In Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Dr. Shcherba's request for help initiates the side quest, "In the Name of Science," tasking players with retrieving electronic collars from various mutants. This quest features multiple choices impacting its outcome.
Collecting the Electronic Collars:
Five collars must be found, their locations detailed below. Note that if collars are already collected, the quest might bug. The console command "XEndQuestNodeBySID E08_SQ01_S2_SetJournal_WaitForSherbaCall_Finish_Pin_0" can resolve this.
Region | Collar Location | Mutant |
---|---|---|
Garbage | The Brood | Snork |
Wild Island | Boathouse | Psy Bayun |
Zaton | Hydrodynamics Lab | Controller |
Malachite | Brain Scorcher | |
Red Forest | Containers | Pseudogiant |
Return the collars to Shcherba at the Roofed Warehouse in the Chemical Plant.
Jammer Dilemma:
Shcherba discovers a signal jamming the collars. Players must investigate and choose between disabling or recalibrating the jamming device at the Storage on the Hill.
- Disable/Destroy the Jammer (Recommended): This advances the quest, yielding coupons and leading to a bloodsucker encounter and a further choice.
- Recalibrate the Jammer: Rewards coupons and concludes the quest.
The Final Confrontation:
After disabling the jammer, Shcherba contacts Skif, sending coupons and promising further assistance. The objective shifts to "Wait for your reward from Shcherba." Progress can be manually advanced using the console command "XStartQuestNodeBySID E08_SQ01_S3_Technical_SherbaInvitedToLab."
Shcherba's subsequent call leads to a trap. Players receive Magic Vodka from Dvupalov, crucial for negating PSI-radiation exposure. Escape the room, defeat three Bloodsuckers, and confront Shcherba.
The choice to kill or spare Shcherba yields the same rewards (a Gauss Gun and the "On a Leash" trophy), but sparing him maintains better relations.