Anomalies are a staple of the Zone in STALKER 2, with a variety of these treacherous hazards scattered across the map. While there are four major elemental categorizations of Anomaly, there are several sub-variants with distinct behaviors. These environmental hazards must be navigated carefully, in order for Stalkers to get their hands on the true prize within: Artifacts. The powers of these Artifacts usually correspond to the element of the Anomaly from which they are taken, thus allowing you to further bolster your defenses in future encounters as you seek to farm Artifacts to sell for valuable coupons.
This STALKER 2 guide is a list of all Anomalies, Arch Anomalies, Anomalous Areas, their behaviors, and how best to contend with them.
Detect And Deal With Anomalies
Anomalies are detectable through use of one of the four available Detectors found in the world. The default starting Echo Detector is more than sufficient to discover any Anomaly, though other detectors can offer improved range or present information differently. As you approach the Anomaly, the detector will begin beeping rapidly, and you should have direct visual or audible confirmation well before the detector itself achieves its highest pitch.
Stalkers also have a limitless supply of Bolts on hand, which you can use to toss at an Anomaly to set it off. Use this brief lull in activity to observe their behavior, and then safely navigate through them.
Even so, several Anomalies have downtimes that are minimal, or they may be tightly clustered together. This is where specific Artifacts come in, as they can counteract a given Anomaly’s elemental damage output. These Artifacts require a free slot in your Armor, with some variants having as many as five slots for use. The Artifacts themselves carry a risk of irradiating you, but this can be mitigated with the use of other counteracting Artifacts, as well as a special pouch.
Some Armors themselves are more of a hazmat type, offering little to no defense in combat, but are perfectly suited for navigating through environmental hazards. Consider keeping a set of these in your inventory exclusively to absorb Anomaly damage, instead of damaging your actual combat gear. This helps to offset high repair costs for your ballistic defensive gear.
Thermal Anomalies
All thermal Anomalies can be countered by having gear and Artifacts with sufficiently high Thermal Protection.
Burner
This single gout of flame erupts suddenly from fiery patches on the ground if you approach too closely, draining your health over time. These can be plainly seen and avoided in both the day and the night.
Comets
A variant of the Burner, the Comets appears as a fireball after the initial flame spout erupts and begins tracking you. If triggered somehow, avoid by simply outrunning it.
Electrical Anomalies
All electrical Anomalies can be countered by having gear and Artifacts with sufficiently high Electrical Protection.
Electro
These static field anomalies are an electric counterpart to Burners, and can be temporarily discharged by tossing a Bolt at them. Highly visible in both the day and the night, so do your best to simply sidestep them when encountered singly. If you have no choice but to cross it, time its discharge/charge cycle before sprinting through.
Tesla/Electro Orb
While the first one you ever encounter has a fixed route and does not track you, subsequent Electro Orbs are sentient and will follow you based on a line of sight, just like the thermal Comets. They can be outrun fairly easily, though ideally you will employ stealth to avoid them entirely when encountered in tight confines.
Flashbang
These anomalies seem to intentionally catch your off-guard. Seemingly spawning out of thin air, there appears to be no way to avoid them, but they can be evaded. This requires quick reflexes: as soon as you notice its appearance, you have mere milliseconds to sprint away before the actual explosion occurs. The farther away from the blast zone, the lesser damage you will take. Armor and Artifact mitigation is the only guaranteed way to avoid losing health.
Chemical Anomalies
All chemical and radioactive Anomalies can be countered by having gear and Artifacts with sufficiently high Chemical and Radiation Protection.
Fruit Punch
Highly visible neon pools of toxic green goo, the oddly named Fruit Punch is anything but potable. While stationary and easily avoided, even being in close proximity for too long can start dealing toxic tick damage, making navigating through clusters only viable with chemical and radioactive resistant Armor and Artifacts in-hand.
Gas Cloud
The Gas Cloud appears as a stationary fog of green and deals chemical damage when triggered. Tossing multiple Bolts at it can force it to discharge its toxicity.
