After completing the prologue of the game Stalker 2 and entering the Zone, players will find themselves in Zalissya, the rookie town of this game. Here, they will meet various characters who will drive the story forward, as well as merchants, technicians, and their first interaction with a faction. In this universe, players will need coupons as currency. One character, Mityay, can be found arguing with another Stalker in the merchant’s shop. If players choose to accept his quest, they will be sent to the dangerous anomaly field known as the Poppy Field.
Mityay asks for help in retrieving a family religious icon from a root cellar beneath the Poppy Field. He warns players about the dangers of the area, as the Poppy Field anomaly causes Stalkers to fall asleep and never wake up. Players are advised to bring energy drinks, approximately eight, to survive the anomaly.
Upon reaching the Poppy Field to the northwest of Zalissya, players will encounter mutants and receive a radio message urging them to meet Pomor at a nearby house to the northeast. Pomor, a mysterious Stalker, requests the player’s help in finding the root cellar but requires assistance entering the field. Players can either pay him 2,000 coupons or help him recover weapons and ammunition from bodies marked within the field. Energy drinks will be needed for this task.
Players have the option to help Pomor or find the root cellar themselves. The root cellar is located to the far west of the Poppy Field, behind two buildings near the anomaly’s edge. By helping Pomor, players unlock an additional path to complete the side quest, along with unique rewards.
The options for players include returning the icon to Mityay for 1,000 coupons, trading the icon to Pomor for the Unknown Stalker’s AR416, a powerful early-game weapon that requires repairs, or trading the icon to Pomor, receiving the rifle as a reward, and then shooting him to retrieve the icon and return it to Mityay for his reward.
In the Zone, players must make moral decisions and choose their path carefully as they navigate through dangerous anomalies and interact with shady characters. The choices players make will impact the outcome of the game and the relationships they form with other characters in the world of Stalker 2.