How To Kill Rat Swarms in Stalker 2

The hazardous world of Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is full of all sorts of nasty things that want to kill you. Chief among them are rats. While not much of a threat on their own, a pack of rodents can be exceptionally dangerous. Here’s how to kill rat swarms in Stalker 2.

Where To Find Rat Swarms in Stalker 2

Knowing where rat swarms spawn in Stalker 2 is vital to survival. Being aware of when and where to expect them can ensure you stay prepared, never to be caught off guard by packs of swarming rats.

As expected, rats are typically found in underground areas. Unfortunately, these spaces are often the sources of the game’s best loot stashes, and their confined spaces make rat swarms especially lethal. These confined spaces also make it harder to use some of the best gear for taking out the little beasts.

Related: How To Find the First Artifact in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl

The Best Gear to Kill Rat Swarms in Stalker 2

Bullet weapons work fine on single or small groups of rats. However, rat swarms can quickly overwhelm the player, and spraying and praying simply won’t do and will waste precious resources. As such, grenades are the way to go for crowd control.

When encountering a big group of rats in Stalker 2, first try to find some way to put distance between yourself and the swarm. The easiest way to do this is to find some sort of high ground, as rats will not be able to jump or climb up to you. Once you’ve gotten to relative safety, open up the weapon wheel, select your grenades, and lob one at the rat swarm. The splash damage that makes these so effective can also do quite a bit of damage to yourself. Try and keep your distance from the explosion when possible.

To heal from potential self-inflicted grenade damage, be sure to carry lots of Medkits. Bandages will prove necessary as well since attacks from rats can trigger the bleeding effect. Bleeding makes the player character lose health fast over time, so be sure to heal with a bandage to stop the bleeding whenever this status hits your health.

Bandages will often be found out in the world, and enemy NPCs tend to drop them fairly often. However, if you want a guaranteed way to stock up on them, head to Zalissya. The Southeastern side of this village houses Mykolayich, a medic. He can patch players up but also has lots of medical supplies for sale, including Bandages.

As far as finding grenades go, you’ll need to get aggressive in combat. The vast majority of grenades we’ve found in The Zone have been recovered from the bodies of slain human enemies in Stalker 2, such as Bandits.

And that’s how to kill rat swarms in Stalker 2.

Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl is available now on Xbox and PC.