Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has many twists and turns within its extensive main and side missions, leading to devastating revelations and harrowing encounters. The Nightingale’s Hunt side mission is no exception, having you track down Electronic Collars placed on Blind Dogs that can be sold for a decent price to Hamster in Zalissya.
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This is one of the first quests you can participate in when reaching Zalissya, allowing you to tackle it relatively early on. It may be worthwhile if you want to earn a decent amount of Credits to upgrade your favorite weapons before diving deeper into the main questline!
How To Start Nightingale’s Hunt In Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl
Immediately after completing the Dogfight side mission in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, speak with Nightingale and ask him if he needs help. He will talk about finding more Electronic Collars, allowing you to offer your helping hand. From here, Nightingale will ping two areas on your map where you can find Electronic Collars.
One will be on a pack of Blind Dogs, and the other will be on a Mutant that was obliterated by a powerful Anomaly near Bulba. Whichever you decide to go for, the end result will ultimately be the same. If you go for the optional pack of Blind Dogs first, then the Anomaly one will become inactive.
Finding The Electronic Collar In The Anomaly
As you near the Anomaly in the middle of the water near Bulba, you will see a giant, transparent orb expanding and compressing at a steady rate. As the Anomaly compresses, it will draw in all nearby objects into it, including yourself, dealing substantial damage to you.
To avoid taking damage by this Anomaly, wait for it to expand and quickly move behind a car or other heavy objects and crouch, remaining in place until it compresses again. Keep doing this to get closer to the Anomaly, where you will eventually find several Blind Dogs dead around it, alongside an Electronic Collar.
Wait for it to compress once more, then quickly grab the Electronic Collar and begin making your way out of the area. You will have to use the cover just as you did before to escape, as trying to sprint out will get you caught in its pull, potentially killing you. You will receive an ominous call from Nightingale shortly after.
Finding The Electronic Collars On The Pack Of Blind Dogs
For the Electronic Collar on the Blind Dog, follow the marker to an abandoned village to find a pack of Blind Dogs attacking a group of Bandits. Focus on the Bandits first, as the Blind Dogs will be attacking them, allowing you to eliminate them quickly.
After the Bandits are taken care of, turn your focus on the Blind Dogs, keeping an eye out for the one glowing with a blueish hue. The glowing Blind Dog will be the one with the Electronic Collar, meaning it will also take more damage, so try and eliminate all the others first, as they will die in one to two bullets.
The Collared Blind Dog will occasionally run away from you before sprinting back at you, giving you ample time to heal if need be, then readjust yourself to shoot at it again on its return. After defeating this Blind Dog, loot its body and retrieve the Electronic Collar to get a call from Nightingale, allowing you to proceed with the mission!
Help Nightingale In Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl
Grabbing one of the Electronic Collars will have Nightingale radio in with a distress call, saying he was attacked by a Bloodsucker wearing one of the Collars, having him believe he was set up. Quickly reach his location by following the blue marker on your compass.
You will eventually reach an abandoned house deep in the woods, making the tension and atmosphere substantially creepier. As you approach the entrance, you will begin hearing strange noises around you. Push inside and start investigating the scene to find Nightingale’s corpse on the ground. Loot it to grab the Electronic Collar and PDA.
Defeat The Bloodsucker
Interacting with Nightingale’s corpse will have the Bloodsucker rush into the house and attack you, which will be hard to spot as it is invisible. So, instead of trying to square off against it out in the open, run into the room opposite where Nightingale is and position yourself on top of the table in the corner.
Now, watch the doorway in front of you closely; the moment you see a shimmer of the Bloodsucker, begin firing at it as it runs toward you. It will attempt to swing at you a few times, maybe succeeding a few times before running back outside. If it hits you, take this time to heal; if not, ensure you’re reloaded and ready for its next entry.
Repeat this process until it’s dead, having it become visible before lifelessly falling to the floor, allowing you to search its body. You will find an Electronic Collar on it, confirming Nightingale’s suspicions. With that, head back to Zalissya to confront Hamster.
You can also throw grenades out the doorway to double up on your damage, but it’s not necessary, as the Bloodsucker will always run back inside and try to land several swipes on you before running away. If you run out of ammunition, you may have to utilize this strategy, or will have to use your knife… which we don’t recommend.
Bring The Electronic Collars To Hamster In Zalissya
Return to Zalissya, head into the inn, and speak to Hamster at the counter, confronting him about the Electronic Collars. Showing him the Collars will have him ask about Nightingale, allowing you to choose from three separate options, allowing you to lie about what happened. We decided to inform him that he died.
Following that, you can inform him that one of the Collars was on a Bloodsucker, having him up the payout. He will show almost no remorse for what happened to Nightingale, making the situation feel even more depressing than it already is. Proceed to sell the Collars to Hamster to complete the Nightingale’s Hunt mission and receive 850 Coupons.
Despite the reward not being all that great, this quest will allow you to spot Blind Dogs with Electronic Collars on them going forward, enabling you to kill them, loot the Collar, and sell them to Hamster for a decent payout. This will also likely lead to a future mission with the Client that is requesting the Collars, so keep an eye out for them!
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