I enjoyed the earliest hours of STALKER 2 a lot more once I learned how to earn money and trade — here's what you should do

Tickets, please.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl tasks players with making it through the brutality and haunting beauty of the Zone. That means taking on threats and carefully managing survival supplies like weapons, armor, food, bandages, and more.

While you can scavenge a fair bit — indeed, grabbing bits and pieces from fallen foes is your bread and butter in this game — getting higher-end equipment means trading for it. If you don't have anything of your own to give up, then you'll have to resort to digital currency, referred to as Tickets.

After a few rough bumps, I've got the system down for making sure you don't run out of money early on. Here's how you can earn money and trade in STALKER 2.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl | $50.69 at CDKeys (Steam, PC)

The wait for STALKER 2 has been a long one, but at long last, it's finally here. The Zone is full of dangerous mutants, ruthless bounty hunters, supernatural phenomena, and unimaginable treasures, which means you'll need to trade and make money in order to survive.

Xbox: Amazon (Physical) | Game Legends (Limited Edition, Physical)
PC: GOG (Digital) | Game Legends (Physical)

STALKER 2: How to trade

Technically, it's possible for you to trade with almost anyone.

While there are some exceptions, many (if not most) of the friendly survivors you encounter can be traded with by interacting with them. Their offerings will be fairly limited however, and unless you're desperate for a bandage or some water, you're usually better off waiting for a dedicated trader at a camp or outpost. Early on, that means looking for Hamster in Zalissya.

When trading, you'll see a screen like above, showing your inventory and Tickets (your money) as well as what a trader has to offer. You can balance what you're willing to sell against what (if anything) you're trying to buy. If you've picked up some guns or other gear that you're not going to use, selling them is a great way to bring the price down on something you want to buy. Obviously, if you don't have enough Tickets, you won't be able to complete a transaction.

It's also extremely important to note that traders won't take any gear off your hands that has fallen to red durability, so don't just pick everything up that you see! You can repair equipment in order to then sell it, but because repairing costs Tickets, it's usually not going to be worth the effort unless you're selling something extremely rare and valuable.

STALKER 2: How to earn money

The best way to earn money in STALKER 2 is to complete the main questline, at least for a few hours. You'll have to go through several trials and tribulations, but you get paid a handsome amount of Tickets for just completing missions.

Outside of the main quest, you'll want to sell anything you are not using at that particular moment. While I understand the instinct to hoard everything just in case, STALKER 2's punishing weight system means it simply isn't a good idea to hold onto a gun if you're not actually using it. Make sure to loot thoroughly, but then sell off whatever you don't need for your current arsenal, and you'll be swimming in Tickets before long.

STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is currently available on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC (via Steam, the Xbox App, and the Epic Games Store). It's also available in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass.

Xbox Series X 1TB Digital Edition | $449.99 at Amazon

The Xbox Series X Digital Edition ditches the disc drive to give you $50 in additional savings. The white console is otherwise largely unchanged, but it's perfect for anyone that is fine sticking to digital games that still wants the best possible experience.