To complete The Price Goes Up in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, speak with Diode at Slag Heap, retrieve his workshop keycard, return it to him, and follow the route to Nestor’s stash. Afterward, the mission points you toward either the Dig Site or the Labyrinth; available guides do not establish which destination has the better long-term outcome.
Start the mission by speaking with Diode
The Price Goes Up is a main mission in the Garbage region that follows Answers Comes At A Price. Go to Slag Heap and speak with Diode to begin the workshop investigation. Gamer Guides’ walkthrough and Gamerpillar’s walkthrough both describe this opening objective.
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Find the workshop keycard
- Travel to the workshop and look for the broken concrete pipe. Enter through it, then break the planks inside to descend into the structure.
- Move through the corridor carefully. It contains electrical and fire anomalies, so expect danger and bring healing supplies rather than assuming the route is safe to cross.
- Before leaving, collect the Return Mechanism Sleeve Tightener Blueprint from the corpse near the desk, as described by Gamer Guides.
- Go upstairs and take the keycard from the corpse there.
- Retrace your route and use the exit. Gamerpillar describes leaving via the ladder and keycard door.
The blueprint and card are separate pickups: collect both before returning to Slag Heap. The route details are documented by Gamer Guides and Gamerpillar.
Return the card to Diode
Bring the keycard back to Diode at Slag Heap and show it to him. The walkthroughs say he identifies it as his spare card, which he gave to Nestor, and directs you to investigate Nestor’s stash.
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Follow the route to Nestor’s stash
From Slag Heap, climb the scaffolding and follow the crane route. Continue through the bus and tunnel passages, then climb out toward the crane scene and the stash. Both Gamer Guides and Gamerpillar describe this sequence.
Gamer Guides reports that the stash contains supplies, a modified shotgun, and Nestor’s flash drive. Loot it before moving on.
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Dig Site or Labyrinth: what to choose next
The next objective presents the Dig Site or the Labyrinth as destinations. The cited walkthroughs establish that both are part of the mission’s next steps, but they do not provide a complete comparison of rewards, hazards, lasting story effects, or possible lockouts. Choose based on where you want to investigate next; the available information does not support calling either option the better or consequence-free choice.
GSC Game World’s NPC Interactions support page says dialogue decisions often affect plot development or faction relationships. That is general guidance, not confirmation of a specific consequence for choosing the Dig Site or Labyrinth.
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Useful preparation and version context
GSC’s support guidance describes the Zone’s services: traders buy and sell gear, weapons, medicines, and artifacts; technicians repair and upgrade gear; medics treat health, bleeding, and radiation; and guides offer paid travel along known routes. These are general game systems, not mission-specific requirements.
GSC’s Patch 1.5 notes, dated June 25, 2025, cover broad AI, balance, loot, and bug fixes, but do not identify a change to this mission’s objectives or route. That does not confirm the quest is unchanged in later versions.
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