Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl – Seek and you shall find Lesser Zone Stash locations

‘Seek and you shall find’ is an optional side quest that you will unlock after completing the first few story missions in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl.

As with many of the game’s secondary missions, you shouldn’t sleep on it, so prioritize collecting the Journalist Stashes from the Lesser Zone as soon as the quest unlocks.

This obviously progresses the quest and unlocks more of the data drives, but it also rewards some of the better guns that the player can get at this point in the game. Though the general location will be marked on your map, finding the actual chests can be a nightmare.

Fortunately, we have you covered, so read on for a complete breakdown of where you need to go.

All Journalist Stash locations in the Lesser Zone

Journalist Stash #1

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Rewards

• 36x 9×18 Ammunition
• PTM Monolith Pistol
• Mercenary’s Light Suit

The first stash that you’ll want to collect can be found in the central Stalker hub of Zalissya. Head to the location marked on the map above, and you will find an abandoned wooden building with a blue truck next to it.

Run towards either of the front headlights on the truck and jump just before. If you time it right, you should scramble up the bonnet. From there, head up to the main roof and turn right before jumping down onto the smaller roof.

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Head into the small gap and the blue chest can be found at the end of the roof gable. The Mercenary Armor is the big ticket item here, and you’ll likely want to equip it immediately.

Journalist Stash #2

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Rewards

• 60x 5.56×45 Ammunition
• AR416 Monolith Assault Rifle

To pick up the next Journalist Stash, you’ll want to head out of Zalissya and move South-East to the Military Base found near the Sphere.

On your approach, take out the guard in the watch tower from a distance if you can. This will allow you to enter quickly without alerting other military members.

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Walk through the main entrance and head round to the left while crouched. Move past the brown brick building until you see a grey structure with a ladder. Climb up the ladder and you will find the second stash in front of the pipe.

Journalist Stash #3

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Rewards

• 50x 9×19 Ammunition
• Viper “Monolith” SMG

Head North-East from Zalissya until you arrive at a large abandoned factory. Well, it is nearly abandoned as the place is crawling with Bandits who will shoot on sight.

You will see a temporary-looking wooden structure attached to the main building. Head round to the opposite side and you should see a ladder. Make your way up and across the roof, then jump down onto the smaller roof, and you should see the stash.

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Inside the factory is the Bandit leader (named Leshy) on an elevated gangway. He is worth killing as he carries an impressive sniper rifle that packs a significant punch. Just make sure to watch out for the myriad tripwires that protect him and take your headshot before he has a chance to take his.

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It’s worth taking out the rest of his cronies along the way, as well. You can stealth around them pretty easily but they are all well-armed and with plentiful supplies that you’ll find helpful on your travels.

Those are the Journalist Stash locations in the Lesser Zone in Stalker 2! Make sure to check out our complete guide to The Poppy Field quest, as well as our breakdown of the factions you will encounter in the Zone.