InSTALKER 2, to even have a working gun to hand in the opening hours of the game is a blessing. Guns jam, are deeply inaccurate, and deteriorate in condition rapidly. But, as long as the thing fires bullets, at least some of the time, you have a fighting chance.
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However, if you’re savvy and willing to seek out some of the rarer guns within the game, you’ll find that those tense moments trying to scavenge broken rifles from bandits will become a thing of the past.
Unique weapons aren’t in frequent supply in the early hours of the game, but there are a few you may set your sights on, and we intend to highlight those for you right now.
For clarity, we will only be including guns that can be acquired in the game’s two opening areas, The Lesser Zone and the Garbage Area, where you’ll find the Slag Heap. Plus, we will not be including guns acquired via higher-tier editions of the game.
5Combatant
A Deal With The Devil
We begin with a unique weapon that isn’t exactly pulling up any trees, but it’s an early-game unique weapon, so we might as well give it some air time.
Combatant is a weapon that you will effectively have to sell your soul to get, as you’ll only be able to get this gun if you agree to co-operate with The Ward when they take control of the Slag Heap when you return from the Detention Center.
You’ll effectively be given a badge to wave around to prove to everyone that you’re a big narc, but the upside is that you get this snazzy camo-skin Kalashnikov. It’s nothing special, but it’s probably not worth going against your fellow Stalkers, but it’s an option nonetheless.
Rat-a-Tat-Tat
While sub-machine guns in the zone are a pretty bold choice due to the limited range and the fact that they eat bullets like Smarties, you may’t deny that there’s something cool about a gun that rips bullets at will.
Spitter does just that, providing an enhanced S-2 with a crazy rate of fire and decent accuracy to help you nail those headshots to preserve some ammo.
This gun is acquired by completing the questline for Bahay at the Slag Heap and then looting the gun from one of his cronies when you realize it’s a set-up.
Finder’s Keepers
If you want a cool gun, but you don’t want to work hard to get it, then Drowned is probably the one for you.
This gun becomes available to the player when they first enter the Slag Heap. You’ll find a guy near the entrance who has dropped his rifle into the river below, and naturally, that riverbed is lined with gaseous anomalies.
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However, if you’re willing to dive in there and endure the poisonous stink, you’ll be able to nab this rifle for yourself. Sure, youcouldgive it back, but why would you do that?
This is another Kalashnikov variant, but this one comes with a grenade launcher attachment already equipped. So if you feel like bringing your noob tuber tendencies to The Zone, this is the way to do it.
2Unknown Stalkers AR416
A Gift From Pomor
Of all the unique guns listed here, I would say that the Unknown Stalker’s AR416 is easily the most powerful and desirable. But, it’s also the one that you’ll have to work the hardest to get.
This gun is a reward for completing the side quest ‘The Poppy Field’. Which, for those unaware, is a quest that will see you enter an anomalous zone where you can fall asleep and never wake up if you aren’t careful.
Your task is to find a Root Cellar, which is like finding a needle in a deadly haystack, but if you do this and return the Religious Icon to Pomor, he’ll give you this gun as a reward.
The gun offers amazing accuracy and rate of fire, and decent range. But, it does have less stopping power than most options and the ammo isn’t as easy to come by in the wild, so mileage may vary with this one.
1Valik Lummox’s AKM-74S
A Long Range Specialist
Hands down, if you are looking for a decent weapon to set you up for the opening hours of the game, then look no further than Valik Lummox’s AKM-74S.
This weapon is essentially a jack-of-all-trades as far as a beginner Stalker is concerned. Offering great damage, range, rate of fire and insane accuracy for a Kalashnikov variant.
However, what’s best about this one is that it comes equipped with a scope as standard, making it every beginner’s de-facto long-range weapon until something better comes along. Which, just for clarity, won’t be for a long time. Trust me.
This gun is acquired by taking a quest at the bar in Zalissya and heading up to the Water Tower. Here, you’ll find some people hassling Valik for his stash, which he will ask you to retrieve from the Water Tower.
Then, naturally, he’ll ask you to test it out by mowing down the bandits. Who are we to turn down an offer like that?
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