The Best Weapons To Get First In Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl

While it can occasionally be overstated, Stalker 2 really is a difficult game. You have to be on your toes when fighting human enemies, and sometimes it’s smarter to run from a mutant rather than spend resources and risk death by fighting it.

One of the best things about Stalker 2, and one of the reasons combat is so difficult, is that you can’t simply pause the game to run through a procession of fifteen different weapons you have in your backpack to see what’s best for the job. You need to already have your weapons equipped before the fight starts, so bringing the right weapons is paramount.

We provide performance rankings for each weapon. All the table measurements in this list have a
maximum value of five
.

3 AKM-74S

Long And Medium Range

For your longer-range engagements, you don’t have a lot of options in the early game. Most of the truly long-range weapons are going to be found once you leave the Lesser Zone, leaving you with tap or burst-firing weapons that are fully automatic for your distance fights.

Luckily, weapons in Stalker 2 perform pretty consistently (when kept in good shape), and the AKM-74S is a rifle that can take care of those distant targets with relative ease in the right circumstances. It’s also not going to be a weapon that’s a tremendous pain to get your hands on, as many enemies in the game drop it.

In terms of upgrades available at the Tech, there are three slots available on the AKM-74S. In the early game, you probably aren’t going to have a lot of money to spend on these. But, there are a few upgrades that aren’t too expensive and can provide value early.

The Rubber Coating decreases recoil by ten percent, which will make those deep shots easier to hit, and it only costs 350. The Rubber Stock Rear has a similar effect, but you should only grab that if you have the extra cash to spend since it’s 1,300.

2 TOZ-34

Close Range

The TOZ-34 is not the first shotgun that you’re going to get; that honor usually goes to the Boomstick. And while the Boomstick can be monstrously effective in hyper-close range, the TOZ-34 has better range possibilities than the alternative.

The main drawback of the TOZ-34 is native to the fact that it’s a double-barrel shotgun; you fire two shots, and you have to reload. Provided you make those shots count, it isn’t an issue. But if you miss, that reloading time is liable to get you killed, because with this weapon, you’re usually shooting at somebody who is an immediate threat.

There aren’t too many upgrades available for the TOZ-34 that are easily grabbed in the early game and provide good value. One of two notable exceptions is the Rifled Barrel, which increases range by ten percent and decreases spread by 30 percent. This upgrade does mean you can’t use buckshot anymore, so you’ll need to ensure you have plenty of other ammo types to make do with. The other is Extra Barrel Rifling, which increases the armor-piercing power by 50 percent overall. Enemies with armor can tank a shot from the shotgun without this, so this is going to help you drop them on the first shot more often than not.

1 Skif’s Pistol

Attach A Suppressor For A Silent Option

Skif’s Pistol is a variant of the PTM that you start the game with, but it isn’t going to start with a suppressor. But even without the suppressor, the pistol is underrated. It’s one of the easiest weapons to grab a quick headshot with when using iron sights, especially in an ambush-style situation.

The suppressor is obtainable in a mission while you’re still in the Lesser Zone, and it really expands your stealth abilities. You no longer have to rely on the knife for stealth; you can take most enemies out with a single headshot from a short distance. You’re still going to have to be extremely careful when dealing with groups of enemies, but at the very least, you’ll be able to take down a few before a full gunfight ensues.

In terms of upgrades, there aren’t a lot of possibilities with Skif’s Pistol. But, the possibilities that are there can be pretty useful. When attacking from stealth, it’s incredibly important that your bullet gets where it’s going to quickly and that it drops the enemy in one shot.

Both of the barrel upgrades for Skif’s Pistol help in this regard. The first upgrade, Tin Coating, improves the bullet velocity by 20 percent. The second upgrade requires Tin Coating to be applied and is called Extra Barrel Rifling. This increases the armor-piercing power by 30 percent and is going to help take down enemies wearing helmets more consistently, rather than simply wounding them and letting them alert every enemy in the vicinity to your presence.