As you venture forth in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, you'll stumble upon strange curiosities known as anomalies. While they might be mystifying at a glance, they can and will kill your character if you're not careful. However, getting close enough can also be a rewarding endeavor, especially if your handheld device can pinpoint the location of goodies. Here's our guide on the best artifact detectors in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
What are the best artifact detectors in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl?
The Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl artifact detectors come in different variants. Right-clicking on a device in your inventory allows you to equip it. Then, pressing the "7" key or corresponding gamepad button causes your character to bring out the device. If an artifact is hidden in an anomaly field, then the detector will scan and light up or ping the location.
As of the time of this writing, we've discovered four of these devices:
Echo Detector: Available by default early in the game.
Hilka Detector: Purchased from a shop in Yaniv for 3,600 coupons.
Bear Detector: Purchased from a shop in Yaniv for 5,400 coupons.
Veles Detector: Purchased from a shop in Yaniv for 9,000 coupons.
Yaniv itself is in the northwestern portion of the world map, well past Slag Heap and Rostok. The vendors there sell the aforementioned items, though it's possible to find these in other locations as loot.
Echo Detector
The Echo Detector is available early in the campaign and it should be good enough for several hours in your playthrough. Sadly, we hardly consider it as the best artifact detector in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
All it does is that it lights up when an artifact is nearby. It will rapidly blink as you get close to the artifact's location. The artifact will pop out of thin air if you're facing the correct spot.
Note that the constant blinking from this device, as well as the beeping sound effect from your threat detector, can be extremely annoying.
Hilka Detector
The Hilka Detector can be thought of as an upgrade when compared to the Echo Detector. Unfortunately, its most notable perk is that it can pinpoint anomalies from farther away. Its design isn't intuitive at all.
Bear Detector
The Bear Detector is one of the best artifact detectors in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl because of how it works. Basically, if you see a green pip, walk toward that direction and check if the meter is slowly being filled. You should be at the correct spot once the meter is completely full, which is also when the artifact pops up.
Veles Detector
Perhaps the most player-friendly option is none other than the Veles Detector. This is because of its highly intuitive interface. While the icons for the anomalies can be a little "extra," it's the red dot, symbolizing an artifact, that seals the deal. Simply look at the interface, walk over to the red dot, and the artifact is guaranteed to appear in front of you.
That does it for our guide on the best artifact detectors in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Now that you have the proper devices you need, it's time to farm for the artifacts themselves.
