Don’t listen to the haters: the Zone inSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylis a fun place!
You can solve business disputes (by shooting them), help clear areas of mutants (by shooting them), save the Zone from scheming factions (by shooting them), and many more cool situations.
The only way to make it in the Zone is with a bolt in one hand and a good gun in the other.
This list compiles the best weapons, ranked, so you know what to bring to each kind of ‘problem’ you will be solving.
Whatever your pick, make sure to pick up spare ammo from dead bodies along the way if you can: you never know when your trusty rifle is going to jam on you.
10Grom S-14
OTs-14 (Russia)
The Grom S-14 is a special forces assault rifle that excels at close combat. It is a compact weapon firing 9x39mm rounds and has a standard 20-round magazine.
This is an excellent all-in-one weapon for raiding compounds, especially if you pick up the extended magazine modifications.
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Although the subsonic round is not practical at longer ranges, the Grom compensates for that with a 40mm under-barrel grenade launcher.
If you happen upon one of these early on, it might be a decent idea to put it in your stash until you can conjure some coupons, as neither 9x39mm nor the VOG-25 grenades are cheap or common in the early areas.
9Integral-A
KRISS Vector (United States)
Some people loathe this submachine gun for poisoning an entire generation of futuristic gun designs, but is it to blame for looking so cool?
The Integral-A fires 9x19mm rounds that practically grow on trees in the Zone, and it has the most patently insane rate of fire of any weapon inSTALKER 2.
If you find one of these bad boys,you can mow down any target by holding down the triggerand watching the gun do the job for you.
The only drawback of the Integral-A is that its standard magazine capacity is extremely undersized for the gun’s rate of fire, but you may mod that away relatively fast.
PKM (Soviet Union)
When you need the volume of fire of an SMG but the ballistics of a rifle, it is time to bring out the RPM-74.
This belt-fed machine gun is the only weapon in the game that uses 7.62x39mm ammunition and chews through it like candy.
In its stock configuration, the RPM-74 is difficult to handle, but surrendering a couple of coupons at a technician turns this into the prime assault weapon inSTALKER 2.
What makes the RPM so formidable is its 150-round magazine, which allows you to pour fire down the enemy’s throat non-stopbefore having to reload. Things get even more fun if you find or buy the 250-round box mag.
The canted foregrip, muzzle brake, and optics rail are cheap compared to the benefits. If you have some spare cash, put it toward lightening the weapon as weight is the main drawback of the RPM.
7Saiga D-12
Saiga-12 (Russia)
When the Kalashnikov company adapted its assault rifle action into a shotgun, it had security and hunting in mind. If you think about it,blowing mutants to shredsis as close as it gets to that.
The practical limit to the Saiga D-12 rate of fire is how fast you’re able to smash the trigger.Its 8-round magazine runs dry fast, but most of the time something that ate that much buckshot for breakfast isn’t getting up.
The Saiga D-12 combines the best features of other shotguns in the Zone: the SPSA-14’s semi-automatic fire and themodified M860’s magazine feed.
Don’t write this off as a mutant-only weapon though. Despite the caliber’s limitations against stalkers, the Saiga D-12 lets you overwhelm enemies through sheer volume of fire at close quarters.
6Mark I EMR
M39 EMR (United States)
Looks familiar? It might have started as an M14, but this is certainly not your grandpa’s Vietnam-era rifle.
The EMR is a conversion of the M14 into a modern marksman rifle, with an all-new chassis.
The variant inthe Zoneuses a 10-round box magazine instead of the 20-round one, but while it is nominally a marksman rifle, the battle rifle legacy shows.
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The .308 cartridge used by the EMR is one of the most powerful inSTALKER 2, andeven the standard ammo can put enemies wearing exoskeletons to sleep with headshots. Mutants don’t fare any better against this mighty round.
Ironically, it is the great bullet type that drags the EMR down: the .308 round is rare in the wild, and it is one of themost expensivetypes to buy from traders.
Killing a group of bandits with the EMR sometimes makes you wonder if it would have been cheaper to give them some of the loot.
5AS Lavina
AS VAL (Soviet Union)
After the end of the Cold War, two guns have embodied Eastern European special forces aesthetics: the AS Lavina, and the VS Vintar.
These are lightweight special rifles with integral suppressors, firing the subsonic 9x39mm round.
The Vintar falls short as a sniper weapon in the Zone due to its high bullet drop and small 10-round magazine, but the Lavina is one of the finestclose-combatweapons this side of the Cordon.
The Lavina has a 20-round magazine, with a 30-round option. Its rate of fire is impressive in automatic mode, though its round packs enough of a punch to make semi-automatic fire viable.
Compared to other assault rifles,the Lavina has some of the softest recoil in the game, making it perfect if you feel like clicking heads in quick succession.
4SVU-MK S-3
OTs-03 (Russia)
How about the power of a marksman rifle with the size and weight of a compact gun?
The SVU-MK S-3 is a bullpup conversion of the Dragunov marksman rifle. Originally meant for Russian internal forces, it has been exported to neighboring countries in limited numbers.
By default, this gun comes with a 10-round 7.62x54mmR magazine and a PSO-1 scope. Much like the EMR,the SVU does a good job up close, but in a much lighter package, and with ammunition that does not require re-mortgaging your bed in Rostok to get.
The main drawback of the SVU is that you cannot remove its scope, so using it in close quarters is restricted to hip-firing. Some technicians can install a tactical laser module that mitigates that.
Mayluk (Ukraine)
The Dnipro is a locally-designed bullpup assault rifle that evolved from the AK-74, and it represents the ultimate 5.45x39mm weapon in STALKER 2.
This masterpiece is compatible with most optics in the game, has a silencer option, and has fantastic penetration.
A cheap and common 5.45x39mm PS round fired from the Dnipro gives you much better bang for your buck than if you use an AKM-74S, especially when enemies start bringing exoskeletons to the party.
If you slap an ACOG on the top rail,you’re able to use the Dnipro as an all-in-one solution for CQB and touching targets at range, especially if you can afford armor-piercing rounds.
Unfortunately, the Dnipro cannot carry the GP-25 grenade launcher, though the coupled magazine option is available.
IWI Carmel (Israel)
The Kharod is the pinnacle of Western assault rifles in the Zone. The version inSTALKER 2comes with a short barrel by default, making it excellent in compact settings.
Besides its strong ballistics and light frame,the Kharod stands out by being the most modular gunin the game.
You have access to silencers, all rifle optics, a suppressor, an under-barrel grenade launcher, and my favorite, the Holemaker-L under-barrel shotgun.
Unlike the other Israeli rifle inSTALKER 2, the locally-produced Fora-221, the Kharod fires 5.56x45mm ammunition. While not as ubiquitous as 5.45x39mm, it is available at most traders for a normal price.
1Gauss Gun
Zone Exclusive
Whether you are a newcomer or a veteran stalker, the sound of a Gauss Gun charging sends a chill down everyone’s spine. This gun uses electromagnets to send slugs at mind-numbing speeds.
The Gauss Gun is heavy, its rate of fire is slow, and ammunition is nearly impossible to get, but none of that matters whena single shot melts through any armor in the game.
The Gauss Gun is restricted to the creepy corners of Pripyat, where the stakes are much higher than your average bandit job by the slag heap.
If you are assaulting a fortified area, or find yourself pinned down but with enemies funneled through a single path, there is no better weapon to send a message.
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Standard PTMS and AK’s are fine, but let’s face it, you want something special to blow bandit’s faces off.
