STALKER 2: Earning Coupons Without Grinding

The income loops that actually work

• Artifact hunting is still the best source of coupons. Artifacts sit in anomaly fields and stay invisible until a detector finds them: equip it, follow the accelerating signal, and throw bolts to reveal anomalies before you step in. Your starting detector handles common finds; later models with longer range open access to rare, high-value artifacts. Manage radiation (carry anti-rads or a compensating artifact), sell duplicates, and return after emissions — fields respawn, especially the further north you push.
• Mutant skinning (added in patch 1.5) finally makes kills pay. Eyes, tusks, and tentacles sell to traders, offsetting the cost of a fight. Since 1.6, NPC stalkers also loot corpses, so grab your share before a squad sweeps it.
• Repeatable missions at regional bases come in three difficulty tiers; riskier contracts pay more, with a delay between them. Supplementary, not a full farm.
• Side quests and stashes remain the densest income. Classic side quests pay coupons, gear, and stash access. Search stashes flagged by corpses’ PDAs — since 1.6 their contents are consistently worth the detour.

Where to sell

Not every merchant pays the same. Gunsmiths and armor merchants return roughly a third of an item’s value; bartenders and junk dealers return noticeably less — close to half the difference. Take artifacts and gear to a dedicated weapon or armor merchant. Build green reputation with the faction nearest your operating area and their prices improve.

Habits that keep coupons in your pocket

• Do not repair before selling. Repair cost almost always exceeds the price increase; sell items as-is. The only exception is gear you intend to use.
• Strip gear in anomaly zones. Exposure degrades durability; removing weapons and suits before diving saves thousands of coupons over a playthrough.
• Conserve ammo. Single-shot fire against humans and lesser mutants, headshots to drop targets in one or two rounds, and loot every corpse. Dead bandits charge nothing; traders charge full price.
• Sell surplus. Ammo you do not use, spare food, medical supplies, and attachments all convert to coupons. For the gear those coupons buy, see the weapon roles guide, and for staying alive between farms, the survival basics.