S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 explains little, so many new players get stuck on simple things like repair and fast travel. This guide covers the basics, based on Shacknews, PC Gamer and the Epic Games Store survival guide, checked on October 13, 2026. Systems can change with updates.
Key takeaways
- Technicians in settlements repair and upgrade weapons and gear.
- Guides give paid fast travel to places you have already discovered.
- Seek shelter during an Emission, and manage radiation.
- Pack healing items, food and drinks, and avoid overload.
These screenshots may contain violence.
Images are provided by Steam and belong to their publishers.
How to repair weapons and armor
- Find a Technician in a settlement. They are marked with small wrench icons.
- Interact with them and press Q to open the Upgrade menu.
- Select the item on the left, check the repair cost in the bottom right and press R to pay.
Weapons in the red on the durability meter cannot be sold. Shacknews suggests swapping out a weapon when it reaches yellow so you can still sell it, and saving money to repair your best gear.
How fast travel works
Find a guide in a settlement or base. On the map, look for the crosshair icon. Talk to a guide in a major settlement to see where you can go. You must have discovered a location before you can travel there, and the trip costs coupons, more for far places. The first guide is Uncle Lyonya in Zalissya, but you need to reach another major settlement before you can travel with him. Some factions, such as the Stalkers, give free fast travel if they like you enough. Some guides can disappear after story events.
Survival basics
| Danger | What to do |
|---|---|
| Radiation | It builds in hotspots, water and rain. Use anti-radiation drugs to reset it. |
| Emission | Run to the marked shelter, because the Emission drains health until it ends. |
| Mutants | Each needs a different tactic: walls for Bloodsuckers, high ground for Chimeras. |
| Overload | Store extra gear and sell damaged items. |
More useful tips
- Search for stashes. The best rewards come from the Journalist Stashes in the side quest Seek and You Shall Find.
- Use settlement NPCs: vendors, medics, technicians and bartenders with repeatable quests.
- Equip attachments such as silencers, scopes and extended magazines.
- If a quest makes a faction hostile, speaking with their leader can restore neutral standing.
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