STALKER 2 Healing: Bandages, Medkits and Radiation
Bleeding, health, radiation and hunger are four meters with four fixes, and using the wrong one is how a raid turns into a death.
The four problems
Bleeding. Caused by bullets, mutants, and anomalies. It drains health continuously and it is stopped by a bandage, not by a medkit. A player who heals without stopping the bleed is pouring health into a leak. Health. Restored by medkits. The stronger ones heal more and take the same time, which makes them worth the weight once you can afford them. Radiation. Accumulates near anomalies, in hot zones, and from some artifacts. It is treated with anti-radiation drugs, and it is the meter most players ignore until it is critical. Hunger. Decays slowly and affects stamina. Food is cheap and light and there is no reason to run out.
The order
Bleeding first, then radiation if it is high, then health, then food. That order is not arbitrary: bleeding kills fastest, radiation keeps damaging, and health is the resource you top up last because healing is slow. Healing takes time in this game, which is the real cost. Standing still for a medkit animation in the open is how players get killed by something they never saw, so treat healing as something you do behind cover, the way you would treat reloading.
What to carry
Bandages, several. They are light, cheap, and you will need more than you think. Medkits, two or three. Enough for one bad fight plus one mistake. Anti-radiation drugs. At least one, and more if you are heading into a region with heavy anomaly coverage. Food. Two items is enough for a long walk. The artifact page explains why radiation management is a build decision: some artifacts emit radiation and some clear it, and the combination decides how many drugs you need to carry.
The economy
Medical items are consumables and they cost money you also need for repairs. That makes prevention cheaper than treatment: avoiding a fight costs nothing, and the combat tips page is largely about that. If you are constantly out of bandages, the problem is not your supply — it is that you are taking damage you could have avoided. Track which enemy or hazard causes most of it and change that, rather than buying more.
Sources & References
This guide is verified against the game's own data and official communications. For patch notes, current balance, and authoritative specifics, consult the references below. Where a precise number cannot be verified, we explain the mechanic rather than invent a figure.
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 on Steam — patch notes, current season, and authoritative game data.