How to equip more artifacts - Stalker 2

Start getting more artifact slots and looking out for the sockets that glow green.

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Do your available artifact slots keep changing? Do you want to equip more artifacts but you’re not sure how? Or maybe you’ve noticed that some of your artifact slots have a green glow to them. Artifacts are one of the only ways you can make Skif more powerful, so understanding how all this works is incredibly important.

How to equip more artifacts

A circle highlights the artifact slot counter on a piece of armor
Keep an eye out for armor with a higher artifact counter.
Source: Shacknews

In order to equip more artifacts, you will need to find armor with a higher artifact counter, which is displayed beside the armor’s weight value. There does seem to be some inconsistencies where two armor pieces have the same number of artifact icons but one has fewer available slots. It’s best to equip each one and check.

Equipping artifacts in the correct slot

An arrow points at an artifact slot with a green glow
See the green glow on the artifact slot? It's a lead-lined slot to it will protect you from artifact radiation, but only from the one equip in that spot.
Source: Shacknews

There is a right way to equip artifacts and a wrong way. You might have noticed artifact slots that glow green – these are lead-lined sockets. You can place an artifact in one of these and it will neutralize any radiation effects.

An artifact with maximum radiation damage
This artifact will give you radiation poisoning almost immediately, so you need to put it in a lead-slot or offset it with another artifact (or two).
Source: Shacknews

For example, if you have an artifact that says “Radiation Weak” it will constantly give you radiation poisoning. To offset this, you can put said artifact in a slot that has a green glow to it. This will stop it from constantly poisoning you. However, if you do not have armor with available lead-lined slots, you can offset the damage using an artifact that has a Radiation Protection Weak effect.

A lead-lined socket will protect you from radiation no matter how powerful it is, but an artifact can only protect you up to a certain point. If you’ve got an artifact that says Radiation Maximum, a Radiation Protection Weak artifact will hardly help.

Upgrading artifact slots

Some armor can be upgraded at techs to improve artifact slots. Make sure you investigate the upgrade options, as you might be able to make more sockets that have lead in them to protect you from those really dangerous artifacts.

There’s a lot to learn in Stalker 2, and the sooner you figure out artifacts, the quicker you’ll be able to engage with some of the tougher content. Make sure you keep checking that armor and using the lead-lined sockets wherever possible. Read over our Stalker 2 page for more help surviving the Zone.

Guides Editor

Hailing from the land down under, Sam Chandler brings a bit of the southern hemisphere flair to his work. After bouncing round a few universities, securing a bachelor degree, and entering the video game industry, he's found his new family here at Shacknews as a Guides Editor. There's nothing he loves more than crafting a guide that will help someone. If you need help with a guide, or notice something not quite right, you can message him on X: @SamuelChandler 

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