STALKER 2 In the Name of Science Mission Walkthrough

This STALKER 2 In the Name of Science mission walkthrough will tell you how to find the 4 electronic collars, how to collect your reward from Shcherba, and whether or not you should kill Shcherba at the end of this mission.

Occasionally, side missions in STALKER 2 will require you to travel great distances on the map such as the Deal with the Devil side mission. The side mission "In the Name of Science" requires you to go all over The Zone to collect four electronic collars from mutants, and you'll have some tough choices ahead. Read on for a full walkthrough of this side mission!

How to Get the STALKER 2 In the Name of Science Mission

You can get the STALKER 2 In the Name of Science Mission by collecting the papers for Shcherba during the main story mission "In Search of Past Glory." You must then complete the next two story missions "Happiness for Everyone" and "Visions of Truth."

After that, Shcherba will reach out to you over the radio. You have a time limit to respond to his request for help; if you miss it, you'll have to go back to the Roofed Warehouse and talk to him in person. If you accept the mission, you'll get the locations of four electronic collars that you need to collect for him.

STALKER 2 In the Name of Science Mission Walkthrough

Now that you know how to get this mission, let's get moving with our STALKER 2 In the Name of Science mission walkthrough! This is going to be a long mission that will require you to travel all over the map, so make sure you're ready to walk for a while (or spend some of your hard-earned Coupons hiring Guides!).

Preparing for the Mission

This mission will largely require you to fight mutant enemies. You'll be well-accustomed to taking on most of the creatures you're fighting here, but there's one surprise in store at one of the locations.

I strongly recommend equipping yourself with a sturdy shotgun such as the Saiga D-12 or the RAM-2, the latter of which can be purchased at Yani Station in the northern Yaniv region on the map. You'll also want to carry at least 60 shotgun shells with you prior to each encounter, a good amount of healing items, and a bit of food as usual.

Since you likely got this mission after witnessing the fall of Malachite, you'll probably be loaded down with gear and fairly far away from any friendly bases. If you have a lot of junk that you want to sell, you should head to Rostok first. Otherwise, you should head north to the Brain Scorcher via the eastern road.

1. The Brain Scorcher Electronic Collar (Malachite Region)

The first electronic collar we'll get is east of the Brain Scorcher in the Malachite Region. This should be the nearest collar to you if you accept the mission from Shcherba over the radio, so we'll go to this one first.

Head to the Energiya Vehicle Station east of STC Malachite and then head north along the eastern road. Pass through the Scorcher Checkpoint, go through the canyon, and then head west past the Scorcher Technical Tunnel.

As you get close to the signal, you'll be alerted that it has moved. You'll then meet a band of mercenaries who have killed the Bloodsucker with the collar. You must then talk to them; you can either pay them 1,500 Coupons to buy the collar off of them or you can fight them. Either way, you'll have secured your first collar and it's time to move on.

2.  The Brood Electronic Collar (Garbage Region)

The second electronic collar is a little south of The Brood in the Garbage Region; you may have cleared out this area earlier during the Deal with the Devil side mission. If not, you may have to deal with some bandits in this area.

Either way, this fight will be against 1 Snork. It will leap through the air and charge you as soon as you get close to the area. Fortunately, Snorks are pretty weak and it should go down in 2–4 blasts from your shotgun. Collect your collar and get ready to move.

3. The Containers Electronic Collar (Red Forest Region)

The next collar is in Containers in the Red Forest; you may have visited this area previously during the mission "Just Business" from the Barkeep in Rostok. If you haven't done this mission, you may have to deal with 10 or so bandits in the area. The enemy you face here will be your toughest fight yet, so make sure you have at least 50 shotgun shells and plenty of healing items.

First things first, there is an artifact-spawning anomaly underground; you can get into this area by heading underground near the Containers or through the Parking Lot to the east. You can safely grab this without being seen by any enemies, so go ahead and pick it up so you can make a little extra money.

Next, you'll notice that the marker is within a closed-off area. You'll have to climb up onto the containers and jump down to get in here. You're going to have a mini boss battle of sorts, so make sure to save before you jump in.

