Complete Guide to Nightingale’s Hunt Side Quest in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl

Key Takeaways

1. Profit and Gear Maintenance: Completing Nightingale’s Hunt provides valuable resources to maintain your weapons and earn a significant payout.
2. Strategic Combat: The quest involves encounters with deadly anomalies, mutant enemies, and a challenging Bloodsucker. Proper preparation is crucial.
3. Optional Objectives for Extra Rewards: Tackling optional tasks during the mission can increase your rewards and improve your overall gameplay experience.

In Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the survival horror FPS that takes players deep into the eerie Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, the side quest Nightingale’s Hunt offers a mix of challenging combat and exploration. This quest follows the events of the Dogfight side mission and provides players with an opportunity to test their mettle against blind dogs, dangerous anomalies, and a ferocious Bloodsucker.

Here’s a step-by-step walkthrough of Nightingale’s Hunt, including all its objectives, tips, and rewards.

Prerequisite: Complete the Dogfight Side Quest

To unlock Nightingale’s Hunt, you must first complete the Dogfight side mission. Nightingale can be found near the center of Zalissya Bar in the starting town. During Dogfight, you’ll:

• Compete with Nightingale: Engage in a wager to see who can kill the most blind dogs.
• Eliminate the Pack: Follow Nightingale to a pack of 5–6 blind dogs. Defeat them, focusing on the one with a glowing blue aura, as it carries an electronic collar.
• Claim the Reward: After delivering the collar to Nightingale, he will prompt you for the next mission Nightingale’s Hunt.

Once Dogfight is complete, you can immediately begin Nightingale’s Hunt.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough of Nightingale’s Hunt

1. Starting the Quest

Talk to Nightingale after Dogfight. He will explain the need for electronic collars, sending you to two marked locations on your map:

• Primary Objective: Recover a collar from a mutant near Bulba.
• Optional Objective: Loot collars from a pack of blind dogs for extra cash.

Prepare yourself with ample ammunition, medkits, and supplies before setting out.

2. Optional Objective: Collars from Blind Dogs

The optional objective takes you to a rundown village infested with blind dogs attacking a group of bandits. Follow these steps:

• Eliminate Bandits First: Take out the bandits as the dogs will also attack them, creating a chaotic skirmish.
• Kill the Glowing Dog: Focus on the dog with the bluish hue it carries an electronic collar.
• Loot the Collars: Collect the collars from the dogs’ corpses.

This optional task isn’t required to complete the quest but can provide additional money when you return to Hamster.

3. Primary Objective: Recover the Collar near Bulba

The primary objective takes you to a hazardous area near Bulba, where an anomaly guards the electronic collar.

Navigating the Anomaly:

• The anomaly is a transparent orb that compresses and expands, pulling objects into its deadly core.
• Wait for Compression: Time your movements to coincide with the anomaly’s phases. Move behind heavy vehicles or other cover when it expands.
• Retrieve the Collar: Once you reach the center, grab the collar and quickly retreat using the same strategy.

Patience and careful planning are key here to avoid taking damage.

4. Helping Nightingale

After collecting the collar, you’ll receive a distress signal from Nightingale. Follow the marker on your HUD to find him.

Finding Nightingale:

• Head to a remote, abandoned house deep in the woods.
• Discover His Fate: Inside, you’ll find Nightingale’s lifeless body. Loot his corpse to collect an electronic collar, his PDA, and an AKM-74S rifle.

5. The Bloodsucker Encounter

Interacting with Nightingale’s body triggers an attack by a Bloodsucker a deadly mutant capable of turning invisible. Here’s how to survive:

Combat Tips:

• Choose Your Battleground: Stay in a confined area with only one entrance to predict the Bloodsucker’s movements.
• Use a Shotgun: A shotgun is highly effective against this fast-moving enemy.
• Exploit Attack Pauses: After each attack, the Bloodsucker retreats briefly. Use this time to reload and heal.
• Stock Up: Bring plenty of medkits and bandages to counteract bleeding caused by its attacks.

Once the Bloodsucker is defeated, loot its corpse for another collar.

6. Returning to Hamster

With all the collars collected, head back to Zalissya Bar to meet Hamster. You have two choices:

• Tell the Truth: Inform Hamster about the Bloodsucker encounter and Nightingale’s death for a higher reward.
• Lie About Events: Avoid mentioning Nightingale’s fate for a smaller payout.

Turning in the collars completes the quest, earning you 850 coupons and allowing you to sell additional collars to Hamster in the future.

Rewards

• AKM-74S Rifle: Found on Nightingale’s body.
• 850 Coupons: Earned upon completing the quest.
• Additional Cash: By selling extra collars to Hamster.

Tips for Success

• Plan Your Loadout: Equip a reliable shotgun, a sturdy secondary weapon, and plenty of medkits before starting the quest.
• Engage Strategically: Always eliminate the greatest threat first (e.g., bandits before dogs, Bloodsucker in confined spaces).
• Explore Thoroughly: Looting enemies and completing optional objectives increases your overall reward.

FAQ Section

1. What is the prerequisite for Nightingale’s Hunt?

You must complete the Dogfight side quest to unlock Nightingale’s Hunt.

2. How do I deal with the Bloodsucker?

Use a shotgun, stay in a confined area, and exploit the pauses between its attacks to reload and heal.

3. Is the optional objective worth completing?

Yes, collecting additional collars from blind dogs can provide extra money when sold to Hamster.

4. What happens if I don’t save Nightingale?

You’ll still complete the quest, but Nightingale will be dead, and you’ll face the Bloodsucker instead.