How to find every Journalist’s Stash in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
You’ll need all the help you can get when exploring the Zone in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl. It is an unforgiving and anxious experience and one that looks to kill you every chance you get.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 survival mechanics take the game’s difficulty to another level, and along with dealing with mutants, anomalies ,and hostile Stalkers, you’ll also have to worry about your resources, including your food, and ammo.
Resources are far and few in between and your weapons will often break down. Thus, you need to know where and how to find the resources you’ll need to survive.
Stashes are loot left behind by other Stalkers, and they can contain a variety of items. from medical items and food to ammo and weapons.
Journalist’s Stashes are unique Stashes hidden all over the map and contain unique weapon variants and armor.
In this article, we’ve listed every Journalist Stash and where you can find them.
Lesser Zone Journalist’s Stash Locations
1. Zalissya
- Rewards:
- PTM Monolith (Handgun)
- Mercenary’s Light Suit
- Journalist’s Message 2 note
At the edge of Zalissya, look for a blue truck next to an abandoned house. Climb onto the truck’s hood and then the roof of the house. From there, drop onto the balcony on the west side of the house where you’ll be able to enter the attic. You’ll find the Journalist’s Stash inside this attic.
2. Northern Checkpoint
- Rewards:
- Viper Monolith (Submachine Gun)
- 9x19MM FMJ ammo
Northeast of Zalissya, near the checkpoint connecting Lesser Zone to Garbage, you’ll find an abandoned factory with a ladder on its western side. Climb up the ladder onto the roof and drop down onto the adjacent lower rooftop to find the Journalist’s Stash.
3. Sphere
- Rewards:
- AR416 Monolith (Assault Rifle)
- 5.56x45MM M885 ammo
You can find this Journalist’s Stash on the roof of a small building against the outer wall of the IPSF Building compound. There’s a ladder on the western side of the building.
You’ll make your way to this location while playing through the main story, so make sure to find this stash while you’re there. Also, keep in mind that this compound will be occupied by hostiles when you first get there.
Garbage
4. Minibus in the South
- Reward:
- M860 Monolith (Shotgun)
- 12x70MM Buckshot ammo
In the southern part of Garbage, close to the Northern Checkpoint, you’ll find a broken-down minibus near a riverbank. The Journalist’s Stash is inside this minibus.
5. Junkyard
- Reward:
- Tourist Suit
Northwest of Slag Heap, in the junkyard, look for an upturned olive green container. You’ll find it in the south side of this area. Enter the container through the square opening, turn right and jump onto the wreckage. You’ll find the Journalist’s Stash there.
6. Rostok
- Reward:
- Riemann (Submachine Gun)
To the west of Garbage, you’ll find an abandoned barracks. Enter the building through the main entrance on the east side, turn left and you’ll see a room full of bunk beds. This room is filled with anomalies.
Use your bolts to disable the anomalies and swiftly head to the far-right corner of the room. The Journalist’s Stash is next to a bunkbed frame.
7. Yaniv
- Reward:
- Model Competitor (Revolver)
Move to the east of Yaniv, in the region above the Red Forest, to reach an abandoned railyard.
One of the train cars will have a padlock on it. Shoot the padlock or use your to slash it and you’ll be able to enter it and find the Journalist’s Stash inside.
8. Chemical Plant
- Reward:
- Lullaby (Assault Rifle)
In the Western Compound, near some train tracks, hop onto the yellow truck and then the ledges of the building next to it. Slowly move to the opposite side of the building and jump through the opening to find the Journalist’s Stash.
9. Burnt Forest
- Reward:
- SSP-100M SIRCAA Suit
From the border of the Chemical Plant, move down into the Burnt Forest and follow the Journalist Stash map marker to find the ruins of a village.
Dodge the flashbang anomalies and enter the ruins of the house with a ladder that leads down to the cellar. Climb down the ladder and you’ll see a flame anomaly guarding the Journalist’s Stash.
There are numerous ways to deal with this anomaly, but you can just tank its damage while you loot the stash and leave.
Swamp Journalist Stash Locations
10. North
- Reward:
- Veteran (Assault Rifle)
When you first reach the Swamp region, near the northern border, you should see an abandoned farmhouse. Jump onto the tractor next to it, hop onto the fences, and onto the roof. You can then enter the attic through the opening to find the Journalist’s Stash.
11. South
- Reward:
- Wanderer Suit
You’ll come in the vicinity of this journalist while playing through the main story, at the very bottom part of the Swamp.
You should see a ruined barracks building with an opening on the roof. There’s a gravity anomaly near it. Use your bolt to dispel it and enter the building to find the Journalist’s Stash.
12. Duga
This is the trickiest Journalist’s Stash to get in the game. The Duga region is a heavily fortified base with snipers guarding the main gate and the walled-off section. Taking out these snipers does no good either as this region also has invisible snipers that one-shot you.
To enter the base, sneak in from the southeastern yard during the main quest Happiness For Everyone.
Right before you head down to the sewers for the main objective, go to the Journalist Stash map marker on your map to reach the armory.
Inside the armory, you’ll have to fight a Burer, a mutant that can psionically grab weapons to use against you. This means any of the weapons in the armory and your own weapon, all at once, good luck.
After killing the Burer, look for a generator on the left side. Activate the generator, go to the control room, press the switch to unlock the locker, and loot the Journalist Stash inside.
This Journalist Stash will also have a voice recording that will point you towards the final Journalist Stash, which is in Pripyat.
13. Pripyat
- Rewards:
- Margach D-12MT (Shotgun).
- Hunter (Sniper Rifle).
- PSZ-21W Shturm (Armored suit with +12 kg maximum weight bonus)
To get to Pripyat, you’ll need to finish the main quest The Boundary. At the end of this mission, you’ll be given a choice to make, both of which will lead you to Pripyat.
Once you’re in Pripyat, the Journalist Stash icon should show up in your PDA. Track it, moving along the southern wall, and it will lead you to an abandoned Apartment Building.
The building is filled with mutant dogs as well as psydogs, but at the top floor is the door guarding the Journalist Stash. You can unlock the door using the code 2021 on the keypad.
