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To get some of the more powerful artifacts (and expensive…) in Stalker 2 and get the “Curiouser and curiouser!” achievement, you’ll need to collect all of the arch artifacts hidden around the arch anomalies in the game. There are a total of 6 arch anomalies, which means you only need to figure out how to get through 6 “puzzles” and get artifacts worth some real Ks.
All Arch Artifact Locations and How to Get Them in Stalker 2
Weird Ball
We’ll start with the first one you can get right after reaching Zalissya in the Lesser Zone. Just walk down the road to the East and you’ll find a swamp with the Bulba anomaly in the middle of it.
The Bulba anomaly is a pulsating bubble that will slowly pull everything around it to the center and then suddenly push everything outward. If the player is pulled inside, they will likely die from the sudden “explosion.”
The way to combat this anomaly is to stick your body behind a larger item to protect yourself from the pull. If you look at the Bulba, you will see that there are two RVs right next to it. The Weird Ball artifact spawns right next to the white and red RV. Sprint towards that RV, making sure the anomaly is on the other side of the car.
You can then safely pick up the Ball and then wait for the Bulba to stop pulling. When it stops pulling, you have around 6 seconds to get out of its range.
Here is what the Weird Ball does, in case you want to equip it and not sell it for 14.000 K:
- Reduces bullet damage, with a better reduction while standing still
- Its weight will increase each time you get hit with bullets, going from 0.5 kg to a maximum 5 kg
Weird Flower
Still in the Lesser Zone, there’s another important arch anomaly where you can get your 2nd arch artifact: the Weird Flower. Go to the Poppy Field in the Northwestern part of the Lesser Zone.
If you enter the Poppy Field, you will slowly fall asleep and die. To make sure you avoid this, make sure to approach the field from the right direction. The quickest way to get to your destination is to approach from the North, just outside the anomaly’s range.
From that spot, you will see a little hill of poppies on the right. Run towards the Poppy Field but don’t climb the hill, the Weird Flower, which is a blue poppy, appears on the ground right in front of the hill, at the location shown in the image above.
Make sure to quickly get out before you fall asleep. If you have trouble finding the Weird Flower and need more time in the field, make sure to pop some energy drinks to stay awake.
Here is what the Weird Flower does, in case you want to equip it and not sell it for 14.000 K:
- Increased stealth but wanes over time
Weird Pot
We now head over to the Burnt Forest, where we’ll find one of the more interesting puzzles in the game. The spot is right to the South of the Helicopter Base, close to Duga, in the Southwestern part of the Burnt Forest.
Make sure to save before going here, since you won’t be able to leave until you get the arch artifact.
When you enter the Mist for the first time, you’ll find a ruined house with locked doors and bloodsuckers guarding it. Run into the Mist to leave the area and you’ll find yourself back at the house, with a few things changed.
The thing you’ll need to check is behind the house, there’s a staircase leading to a sealed off basement. Keep leaving the area until the basement is finally opened, allowing you to explore. This should happen after leaving the area “restarting” the area 2 times.
Head down into the basement and pick up the Door Key from the skeleton. Then proceed to the end of the tunnel until you end up back into the house. Break the lock on the door to the right and open the door inside the next room using the key.
Head into the Mist to restart the house again and some boxes will spawn in the locked room you’ve just unlocked. Climb on those to get into the attic and break the planks at the end of the room.
Jump down and look inside the chimney to find the Weird Pot.
Here is what the Weird Pot does, in case you want to equip it:
- Reduces need for food and water
- Can randomly cause PSI attacks or other negative effects when consuming food or drink
Weird Water
Now we go to the other end of the map, in Zaton, to one of the best arch artifacts in the game, but one of the worst ones to get. Based on what I’ve seen on some of the forums, many give up before they get this one.
Head into Zaton, north of Opachychi and East of the Weather Station. You’ll find a swamp full of Wandering Lights. The problem with this artifact is that it spawns at night, after 22:00, in a random location next to one of the lights.
There’s also a bug that can cause the artifact to fall through the ground and then you’ll never be able to pick it up in that playthrough.
So, let’s start by first saying that if you’ve ever passed through the area before at night, then you have a very high chance to never find the Weird Water again. You’ll need to load an older save or get the item using console commands.
If this is the first time you’ve approached this arch anomaly, here’s what you need to do:
- Go to the center plateau and save at 21:58 (you can check the time in the top right corner of the PDA).
- Once the lights spawn, check the three places shown in the image below.
- The artifact can spawn under one of the stationary lights.
One of the only problems is that those are not the only spawn points. There are also a few in the darkness, and there’s also one where the Weird Water seems to be falling under the ground.
There’s a theory that the artifact despawns when it meets sunlight, and since it can’t underground, it remains stuck there forever. This is why it’s important to save before attempting this, since you can always check days later in-game and never find it since it might be underground.
The method from above should allow you to find the artifact in less than 5 min. If it doesn’t work, it’s likely due to the bug mentioned earlier. If that happens, just spawn it using the command console, using this command:
- XCreateItemInInventoryByID AArtifactWeirdWater 0 1 1
Here is what the Weird Water does, in case you want to equip it and not sell it for 80.000 K:
- Increases carry capacity by 40kg
- Close to immunity to radiation
- Permanent drunkeness effect
Weird Nut
We now go all the way to the North, into the Cooling Towers region. The Weird Nut is inside the Fire Whirl warehouse. You’ll need to do a little parkour puzzle, which should be generally easy to beat.
The Weird Nut is located South of the Fire Whirl. You can actually see the spot if you get close to the anomaly, it’s on top of the scaffolding right next to the tornado. To get there, you’ll need to head over to the Eastern side of the warehouse and climb two sets of ladders to get up to the next level.
Jump to the Northern part of the floor until you reach the scaffolding bridge. This is a part where you’ll need to be slightly patient. The Fire Whirl keeps growing and then regressing back to a smaller area of effect. You’ll have to wait for it to regress to start crossing the bridge.
It takes a while for the whirl to grow again, so you won’t even need to sprint. At the end of the bridge, follow the path and you’ll find a middle bridge, leading to the Fire Whirl. Go that way when the fire retracts and jump down on the fiery scaffolding. The Weird Nut will be on the edge, right next to the fire.
Drop below and then jump behind to escape before the fire burns you alive.
Here is what the Weird Nut does, in case you want to equip it:
- Reduces bleed chance
- Slows down healing
Weird Bolt
The last arch anomaly can be found in Yaniv, West of Yaniv Station, inside the Tornado. This artifact is flying inside the Tornado and you need to climb up to a specific spot while the Tornado moves around you to catch the Weird Bolt in the air.
You can see above the exact spot you need to reach to pick up the flying bolt. You’ll need to reach the top of the crane and look behind as the red bolt will come towards you.
Climb to the top while the Tornado is away and, when it comes to hit you, make sure to stand under one of the supports of the crane, since the Tornado does no damage when you have any structure over your head.
Another tip is to enter one of the houses that the Tornado passes through and walk to the destination while being inside of the Torando. This way you can be sure to be at the right spot when the bolt is supposed to fly by.
Here is what the Weird Bolt does, in case you want to equip it:
- Max protection against anomalies
- Stamina depletes at a higher rate
