How to Get Into Duga in STALKER 2

This guide will show you how to get into Duga in STALKER 2 for the Happiness for Everyone mission without getting killed by Monolith soldiers and snipers.

After you've finished the tutorial in STALKER 2, you'll be restricted to the Lesser Zone until you've progressed the main story missions. After completing some of those (and perhaps a few side missions such as The Poppy Field), you'll be able to explore some more of the map — but not all of it. Read on to learn how to get into the Duga region in the southwest of The Zone!

How to Get Into Duga in STALKER 2

You can get into Duga in STALKER 2 by entering the region from the Southeast, although it is not a good idea to go into Duga until you've reached the main story mission "Happiness for Everyone" — until then, there will be a lot of enemies and invincible snipers in the area.

Once you get to the Happiness for Everyone main story mission, you can take the following route to safely enter Duga as shown in the map below:

At this point in the story, the majority of the Duga region is occupied by the revived Monolith forces. Part of their security includes snipers, and unfortunately, STALKER 2 uses these snipers as an impenetrable barrier into Duga. Attempting to approach Duga from the northwest, north, or northeast will get you instantly killed with no way to recover.

Instead, you should make your way to the Helicopter Base in the Burnt Forest region on the map. Follow the southernmost road to the southwest, taking care to stay as far away from Duga as possible. You'll be able to safely enter the region from the southeast, although you may occasionally encounter Monolith patrols.

The Happiness for Everyone main story mission is fairly straightforward after this; you'll have to push deeper into Duga and defeat Monolith soldiers, ultimately leading to a boss battle against Faust. When Faust is defeated, the Monolith soldiers (and their invincible snipers) will disappear, allowing you to explore and loot this region for artifacts and other goodies with fewer problems.

Keep in mind, however, that defeating Faust and his Monolith comrades won't render this area entirely safe. There are still plenty of mutants and anomalies spread throughout the buildings in Duga. Remember: nowhere in The Zone is truly safe!

We've reached the end of our guide on how to get into Duga in STALKER 2, but there's plenty more to explore — check out our other guides below!