Giant Gas Bubble
Appearing as a big transparent bubble in mid-air that distorts the background with its rolling and shifting, the Giant Gas Bubble is a mainstay of the Swamps region. When approached, the bubble will begin tracking you. Ideally countered by initiating first contact using Bolts, forcing it to explode into lesser bubbles, but try to do this beyond the path you would like to take. That is because the smaller bubbles are also highly toxic until they eventually dissipate.
Gravitational Anomalies
Springboard
These gravitational Anomalies would be essentially invisible to the eye in the daytime if not for the swirling leaves suspended in the air, and are completely unnoticeable in the darkness of the night. Essentially a force wall that shoves you backward if you stray into it, the Springboard will sharply drop your health if you lack proper Physical Protection. Easily but only briefly disrupted by Bolts, Springboards are ideally evaded entirely.
Whirligig
A step up from the Springboard Anomaly, the Whirligig is also practically transparent but behaves like a tiny twister and is audible by a rush of air when it is tripped. The Whirligig will trap you briefly and does significant damage if you do not escape it quickly enough, by sprinting in the opposite direction. Trigger with a Bolt to get through if necessary.
Vortex
The deadliest of the gravitational Anomalies, the Vortex is a jumped-up Whirligig, just as invisible but far more lethal. Like it, the Vortex is best avoided entirely, as not even the brief respite from tossing a Bolt at it can guarantee safe passage.
Glass Shards
A variation of the Springboard in terms of appearance, the Glass Shards anomaly has pieces of sharp glass suspended in midair rather than just leaves. While it cannot be seen easily in the darkness, it is very audible with its low ringing sound. This anomaly only does bleeding damage to you if you sprint through it at a full clip. Crouch-walking, or even walking slowly through the anomaly prevents any tick damage from being taken at all. Bolts appear to have no effect on this anomaly. On the other hand, they are an effective bullet shield, being transparent while completely chewing up projectiles.
Arch Anomalies
Arch Anomalies are 6 named and unique Anomalies or Anomalous Areas that you will encounter throughout the zone. The Artifacts that can be gained from them all have the ‘Weird’ prefix, and are also one-of-a-kind with distinct buffs and debuffs.
Bulba
Bulba appears as a combination of the Vortex and Giant Gas Bubble, but stationary, and exerts a powerful gravitational influence. The force of the pull itself causes Physical damage, with direct contact being an instakill. Escape by crouch-walking behind cover and then sprinting away in the opposite direction.
Found in a small lake to the east of Zalissya, in the Lesser Zone.
Poppy Field
A seemingly benign field of beautiful poppies, this Anomalous Area is actually quite lethal. Lingering too long in the field will make you drowsy before putting you to sleep permanently. The only way to counteract this is through the use of energy drinks. There is an abandoned fuel truck with a bag of them conveniently located just outside the area.
Found on the north-western edge of the Lesser Zone along the river. Visible on the map.
Mist
Enter the mist that envelops this Anomalous Area to begin this puzzle. It will be impossible to exit this area until it has been fully cleared.
Found surrounding an abandoned house in the south-western corner of the Burnt Forest region.
Tornado
A gigantic whirling Tornado visible from afar, this Arch Anomaly moves around the area. Making direct contact with it will hurl you a distance. Stick to the edges as you attempt to climb the structures in the area to get to the center of the Anomaly.
Found just past Yaniv Station in the north-western corner of the Yaniv region.
Fire Whirl
This highly visible Arch Anomaly is a bright orange twister of fire trapped inside of a cooling tower bathed in red. The fire tornado pulses and causes burning tick damage when in proximity. Ascend the scaffolding to get to the Artifact. It will be necessary to stop and start, as the pulse heats parts of the scaffolding making it untraversable until it cools down again.
Found in the north-eastern cooling tower of the Cooling Towers region. Visible on the map.
Wandering Lights
This Anomalous Area only activates at night, and appears as a field of neon green wispy orbs. Entering the actual area turns everything pitch black except for the orbs themselves, and causes non-lethal hallucinations.
Found in a clearing in the north-east of the Zaton region, but only triggers at night.
Those are all the regular Anomalies as well as the unique Arch Anomalies and where they can be found in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
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