Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyloften throws players into a situation where it’s inevitable to side with one faction while going against another. After playersdecide the fate of Professor Hermann, they’ll need to decide whether to help Dubny carry out the Noontide assault on SIRCAA, or side with the Ward and kill the Noontide soldiers. Your decision here will mark the turning point for the story of Stalker 2 and will contribute towards a particular ending.
Should You Side With the Ward or Dubny in Stalker 2?
The Wishful Thinking mission inStalker 2will end with bloodshed, no matter what choice you make here. At the end of the mission, you arrive in a room with Ward Soldiers pointing their weapons at Dubny, a Noontide faction member leading the assault on SIRCAA. Dubny will ask Skif if the rumors about the Monolith being at SIRCAA facilities were true.
After a brief back and forth, Dubny will confront Skif with a choice: whether he’s with the Noontide/Spark/Richter, or will he choose to side with the Ward? Let’s explore both paths to decide which one’s better.
Siding with Dubny and Going Against the Ward
If you choose to side with Dubny, you’ll besiding with Strider and both the Noontide and the Spark factions. The door behind Dubny will open as he takes on the Ward soldiers behind Skif, allowing him to escape the barrage of bullets. On his way to X11, Skif will help Strider blow up a wall to enter the room and confront Dr. Dalin about stopping the experiment with the artifact.
The cutscene will end with the Monolithians being activated once again, and Skif dropping into the tunnels to escape from the SIRCAA facility, starting the “To the Last Drop of Blood” mission. Although this choice won’t completely lock you out of siding with the Ward in the long run, if you’ve been against the Ward faction from the start, it just might. However, you’ll be significantly contributing to theRichter/Spark endingforStalker 2.
Siding with the Ward and Going Against Dubny
If you choose to side with the Ward, you’ll be goingagainst both the Spark and Noontide factions,including Richter. Skif will need to eliminate Dubny and the Noontide soldiers in the room, essentially thwarting Strider’s assault on SIRCAA. Once the battle is over, you’ll be sent to the X11 room where Dr. Dalin will be preparing for the experiment to begin.
However, the experiment is meant to go wrong despite your choice here and the outcome will remain the same, with the Noontiders becoming Monolithians again. This will start the “Law and Order” mission inStalker 2. Instead of Skif escaping through the tunnels, he’ll instead drag Dr. Dalin away from the havoc and make your way through the SIRCAA facility. This choice also involves Skif fighting a Pseudogiant, and making his escape by essentially doing the same things as the previous choice.
This choice allows Skif to stand more closely with Ward’s ideologies and gain the trust of Col. Korshunov, bringing players a step closer to theWard endingof Stalker 2.
Regardless of your choice here, Monolithians will become a major threat after completing “Wishful Thinking” and also lock you out ofcompleting various side activities from Zalissyaor Spark/Noontide factions. Be sure to complete other side missions first before completing the Wishful Thinking main mission inStalker 2.
