Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl's "In the Name of Science" Side Quest: A Complete Guide

Following the Visions of Truth main mission, Dr. Shcherba will contact Skif, initiating the side quest "In the Name of Science." This quest involves locating electronic collars from various mutants. The quest features multiple choices impacting its outcome.

Collecting the Electronic Collars

The first objective is to find five electronic collars. Their locations are marked on your map, but if some are missing, you may have already collected them during other missions or exploration. Here's a breakdown:

Return to Shcherba in the Roofed Warehouse (Chemical Plant) once you've gathered all collars. If the quest becomes bugged (due to prior collar collection and sale), use the console command "XEndQuestNodeBySID E08_SQ01_S2_SetJournal_WaitForSherbaCall_Finish_Pin_0" to proceed.

The Jamming Device: Disable or Recalibrate?

Shcherba will discover a signal jamming the collars. He'll send Skif to the Storage on the Hill (west of the Roofed Warehouse) to investigate. Inside, you'll face poltergeists, zombified soldiers, and rodents. Upon finding the jamming device, you have two options:

• Destroy/Disable the Jammer (Recommended): This advances the quest, rewards you with coupons, and leads to a bloodsucker encounter and a further choice.
• Recalibrate the Jammer: This concludes the quest with coupons from Dvupalov.

The Final Confrontation: Kill or Spare Shcherba?

Disabling the jammer leads to Shcherba contacting Skif, providing coupons, and promising future assistance. The objective changes to "Wait for your reward from Shcherba." You can progress by resting or using the console command "XStartQuestNodeBySID E08_SQ01_S3_Technical_SherbaInvitedToLab."

Shcherba will later invite Skif to his lab, where Dvupalov gives two bottles of Magic Vodka. Skif will then encounter three bloodsuckers and a trapped Shcherba. After a confrontation, you must choose:

• Kill Shcherba: This yields the same rewards as the next option.
• Spare Shcherba (Recommended): Maintains positive relations with scientists and Dvupalov.

The quest concludes with a Gauss Gun reward from Dvupalov and unlocks the "On a Leash" trophy. Remember, the image placements remain unchanged.