The Stalker 2 Solder choice tasks you with either shooting him or knocking him out. Either way, there doesn’t appear to be any immediate consequence for your action, despite it suggesting there may be. With this in mind, it comes down to preference, but knowing exactly what happens depending on your choice is helpful. Solder sold you out with bad information in the prologue for STALKER 2 and though he seems like he might be quite a substantial threat, it turns out you can deal with him pretty swiftly in one of two ways at an early point in the game. So, should you shoot or knock out Solder 2 in STALKER 2? We’ve got the answer below.
This is just one decision of many in Heart of Chornobyl. Getting this far in the game means you’ve already decided whether to help or kill Squint and who you should give the sensors to in STALKER 2. And while Squint doesn't really change anything, apart from maybe your own moral code, the sensor choice decides how you get to Solder and goes on to affect where you go after.
Stalker 2 Solder choice explained
Both shooting Solder dead and knocking him out in Stalker 2 seemingly have no immediate consequences, so it’s up to you how you deal with him. You get the information you need before this choice, so you’re effectively just tying up a loose end. Whatever you decide, make sure you loot the entire room and his bunk afterwards for healing items, food, and the High-Capacity PTM Magazine attachment,m a useful addition to your STALKER 2 guns.
In the confrontation before this choice, Solder admits that he just marks anomalies on maps and occasionally sells that information on the side, so he did not intentionally stitch up Hermann and yourself with bad information. He also explains that he has no idea where the Scanner has been taken as a person known as Nestor oversees the “Scanner business”, not him, and he reveals that Nestor is north of Zalissya.
It might be that this Solder choice is more significant if knocking him out causes him to reappear later in Heart of Chornobyl, but no one on the 12DOVE team has seen him again. Solder also admits he’s small fry in his work as an IPSF technician and that Nestor is more important, so it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll make a significant comeback. You also don't get anything for either option, unlike something like when you have to choose who to give the religious icon to in STALKER 2, a choice that comes with very different rewards.
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