How to manage artifact radiation in Stalker 2

Radiations of all kinds can be dangerous in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, but getting radiation poisoning from your artifacts becomes a major issue.

Artifacts are highly useful, and using them becomes mandatory as you start exploring the later parts of the campaign. Each of them offers certain benefits, but they have a negative aspect as well — in the form of radiation. If left unchecked, the resulting radiation can spike up pretty quickly and cause loss of life. So here’s how you can manage the situation without having to sacrifice the use of artifacts.

How to negate artifact radiation in Stalker 2

You can find plenty of artifacts pretty early on in Stalker 2. For starters, you’ll want to leave them in your inventory. The basic reason is simple — you don’t have the tools to manage the radiation caused by these items. Secondly, the advantages of using them aren’t required immediately when you begin your adventures in The Zone.

Incidentally, one of the best solutions for artifact radiation is the source itself. Certain artifacts, like Slug, for example, offer “Radio Protection,” which reduces the negative effects of all kinds of radiation. However, that will only work if the strength of the effects of the two artifacts is identical—”weak” will counter “weak,” and so on.

Make sure to always use a detector when you’re not roaming around with a gun. The detector will help you locate artifacts, as they can be quite easy to miss. While artifacts with “Radio Protection” can be useful, I prefer gear. There are certain suits and helmets that also have Radiation Protection. You can even check the strength of their in-game effect by hovering over the gear when it’s in your inventory.

You can also improve the neutralization effects of your gear by equipping artifacts with “Radio Protection.” This will make your radiation protection a lot more effective. This will also negate a lot of radiation from the environment if you find yourself in such a zone. That said, it will take some time for you to find these specific gear pieces in Stalker 2. Till then, the best option is to be proactive and be wary of places that have high radiation.