STALKER 2: Should You Kill Or Knock Out Solder?

screenrant.com:

In the early chapters of , protagonist Skif suffers a devastating betrayal by a contact he knows only as Solder, and must seek him out in order to find answers. This is one of several pivotal decisions players must make throughout the course of the game. Player choices have a great deal of impact on the world of , and this one seems to be no exception. The search for Solder forms the first major narrative thrust, and the way that players choose to resolve it determines how the next chapter plays out.

After choosing either to help or kill Squint, they'll return his sensors either to Richter or Zotov, and gain important information on Solder's location (along with a way in). They'll need to sneak their way to his headquarters in the heart of The Sphere, and interrogate him about his involvement in their earlier run-in. Finally, with Solder weakened and restrained, Skif can decide either to kill him, or to knock him out, before escaping The Sphere and moving onto the next map region. Here's what that decision affects, both immediately and in the long run.

If the player decides to kill Solder during "," it'll be over in a moment; there's no fight or extended struggle required. Skif already has Solder restrained and at his mercy, so he puts up no further resistance, and just crumbles to the ground. The most immediate effect of killing Solder is that the player will be able to loot him, but don't expect to find anything great. All Solder carries is a broken gun, a handful of ammo, and a PDA.

Players can, however, pick up Solder's PDA to unlock a secret message between him and Nestor. All it says is, "" This confirms that Solder was involved in some shady dealings with Nestor, involving a set of scanners they wanted to keep secret from the militant and authoritarian Ward. That's hardly surprising at this point, considering what the player already knows about Nestor and the Ward, but it's another piece of the puzzle.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an ambitious and