Heart Of Chornobyl And How To Deal With Them

The Zone is a dangerous place, if not because of the lethal anomalies that scatter the landscape, then because of the various mutated creatures that threaten your life. Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has no shortage of these mutants, ranging from distorted versions of real-life animals to humanoid creatures with supernatural powers.

Are you struggling against one particular entity and want some guidance? Don’t know the creature’s name? That’s what we’re here for. We’ve covered every mutant you’ll encounter during your time in Stalker 2 with concise information on how to fight them effectively. Good hunting, stalker.

An Overview

There are about 15 different mutants in Stalker 2. This doesn’t include one quest-specific creature that we’ve not seen anywhere else. They’re generally organized into one of three groups, with some overlapping:

1. mutated animal
2. mutated human
3. creature with supernatural powers

Nearly all mutants deal physical damage, with a select few also applying the bleeding effect. Some exceptions do exist, however. Regardless, a high damage resistance is the most important, with a high bleed resistance following suit.

Most animal-based mutants utilize a hit-and-run strategy of attack, rushing in to hit you once or twice before running away to avoid damage. Those that don’t will have noticeably larger health pools to offset this.

Since mutants don’t have their own loot, its generally recommended to avoid combat with them when possible, assuming they are not guarding valuable or between you and your current objective.

The mutants are listed in the order you’re most likely to encounter them.

Fleshes

The first monster to greet you in the Zone, fleshes are four-legged monstrosities that will lunge toward you to attack, potentially knocking you over. They have surprisingly low health for their size, being a bit above that of a human. Otherwise, they have no special characteristics.

The best way to defeat them is to strafe sideways, causing their lunge attack to miss. Fire while they reorient themselves and repeat. A shotgun is ideal, but any gun with a sizable clip size will work.

Bloodsuckers

Bloodsuckers are the first invisible mutants you’ll encounter. When hunting, they can turn invisible, using their impressive speed to surprise attack their target repeatedly. They also apply high amounts of bleed. With an average health pool, they’ll take a few clips to take down. They also have a scream that will temporarily slow and disorient you if you try to run away.

We have a full guide on how to defeat a bloodsucker available. But to summarize: hunker into a corner to avoid being attacked from behind, and shoot at them once they’re close. Shotguns work well, but any gun will do.

Be sure to
use a bandage
after the fight to resolve the bleeding.

Poltergeists

One of the more confusing enemies, poltergeists are invisible mutants that use objects from the environment to attack you. You’ll receive some heavy damage if an object hits you. They sound like whispering wind and look like a circle of warbling air. They will run away and hide if discovered or shot at, making fights with them a real cat-and-mouse endeavor.

The best way to defeat them is to apply consistent pressure, chasing them when they flee. Just make sure you dodge the floating objects they throw. We go in-depth on how to take one down in our full guide.

Blind Dogs

One of the most common mutants in the Zone, blind dogs are your traditional dog enemy. They usually spawn in large groups, using their speed to attack you from behind. They don’t deal much damage, either, but they can apply bleed. Their individual health is low, making them easy to pick off, but the size of a pack can get overwhelming.

Avoid staying out in the open if you encounter them. Lead them into a building or other restricted space to make them easier to target. Shotguns are ideal, but any high-accuracy gun will work. Just be conservative with your ammo.

Rodents

For places where dogs wouldn’t make sense, there are rodents. These large versions of rats can be found in sewers and basements. They otherwise operate the same as dogs: low health, found in groups, and a hit-and-run attack pattern.

Their health is so low that shotguns would be overkill. Use whatever weapon you fancy.

Boars

Mutated forms of, you guessed it, a boar, these creatures behave very similarly to fleshes, charging at you to attack. Instead of leaping, however, they charge you on foot. If you’re hit, you’ll be knocked onto the ground, leaving you vulnerable.

Like with fleshes, strafe sideways to avoid being rammed, then attack. High-damage guns are best, like shotguns or assault rifles.

Armored Elk

The only time we’ve encountered the armored elk was during the main quest, when you are looking for a trapper currently hunting for game. After talking to him, his target, the elk, will appear. Like most animals, it will rush up and strike you, potentially knocking you down. It also has a screeching attack that can disorient you. It has a decent-sized health pool. So it will take a lot of shots to take down.

During that quest, the elk is accompanied by numerous other animals, making it a dangerous and chaotic fight. Stick to the cliff wall and focus on taking out the dogs, rats, and boars first. Try and stay near Trapper, too, since he helps fight.

