Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl's "In the Name of Science" Side Quest: A Complete Guide
Following the Visions of Truth main mission and a call from Dr. Shcherba, players embark on the "In the Name of Science" side quest in Stalker 2. This quest involves locating electronic collars from various mutants, leading to multiple choices impacting the outcome.
Locating the Electronic Collars
The initial objective is to find five electronic collars. Their locations are marked on the map, but if some are missing, it's likely they were collected earlier. Here's a breakdown:
| Region | Collar Location | Mutant |
|---|---|---|
| Garbage | The Brood | Snork |
| Wild Island | Boathouse | Psy Bayun |
| Zaton | Hydrodynamics Lab | Controller |
| Malachite | Brain Scorcher | Brain Scorcher |
| Red Forest | Containers | Pseudogiant |
After collecting all collars, return to Shcherba at the Roofed Warehouse in the Chemical Plant. If the quest becomes bugged due to prior collar collection, use the console command "XEndQuestNodeBySID E08_SQ01_S2_SetJournal_WaitForSherbaCall_Finish_Pin_0".
The Jammer Decision: Disable or Recalibrate?
Shcherba discovers a signal jamming the collars. Players must locate and interact with the jamming device in the Storage on the Hill. The choice is:
- Destroy/Disable the Jammer (Recommended): This progresses the quest, rewards coupons, and leads to a bloodsucker encounter and a further choice.
- Recalibrate the Jammer: This ends the quest with coupons from Dvupalov.
The Final Confrontation: Kill or Spare Shcherba?
Disabling the jammer leads to a call from Shcherba, more coupons, and a wait (or console command "XStartQuestNodeBySID E08_SQ01_S3_Technical_SherbaInvitedToLab"). Shcherba then invites Skif to his lab, providing Magic Vodka. A trap is revealed, involving PSI-radiation and three bloodsuckers. The Magic Vodka negates the radiation effects.
The final choice is whether to kill Shcherba or let him go. Both yield the same rewards (a Gauss Gun and the "On a Leash" trophy), but sparing Shcherba maintains positive relations.
