Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl takes you back to the Exclusion Zone, where your character, Skif, has to tackle challenges, such as handling fractured groups, deadly anomalies, and even more sinister plots. Still, all journeys must come to an end, and you might be wondering how much time you’re expected to invest in the game. Here’s our guide on how long it takes to beat Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. We also discuss the game’s main mission list and why the campaign can take a while to beat.
How long is Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl – Campaign length and mission list guide
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has a massive, open-world landscape, several times larger than what was seen in the original trilogy. As such, it takes roughly 40 hours to beat Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl if you only want to focus on the main story.
We explain this in detail in the next section, but we definitely feel that the campaign is significantly longer compared to what we’ve noticed from most first-person shooters (FPS) and horror games. The average playtime is actually more than double that of any game in the original trilogy, too.
Now, if you want to tackle some side content, then you can expect to spend around 60 to 70 hours. Lastly, a true completionist might need 100 hours or more. That’s because Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has four endings, and these are based on the decisions you make throughout the campaign. As such, one playthrough won’t be enough if you want to see them all for yourself.
Why does Stalker 2’s campaign take so long?
There are two reasons why Stalker 2’s game length and campaign is on the chunky side of things:
A lot of walking to go to your objectives.Limited fast travel options.
Fast travel in the game follows the same concept seen in Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat. There are NPCs known as guides, and you can pay them to take you to settlements where you’ve met other guide NPCs. It’s also a fairly immersive means of exploring the Exclusion Zone, since you can’t just fast travel anywhere at any given time.
However, this restriction doesn’t take into consideration that the game world is several times larger than the maps in the original trilogy–combined, no less. Moreover, not all regions in Stalker 2 have guide NPCs or settlements, and there are even moments where you lose access to these NPCs as a means of traveling away from an area.
Basically, you’re going to experience long stretches of the campaign where you’re walking for kilometers from one objective to the next, sometimes without stashes, vendors, or repair technicians nearby. It can be a frustrating endeavor, so make sure you know what you’re getting into even if you’re just focusing on the main story.
Note: Another factor that we can share is that we’ve experienced numerous bugs during our playthrough. Some of these blocked quest progression, causing us to restart or reload a few times. We can’t say for certain if other players will experience the same issues that we did, as the game has already received four patches as of this writing, and it’s quickly improved its stability.
Stalker 2 mission list
Here’s a list of the main missions in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl:
There and Back AgainA Tough AwakeningA Needle in a HaystackA Race Against Death and other Emission-related occurrencesAnswers Come at a PriceThe Price Goes UpDeal with the DevilBack to Slag HeapKing of the HillHot on the TrailChasing GhostsDead FrequencyIn Search of a GuideAd Astra Per AsperaExtreme SimplicityA Long Overdue VisitIn Search of a MiracleThe Forge of ProgressWishful ThinkingTo the Last Drop of BloodJust Like the Good Old DaysAn Invisible ThreatThe Hornets’ NestDawn of a New DayThe Assault on the Duga Part 1The Assault on the Duga Part 2A Minor IncidentIn Search of Past GloryHappiness for EveryoneVisions of TruthDark TimesAn Act of MercyLegends of the ZoneSubtle MatterBusting MythsDangerous LiaisonsEscape from the CageThe BoundaryThe Road to the FoundationDown BelowThe Last WishNo One Leaves Unsatisfied
Side content: Stashes
One of the factors that should increase your playtime in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is exploration. Specifically, it’s the containers and chests that can be found all over the Exclusion Zone. These provide nifty rewards, such as consumables, ammo, restoratives, weapons, and armors.
There’s even a side quest where you look for over a dozen Journalist Stashes, which contain gear pieces with preset upgrades and modifications. You can learn more about these rewards in these guides:
All 12 Journalist Stash locationsSecret Journalist Stash in Prypiat
Side content: Quests and artifacts
Aside from looting chests, you might also enjoy roaming around just to complete certain side quests. Some might even prove to be tricky, such as the Poppy Field mission, where your character can fall asleep and die.
Moreover, you’re going to encounter strange anomalies that yield rewards. You definitely want to use the best detectors/scanners so you can farm for artifacts.
In any case, that does it for our guide on how long it takes to beat Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Whether you’re focusing on the main missions only or setting out to complete various objectives, we hope you enjoy your romp in the Exclusion Zone.
The endless wasteland known as the Exclusion Zone hides numerous dangers and hostile forces. If you want to survive, we suggest checking out our Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl guides hub.
Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl takes you back to the Exclusion Zone, where your character, Skif, has to tackle challenges, such as handling fractured groups, deadly anomalies, and even more sinister plots. Still, all journeys must come to an end, and you might be wondering how much time you’re expected to invest in the game. Here’s our guide on how long it takes to beat Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. We also discuss the game’s main mission list and why the campaign can take a while to beat.How long is Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl – Campaign length and mission list guideStalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has a massive, open-world landscape, several times larger than what was seen in the original trilogy. As such, it takes roughly 40 hours to beat Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl if you only want to focus on the main story.We explain this in detail in the next section, but we definitely feel that the campaign is significantly longer compared to what we’ve noticed from most first-person shooters (FPS) and horror games. The average playtime is actually more than double that of any game in the original trilogy, too.Now, if you want to tackle some side content, then you can expect to spend around 60 to 70 hours. Lastly, a true completionist might need 100 hours or more. That’s because Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl has four endings, and these are based on the decisions you make throughout the campaign. As such, one playthrough won’t be enough if you want to see them all for yourself. Why does Stalker 2’s campaign take so long?There are two reasons why Stalker 2’s game length and campaign is on the chunky side of things:A lot of walking to go to your objectives.Limited fast travel options.Fast travel in the game follows the same concept seen in Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat. There are NPCs known as guides, and you can pay them to take you to settlements where you’ve met other guide NPCs. It’s also a fairly immersive means of exploring the Exclusion Zone, since you can’t just fast travel anywhere at any given time.However, this restriction doesn’t take into consideration that the game world is several times larger than the maps in the original trilogy–combined, no less. Moreover, not all regions in Stalker 2 have guide NPCs or settlements, and there are even moments where you lose access to these NPCs as a means of traveling away from an area.Basically, you’re going to experience long stretches of the campaign where you’re walking for kilometers from one objective to the next, sometimes without stashes, vendors, or repair technicians nearby. It can be a frustrating endeavor, so make sure you know what you’re getting into even if you’re just focusing on the main story.Note: Another factor that we can share is that we’ve experienced numerous bugs during our playthrough. Some of these blocked quest progression, causing us to restart or reload a few times. We can’t say for certain if other players will experience the same issues that we did, as the game has already received four patches as of this writing, and it’s quickly improved its stability. Stalker 2 mission listHere’s a list of the main missions in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl:There and Back AgainA Tough AwakeningA Needle in a HaystackA Race Against Death and other Emission-related occurrencesAnswers Come at a PriceThe Price Goes UpDeal with the DevilBack to Slag HeapKing of the HillHot on the TrailChasing GhostsDead FrequencyIn Search of a GuideAd Astra Per AsperaExtreme SimplicityA Long Overdue VisitIn Search of a MiracleThe Forge of ProgressWishful ThinkingTo the Last Drop of BloodJust Like the Good Old DaysAn Invisible ThreatThe Hornets’ NestDawn of a New DayThe Assault on the Duga Part 1The Assault on the Duga Part 2A Minor IncidentIn Search of Past GloryHappiness for EveryoneVisions of TruthDark TimesAn Act of MercyLegends of the ZoneSubtle MatterBusting MythsDangerous LiaisonsEscape from the CageThe BoundaryThe Road to the FoundationDown BelowThe Last WishNo One Leaves Unsatisfied Side content: StashesOne of the factors that should increase your playtime in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is exploration. Specifically, it’s the containers and chests that can be found all over the Exclusion Zone. These provide nifty rewards, such as consumables, ammo, restoratives, weapons, and armors.There’s even a side quest where you look for over a dozen Journalist Stashes, which contain gear pieces with preset upgrades and modifications. You can learn more about these rewards in these guides:All 12 Journalist Stash locationsSecret Journalist Stash in Prypiat Side content: Quests and artifactsAside from looting chests, you might also enjoy roaming around just to complete certain side quests. Some might even prove to be tricky, such as the Poppy Field mission, where your character can fall asleep and die.Moreover, you’re going to encounter strange anomalies that yield rewards. You definitely want to use the best detectors/scanners so you can farm for artifacts.In any case, that does it for our guide on how long it takes to beat Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. Whether you’re focusing on the main missions only or setting out to complete various objectives, we hope you enjoy your romp in the Exclusion Zone.The endless wasteland known as the Exclusion Zone hides numerous dangers and hostile forces. If you want to survive, we suggest checking out our Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl guides hub. Read More GameSpot – All Content
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