Rat Swarms

Framed as an environmental hazard more than an enemy, rat swarms are large groups that will bite at your feet, quickly accumulating damage. They’re only found in specific areas but are usually easy to avoid or dispatch.

They can’t climb, so jumping onto something or climbing a ladder is ideal. Once safe, the best way is to toss a grenade into the swarm. Otherwise, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.

Psy Dogs

Considered by some to be the worst mutant, psy dogs seem like normal dogs at first. Once attacked, however, they will run away and spawn numerous illusory copies of themselves. It’s illusion squad will then bombard you. While the illusions will go away in one shot, they can still harm you. The ‘real’ psy dog will keep further away to safety, spawning more copies whenever they run out.

It’s VERY hard to tell which one is the real one, which can cause you to waste a lot of ammo dispatching the copies. If you can climb up something to safety, do so. Then you can potentially pick out the real one with a long-range weapon.

If you can’t, just run away. This is almost never a fight worth finishing.

Zombies

Literally zombified humans, these are former Zone-dwellers who have succumbed to the effects of the Zone. They shamble around aimlessly and are generally inattentive, making them easy to stealth past. If they see you, they’ll fire their weapon in your direction but will make no attempt to find cover.

Like regular humans, the best way to beat one is to shoot them in the head. Fortunately, they stand relatively still, making that easy. They still have guns, though, and a group of them can be overwhelming. So keep to cover and pick them off.

Snorks

Snorks are another form of mutated human. More feral in nature, they’re usually found underground, sprinting on all fours toward you to swipe and kick. They can be intimidating when it’s a group of them.

With their decent size and low health pool, they’re easy to dispatch, especially with a shotgun.

The name comes from the gas masks still stuck to their faces. The tubes hanging from the masks resembled snorkels, which was shortened to snork by the local militia.

Bayuns

No, you’re not hearing voices. It’s a Bayun. These small, cat-like mutants can mimic the sound of humans to lure humans closer. Once in range, it will attack you with its claws. Alongside that, it can let out a screeching meow that fills you with lethargy, slowing your movement and causing your eyes to close momentarily.

While they have more health than dogs, their attack strategy is more or less the same. Keep to walls and corners to keep from being given the run-around, and attack when you have a clear shot, preferably with a shotgun.

Controllers

The most disorienting mutant, and the only one that doesn’t deal physical damage, controllers overwhelm you with psi attacks, diminishing your mental state until you start hallucinating enemies (which can somehow still hurt you). They can often be found with a gang of zombies nearby that they’ve taken control of.

Dispatch any protection it has, then take a psi pill if you have one. This will dramatically reduce the mental influence it has on you. Then you can literally just follow it around, unloading bullets into it until it falls.

If you don’t have psi pills handy, then rush the controller and deal as much damage as you can. If you hallucinate an enemy, defeat that quickly and return focus to the controller. Speed is the name of the game here.

Pseudogiants

The biggest and beefiest of the mutants, pseudogiants are massive creatures with small arms and large legs. They will charge at you, jump toward you, or stomp on the ground to create a shockwave. They hit hard and have a ton of health, making them any stalker’s nightmare.

Most attacks can be evaded by careful dodging and strafing, but the ground slam attack can knock you over from any angle. Keep moving and keep your health topped up. Any high-damage gun will do, since they’re hard to miss. Just make sure you have enough ammo.

Chimera

A legend among stalkers, a chimera is a four-legged monster with two faces. Their attack plan is fairly simple: jumping toward you to attack. What makes them so dangerous is that they have a massive health pool and high damage potential.

There’s no brilliant strategy for fighting a chimera. Strafing will allow you to dodge some attacks, but it just comes down to how much ammo you have to spend.

Your first encounter with a chimera will likely be in the swamps, heading toward Clear Sky.
We recommend running from this fight and toward the objective instead
.

A large, open field with tall grass is the worst place to fight this creature
, and there is
a scripted emission event
that will happen halfway into the fight.

Burers

Burers are like poltergeists but tougher. They do not attack you directly, instead using gravity powers to throw objects at you. They can also push you away if you get too close, create a barrier to protect itself from gunfire, and even rip the gun right out of your hands.

Don’t rush them. Fight them from a medium range, using cover to protect yourself from the objects they throw. Shoot them until you see the barrier, then wait until they drop it to shoot more. If they pull the gun from your hands, just pick it back up from the ground and keep going.