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The Zone is a dangerous place, if not because of the lethal anomalies that scatter the landscape, then because of the various mutated creatures that threaten your life.Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobylhas no shortage of these mutants, ranging from distorted versions of real-life animals to humanoid creatures with supernatural powers.
Are you struggling against one particular entity and want some guidance? Don’t know the creature’s name? That’s what we’re here for. We’ve covered every mutant you’ll encounter during your time in Stalker 2 with concise information on how to fight them effectively. Good hunting, stalker.
An Overview
There areabout 16 different mutantsin Stalker 2. Some have variations on themselves. They’re generally organized into one of three groups, with some overlapping:
Nearly all mutantsdeal physical damage, with a select few also applying the bleeding effect. Some exceptions do exist, however. Regardless, ahigh damage resistanceis the most important, with ahigh bleed resistancefollowing suit.
Most animal-based mutantsutilize a hit-and-run strategy of attack, rushing in to hit you once or twice before running away to avoid damage. Those that don’t will havenoticeably larger health poolsto offset this.
Since mutants don’t have their own loot, itsgenerally recommended to avoid combat with them when possible, assuming they are not guarding valuable or between you and your current objective.
The mutants are listed in the order you’re most likely to encounter them.
Fleshes
The first monster to greet you in the Zone, fleshes are four-legged monstrosities that will lunge toward you to attack, potentially knocking you over. They havesurprisingly low health for their size, being a bit above that of a human. Otherwise, they have no special characteristics.
The best way to defeat them is tostrafe sideways, causing their lunge attack to miss. Fire while they reorient themselves and repeat. Ashotgun is ideal, but any gun with a sizable clip size will work.
Bloodsuckers
Bloodsuckers are the first invisible mutants you’ll encounter. When hunting,they can turn invisible, using their impressive speed to surprise attack their target repeatedly. They also applyhigh amounts of bleed. With an average health pool, they’ll take a few clips to take down. They also have a scream that will temporarily slow and disorient you if you try to run away.
We have a full guide onhow to defeat a bloodsuckeravailable. But to summarize:hunker into a corner to avoid being attacked from behind, and shoot at them once they’re close. Shotguns work well, but any gun will do.
Be sure touse a bandageafter the fight to resolve the bleeding.
Poltergeists
One of the more confusing enemies, poltergeists areinvisible mutants that use objects from the environment to attack you. You’ll receive someheavy damageif an object hits you. They sound like whispering wind and look like a circle of warbling air. They willrun away and hide if discovered or shot at, making fights with them a real cat-and-mouse endeavor.
The best way to defeat them is toapply consistent pressure, chasing them when they flee. Just verify youdodge the floating objects they throw. We go in-depth on how to take one down inour full guide.
There are elemental variations of this mutant, like the fire poltergeist, or pyrogeist. This form operates largely the same way but is a flying ball of fire and can summon fire to damage you.
Blind Dogs
One of the most common mutants in the Zone, blind dogs are your traditional dog enemy. They usuallyspawn in large groups, using their speed to attack you from behind.They don’t deal much damage, either, but they can apply bleed. Their individual health is low, making them easy to pick off, butthe size of a pack can get overwhelming.
Avoid staying out in the openif you encounter them. Lead them into a building or other restricted space to make them easier to target.Shotguns are ideal, but any high-accuracy gun will work. Just be conservative with your ammo.
Rodents
For places where dogs wouldn’t make sense, there are rodents.These large versions of rats can be found in sewers and basements. They otherwise operate the same as dogs:low health, found in groups, and a hit-and-run attack pattern.
Their health is so low thatshotguns would be overkill. Use whatever weapon you fancy.
Boars
Mutated forms of, you guessed it, a boar, these creatures behave very similarly to fleshes, charging at you to attack. Instead of leaping, however, they charge you on foot.If you’re hit, you’ll be knocked onto the ground, leaving you vulnerable.
Like with fleshes,strafe sideways to avoid being rammed, then attack. High-damage guns are best, like shotguns or assault rifles.
Armored Elk
Odds are you’ve encountered the armored elk during the main quest, when you are looking for a trapper currently hunting for game. After talking to him, his target, the elk, will appear. Like most animals,it will rush up and strike you, potentially knocking you down. It also has ascreeching attack that can disorient you. It has a decent-sized health pool. So it will take a lot of shots to take down.
The elk is accompanied by numerous other animals, making it a dangerous and chaotic fight. Stick to the cliff wall and focus on taking out the dogs, rats, and boars first.Try and stay near Trapper, too, since he helps fight.
