Artifacts Guide in Stalker 2: How to Farm Common and Legendary Artifacts

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an exciting open-world first-person shooter that continues the cult series of games about post-apocalyptic adventures in Chernobyl. The game once again opens up a mysterious world of artifact hunting, promising unique finds and unforgettable experiences. In this guide, we will detail all the artifacts available in the game and share useful tips on finding them.

Artifacts enhance certain characteristics of your character when you equip them on armor. However, it is worth remembering that many of them can also impose negative effects. The secret to success is the ability to combine several artifacts simultaneously to maximize their unique properties.

There are four main ways to obtain artifacts in the game:

Using detectors is the most effective method compared to others. To detect anomalies, you need to hold a special device and monitor its audio signals. The closer you are to the target, the more intensely it reacts.

Anomaly activity detectors Otklyk and Medved have a search radius of 50 meters, while Gilka and Veles cover 100 meters. This is their main difference, as other characteristics mostly coincide.

You will receive Otklyk at the beginning of the game, while Gilka, Medved, and Veles can be obtained by completing additional missions: For Company (Budmo!) at the Garbage location, A Sign of Hope from Professor Lochki, and the story mission In Search of Lost Glory respectively.

The game features the following types of anomalies: acid, electric, gravitational, and thermal. They are marked with a question mark on the in-game map. As you approach them, be cautious, as your character may take damage. More details on each of the anomalies can be read here.

If the detector lights up blue, it means there is an item nearby. Simply approach it to collect the necessary artifact, which will appear right in front of you or nearby. You will receive one of the artifacts of the corresponding element and, after some time, you can return to try your luck again.

Your only reliable companion in the search for anomalies where artifacts can be found is the detector we mentioned earlier. This is undoubtedly the priority and most effective method. However, it is worth noting that there are other methods that can also help in the search for valuable artifacts. Below, we will detail each of these methods and share the most useful tips.

At the beginning of the game, you are provided with a guide to exploring anomalies using the detector. However, for beginners, this moment may go unnoticed. The detector equipment is located in the main section of your gear (TAB). Once opened, press the Q key to take the device in hand.

While exploring the Zone, you will repeatedly encounter places where artifacts can be found. These locations are scattered throughout the game world, and there are more than 100 of them, meaning they can appear to you completely randomly. To save time searching, we recommend using the interactive map, which will help you immediately head to the nearest anomaly and not waste time on long searches.

There is no strict attachment to each of the anomalous sites in the game, meaning that in any anomalous zone, you can find different artifacts. We came to this conclusion by repeatedly exploring the same anomaly after saving the game. The only exception is legendary artifacts — their location is always the same, and they can only be obtained once.

The game world covers more than 64 square kilometers, and during its exploration, you will repeatedly encounter locked safes hidden in various corners of the Zone. In some of these safes, especially the most inaccessible ones, you can find rare and valuable artifacts. One such example is Professor Dalin's safe, located in the NIIChAZ region, which contains the unique artifact — Mica.

As in previous parts of the game, you will encounter traders in this world, but in this part, their number has significantly increased — a total of 27 traders. It is worth noting that if you wound or kill a non-hostile stalker in such locations, access to traders, technicians, and medics will be immediately closed. Therefore, it is recommended to adhere to a more neutral style of play so as not to lose the opportunity to trade with certain traders.

From time to time, any of these NPCs may have an artifact available. They usually sell artifacts from acid and electric-type anomalies. If you are in the early stages of the game and have no other options but to buy artifacts with coupons obtained from completing tasks, we recommend using this method.

Sometimes it may happen that you receive a duplicate of the same artifact or use artifact search methods for profit. In such cases, it is important to consider that the price of artifacts listed in your inventory will differ significantly from the price offered by the trader, and it is usually much lower. This is worth keeping in mind if you are counting on a profit from the sale.

We strongly do not recommend selling artifacts to NPCs in bars. These traders can reduce the item's cost by more than 3 times, which significantly reduces your profit. At the same time, gunsmiths offer much more favorable conditions — they only reduce the price of artifacts by 2-2.5 times.

All anomaly zones are divided into five types: thermal, electric, acid, gravitational, and legendary. Most artifacts from thermal and gravitational anomalies are valued at 14,000 coupons, but their selling price will be significantly lower. The value of artifacts from acid and electric anomalies is even less: 6,000-9,000 coupons. The most prioritized among all artifacts are legendary ones, the quantity of which is limited, and their search justifies the price: 14,000-80,000 coupons.

Based on the above, it can be concluded that if you have not yet started farming legendary artifacts, of which there are only six, now is the time to start searching. These artifacts represent real value, and finding them can significantly increase your capital. If for some reason legendary artifacts are unavailable, a good alternative for earning will be thermal and gravitational artifacts, which also have a decent value.

Most of the items presented here are located in plain sight if not associated with an anomaly. During the passage of story or additional missions, you will need to slightly deviate from the route to find them. For example, look inside a nearby bus or examine the place where someone's detector is left.

The game features six unique artifacts, each appearing in a special location and granting Skif unique abilities. We have created a selection of detailed guides where you will find a detailed description of each artifact and step-by-step instructions on how to find them.