The Zone is home to countless mutations and enemies, like bandits wielding shotguns and Snorks ambushing a lone Stalker foolish enough to wander into an abandoned factory at night. Sure, the right weapon, like a powerful submachine gun or fast-firing revolver, will make quick work of most enemies in the game, giving you the edge in pushing forward with your assault. But what about defense? Your typical suit won’t stop a bullet, nor will it make you stronger and faster. But an exoskeleton will!
Exoskeleton locations in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl
From dealing with gunshots to radiation, the armor you wear in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl makes more of a difference than simply denoting your faction allegiance.
From what we gather, you cannot buy Exoskeletons. They can only be found throughout the world in key locations. You’ll stumble upon most during main quests, with a few tucked away inside of locked rooms in key points of interest.
- Brummbar Exoskeleton (White House, Prypiat) – Found on the 6th floor on the southeast side of the White House, a minor location in the city’s center.
- Cuirass Exoskeleton (SKD Assembly Unit, Cooling Towers) – Found on a metal shelf on the west side of the facility, up the eastern stairway.
- Diamond Exoskeleton (Sunny Kindergarten, Prypiat / Spark Bunker, Yaniv) – Found on the second floor of the Sunny Kindergarten and on the southwest top of the Spark Bunker in Yaniv Station, unlocked during The Boundary main mission.
- Exoskeleton (Legends of the Zone, Cordon) – A unique Exoskeleton found at the end of Legends of the Zone, a main mission in Cordon, after speaking to Strelok in the TV room.
- Liberty Exoskeleton (Bookstore, Prypiat) – On the second floor, north side of the bookstore in the city’s southeast.
- Operator Exoskeleton (Fluoridation Station, Jupiter) – Found on the second floor of the nearby building, up the pipeline, and into the hole in the wall.
- Ruby Exoskeleton (Enerhetyk Palace of Culture, Prypiat) – Found on the third floor of the palace. You will require explosives of some type to blow through the window.
As you can see, most of the game’s Exoskeletons are unavailable until you reach Pripyat, the end-game city. You’ll have acquired powerful weapons and artifacts by this point, and little within the Zone proves dangerous. Despite your increasing power levels, an Exoskeleton provides:
- Physical Resistance
- Radiation Resistance
- Thermal Resistance
- Electrical Resistance
- Chemical Resistance
- Psi Resistance
You can upgrade your Exoskeleton
Once you have an Exoskeleton, take good care of your new armor. It requires regular maintenance and repairs to keep in tip-top shape. You’ll also want to spend coupons on upgrades to help you overpower enemies further.
To upgrade an Exoskeleton,speak with Technician Bolero at the Enerhetyk Palace of Culture (Prypiat) and Harpy at Yaniv Station (Yaniv).
Alongside the correct suit of armor, the artifacts you choose to wield will alter your playstyle and make specific missions and points of interest easier. Of course, none of that matters too much if you’re a diehard dog lover!
Stalker 2 is available for Xbox Series X/S and Windows PC.