How to Fix Constantly Increasing Radiation in STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl (Artifacts)

The long-awaited STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is finally out after lord knows how long since the previous games in the franchise. As you would expect, radiation poisoning is something that you will have to deal with in this game. In this guide, we will be showing you how to ensure your survival and prevent unnecessary build up of radiation in your body, specifically due to artifacts.

How to Fix Constantly Increasing Radiation

It might seem obvious to some, but it is easy to get confused by how the UI presents information in the game, particularly with the artifacts that you can equip. If you take a look at some of the artifacts in the game, you will notice that it has a red “Radiation – [Intensity]” label on it.

What you might not realize is that this actually means that it can negatively affect you. Some interpret this text incorrectly and believe that it helps you, but that effect actually comes from the green “Radio protection – [Intensity]” label.

The Slug artifact is one such example that helps protect you from radiation, though it is pretty weak. If you have an artifact that has a higher “Radiation” debuff, you will need more protective items to stave off its effects.

There are various ways to address radiation buildup due to your equipped artifacts, including chugging as many consumables as you can to reduce it as the counter rises. However, this is very unsustainable and you will eventually run out of resources.

Aside from cancelling out the debuffs with other artifacts or protective gear, you can also upgrade your armor later on to attach a lead container to it. This completely protects you from any negative radiation effect from artifacts, as indicated by how the slots for them will now be glowing green.

Those are the basic things you need to keep in mind when using artifacts, and this should be all you need to prevent yourself from succumbing to self-inflicted radiation poisoning. While you are here, check out our guide on how to find the artifact in the Magnetic Cave in STALKER 2 as well, which may or may not have some faint radiation that you will need to deal with!