Weapons That Aren’t Worth Upgrading In STALKER 2

Key Takeaways

• In
  STALKER 2
  , players must choose which weapons to upgrade, as many early-game firearms aren’t worth investing in due to their limited long-term viability.
• Skif’s Pistol stands out over the PTM and UDP Compact, offering infinite durability and impressive upgrade potential.
• The Boomstick and TOZ-34 shotguns are soon overshadowed by the M860 Cracker, while the AKM assault rifles are outclassed by unique variants like Valik Lummox’s or the Drowned.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl offers a wide variety of weapons, including pistols, shotguns, SMGs, assault rifles, sniper rifles, and more. Each of these can be significantly enhanced and customized through upgrades performed by technicians found at bases (hubs) within each of the game’s open-world regions. However, these upgrades come at a high cost, and accumulating a large amount of coupons (in-game currency) can be challenging. This makes it crucial for players to carefully choose which weapons to invest in for upgrades.

Interestingly, weapon progression in STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is less balanced compared to the original games. Many solid early-game weapons quickly become obsolete as players venture beyond the Lesser Zone, where more powerful firearms are readily available. To save players from wasting precious resources, here’s a look at weapons in STALKER 2 that don’t remain viable for long and aren’t worth upgrading at technicians for various reasons.

1 PTM

Recommended Alternative: Skif’s Pistol

• Type: Pistol
• Weight: 0.55 kg
• Magazine: 8

The PTM is undoubtedly the most common pistol in the Zone, easily looted from nearly every fallen stalker or bandit or found in countless stashes scattered throughout. While it boasts decent damage and minimal weight, there’s little reason to rely on or upgrade the default PTM in STALKER 2, and the explanation is simple.

From the start, players are equipped with Skif’s Pistol, a unique version of the PTM that is almost weightless and is extremely cheap to repair. What makes this even better is that all the upgrades and modules available for the standard PTM can also be applied to Skif’s Pistol. With these advantages, there’s no practical justification to swap out this reliable, low-maintenance weapon for its common counterpart. Skif’s Pistol essentially makes the standard PTM redundant from the get-go.

2 UDP Compact

Recommended Alternative: Skif’s Pistol With Mag Extension

• Type: Pistol
• Weight: 1.0 kg
• Magazine: 15

The UDP Compact might initially seem like a decent pistol choice in the early game, thanks to its respectable damage, accuracy, and larger magazine capacity. Some players may even gravitate toward its sleek, modern design. However, when it comes to raw stats and practicality, the UDP Compact doesn’t significantly outperform the PTM, making it quickly overshadowed by the versatile Skif’s Pistol with just a few cheap upgrades and modules.

Early in the game, players can upgrade Skif’s Pistol with a silencer and an extended magazine, increasing its capacity to a more practical 13 rounds compared to the 8-round default. With its negligible weight, virtually free repair costs, and strong upgrade potential, Skif’s Pistol stands out as the superior secondary weapon for the early to mid-game in STALKER 2. There’s little incentive to invest in the UDP Compact when Skif’s Pistol proves to be a more reliable and cost-effective option, especially considering that repairing the UDP can cost players around 1,000 coupons periodically.

3 Boomstick

Recommended Alternatives: M860 Cracker, SPSA-14

• Type: Shotgun
• Weight: 1.94 kg
• Magazine: 2

The Boomstick serves as the default shotgun in STALKER 2 and is one of the most commonly found weapons in the Zone. While it boasts decent damage output and a lightweight design, its two-shot capacity and painfully slow reload speed make it far from ideal in many situations, especially during high-pressure encounters. Shotguns are particularly useful for dealing with mutants like Flesh, or aggressive animals such as dogs and boars, due to their close-range effectiveness. However, the Boomstick’s limited capacity often leaves players at a severe disadvantage.

For instance, the health pools of these enemies are large enough that two shots are rarely sufficient to down even a single mutant. In scenarios where players face multiple foes — an almost guaranteed occurrence in the game — the two-round capacity and lengthy reload time can leave them dangerously exposed. To improve survivability in close-range combat or mutant encounters, it’s strongly advised to swap the Boomstick for the M860 Cracker at the earliest opportunity. The Cracker offers significantly better performance, making it a far more reliable option for handling the Zone’s toughest threats.

