Gaming How-To

Moving in the Shadows: How to Activate the Centrifuge and Reach the Archives

Bypass the flooded facility, align the three bridge segments, and drop into the archive path in Stalker 2: Cost of Hope.

Bypass the flooded facility, align the three bridge segments, and drop into the archive path in Stalker 2: Cost of Hope.

The path into the archives during the “Moving in the Shadows” objective runs through a flooded underground facility that ends at a large circular centrifuge chamber. To move forward, you have to restore power to the bridge controls and rotate three arm segments until they line up into a walkable crossing.

Quick answer: Shoot the blue power node near the ceiling of the centrifuge room to power the controls, pull the levers around the platform to rotate the arms, then enter the control booth and press the red button to lock the bridge. Cross it and drop down the pipe shaft to reach the archive path.

Image credit: GSC Game World

Reaching the centrifuge room

Before the puzzle begins, you push through ruined, flooded corridors where electrical anomalies crackle across the floor and water. Keep your distance from the exposed current and move only when the path is clear.

Follow the corridors forward until you hit a locked gate. Shoot the electrical junction box on the wall to release it, then crawl through the concrete pipe on the other side.
Image credit: GSC Game World
A mutant zombie waits in the hallway beyond. Put it down and head upstairs to the upper floors.
Search the green metal lockers along the corridor walls for Anti-Radiation Drugs, which are worth grabbing before the hazard-heavy section ahead. A second zombie blocks the route further on, so clear it before continuing.
Keep moving until you step into the large circular chamber. Your objective updates to “Turn on the centrifuge” once you are inside.
Image credit: GSC Game World

Activate the centrifuge and align the bridge

The centrifuge is turned on by aligning three separate bridge segments into a single crossing. You do this by rotating the centrifuge arms using manual levers placed around the platform, then confirming the alignment from a control booth. Electrical discharges arc across parts of the floor, so watch your footing while you work around the ring.

Walk along the circular platform and avoid the electrical discharges on the floor as you look for the controls.
Image credit: GSC Game World
Find the blue power node near the ceiling and shoot it to restore power to the bridge rotation controls. Without this, the levers will not move the arms.
Pull the manual levers scattered around the chamber to rotate the centrifuge arms. Each lever turns a segment, so keep adjusting until the pieces start to line up into a path.
Enter the control booth, align the remaining bridge sections from there, and press the red button to activate the centrifuge and lock the crossing in place.
Image credit: GSC Game World / LunarGaming

Note: The high-voltage warning signage in the chamber flags live current rated at 350В, which matches the discharges on the floor. Treat any glowing panel or exposed line as dangerous and route around it.


Bridge segments and controls reference

ElementWhat it does
Blue power node (ceiling)Shoot it to power the bridge rotation controls
Manual levers (platform)Rotate individual centrifuge arm segments
Control booth red buttonLocks the aligned bridge and activates the centrifuge
Bridge segmentsThree sections that must line up into one crossing

Cross the bridge and reach the archive path

Once the red button locks the alignment, the three segments form a continuous walkway. Cross the newly aligned centrifuge bridge to reach the exit on the far side.

Beyond the chamber you enter a dark, multi-level pipe room filled with fire and toxic gas hazards. Work your way down through the levels carefully, since the fire and gas can drain your health fast if you linger.

At the bottom of that hazard room, drop down the broken pipe shaft. This vertical drop puts you on the path that leads to the archives and completes the “Find the way to the archive” objective.

Image credit: GSC Game World

You will know the sequence worked when the centrifuge visibly locks into place and the bridge becomes walkable, and again when dropping down the pipe shaft opens the route onward. If the levers do nothing, the blue power node has not been shot yet, which is the most common reason the arms refuse to rotate.