The Down Below section of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl hides a loot bag that most players walk straight past. It is tucked behind a grate in one of the side tunnels, close to the room where a ladder leads back up. Because the obvious path pushes you toward that ladder, the stash is simple to leave behind.
Quick answer: Before you climb the ladder in the room at the end of the tunnel, backtrack and check the side tunnels. One of them has a hidden loot bag stashed behind a grate.
Where the loot bag is during Down Below
As you move through the tunnels, you reach a room with a ladder that leads upward. That ladder is the intended exit, so it naturally draws your attention. The bag is not in that room. It sits farther back, inside one of the connecting tunnels, sealed off behind a grate rather than left out in the open.
The grate is what makes the stash easy to overlook. From the main path it reads as scenery, so you have to slow down and look into the side tunnels instead of heading straight for the way out.
How to reach the stash behind the grate
How to confirm you picked it up
You know the stash is claimed when the loot prompt appears and the bag’s contents transfer into your inventory. Once collected, there is nothing left to grab in that spot, so you can safely climb the ladder and continue.
If you have already reached the ladder without seeing any loot prompt, you have most likely skipped the side tunnel. Go back down and scan the branches before moving on, since the bag stays put until you interact with it.
