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There are a number of weapons that you’re going to find very consistently in the Lesser Zone ofStalker 2, which is early on in the game. The AKM-74S is one of the first assault rifles you’re likely to find, and is going to be a familiar face when looting enemies in the beginning stages.
The AKM-74S is not necessarily the best assault rifle, but it can be quite effective once you’ve invested some resources into upgrading the gun at the Tech. This can be an expensive endeavor, but it’s an endeavor that’s going to make it measurably easier to stay alive.
How To Upgrade Weapons
To upgrade weapons, you need totake them to a Tech.Most populated safe areas have one, and they’ll be able to repair and upgrade your weapons for coupons.
Aside from upgrading weapons,Techs can also upgrade your gear, like your mask and suit. Sometimes they’ll have missions for you, and you may pay for your upgrades at the Tech with coupons earned by doing a mission for them.
Upgrade Trees
Forsome weaponsand certain slots,youcan’t grab every available upgrade. Some upgrades are clustered in branches, and choosing one means you can’t choose the other.
Other times, upgrades require that you’ve gotten a previous upgrade in order to apply another.
It’s also important to note thatupgrades are separate from attachments, though some attachments require an upgrade before you can equip them.
Barrel Upgrades For The AKM-74S
There arefour different barrel upgradesavailable for the AKM-74S, though you’ll only be able to equip three different upgrades in this section.
350
800
700
1,300
Reduce muzzle flash | Decrease spread by 25%.
Rubber Coating
The Rubber Coating isthe first available upgradefor the top tree of the barrel upgrades, and is a prerequisite for installing either the Extra Barrel Rifling or the Return Mechanism Sleeve Tightener.
Decreasing Recoil is a pretty straightforward upgrade; it’sgoing to make the gun easier to keep on target. It’s also an extremely cheap upgrade at only 300 coupons.This is one of the best upgrades for the AKM-74S, and there’s no reason not to grab it; it’s going to make those medium-range fights easier to manage.
Extra Barrel Rifling
You’ll need tochoose between the Extra Barrel Riflingand theReturn Mechanism Sleeve Tightener. They’re almost equal in cost, but have different effects that are going to be more effective for different purposes.
The Extra Barrel Rifling is going toincrease your damage dealt to enemies wearing armor. While there aren’t a ton of heavily-armored enemies in the early going, that’s going to change in some of the more difficult encounters, so itsvalue is going to increase in difficult situations.
Return Mechanism Sleeve Tightener
TheReturn Mechanism Sleeve Tightener’srange increase can be nice, but once you’ve got a proper ranged weapon, this bonus is going to be a moot point.
Overall, you’re going to get more mileage out of the better armor-piercing of the Extra Barrel Rifling.
Flash Suppressor
The Flash Suppressor isthe most expensive of the barrel upgradesfor the AKM-74S, but it’s also one of the most worthwhile. While getting rid of the muzzle flash does not have much utilitarian value, the decrease in weapon spread does.
Body Upgrades For The AKM-74S
There are fewer options when it comes to upgrading the body of the AKM-74S.
300
Flatten bullet arc by 15%.
Milled Parts Replaced With Stamped Parts
This upgrade is entirely for convenience’s sake, but it’s by no means useless. You’re going tofind yourself weighed down by the contents of your backpack and your weapons fairly often, so trimming any amount of weight from your gear that you can isgoing to make every journey smoother. It’s an exceptionally cheap upgrade, and there’s no reason not to grab it.
Adjusted Bolt Locking Lugs
This can be a bit of a confusing upgrade for some people, as it appears to simply upgrade the range of the weapon, similar to the Return Mechanism Sleeve Tightener. However,flatness and range are two separate things.
Improving the range of a weapon increases the range at which the bullet is going to deal its maximum damage, and increasing theflatness is going to straighten out the trajectory of the bullet. Better flatness means you won’t have to compensate for bullet drop as much, making ranged shots easier to hit.
This is an upgrade that’s going to make more of a difference than you would expect for a weapon that you’re going to use in anything other than close-to-medium range. It’s going toensure you hit those headshotsyou lined up carefully more often, and end with youusing less ammunition.
Stock Upgrades For The AKM-74S
Upgrade-wise, the stock upgrades for the AKM-74S are a middle ground between the barrel and body upgrades, with three.
250
Decreases recoil by 10%.
Rebalanced Stock
The Rebalanced Stock is going tomake your weapon snappier to use. It’s not that aiming down sights takes a particularly long time, but fights in Stalker 2 can be decided by milliseconds. Getting your shots as accurate as they can be as quick as you may is going to make a difference.
Enlarged Back Pad
The Enlarged Back Pad goes hand-in-hand with the Rebalanced Stock. While it’s helpful to aim-down-sights quicker, it’s not going to make a difference if the weapon is swaying enough that it’s difficult to hit precisely what you want to. The Enlarged Back Pad is going tohelp keep that sway down, ensuring that if you miss, the fault is with you and not the weapon.
Rubber Stock Rear
The Rubber Stock Rear pairs perfectly with the other rubber upgrade for the AKM-74S, theRubber Coating. Both of these upgrades decrease recoil by the same amount, andwhen combined, lessen recoil overall by 20 percent.
This is really going to make a difference in those fights outside of close range, where it can be tough to keep the weapon down and the enemy sighted, especially when you’re using iron sights.Both rubber upgrades are some of the best available upgrades for the AKM-74S.
Fully-Upgraded AKM-74S
A fully-upgraded AKM-74S can have very slight variation in performance, based on the choice you made on the barrel upgrades.
Here are the stat improvements for our best AKM-74S:
The Best Upgrades For The AKM-74S
Themost valuable upgrades for the AKM-74Sare the ones that make it considerably easier to keep on target,improving the bullet spread, recoil, and reducing swaywhen aiming down sights.
These upgrades are going to bein the barrel and the stock portions; you should consider prioritizing buying those before you invest in the body of the weapon.
Price Of A Fully-Upgraded AKM-74S
The price of a fully-upgraded AKM-74S is going to be steep, though not outside reason. There is some variance in the price based on what barrel upgrade you choose, but overall,it’s going to cost either 5,600 or 5,700 coupons.
While that seems expensive, and it is, it’s money that you can make withjust a few hours of earning couponsin the Lesser Zone. If you’re picking up weapons that aren’t fully in disrepair to sell, it won’t take too long toget the coupons needed.