You can encounter the elk elsewhere in the Zone, but it’s extremely rare, and not as tough as the Trapper one.
Rat Swarms
Framed asan environmental hazard more than an enemy, rat swarms are large groups that will bite at your feet, quickly accumulating damage. They’re only found in specific areas but are usually easy to avoid or dispatch.
They can’t climb, so jumping onto something or climbing a ladder is ideal. Once safe,the best way is to toss a grenade into the swarm. Otherwise, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.
Psy Dogs
Considered by some to be the worst mutant, psy dogs seem like normal dogs at first. Once attacked, however, they will run away andspawn numerous illusory copies of themselves. It’s illusion squad will then bombard you.While the illusions will go away in one shot, they can still harm you. The ‘real’ psy dog will keep further away to safety, spawning more copies whenever they run out.
It’s VERY hard to tell which one is the real one, which can cause you to waste a lot of ammo dispatching the copies. If you canclimb up something to safety, do so. Then you may potentiallypick out the real one with a long-range weapon.
If you can’t,just run away. This is almost never a fight worth finishing.
Zombies
Literally zombified humans, these are former Zone-dwellers who have succumbed to the effects of the Zone. They shamble around aimlessly and aregenerally inattentive, making them easy to stealth past. If they see you, they’llfire their weapon in your direction but will make no attempt to find cover.
Like regular humans, the best way to beat one is toshoot them in the head. Fortunately,they stand relatively still, making that easy. They still have guns, though, and a group of them can be overwhelming. Sokeep to coverand pick them off.
Snorks
Snorks are another form of mutated human. More feral in nature, they’reusually found underground, sprinting on all fours toward you to swipe and kick. They can be intimidating when it’s a group of them.
With their decent size and low health pool, they’reeasy to dispatch, especially with a shotgun.
The name comes from the gas masks still stuck to their faces. The tubes hanging from the masks resembled snorkels, which was shortened to snork by the local militia.
Bayuns
No, you’re not hearing voices. It’s a Bayun. These small, cat-like mutants canmimic the sound of humansto lure humans closer. Once in range, it willattack you with its claws. Alongside that, it can let out ascreeching meow that fills you with lethargy, slowing your movement and causing your eyes to close momentarily.
While they have more health than dogs, their attack strategy is more or less the same.Keep to walls and corners to keep from being given the run-around, and attack when you have a clear shot, preferably with a shotgun.
Controllers
The most disorienting mutant, and theonly one that doesn’t deal physical damage, controllers overwhelm you withpsi attacks, diminishing your mental stateuntil you start hallucinating enemies(which can somehow still hurt you). They canoften be found with a gang of zombies nearbythat they’ve taken control of.
Dispatch any protection it has, thentake a psi pill if you have one. This willdramatically reduce the mental influence it has on you. Then you’re able to literally justfollow it around, unloading bulletsinto it until it falls.
If you don’t have psi pills handy, thenrush the controller and deal as much damage as you can. If you hallucinate an enemy,defeat that quickly and return focus to the controller. Speed is the name of the game here.
Pseudogiants
The biggest and beefiest of the mutants, pseudogiants are massive creatures with small arms and large legs.They will charge at you, jump toward you, or stomp on the ground to create a shockwave. They hit hard and havea ton of health, making them any stalker’s nightmare.
Most attacks can be evaded bycareful dodging and strafing, but theground slam attack can knock you over from any angle. Keep moving and keep your health topped up.Any high-damage gun will do, since they’re hard to miss. Just make sure you have enough ammo.
Chimera
A legend among stalkers,a chimera is a four-legged monster with two faces.Their attack plan is fairly simple: jumping toward you to attack.What makes them so dangerous is that they have amassive health pool and high damage potential.
There’s no brilliant strategy for fighting a chimera. Strafing will allow you to dodge some attacks, butit just comes down to how much ammo you have to spend.
Your first encounter with a chimera will likely be in the swamps, heading toward Clear Sky.We recommend running from this fight and toward the objective instead.
A large, open field with tall grass is the worst place to fight this creature, and there isa scripted emission eventthat will happen halfway into the fight.
Burers
Burers arelike poltergeists but tougher. They do not attack you directly, insteadusing gravity powers to throw objects at you. They can alsopush you away if you get too close, create a barrier to protect itself from gunfire, and evenrip the gun right out of your hands.
Don’t rush them.Fight them from a medium range, using cover to protect yourself from the objects they throw.Shoot them until you see the barrier, then wait until they drop it to shoot more. If they pull the gun from your hands, just pick it back up from the ground and keep going.
