Deceive the Deceiver is a side mission in STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, which takes place in the Garbage region full of danger and opportunities. While the quest is linked to another mission called A Big Score, you don’t have to complete that first. This is our detailed walkthrough of the Deceive the Deceiver mission including location, rewards, and the final choice about whether to kill Zakhar Babay or not.
How to Complete Deceive the Deceiver in STALKER 2
If you first start the A Big Score mission, it will lead you to the area where Deceive the Deceiver triggers. Otherwise, you can directly go and find Akopyan to start the mission.
Head northwest of the Factory just north of the Detention Center. After reaching the park, you’ll come across some hostile Zakhar’s soldiers. They will immediately start shooting at you, so kill all of them. Once the enemies are dealt with, you’ll hear the strange loud voice of someone calling for help. Follow the voice to a garage in the compound, behind a bus. There, you’ll find Akopyan held as a captive behind a barricade in a small corner area.
Talk to Akopyan
During your talk with him, Akopyan will explain how he got tricked and ambushed by a guy named Zakhar Babay. Babay scammed Akopyan, knocked him out, and stole his stuff. Now Akopyan wants revenge, and he asks for your help to get it done by confronting the scammer. You should first bandage him to treat his injuries.
Akopyan will ask you to:
- Confront Babay at the Slag Heap (a base in the Garbage region).
- Use a gun from Babay’s buddy to scare him into cooperating and lure him out.
Akopyan promises to give you a lot of Coupons for the task. Before you leave the area, make sure to loot the bodies of the enemies you just killed. You’ll need to find Sashko Cheery’s gun, the Spitter (Buket S-2), and a PDA. This weapon will play a key role in intimidating Zakhar later.
- Related: STALKER 2 Trader Locations Guide
Confront Babay at Slag Heap
When you arrive at the Slag Heap, head to Babay’s room on the right, where he is casually standing glued to his PDA. He is completely unaware of what’s about to happen. Walk up to him and initiate a conversation.
During your chat, you’ll have the option to show Babay the Spitter weapon (the one you looted from Sashko Cheery earlier). Flashing the Spitter convinces Babay that Akopyan survived the ambush, killed his men, and is coming for him next.
Zakhar immediately panics, realizing that he’s in trouble. He asks Skif to escort him to his stash so he can obtain his things and escape. In exchange, he promises you a reward. At this point, you can either:
- Agree to Escort Him: This allows you to get a reward before deciding his fate. It’s the right way to get double rewards in this mission.
- Kill Him Right Away: If you’re not interested in the extra Coupons or gear, you can just end Babay here and now.
If you want to make the most of this mission, agree to escort Babay. Let him lead the way while you follow behind.
Escort Babay to His Stash
If you decide to leave him alive and it is the recommended way, you will reach an area with some shipping containers following him; the stash is placed inside the container. Babay will rummage through his stash and grab some supplies. After the stash, he’ll move to another location to meet up with two of his soldiers. Once there, he’ll reward you with 3,374 Coupons.
After receiving the reward, you can kill Zakhar Babay and his men on the spot. Killing them will net you extra loot, including an AKM-74S rifle with 100% durability, which is worth considering.
Return to Akopyan
After dealing with Babay and completing Akopyan’s revenge on him, head back to him who’s waiting at the Slag Heap. Let him know the Babay is killed, and he’ll reward you with another 3,374 Coupons. You’ve now successfully played both sides of this mission for maximum profit.
Here’s everything you have a chance to earn by playing it right during this mission:
- From Zakhar:
- 3,374 Coupons
- AKM-74S rifle (if you kill him)
- Other loot from Babay and his allies
- From Akopyan:
- 3,374 Coupons
That marks the completion of the Deceive the Deceiver side mission in STALKER 2. If you encounter a bug like Akopyan disappearing after killing Babay, reload a previous save and try again.
