Legendary artifacts are the strongest items you can equip in STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, and each one either maxes out a single resistance or grants a unique effect you cannot get any other way. Some sit at fixed spots you can walk to. Others only appear at random inside dense anomaly fields, so you have to hunt for them.
Quick answer: The “Weird” artifacts each spawn at one fixed anomaly you can travel to directly. Compass, Hypercube, Liquid Rock, and Thunderberry appear randomly wherever their matching anomaly type is concentrated, so scan those fields repeatedly and revisit after Emissions.
Every legendary artifact, location, and effect
| Artifact | Where to get it | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Compass | Gravitational anomalies (random) | Maximum Physical Protection; Radiation: Max |
| Hypercube | Thermal anomalies (random) | Maximum Thermal and Bleeding Protection; Radiation: Max |
| Liquid Rock | Chemical/acid anomalies (random) | Maximum Radio and Chemical Protection |
| Thunderberry | Electric anomalies (random) | Maximum Endurance; Radiation: Max |
| Weird Ball | Bulba anomaly, east of Zalissya | Reduces bullet damage while standing still |
| Weird Bolt | Tornado anomaly, west of Yaniv | Reduces anomaly damage while charged |
| Weird Flower | Poppy Field, Lesser Zone | Masks your scent, harder to detect for 300 seconds |
| Weird Nut | Fire Whirl, Cooling Towers | Rapidly heals bleeding, but slows overall healing |
| Weird Pot | Mist, Burnt Forest | Reduces hunger, but causes occasional Psi hallucinations |
| Weird Water | Wandering Lights, Zaton | Reduces radiation effects, but occasionally leaves you drunk |
| Heart of Chornobyl | Story-locked | Required for a specific ending |
Fixed-spawn “Weird” artifacts and how to reach them
These artifacts sit inside one specific anomaly each. They do not roll randomly, so once you know the spot you can go straight for it.
Weird Ball — Bulba anomaly
Take the eastern road out of Zalissya and look for the Bulba anomaly. The Weird Ball sits at the front of it, near the parked ambulance and van. Bulba can kill you in a single pull, so crouch and use the wrecked vehicles as cover, then approach from the side to grab it. It reduces incoming bullet damage, and the effect is strongest while you stand still.
Weird Flower — Poppy Field
The Weird Flower is a bright blue flower in the northern part of the Poppy Field, in the upper-right corner of the Lesser Zone. Bring Non Stop Energy Drink to stay awake while you cross the field. Sleep with the flower equipped and it masks your scent, making you far harder to detect, though the effect fades the longer it has been since you last slept.
Weird Bolt — Tornado anomaly
Head west of Yaniv to the Tornado anomalous area. Climb the containers, then move to the top of the crane arm and wait for the Tornado to sweep over your position. The Weird Bolt flies around inside the anomaly, so grab it as it passes. Quick-save on the crane first, since timing this is tricky. While charged, it cuts anomaly damage, but it needs a large amount of anomalous energy to recharge.
Weird Nut — Fire Whirl
The Weird Nut sits on a platform beside the fiery vortex in the Fire Whirl anomalous area in the Cooling Towers. Climb up to the section of steel railing the whirl brushes against, grab the nut, and get out of the damage zone quickly. It rapidly stops bleeding when attached to your belt, but wounds take longer to heal in exchange.
Weird Water — Wandering Lights
Travel to the Wandering Lights anomalous area on the eastern edge of the Zaton region. The artifact spawns on top of a large rock in the southwest part of the anomaly. It heavily reduces radiation effects and makes movement smoother, at the cost of leaving you drunk from time to time.
Weird Pot — Mist
The Weird Pot is found in the Mist anomaly in the Burnt Forest. It reduces hunger and slows how quickly you get hungry again, but you can sometimes suffer damaging Psi hallucinations while carrying it.
Random-spawn artifacts and which anomalies to farm
Compass, Hypercube, Liquid Rock, and Thunderberry can appear almost anywhere in the Zone, as long as you are standing in a heavy concentration of the right anomaly type. Scan with your detector, clear the spot, and keep checking after Emissions, since artifacts can respawn once one passes.
| Artifact | Anomaly type to farm | Anomalies to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Compass | Gravitational | Whirligig, Vortex |
| Hypercube | Thermal | Burner, Comet, Clicker |
| Thunderberry | Electric | Tesla, Electro |
| Liquid Rock | Chemical | Gas Cloud, Bubbles, Fruit Punch |
Liquid Rock is the odd one out here, since it has no downside. Its maximum Radio and Chemical protection also comes with maximum durability, and it emits no radiation, so it pairs well with any of the other legendary artifacts that irradiate you. One reliable acid spot is the tunnel with the acid anomaly near the Old Mill in the Lesser Zone.
Note: Compass, Hypercube, and Thunderberry all carry a maximum radiation rating. To wear them safely, either upgrade your suit or slot a radiation-countering artifact such as Liquid Rock alongside them.
Heart of Chornobyl (story-locked)
The Heart of Chornobyl is a one-of-a-kind artifact that functions as a psi-radiation amplifier. You cannot find it by roaming the map. It is obtained by killing Strelok during the Ward, Spark, or Kaimanov ending routes, and it is tied to a specific conclusion of the main story. Because of that, save this one until you have committed to your ending path.
Cost of Hope DLC artifacts
The Cost of Hope expansion adds four more legendary artifacts, all of which require the DLC. Two of them, Flare Light and Flickering Flare, are the only artifacts in the game that provide Psi protection.
| Artifact | Effect |
|---|---|
| Flare Light | Halves Psi impact, and phantoms no longer show human faces |
| Flickering Flare | Reduces headaches from Psi and keeps your thoughts clear |
| Heart of a Shadow Chimera | Boosts every resistance except Psi and radiation; carries a 4/5 radiation rating |
| Water Drop | Makes you feel slightly lighter (reduced weight) |
Heart of a Shadow Chimera is the strongest all-around defensive option in the game thanks to the broad resistance boost, but its heavy radiation rating means you likely cannot stack it with other irradiating legendaries. Counter it by upgrading your suit or by pairing it with an artifact that provides radiation dispersion.
How to collect and confirm a pickup
Equip your artifact detector to hunt these down. It beeps faster as you close in, and the artifact itself gives off a low hum when you are near. Swap your pistol or knife for bolts while working an anomaly, since bolts can reset or disperse it without you taking unnecessary damage. Once retrieved, the artifact drops into your inventory, and you must equip it into an armor slot before any effect applies. If nothing changes on your stats, check that it is slotted rather than just sitting in your pack.
