Using Stalker 2 fast travel through Guides will help you navigate the Zone at a much faster, and importantly safer, pace. But, there’s some major restrictions when it comes to fast travel and that’s before we even talk about the price of it. Special Guide NPCs are the only way you’ll be able to fast travel in STALKER 2, and they’ll charge you a coupon fee based on your trip. They’re also not exactly abundant around the irradiated wasteland of STALKER 2 Heart of Chornobyl and it doesn't help that they’re not introduced very clearly from the outset. To put it this way, STALKER 2 fast travel isn't a very accessible feature, but it’s certainly useful, so learning how to do it will really save you some time. Here’s everything you need to know about STALKER 2 fast travel and getting round the Zone with a little more ease.
How Stalker 2 fast travel works
Fast travel in Stalker 2 is only possible through Guides – special NPCs you can find at established settlements, such as Zalissya, the Chemical Plant, and the Slag Heap. They’re marked on the map with a green crosshair icon.
Approach and tell them that you’re “looking for a guide” and you’ll be presented with several locations that you’ve previously visited and have their own guides that you can be taken to, as well as the price in coupons for the trip – from my experience this is typically at least 1,500 coupons, so it’s not particularly cheap. Pick whichever destination you want to reach, then you’ll pay the fee and will be teleported there after a black loading screen.
It's a simple system but does have quite a few somewhat realistic limitations in that you must visit locations to unlock them as fast travel destinations, and you can’t fast travel from anywhere as you must physically speak to a Guide. Obviously, you’ll only find helpful Guides in non-hostile territory, which means they’re quite rare given how dangerous the Zone is, so don’t expect to have lots of options when it comes to fast travel in Stalker 2.
The first Guide you’ll come across is Uncle Lyonya in Zalissya, but you won’t be able to use his services until you’ve found other places to visit that he can take you to. For example, having pursued the Ward path after giving the Stalker 2 Ward Sensors to Captain Zotov, I later found a Guide called Toadstool just outside the Chemical Plant, letting me travel between the two settlements.
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