What are the Stalker 2 anomalies? Radioactive monstrosities and hostile humans are an obvious threat in the Zone, but there is another, often unseen danger: anomalies. These pockets of space trigger an environmental effect when a person or creature enters their perimeter. These effects can be harmful, even lethal – so you’ll need to know how to handle them if you want to keep your head.
Your Stalker 2 weapons are useless against anomalies, so you have to rely on bolts to trigger and reset them. While you might be tempted to avoid anomalies in the open-world game altogether, the rewards for venturing into them are worth it. Anomalies often contain Stalker 2 artifacts, and their effects differ depending on the type of anomaly that produces them. Whether you’re facing them head-on or just want to escape unscathed, here are all anomalies in Stalker 2 and how to survive them.
Here are all the Stalker 2 anomalies:
- Springboard
- Vortex
- Burner
- Fruit Punch
- Bulba
Springboard
True to its name, Springboard is a wall of energy that knocks back any creature that comes into contact with it. They are a common occurrence in the Zone, and would be completely invisible if not for the spatial distortion around them. This makes it relatively easy to spot during the day but a real danger at night. Its knockback inflicts a heavy blow to your health, but this force can be temporarily dispersed with a bolt – just don’t hang around long enough for it to reset.
Vortex
Vortex manifests as dust devils in the Zone. This mini maelstrom slowly pulls you in, inflicting a burst of damage once you’re trapped in their core. You can easily disperse them with a well-aimed bolt, but you also have a small chance to break free by sprinting in the opposite direction from where it pulls you in. You can also hear when this anomaly activates thanks to the sudden gust of wind.
Burner
Burner is a floating fireball that erupts into a vertical pillar of flame when you come close enough to trigger it. These pillars also shoot out embers, so keep your distance to avoid getting burned and taking damage over time. Equipment with thermal resistance is useful when dealing with these anomalies.
Fruit Punch
Fruit Punch is a pool of radioactive waste emitting toxic gases. It often appears in caves and walking into its neon green perimeter inflicts high amounts of radioactive damage over time. If you need to venture into them to retrieve an artifact, you can usually follow narrow paths between these pools to avoid the bulk of the damage. However, you may still need anti-rad supplies on standby to neutralize the radiation sickness build-up.
Bulba
Bulba is a lethal anomaly that behaves similarly to Vortex, dragging nearby objects towards it with a pulsing gravitational pull. This giant bubble often floats above bodies of water, whipping up debris within its area of effect. It’s difficult to miss, and there’s plenty of time to break free of its pull before it’s too late. However, its sheer force inflicts damage over time, and stepping into it triggers instant death.
Now that you’re prepared for any Stalker 2 anomalies, settle in for a smooth excursion across the Zone with our Stalker 2 best settings on PC. We’ve got all the Stalker 2 missions lurking in the RPG game’s sandbox, while our Stalker 2 hands-on preview explores how we got on with this highly awaited sequel.
