What to Do with Solder in STALKER 2

This guide will tell you whether you should kill Solder in STALKER 2 or just knock him out and what happens for each of these choices later on in the game.

STALKER 2 requires you to make choices every now and again. Sometimes, the choices are simple (such as in The Poppy Field mission), and other times, they're much more difficult. This guide will tell you what to do with Solder in STALKER 2 and how your decision can affect the future.

Should You Kill Solder in STALKER 2 or Knock Him Out?

You should not kill Solder in STALKER 2. If you leave him alive, you'll have the chance to get much greater rewards during a chaotic mission at a much later point in the game.

Below, we'll explain what happens if you make each choice, and why you should leave Solder alive.

What Happens if You Kill Solder in STALKER 2?

If you kill Solder in STALKER 2, you'll be able to loot his body. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much in the way of valuable loot. We don't yet know if there are any additional negative consequences for this choice.

What Happens if You Knock Solder Out in STALKER 2?

If you knock out Solder in STALKER 2, there is no immediate reward; you'll still be able to loot the room. This loot includes the High-Capacity PTM Magazine, a weapon attachment that gives you a few more shots with your PTM pistol. You won't, however, be able to loot Solder.

Much later in the game, you'll encounter a main story mission called "The Hornet's Nest" that requires you to go to the Sphere and investigate strange Psi readings. You'll have to fight your way through several Monolith soldiers, some of them heavily armored.

Spare Solder and you'll hear radio communications from him once you get to the second floor of the target building. Keep an eye out for this hallway on the northeast corner of the second floor:

Solder is in the room ahead. Make sure your guns are loaded, because you'll only have a couple of seconds to save him. You'll want to save your game, too, just in case!

When you get into the next room, you'll see Solder engaged in a gunfight with two heavily armored Monolith soldiers:

It is possible for Solder to die here, so take both Monolith soldiers down as quickly as possible. If you can successfully kill the soldiers, Solder will put his gun down and you can talk to him.

Go through the dialogue options and Solder will reveal that there is a breaker in a nearby room that can cut power to the Sphere; he'll give you "Solder's Key" which can be used to open a door with a breaker box that will cut the power to the Sphere. He'll also reveal the location of Sukhin's Stash in Sukhin's office.

You'll still be able to get Solder's Key even if he dies, and you'll still be able to get into Sukhin's Stash if Solder doesn't tell you about it. There is no difference in the loot or the mission's behavior if Solder dies as far as we can tell.

That said, we don't yet know if Solder will pop up again in a future mission or location, so it's a good idea to err on the side of caution and keep him alive. Who knows — he may help you again in the future! (We'll be sure to update this guide if we find out for certain.)

Head past Solder, turn left, and go through the barracks (the room with all of the bunk beds). Quickly turn left at the barracks — there are enemies to your right — and you'll come upon a white door with a dead soldier in front of it:

The breaker box is in the room on the other side of this door. Go in, pull the lever, and you'll cut off power to the Sphere's generator. If you don't cut the power off, you'll be subjected to Psi attacks as you ascend up the ramp in the Sphere, making the battle much more difficult.

Next, exit the breaker box room and go straight ahead. You'll find several Monolith soldiers — some armored, some not — in the next room. Sukhin's Stash is in his office behind two cabinet doors:

You can then proceed with the rest of your mission. Continue forward and you'll have to fight around a dozen more Monolith soldiers as you ascend the Sphere. If you neglected to shut off the breaker, you'll also be subjected to Psi damage as you make your way up.

You'll find an Emitter at the top of the Sphere. This will be the second Emitter you've found after retrieving the first one from Noontide.

Thanks for reading our guide on what to do with Solder in STALKER 2. Make sure to check out our other guides below!