Contents
- 1. Zalesye, Malaya Zona
- 2. Northern Control Point, Small Zone
- 3. Sphere, small zone
- 4. Detention center, dumping ground
- 5. Labyrinth, waste
- 6. Volkhov air defense missile system, Rostock
- 7. Janov station, Janov
- 8. Army warehouses, chemical plant
- 9. Rozyzdzhe, Burnt forest
- 10. Settlement, swamps
- 11. Swamp, South
- 12. Bow
- 13. Pripyat, secret hideout of a journalist
To complete the quest Seek and You Shall Find in STALKER 2: Heart of Chernobyl, players must locate twelve journalist hideouts spread across the vast Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. This search is exclusive to the Stalker 2 Deluxe Edition. These caches hold a mix of powerful weapons and gear that make progress through the game easier.
Unlocking these caches requires finishing the main mission A Needle in a Haystack. After that achievement, a side quest becomes available. When a cache is opened in Zalissya, a journalist’s flash drive is obtained.
When the side quest Seek and You Shall Find is started, all cache locations marked on the map become accessible. Yet locating them is a demanding task that demands navigating through scorched forests, irradiated wastelands, and treacherous swamps. The guide below explains how to reach every journalist hideout in STALKER 2.
Zalesye, Malaya Zona
The cache sits in the attic of a house in the northern part of Zalesie within the Small Zone. Players can hop onto the blue truck hood beside the house, stride to the roof, and from there reach the balcony. A hole leads inside to a blue chest at the back of the attic. The loot includes a Light mercenary suit and a PTM monolith pistol.
Northern checkpoint, small zone
This cache rests at the Northern Checkpoint in the far north of the Small Zone, near the Waste Area boundary. The route goes to the far west side of the point where a stairway leads to a building clad in gray tiles. Crossing the roof and using a ladder brings the player to the roof of a nearby structure where a Viper Monolith weapon awaits.
Sphere, small zone
The cache is in the southeast corner of the Small Zone at a site named Sphere. The area is reachable through the main mission Behind Seven Seals, yet it can be visited any time. Head to the northwest corner of the complex, follow the outer wall east to a small building with stairs on the west side. Climb up to the roof near rusty pipes. Inside lies an AR416 Monolith and a PDA with an audio log.
Detention center, dumping ground
This cache sits east of the Detention Center, in the far south part of the Dump region. Travel west along the road from the center while staying alert for the abandoned blue and white bus among the rubble. The cache is inside the bus and contains an M860.
Labyrinth, waste
The cache is found in an intriguing spot called the Maze, located northwest of the slag heap in the Dump region. Follow the path toward the Labyrinth, dealing with mutated rats along the way. Note the red tank. Use the rubble on the right to climb to the top of the tank, then drop down the other side. The cache sits on the ground beside the green tram. Locating it yields the Tourist suit, one of the best early game outfits available.
Volkhov air defense missile system, Rostock
This cache lies in the northern part of the Rostok region, northeast of the Volkhov SAM point of interest. Head to the indicated map marker and approach a low rectangular building with anomalies nearby. Enter from the east and use the bolts to clear the deviations inside. The cache sits at the back, beside green bunk beds. It contains a Riemann Integral-A gun and ammunition.
Janov station, Janov
The journalist cache rests on the trains at the station east of Yaniv Station in the Yanov region, in the northwest part of the map between the Red Forest and Pripyat. Reach the marker, break the lock on the train, go inside, and search the cache to obtain a weapon model competitor and some ammunition.
Army warehouses, chemical plant
The cache is located at the Army Warehouses POI in the southern area of the chemical plant, northwest of the Small Zone. Consult the cache marker to find the mutated building outside. Eliminate the mutants, then use a yellow rusty truck on the right to reach the awning over the front door, jump through the window, turn left, and again left into a room with half a wall. The cache contains a Fora-221 lullaby assault rifle and 5.45x39mm PS cartridges.
Rozyzdzhe, Burnt forest
The journalist’s cache sits in Rozyzdzhe, in the northwestern corner of the Burnt Forest region. Approach the map marker to reach burned ruins. Mutants and anomalies are plentiful here, so quick entry and exit is essential. Move to the westernmost ruins and descend via the stairs to a basement where a thermal anomaly named Poltergeist dwells. It can be eliminated by targeting the burning spot. The cache is in the second room and yields an SSP-100M SIRCAA suit.
Settlement, swamps
This cache lies in Horodyshche Hamlet, within the southeastern marshes. Travel to the marker to reach a small village of abandoned wooden houses. A red tractor sits at the village edge; leap onto its roof, jump to the small hut, then to the roof. Use a knife to breach the planks, enter the attic, and locate a cache containing a Veteran sniper rifle and 9x39mm PA cartridges.
Swamp, South
The cache is found in the Swamp South area. Following the main storyline leads there. Enter the partially collapsed building and search the floor beside a bunk bed. The chest hides a Wanderer suit, a highly valuable early armor for the game.
Bow
This location presents a challenge because it sits in a fortified zone. Entry through the main gate is blocked by snipers, so the player must slip in via the southeastern part of the large base. It is farther from the fortified core, where snipers cannot strike immediately.
Note: Access to this area may be gained after completing the main mission Happiness for Everyone. It remains unclear whether the southeastern section can be entered earlier in the campaign.
It is sometimes possible to reach the journalist’s hideout before venturing into the sewers to finish the main objective.
Head to the armory. A mutant blocks the way, and the fight can swing against the player as the enemy can use the player’s own weapons. After defeating this foe, activate the generator on the left side of the building.
Visit the control room upstairs to flip the switch and unlock the gate to retrieve loot from the locker. The player will gain an SA-U Gabon assault rifle and may take a SEVA-I suit from the nearest safe.
The pursuit is not finished, because after grabbing the journalist’s flash drive a recording will reveal that one last cache remains hidden at the iconic location, accessible much later in the story.
Pripyat, a journalist’s secret hideout
This cache associated with a Pripyat journalist can be obtained toward the end of the walkthrough. Before that moment, all other rewards left by the reporter Veniamin should be collected.
After securing the twelfth journalist cache, a PDA voice message hints at a thirteenth chest hidden in Pripyat. It sits along the northern edge of the world map.
Finding the final reward is no easy feat. Attempting to go north meets a tall concrete wall at the border. The Frontier mission must be completed, and the M-Scanner device used in the Red Forest and Yanov regions is required.
At the end of the Frontier mission, a choice arises: give the M-Scanner to Base Commander Yanov or use it inside the electrified tunnel. Either option leads to Pripyat, so players should be prepared for the journey.
The journalist’s search icon guides the way. In Pripyat, walk along the southern wall until an open path leads to a courtyard near a lone apartment building.
Inside, a number of foes must be defeated. On the top floor, a keyboard awaits the code 2021 to unlock the final area.
With the path cleared, the final rewards can be claimed. The cache contains an M860 cracker and a PTM pistol, while the box sits on the balcony. Included loot comprises:
- Margach D-12MT – modified D-12 shotgun
- Hunter – modified sniper rifle
- PSZ-21W Shturm — armored suit with a bonus to maximum carrying weight
- The Journalist’s PDA holds a message familiar to long-time fans of the series
Benjamin also left a message on the wall.
Other guides
Source: VG Times