Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl is one of the most detailed open-world games to come out of the series. It’s home to a rich plot, nail-biting shootouts and harsh survival conditions. There’s a host of characters you’ll meet during your trip into the Zone.
Some of these characters will be very familiar if you’ve played the previous Stalker games. If you’re new to the series, you might not recognize them, but don’t worry: there are lots of new characters that will grow on you, too. Nearly every side character is detailed and has a unique personality: here are the most memorable ones.
8
Hermann
The events in Stalker 2 start with Hermann: he’s the scientist who smuggles you into the Zone to recharge your artifact. Your character, Skif, isn’t particularly kind to him – even engaging in violence over a small misunderstanding – but he is patient and supportive of you regardless.
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Of course, he’s only so nice because he has his own interests. Your trip into the Zone is supposed to benefit Hermann, or he wouldn’t be risking his life and career to help you sneak inside. The plan goes sideways very quickly.
7
Solder
Once Solder sells you out, the events in Stalker 2 really get chugging along. The game’s prologue builds him up as the first character you’ll hold a grudge towards. He won’t be the last, though.
Amusingly, when you find Solder he’s just chilling with a stash of food and Cossacks vodka. He has a few great lines of dialogue, and takes a bite out of a piece of bullet-pierced bread. Life is hard in the Zone, but Solder is determined to have a good time.
6
Mykolayich
The Zone is home to harsh conditions and even harsher inhabitants. There are several factions who will shoot Skif on sight and won’t even hesitate to loot his corpse. In such a lawless wasteland, it’s incredible to find an NPC like Mykolayich – someone who is genuinely nice and caring and heals you for free.
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That’s right: this Zalissyan doctor will treat you without charging a single coupon. That means refilling your health and resetting your radiation levels to zero. He’s a welcome sight after an Emission event that has everyone running for cover.
5
Mityay
Most people who come to the Zone are driven by greed. The Zone holds the promise of riches and wish fulfillment: this attracts some very unsavoury types. However, Mityay is a side character who comes to the Zone for sentimental reasons.
Mityay was an inhabitant of the city before the Chornobyl incident. He knew this area before it was known as the Zone: he called it home. All Mityay asks of you is that you retrieve a religious icon from his childhood home: fulfilling this request will lead to you discovering his tragic backstory.
4
Pomor
One of the most haunting side characters in Stalker 2 is Pomor. He lives alone in the Poppy Field, a location infamous for both its beauty and its danger. By staying indoors, Pomor avoids the psychological effects of the field.
Pomor speaks in an eerie, monotone voice and makes a living looting the dead bodies of stalkers who succumb to the field. He also gives you a bad deal on a gun he claims is ‘special’ if you choose to help him during the Poppy Field side quest. Yeah, Pomor is kind of a jerk, but he is memorable.
Rather than buying the gun from Pomor, the most beneficial course of action is to kill him and then loot his corpse. He is carrying a key to a locked room in his house, where you can find a stash of useful items.
3
Warlock
The starting town of Zalissya will serve as your hub for much of the early game. Warlock tends the bar in Zalissya, and as the stalkers say: “Here’s to the most important guy in the zone – the bartender.”
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Warlock gives you side quests that help you earn easy coupons and powerful rewards. He’s also very nice and welcoming to Skif, who is part of the loner faction, often subject to bullying by the other groups. Two of your earliest side quests will come from Warlock.
2
Strelok
Strelok is the star of the first Stalker game. His presence in Stalker 2: Heart Of Chornobyl decanonizes some of the bad endings of the original Shadow of Chernobyl, but on the upside, he serves as a familiar face to series fans.
Stalker 2 sees Strelok as a man who has succumbed to the Zone entirely and formed a cult within it; one of the endings lets you side with him. If you’ve played the original game, though, you’ll know that getting good endings is not Strelok’s specialty.
To get the Strelok ending, choose ‘Life is for the living’ as a dialogue option in Subtle Matter, escape during Dangerous Liaisons, and when given a choice in The Last Wish, choose to fire.
1
Richter
There are very few people in the Zone whom you could call a true friend. Traders will call you their favourite customer, sure, but that’s only because they charge you an absurd amount of coupons for weapons and ammo. Richter, however, is a true friend.
The first time you meet him, he helps you deal with anomalies despite having no incentive to do so. Later on, one of the most moving cutscenes in the game takes place with you and Richter atop a slag heap. It’s almost romantic in its poignancy. Richter is a character designed to become a fan favourite.
There is a game-breaking bug in Back To The Slag Heap where Richter might not spawn, or wander into the irradiated zone and die. Due to this, you should make a backup save before the point where you go upstairs to meet Korshunov.
- Platform(s)
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Xbox Series X and Series S
, Microsoft Windows - Released
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2024-00-00
- Developer(s)
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GSC Game World
- Publisher(s)
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GSC Game World
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5
- ESRB
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