4 TOZ-34

Recommended Alternatives: M860 Cracker, SPSA-14

• Type: Shotgun
• Weight: 3.14 kg
• Magazine: 2

The TOZ-34 shares many of the same strengths and weaknesses as the Boomstick, making it another suboptimal choice in STALKER 2 for players looking to invest in a reliable shotgun. While it offers decent damage, its drawbacks, including a low two-shot capacity and an excessively long reload time, overshadow its potential usefulness. Additionally, the TOZ-34 is heavier than the Boomstick, which can be a significant disadvantage for stalkers prioritizing mobility and loot capacity during their explorations.

Like the Boomstick, the TOZ-34 is better suited for rookies and bandits rather than experienced stalkers. Investing in this weapon is not recommended, as it quickly becomes obsolete. A much better option is the M860 Cracker, which boasts a six-round capacity and improved versatility. Players can find the Cracker relatively early, even in the Lesser Zone, provided they thoroughly explore the region. Switching to the Cracker as soon as possible is a wise choice for those seeking to enhance their firepower and survivability.

5 Viper-5

Recommended Alternatives: Buket S-2, M10 Gordon, Integral-A

• Type: Sub-Machine Gun
• Weight: 2.5 kg
• Magazine: 30

The Viper-5 is a staple SMG beloved by the STALKER community and is also largely present in every STALKER 2 region. This SMG is a solid choice in the early game, thanks to its widespread and easily obtainable ammo, lightweight design, excellent fire rate, and fast reload speed. These qualities make it a dependable weapon for quick engagements, particularly in close quarters.

However, players may want to hold off on investing too heavily in the Viper-5 early on. Shortly after leaving the Lesser Zone, superior SMGs like the Buket S-2 or the M10 Gordon become available, both of which outperform the Viper-5 in almost every category, including firepower and versatility. Among these, the Buket S-2 is especially worth noting for its impressive damage output, rapid fire rate, and compatibility with a widely available ammo type.

For players who prefer to stick with the Viper-5, an early opportunity to upgrade arises with the unique Shah’s Mate variant. This version comes with an extended magazine, making it more viable for prolonged encounters. Once acquired, Shah’s Mate can be enhanced at a technician, ensuring it remains competitive well into mid-game combat.

6 AKM-74U

Recommended Alternatives: Fora-221, AR416, GP37

• Type: Assault Rifle
• Weight: 2.72 kg
• Magazine: 30

The AKM-74U is a compact, lightweight version of the full-sized AKM-74S, sharing the same ammo type and offering similar stats in terms of damage, fire rate, and reload speed. While it’s a solid assault rifle for early encounters, it doesn’t stand out enough to justify heavy investments early in the game.

One of the key drawbacks of the default AKM-74U is its overshadowing by the numerous unique AKM-74S variants available early in STALKER 2. For example, players can obtain Valik Lummox’s AKM-74S with a 4x zoom PSO scope and built-in upgrades during one of the first side missions. This version provides better utility and performance right off the bat. Additionally, the Garbage region offers other unique AKM-74S variants like Drowned, equipped with a grenade launcher, or Combatant, obtained during the main questline. These superior options make the standard AKM-74U a less appealing choice for long-term use.

7 AKM-74S

Recommended Alternatives: Fora-221, AR416, GP37

• Type: Assault Rifle
• Weight: 3.63 kg
• Magazine: 30

In the original STALKER games, the AKM-74S was a staple for many players, often serving as a go-to weapon during the early and mid-game due to the lack of other assault rifle options in starting regions. However, in STALKER 2, the AKM-74S is no longer among the strongest assault rifles available in the early areas. Players now have access to several more powerful and easily obtainable alternatives, such as the AR416 and GP37. While these options offer superior performance, their unique ammo types can be difficult to find early on. The Fora-221, which shares the same ammo type as the AKM-74S, can be a much more effective choice.

For fans of the AKM-74S, the best strategy is to prioritize one of the three unique variants available early: Valik Lummox’s AKM-74S, Drowned, or Combatant. Each of these comes with unique upgrades or modifications that significantly improve their utility. By focusing resources on upgrading these versions, players can turn them into powerful, reliable weapons for the challenges ahead.