Legends of the Zone is the main mission in STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl and it is one of the longest quests in the game that lets you cover a lot of Zone areas. The mission picks up right after the events of the “An Act of Mercy” mission, so if you’ve made it this far, congratulations! But don’t get too comfortable—the Zone is going to throw some hard challenges your way here. Follow this detailed walkthrough to complete Legends of the Zone and get the final rewards.
How to Complete Legends of the Zone in STALKER 2
To kick off the “Legends of the Zone” mission, you’ll need to head over to Rookie Village, located in the Cordon region. If you’re a long-time fan of the STALKER series, this place will bring back a sense of nostalgia—it’s one of the most iconic starting areas in the game.
Talk to Sidorovich
Once you arrive at Rookie Village, look for Sidorovich, a no-nonsense trader. You’ll find him in his underground bunker at the southern end of the village. Simply look for the open bunker doors and move down the stairs to reach his room.
When you speak with Sidorovich, choose the dialogue option “I’m looking for the X3.” In reply, he’ll mention Lab X3 (a mysterious place with a connection to whispers of a secret paradise filled with valuable artifacts) in a rather annoying way. Tell him that the Doctor has told you about it. He is also after the lab, but don’t expect him to instantly hand over all the juicy details.
Sidorovich has a task for you before he spills the beans about Lab X3: retrieve a stolen package. Some bandits made off with it, and you’re the right candidate to bring it back.
Retrieve the Stolen Package
Your first task is to get back the Decoder. Depending on your previous choices, this task can go one of two ways:
- If you kept Roosevelt alive during the earlier mission “Deal with the Devil,” you’ll have the option to talk with him and get the package without bloodshed. He’ll radio you as you go near the bandit hideout and ask you to meet him. Instead of a fight, you can negotiate. Head to his marked location, talk it out and agree to pass his apology to Sidorovich. He will even share coordinates with Skif for a hidden stash as thanks for extra free loot including Buket S-2, 9x18mm PST (50), and Battery artifact.
- If Roosevelt is already dead during the previous quest, the thugs will attack on sight, so clear them out. Loot the Decoder from the marked corpse and head back.
Return to Sidorovich with the Package
Once you’ve secured the Decoder, return to Sidorovich in Rookie Village. If you handled things diplomatically, remind him to let Roosevelt’s group off the hook. Either way, you’ll earn his trust and move on to the next phase.
From here, the Legends of the Zone mission begins with a new set of objectives to follow, which involve gathering intel on Lab X3 and connecting with a Stalker named Dark. In this conversation with Sidorovich, he will tell you some details about the lab and you also get to know that this retrieved Decoder is the key to unlocking the door. He will ask you to talk to the local Stalkers in the town for more intel as someone may have heard something about the lab.
Gather Intel from Locals on Lab X3
Time to hit the Rookie Village for clues about Lab X3. Even though there are three locals you can meet for the mission. But your required information is in the head of NPC named Wolf. Go into the building made with bricks to chat with him, he’ll mention Dark, who’s also looking into Lab X3. He’ll mark Dark’s location on your map.
Find Dark Place
Dark’s camp is east of Rookie Village, inside a tunnel guarded by mercenaries. Go inside the tunnel a bit where you find two guards standing there. Talk to the guard named Jim that you’re looking for Dark. They’ll let you through, but you have to kill mercenaries inside. Both outer guards also come to attack after hearing the firing.
Kill all the mercs and make your way to Dark’s room. He’ll confirm he ordered the Decoder’s theft and offer his help with Lab X3. He will be very angry with Sidorovich through his words and once you show him the Decoder, he will force you to make a deal with him to bring him along to the lab because you can’t find the entrance without him. Accept his offer to team up, and he’ll tell you the coordinates for his stash.
Get Dark’s Loot
Head to the tunnel marked on your map. This place is filled with electric anomalies, so have your bolts ready to clear a safe path. Inside, look for a broken concrete cylinder near a red container as Dark’s stash is placed inside the cylinder. From the loot bag, you will collect Quiet’s Beacon (important), a GP37 assault rifle, medkits, and ammo. The beacon is the tracker for the lab and picking it up immediately gives you the coordinates for the spot to enter the lab.
Enter Lab X3
The entrance to Lab X3 is a bunker door set against a cliff. After collecting the loot, follow the mark on the map to head to the rendezvous point and keep moving into the tunnel to meet with Dark. Once inside, you need to first restore power from the circuit board mentioned by Dark.
Break wooden planks with a knife or gun and go down into a sewage system. Follow this path, take the respective turns, and drop down at its end to reach the power switch room. Flip the control panel switch to power up the electricity.
Follow this tunnel after that until you come across the locked blast door. Dark will be unable to open the door and ask you to search for the back entry. Moving down the tunnel will take you to a large blast door. To unlock it, you need to use the Decoder at the terminal. This process will trigger the alarm, so you’ll have to fend off many Snorks while the doors open, so stay alert. Once they’re killed, use the Decoder again to finalize the process once Dark tells you to interact with the system again.
Help Dark and Explore the Facility
The lab is a maze of dark hallways, deadly anomalies, and mutant ambushes. Stick to your waypoint to avoid getting lost. Rooms are filled with soldiers’ corpses and supplies. Search for useful loot like medkits and ammo. In one lab area, two Bloodsuckers will ambush you. Use the environment to keep them at a distance and aim for quick, precise shots. After defeating them, check the safe on the rafters for extra loot.
Dark is held by the enemies and to rescue him, you’ll reach a broken bridge over a large room filled with shipping containers and electric Anomalies. The only to reach the other side is to jump across the containers and go through them to continue but don’t let your character drop as there are anomalies below.
Use a bolt to test for danger before each jump. After crossing, find the security console and activate it to unlock the next area.
Defeat the Pseudogiant
In the next section, you’ll face a Pseudogiant, one of the toughest mutants in the game. This mutant is a tank, but you can handle it with the right strategy. The recommended gear for this fight is Shotgun or Hollowpoint (HP) ammo which can give a lot of damage to this beast.
Use the open space to maintain distance and lure the Pseudogiant near explosive barrels; stay mobile to avoid its heavy attacks. The Pseudogiant is slow but hits hard. Keep moving to avoid its ground-pound attacks. You might find it hard, but battling it hard will eventually give you a victory over this toughest enemy.
Talk to Dark and Meet Strelok
After the fight, Dark will come walking there; press the key to talk to him. Exhaust dialogues and move forward to the next room on the left by opening the door where you encounter a cutscene with Strelok, the Zone’s legendary figure. Talk to him and mention the Doctor to learn about:
- The Shining Zone.
- The secrets of C-Consciousness.
- The next mission, “Subtle Matter.”
Get the Cartridge and Leave the Facility
After meeting with Strelok, go to the elevator and move upward to exit the tunnel and return to the ground. Leave the lift, follow the bunker, and take a right where you come across small stairs with colorful flowers. Climbing them will take you to the surface in the middle of a field with a lot of flowers and greenery.
You will see a house at some distance—go inside it to retrieve the Cartridge placed inside a device. Approach it and retrieve the item. Grab any loot in the area, including an Exoskeleton (X3 PDA) from a nearby table. After leaving the house, talk with Strelok; you can ask him if he needs your help for anything but he will ignore it. Exhaust the dialogues and leave the field area from a small tunnel-type opening to the other side. It will complete the Legends of the Zone mission in STALKER 2 and start the next Subtle Matter quest.
