters, but it’s much easier to avoid a few puddles of acid and then rely on the Sphere’s twisting corridors to play hide-and-seek with the IPSF. That being said, this decision doesn’t seem to have much impact on the related quest, or immediately after it. The consequences during “Back to the scum pile” cancel each other out. The player is basically deciding which faction they prefer to work with here.
Ultimately, the right choice is the one that makes the most sense for the player. Do you like Richter and want to make Skif’s life easier? Give him the sensors. Do you think Zotov is right and loves challenges? Instead, send them to him. It all depends on the way they prefer to play STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl.