S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl Monster Guide — All Mutants, Weaknesses, and How to Defeat Them

The artificial intelligence in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is not particularly advanced, but it doesn't make the enemies harmless. Especially when it comes to the mutants inhabiting the Zone. There are many of them, and they can be roughly divided into two groups: mutated animals and mutated humans. However, there are exceptions. Learn about them and how to choose a winning strategy against any monster in Stalker 2 in our guide.

Blind dogs are ordinary dogs that have mutated under the influence of radiation in the Zone. Individually, they are not particularly dangerous, but when they form a pack, they can cause a lot of trouble.

Their main advantage is speed and numbers, but the advice of an experienced stalker is relevant in the sequel as well. If you encounter a pack, it's best to either climb higher so they can't bite you or lure them into a building or other confined space. This makes aiming easier. The ideal weapon against blind dogs is a shotgun or a submachine gun. A precise shot or two to the head from a pistol will also do the job.

Flesh are disgusting monsters on four legs, unrecognizably mutated pigs. They are considered relatively harmless.

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, however, flesh are somewhat different — they behave much more aggressively. Despite their impressive size, flesh don't have much health, so defeating them is not difficult. The main thing is to jump to the side when flesh charge at you. After the jump, they take a long time to turn around. At this moment, a couple of shots from a shotgun, a burst from a rifle, or a pistol is enough to put an end to their torturous existence.

The boar is the fierce "older brother" of the flesh. Much more dangerous than the latter. Often, boars graze together with flesh or roam the Zone in groups of three individuals.

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the boar remains a formidable opponent. In battle, it uses its momentum: charging and trying to knock you down. The main thing is not to let it do so. At that point, the boar's clumsiness will play a cruel joke on it. While the beast turns around, it can be killed with a high-damage weapon — a shotgun or an assault rifle will do.

By the way, an interesting fact from the lore: the boar is one of the few mutants whose meat can be safely consumed.

Many call psy-dogs one of the worst enemies in the game. Cunning and faster than ordinary blind dogs, these mutants can affect the mind and create countless phantoms of themselves. A serious opponent. Although the copies of the psy-dog are illusory, they deal quite real damage. The best tactic is to climb onto a car hood to protect yourself from phantom teeth and claws and try to identify the real one.

The advice of an experienced stalker is effective. Initially, the real psy-dog may indeed keep its distance. Additionally, the real one starts howling to summon new copies. Any long-range weapon, such as a rifle, can help "take it out." You can simplify your task a bit by getting rid of the phantoms with a series of shots from a weapon with extra ammo, and then kill it with a shotgun.

An invisible entity that throws everything that isn't nailed down at you — this is a brief description of the poltergeist. In Stalker 2, there are different types of this creature: normal, fiery, chemical, electrical. While the normal one simply throws objects, others spew fire, ooze caustic gas, hurl lightning bolts, and create anomalies under the player. But they all have something in common.

The battle tactic is roughly the same for all: stick to cover, dodge throws, and fire burst after burst at the poltergeist trying to hide. You can detect it by the cloud surrounding it. It's important to pay attention to the sound — there's a distinctive one that indicates the mutant is about to throw something. Shoot at the very center of the cloud. Accurate weapons with high rate of fire and significant damage, like an assault rifle or a modified shotgun, are suitable. By the way, we previously published a guide on the best weapons in the game.

A bunch of rats — what danger could they pose? But in reality, these creatures are deadly. They gather in packs that act almost like a single organism. If they catch you by surprise, they can easily gnaw you to death.

The main remedy against their deadly bites is elevation and a grenade. One throw right into the heart of the pack — and the job is done. Trying to shoot rats with regular weapons is a futile endeavor. If there's not even a lousy grenade in your inventory, it's easier to run away and return later.

The same rats, but slightly larger. Fast, agile, miniature — hard to hit, and should not be underestimated.

Tushkans have little health, they rely on speed and agility. Dodging their attacks is almost impossible. They jump towards the player, then turn around and hide, waiting for the moment to attack again. A volley from a shotgun against them is a bit of an overkill, but a surefire option. In narrow spaces, even a regular pistol will do.

Snorks are one of the mysteries of the Zone. They were once humans, but now they resemble animals more. They crawl on all fours, pressed to the ground, sniffing out traces of potential victims.

Snorks love to gather in packs, and that's when they pose the greatest threat. They jump over long distances. However, they don't have much health, so a few volleys from a shotgun can easily put these poor creatures to rest.

The Bayun Cat is a kind of "novelty," it wasn't in the original trilogy. There was a concept that was never brought to official release. So you can't rely on the valuable experience of Gonta or Zveroboy. Fortunately, we have our own.

Mutants live and hunt alone. They have a specific and initially quite eerie ability. Mutated into monsters, these cute fluffies mimic the voices of stalkers, luring potential victims. The meowing of the Bayun Cat first gradually slows the player down and then puts them to sleep. Therefore, you need to deal with the creature quickly.

Cats attack with claws, and from a distance, they can easily jump right at your face, having more health than the same dogs. To ensure the encounter ends in your favor, you should be armed with an automatic shotgun or an assault rifle.

Not only are they fast and cunning, but also invisible. Bloodsuckers are the mutants you don't particularly want to face even in the late stages of the game. Especially because of their nasty screams that stupefy, disorient, and slow down their victims. Seasoned stalkers call them "hunters of hunters."

On the downside, a bloodsucker never attacks head-on. A winning tactic against bloodsuckers is to corner yourself in some spot to cover your back and unload your entire magazine into them when they get closer. The best weapon is a shotgun.

Zombies in "Stalker" are still zombies. They turn into walking corpses of those unlucky enough to die from psi-radiation. Therefore, zombies can be a kind of warning sign: perhaps a psi-device is operating nearby or a controller is wandering around.

You can only put a zombie to rest with a precise headshot. It helps that zombies are clumsy and tend to stand still. However, they can shoot, albeit inaccurately, and can easily swarm in groups — in such cases, it's wise to stay in cover, picking them off one by one.

The main "trick" of the Controller is its ability to disorient. This humanoid with a disproportionately large head has telepathic abilities, which it hones on stalkers.

In a fight with such a creature, "Psi-blockade" will come in very handy. Then the Controller's ability to influence the mind will be greatly reduced, and you can shoot at it until it falls. But if you don't have those red pills on hand, remember Gonta's advice. Hide in cover, avoid eye contact, and bombard the enemy with grenades — not the most honorable tactic, but effective.

Burer is another victim of experiments in the Zone. Like the poltergeist, it uses telekinesis, but somewhat more skillfully. It throws objects at the hero, the hero at objects, snatches weapons from hands, and uses them against the main character.

These mutants can also create a force field around themselves that deflects bullets. In general, while with many others you need to work quickly, here it's the opposite, you can't rush. Keep the Burer at medium range, avoid its line of sight, and shoot when it drops the barrier. Best of all — aim for the head.

As a rule, the psi-deer is encountered by players during the main quest. A rare and unusual enemy. It has an unpleasant ability — the power to summon other mutants: fleshes, boars, and other Zone creatures.

The main move the deer uses is a ram. If it hits, it will surely knock you down, so we advise dodging.

The deer's body is covered with a kind of stone armor, so it makes sense to stock up on armor-piercing rounds. The horned one has a lot of health, and you'll have to pump a lot of bullets into it. It's best to use a shotgun.

Pseudogiants are some of the rarest and strongest mutants in the Zone. A huge mass of deformed flesh looms menacingly over the player, promising a tough battle. Pseudogiants hit hard, and their health pool is enormous. To win, you need to stock up on patience and medkits.

Certain attacks, jumps, and throws can be dodged, but when it strikes the area by hitting the ground, be prepared to be knocked down. The main thing here is to quickly regroup and heal. Any weapon with high damage will do, accuracy doesn't matter. It's hard to miss the pseudogiant, after all, it's a giant. However, it's better to stock up on ammo properly, as you'll need to pump a lot of bullets into this monster. And a grenade launcher will come in handy.

The Chimera is a legend and a nightmare of the Zone. The monster resembles a beast, but here and there human features peek through, which is terrifying. There is no single correct tactic against this queen of mutants. It deals a huge amount of damage and can survive much more.

The only advice is to check how many bullets and medkits are in your inventory. If there are few, run away. If there are many, prepare to dodge with varying success, run from cover to cover, preferably in a circle, and still die. You can also hope that it glitches. Such cases have happened — this is probably the only thing that will ensure an easy victory.