Earning coupons in the Zone was already pretty straightforward. But for those of us who’ve spent tens or hundreds of hours in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, tackling the same side quests repeatedly for cash becomes downright gruesome—more so than the mutants we fight. Thankfully, update 1.5 introduces a new money-making method: Hunting! Now you can hunt and skin mutants for rare resources, like fangs, tusks, and tentacles, that you can sell off to earn a buck. You might think it’s pretty straightforward: Just get out there and start hunting. But there’s a more lucrative, and often more dangerous, method to trophy hunting in the Zone!
How mutant hunting works
When you nab your first mutant trophy, such as a Boar Fang, you’ll find the item card claims its worth is around 2,000 coupons. Unfortunately, you’re not getting 2,000 coupons. My heart sank when I brought my first trophy to a trader, and Huron (Garbage) offered me a measly 700 coupons instead—less than half of what I was supposedly owed. That’s about how every hunt will progress: You’ll track down mutants across the Zone, maybe one in three will have an item to loot, and then you’ll score a few hundred coupons.
So how do you increase your earnings?
Depending on how deep into the game you are, unlocking STC Malachite opens up a ton of opportunities. Those scientists pay quite well, and they always have gigs available. But one woman in particular, Viktoria Dorozhnyuk, the local merchant, offers contracts for mutant parts that the local science contingent will pay quite well for to research the Zone’s fauna. She’ll pay you many thousands of coupons in exchange for a handful of eyeballs, for example. It’s far more lucrative and far more entertaining than freelance hunting out in the wilds.
Which mutants to hunt
Many of the game’s enemies, like the Blind Dogs, Fleshes, and Boars, randomly spawn throughout the Zone. You’ll find yourself wandering through an abandoned town, and then you’re ambushed by Fleshes. Or, while traipsing through the woods, a small horde of Boars charges. But if you want more lucrative mutant spawns, here are a few suggestions:
- Pseudo Giants (Duga)
- Bayuns (Duga)
- Bloodsuckers (Rostok)
- Rodents (Rostok)
- Poltergeist (Burnt Forest)
Stalker 2 is available now on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Windows PCs.
