In Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Dr. Shcherba's request for help kicks off the "In The Name of Science" side quest after you speak with the C-Consciousness Representative during the main mission, Visions of Truth. This quest involves retrieving electronic collars from various mutants and presents players with several impactful choices.
Collecting the Electronic Collars:
This quest's first phase requires finding five electronic collars from specific locations marked on your map. If some locations aren't showing up, you may have already collected them during other missions or exploration. Here's a breakdown:
| Region | Collar Location | Mutant Type |
|---|---|---|
| Garbage | The Brood | Snork |
| Wild Island | Boathouse | Psy Bayun |
| Zaton | Hydrodynamics Lab | Controller |
| Malachite | Brain Scorcher | Brain Scorcher |
| Red Forest | Containers | Pseudogiant |
Once collected, return to Shcherba at the Roofed Warehouse in the Chemical Plant. If you've previously collected and sold the collars, the quest might bug. Use the console command "XEndQuestNodeBySID E08_SQ01_S2_SetJournal_WaitForSherbaCall_Finish_Pin_0" to fix this.
Jamming Device: Disable or Recalibrate?
After delivering the collars, Shcherba discovers a signal jamming them. He sends Skif to the Storage on the Hill (west of the Roofed Warehouse) to find the source. Inside, you'll face poltergeists, zombified soldiers, and rodents. Upon finding the device, you must choose:
- Destroy/Disable the Jammer (Recommended): This advances the quest, rewards you with coupons, and leads to a bloodsucker encounter and another crucial decision.
- Recalibrate the Jammer: You receive coupons from Dvupalov, and the quest ends.
Confrontation with Shcherba: Kill or Spare?
Disabling the jammer leads to Shcherba contacting you, activating the collars, and sending coupons. The objective then becomes "Wait for your reward from Shcherba." You can progress by waiting or using the console command "XStartQuestNodeBySID E08_SQ01_S3_Technical_SherbaInvitedToLab."
Shcherba will call you back to his lab, where Dvupalov gives you two bottles of Magic Vodka. You'll then encounter three bloodsuckers and a trapped Shcherba. He exposes you to PSI radiation, intending to awaken Faust-like abilities. The Magic Vodka negates the radiation's effects.
After escaping, you confront Shcherba, who holds Dvupalov at gunpoint. You must decide whether to kill or spare Shcherba. Both choices yield the same rewards (a Gauss Gun and the "On a Leash" trophy), but sparing him maintains positive relations with the scientists.
