The Coolest References And Easter Eggs In Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl

After a 15-year wait, GSC has finally released Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the fourth title in the series that acts as a sequel to the original trilogy. And it is safe to say that the high anticipation for the first-person shooter video game was worth it, as aside from the compelling main narrative, you will come across plenty of Easter eggs and hidden secrets sprinkled throughout the Zone during your exploration sessions.

From references to popular franchises to callbacks that you will likely appreciate if you have stuck with the Stalker series since the beginning, Heart of Chornobyl’s world is full of details that are easy to miss if you are not specifically looking for them.

10

Alien

Chestburster

In the southwestern region of Zaton, you will find a wreckage with two boats and a few dead bodies, both human and mutant, lying around it. Next to one of these boats, you will see a dead body that has a mutation coming out of its chest.

That is a direct reference to the infamous chestburster scene from the original 1979 Alien film, during which a small creature rips out of Kane’s chest while the rest of the crew watches in horror, resulting in the alien going deeper into the ship.

9

Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

One Shot, One Kill

In Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl’s version of Prypiat, there is a vantage point on the top floor of Hotel Polissya that has an M701 Super Sniper rifle placed on a table. This is a callback to one of the most memorable flashback missions from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare called One Shot, One Kill, the fourteenth campaign mission in the 2007 title.

At the beginning of the original mission, Lieutenant Price and Captain MacMillan have to stealthily take out their target, Imran Zakhaev, from the exact same vantage point in Call of Duty’s rendition of Hotel Polissya, making it a neat reference for veteran first-person shooter fans.

8

The Bridge Of Death

A Real-Life Tragic Location

If you have watched the HBO miniseries based on the unfortunate nuclear incident that took place in Chornobyl, you probably remember the nearby residents gathering on top of a bridge and witnessing the entire tragedy go down as a community. That bridge became known as the Bridge of Death, as many people who were standing on it and watching the nuclear disaster were exposed to excessive levels of radiation, which is believed to be the cause of their deaths.

You can find the same bridge in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl’s version of Yaniv, but considering that the radiation levels are extremely high on top of it, you will be exposed to them and die on the spot.

7

DayZ

The Map Of Chernarus

If you have played Bohemia Interactive’s 2018 survival title DayZ, you are in for a treat, as Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl features multiple Easter eggs that pay homage to it. However, the best one can be found at the STC Malachite base, where you can climb the stairs next to the bar and find a map that looks a little too familiar.

On the wall next to the tables with computers on them, the map of the Soviet Republic of Chernarus, which is the main area where the multiplayer matches in DayZ take place, can be found exactly how it looks in the 2018 title.

6

Distant Drums

Wilhelm Scream

You may not know about the 1951 film Distant Drums, but it is almost a guarantee that you have heard the iconic Wilhelm scream at least once if you have been acquainted with pop culture in any shape or form. From Star Wars to Indiana Jones, many famous IPs have used the stock sound effect through the years, and Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is no different.

Head to the Tornado Anomalous zone in the northwestern part of Yaniv, and you will hear an NPC Wilhelm screaming as he gets devoured by a tornado, after which he will be thrown at your feet for you to freely explore and loot his dead body.

5

Non Stop Limited Edition Energy Drink

A Series Staple

While energy drinks have been a series staple ever since the very first game was launched in 2007, its Non Stop variant made its debut in the Lost Alpha mod for Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl. Stalker 2 embraces that and introduces the Non Stop Limited Edition Energy Drink, which you can find on top of a metallic structure at the Quarry in the northwestern part of the Red Forest.

The can has the Stalker 2 logo and cover art printed on it, and what is more interesting is that GSC Game World actually sold these drinks as part of its promotional campaign for the highly anticipated title.

4

Back To The Future

A Flaming DeLorean Special

There are many aspects that make Back to the Future so unforgettable, but one of the most iconic shots is when the DeLorean leaves behind a trail of flames when it travels between different time periods. You can find a homage to the classic films in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl as well, where you will come across a train track with flames burning on top of it in a similar manner.

Locate the SKD Assembly Unit in the Cooling Towers area, head northeast, and you will see the train track engulfed in flames as if Marty McFly had just been there.

3

Stalker: Shadow Of Chernobyl

A Callback To What Started It All

There are many ways in which Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl recalls its roots and pays homage to the original trilogy, and one of the standout instances of this comes up in the Lesser Zone. Southwest of the town of Zalissya, you will see a familiar wooden structure if you have been following the Stalker series since its inception.

This structure was featured in Shadow of Chernobyl’s concept art, complete with a picture frame and a bird’s nest on top of it, although this time around, you might stumble across an actual bird sitting in it.

2

Firefighter Clothes

Paying Respect To The First Responders

One of the focal points of the Chernobyl miniseries was the way in which firefighters played crucial roles as the first responders when the nuclear tragedy initially went down, since the actual intensity of the situation was not realized until it was too late. Many of these firefighters were just wearing standard firefighting equipment, which was not enough to stop the radiation from getting to them, resulting in their eventual demise.

In Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, some of these firefighter clothes can be found in the basement of Industrial Hospital No126 in Prypiat, showing their damaged conditions in the aftermath of the nuclear disaster.

1

GeForce RTX Graphics Card

A Collaboration Between MSI And Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl

To celebrate the launch of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, GSC Game World collaborated with MSI to create a themed GeForce RTX 4070 Ti Super 16G Gaming Slim graphics card, and just like the inclusion of the Limited Edition energy drink in the game, the developer also put the GPU as an Easter egg in its title as well. Head over to the computer room in the SIRCAA building, and you will come across its in-game version on a desk.

The graphics card has the signature colors of the Stalker series, with a radioactive symbol in the middle and the game’s logo on the side, making it the perfect Easter egg if you have been enjoying Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl on PC.