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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesGive the Ward Sensors to Richter if you want the larger reward and the route through the Abandoned Communication Hub. Richter pays 1,500 coupons, while Captain Zotov pays 1,000 coupons. Zotov’s route is shorter at first and supports the Ward side of the early story, but the choice does not determine STALKER 2’s ending or permanently lock you to Ward or Spark.
What changes when you hand over the Sensors?
The decision occurs after finding Squint during the main missions Behind Seven Seals and A Needle in a Haystack. Skif can give the Ward Sensors to either Richter, who represents the Spark-aligned stalkers, or Captain Zotov of the Ward. The handover is made in dialogue; there is no inventory menu, PDA option, or console command involved. Shacknews outlines the choice and rewards.
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The choice affects:
- Your immediate coupon reward.
- The route into the Sphere.
- The objectives immediately following the Sphere sequence.
- The checkpoint used to leave the Lesser Zone.
- Your early relationship with Ward and Spark characters.
The routes later converge with the main storyline. This is an early faction-alignment decision, not the final ending choice. Later faction decisions have greater consequences. GSC’s faction and reputation guidance explains that faction choices can affect reputation, area access, traders, missions, and how characters treat Skif.
Give the Sensors to Richter
Richter is the better choice for most players because he provides 500 more coupons and sends you through a useful alternate route toward the Sphere.
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His route takes you to the Abandoned Communication Hub, where you search IPSF bodies for information and proceed through an underground entrance. The keypad code is:
2765
The code does not change with difficulty. A note containing it can be found on one of the IPSF bodies, but missing the note does not prevent you from using the code. A Poltergeist is present in the hub, but fighting it is optional; you can avoid it while searching for the bodies and the keypad information. Prima Games’ walkthrough covers the hub route and code.
Rank #2
After entering the Sphere through the tunnel and keypad door, you continue the story with Solder. Richter’s route eventually takes you out of the Lesser Zone through the Northern Checkpoint, leading toward the Garbage region.
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- 1,500 coupons.
- The underground Sphere entrance.
- A route that generally avoids the main guarded entrance.
- The Northern Checkpoint and the later Garbage direction.
It is not a guaranteed stealth path. Combat can still occur in both the communication hub and the Sphere.
Rank #3
Give the Sensors to Captain Zotov
Zotov pays 1,000 coupons and sends Skif to a Ward contact near the Sphere. That contact provides access through a guarded Ward-controlled entrance or side gate.
This route has a shorter initial objective sequence, but you then move through the Sphere’s guarded interior before continuing the main story. You leave the Lesser Zone through the Western Checkpoint, which leads toward the Chemical Plant region. GamesRadar describes the two route variations.
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Choose Zotov if you want:
- The Ward-aligned version of the early story branch.
- A shorter initial sequence.
- Ward access into the Sphere.
- The Western Checkpoint and the later Chemical Plant direction.
Zotov’s route is not automatically a firefight. You can attempt stealth through the guarded area, although neither route changes the game’s basic combat rules.
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No. Giving the Sensors to Richter or Zotov does not directly select the ending, permanently commit Skif to Spark or Ward, or lock the rest of the game to one faction. It changes the early route and signals an initial relationship with one side, but the story later converges. Subsequent faction decisions are more important.
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Do not confuse this with the earlier Richter/Zotov decision
During Behind Seven Seals, Richter and Zotov can both provide the lead that begins the search for Squint. That earlier choice is separate from the later Sensor handover.
- Following Richter and Gaffer starts the Inevitable Nests objective.
- Following Zotov uses the shorter Mug and warehouse investigation and locks out Inevitable Nests for that playthrough.
Only after locating Squint do you make the separate decision about who receives the Sensors.
Squint: kill him or help him?
The way you obtain the Sensors is also separate from the Richter-versus-Zotov decision.
- If you kill Squint, you can loot the Ward Sensors from his body.
- If you help him, you begin the side mission Piece of Cake.
- Completing it requires retrieving the Mold artifact.
- Returning the artifact makes Squint hand over the Sensors.
- You can also keep the artifact and attack Squint, then obtain the Sensors from him.
What to do if the quest or NPC is missing
Earlier versions of STALKER 2 had problems involving missing NPCs, broken dialogue, NPC deaths, and quest progression after items were handed over through dialogue. GSC’s Patch 1.2 specifically addressed generic quest failures involving dialogue item handovers and several Richter-related disappearance or progression issues. The latest official patch entry listed in the supplied research is Patch 1.7.1, released December 10, 2025; its notes do not list a change to this branch, the rewards, code, or checkpoint routes. Read GSC’s Patch 1.2 notes and check the official patch-notes list.
- Update the game before troubleshooting.
- Load a save from before entering the settlement or beginning the relevant conversation.
- Finish nearby combat, since active enemies can interfere with NPC behavior.
- Avoid killing named quest NPCs.
- Confirm that the objective is still Find Squint or the relevant Sensor-return objective.
Bottom line
For the best practical reward and the more flexible early route, give the Sensors to Richter. Choose Zotov if you specifically want the Ward-aligned branch, its shorter opening sequence, or the Western Checkpoint route toward the Chemical Plant. Neither option determines the ending, and Richter’s underground route does not guarantee a combat-free or stealth-only mission.
Quick Recap
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