Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has many strange and horrific missions that will turn everything on its head with even stranger and more horrific Anomalies. The large Poppy Field is just one of many instances where even the lack of enemies can make for a strange and unsettling experience.
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Making your way through the Poppy Fields to find the Root Cellar isn’t an easy task, and when asking for help costs a pretty penny, you almost have no choice but to go at it alone, which can take quite some time, leading to frustration and confusion. But, once you know where to go, the beauty of this area can be enjoyed without the slowly building rage!
How To Start The Poppy Field In Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl
Upon arriving at Zalissya for the first time, head into the inn, where you can sleep and access your storage, and find a man named Mityay sitting by himself in the corner of the room. Speak with him to have him mention a family heirloom that’s very important to him, allowing you to tell him to “Get to the point.”
From here, he will talk about the Religious Icon, which is located in a Root Cellar beneath the Poppy Fields and is dangerous to traverse. When pressed on the reason why, he will say it’s almost as if people become extremely fatigued once inside the Poppy Fields and will ultimately pass out and die.
Receiving this lovely bit of information will have you spring into action and say, “I’ll find your Icon,” beginning The Poppy Field mission, where you must make your way to the Poppy Fields, find the Root Cellar, and return the Religious Icon to Mityay.
Before making your way to the Poppy Field, ensure you have lots of Energy Drinks on hand, as you will need them to replenish your Stamina/Energy since these fields sap your energy instantly, making you pass out after a prolonged period. Drinking an Energy Drink can stave off these effects. Energy Drinks can be purchased from several vendors in Zalissya and can also be found in houses inside the Poppy Fields.
Make Your Way To The Poppy Field
The Poppy Field is located to the west of Zalissya, so begin making your way over to it by following the blue icon on your compass (ensure you’re tracking this mission via your Journal). It will take a bit to reach it, but you will instantly recognize it when you stumble upon a sprawling field covered in bright red Poppies.
As soon as you reach the Poppy Field, look to the right to find a house and make your way over to it before exploring the fields, as you will get lost and will likely die if you begin wandering around aimlessly. For now, just enter the lone house and speak with Pomor once inside.
Staying inside the Poppy Field too long will eventually have you black out, resetting your position to where you first entered. If this happens too many times, you will instantly die, no matter how full your health currently is. Drinking Energy Drinks can prevent this, but wandering around too much will lessen their effectiveness.
Talk To Pomor
Once you’re inside the house, walk into the room on the right to find Pomor. Begin speaking with him to learn that he lives here and has apparently stumbled upon the Root Cellar you’re looking for. He will offer its exact location for either 2,000 Credits or in exchange for you doing a job for him.
Despite the Root Cellar being challenging to find initially, we decided to turn both of his offers down and find it ourselves, which you should consider doing since you can learn its exact location in the section below. After making your decision, Pomor will wish you luck and send you on your way to roam the Poppy Fields.
Where To Find The Root Cellar In Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl
There are two houses located inside the Poppy Field, with one of them being located directly across from Pomor’s house. So, as soon as you exit the front door, sprint straight ahead, occasionally downing an Energy Drink until you reach the inside. Once inside, loot the Energy Drinks on the ground and move to the opposite end of the house.
You will see another house directly across from here, but you don’t want to enter it. Instead, chug another Energy Drink and run to the right of the house. Continue running to the right of both houses while remaining between them to find the entrance of the Root Celler in the ground of the Poppy Field.
It’s pretty far away from the houses, as seen in the images above, and is surrounded by Poppies, making it challenging to spot. However, if you position yourself between the two houses in the center of the Poppy Field, you should run directly into the entrance if you stay aligned!
Grab The Religious Icon From The Root Cellar
Drop down into the Root Cellar and make your way inside to find the Religious Icon leaning against a shelf. Pick up the Icon to complete this section of the mission, which will allow you to do one of two things with it: Bring it back to Mityay or sell it to Pomor.
What Should You Do With The Religious Icon In Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl
As mentioned above, you can either sell the Religious Icon to Pomor as an optional choice for The Poppy Field mission or return it to Mityay. However, when we tried to bring it to Pomor to see what that would result in, we did not have the option to sell it to him whatsoever, even when we reloaded the save.
So we ultimately only did what we were initially going to do anyway, and that is to return the Religious Icon to its rightful owner, Mityay, back in Zalissya. Look, it’s the right thing to do and will keep you on good terms with the town. It’s not like you’ll ever see Pomor again. Right?
Returning The Religious Icon To Mityay
Begin your long hike back to Zalissya and enter the bar to find Mityay awaiting your return. Speak with him and hand the Religious Icon over to him to complete The Poppy Field side quest, receiving a hefty 1,000 Credits for your time and effort, which can go a long way for weapon upgrades via Lens!
Again, we have no clue how much Pomor would have offered for the Religious Icon, as that choice wasn’t available to us for some reason. Nonetheless, this is likely still the morally correct choice – if you care about that in Stalker – and will ultimately lead to more opportunities in Zalissya if you remain on good terms with the residents there.
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