When you do jump down, you'll have to fight a special Pseudogiant with a psi device attached to its head:

Pseudogiants take a lot of shots to bring down, but this special version of the mutant is even deadlier — it can use telekinesis to throw objects at you similar to a Poltergeist.

There are no real special tricks here; you'll just have to make good use of cover to avoid the Pseudogiant's melee attacks and telekinetically thrown objects. When you bring it down, you can collect the collar and get moving to your last objective.

4. The Hydrodynamics Lab Electronic Collar (Zaton Region)

The fourth and final collar is all the way on the eastern side of the map. I strongly recommend that you return to Rostok or Yaniv Station and pay a Guide to take you to Sultansk. This will save you a lot of walking and, more importantly, help you avoid any unnecessary (and likely unprofitable) battles against bandits, mutants, or enemy factions along the way.

When you get to Sultansk, you'll have to make your way up to the Hydrodynamics Lab. You'll have to kill a few zombies, and then you'll have to deal with a Controller on the top floor. The Controller will have the collar that you need.

Entering the Scientists Stash Code Near Hydrodynamics Lab

Killing this Controller will also give you a tag that lets you get into the Scientists' Stash to the southwest of the Hydrodynamic Lab. The code for this door is 4824.

Grab the loot and, if you wish, further explore the area around the Hydrodynamics Lab; you can find a guaranteed spawn for the Ciliate artifact nearby along with an acid anomaly that can spawn an artifact. Interacting with the Ciliate artifact, however, will spawn soldiers at the top of the ladder on your way out, so be ready to fight!

Returning to Shcherba and Heading to the Jammer

It's now time to return to Shcherba. Go back to Sultansk and pay a Guide to take you to the nearest safe base; alternatively, you can walk the long distance all the way to the Roofed Warehouse. When you arrive, Shcherba will tell you that the collars are not working and a jamming device is interfering with them.

The jamming device isn't too far away; you should be able to make it to it without too much trouble.

Should You Disable the Jammer in the In the Name of Science Mission?

You should absolutely disable the jammer for the In the Name of Science Mission; this will lead to greater rewards. Smash the device and return to Shcherba.

Continuing the Story

When you return to Shcherba, he'll tell you that he'll contact you later with your reward. Unfortunately, you'll have to complete some more story missions before you can get your payment.

As far as I can tell, you'll need to complete the next four story missions before you'll get your reward: Dark Times, An Act of Mercy, Legends of the Zone, and Subtle Matter. After that, Shcherba will contact you and tell you that he's ready to give you your reward.

Collecting Your "Reward" from Shcherba

On your way into the Roofed Warehouse, Prof. Dvupalov will insist that you take some of his "magic" vodka. Take it from him and equip it on your hotbar in place of whatever item you usually use to cure radiation.

Speak with Shcherba. He has managed to gain control of three Bloodsuckers, and he tells you that your reward is in a back room. When you get there, however, you'll find an empty safe.

It is at this point that Shcherba reveals his intent to create a new Faust, and you're the primary candidate. Shcherba activates a psi device that starts draining your health. Prof. Dvupalov reminds you about the magic vodka over the radio; drink it and it will stop the damage from Shcherba's psi devices.

Understandably, this angers Shcherba and he sics his three Bloodsuckers on you. These are three standard Bloodsuckers with nothing special about them, so you should be able to kill them by now without too many problems. When they're dead, it's time to confront Shcherba. You'll be given a choice: kill Shcherba, or let him live.

Should You Kill Shcherba or Let Him Live?

You should let Shcherba live. As far as I can tell, there do not appear to be any negative consequences for either choice and the reward is the same. However, leaving NPCs alive could potentially affect future events like the decision to spare Solder earlier in the game; therefore, it can't hurt to let Shcherba live.

Either way, Prof. Dvupalov will reward you with a pile of Coupons and, more importantly, a Gauss Rifle in medium condition. This is an endgame sniper rifle that you won't really be able to get until you enter Prypiat, and it almost makes all of this running around The Zone worth your time.

Thanks for reading our STALKER 2 In the Name of Science mission walkthrough. Have a gander at our other guides below!