STALKER 2 Settlements: Where to Sell, Repair and Sleep

What they provide

Traders. Buying and selling, which is where loot becomes money. Sell prices vary, and hauling a heavy item across the map to a trader who pays less than the one you left is a pure loss — the money page covers the margins. Technicians. Repairs and permanent upgrades. Not every technician can do everything, which is why knowing which one has the capability you need is a routing question, not a shopping one — see the technician page. Rest and storage. A place to dump loot, recover, and reset before the next leg.

Why settlement position decides your route

Two things scale with distance from a settlement: the risk of carrying loot, and the cost of coming back. So the practical rule is to plan loops rather than lines. A loop that returns to the same settlement lets you dump, repair, and go back out. A line across the map means one long carry with everything you own on your back. That is also why the artifact fields worth farming are the ones near a settlement. A rich field three regions away is worth less than a mediocre field ten minutes from a trader.

How many you should know

Two or three well-known settlements beats knowing every one badly. You need one you can reach quickly, one with the technician capability you currently need, and one near the region you are working. Mark them on the PDA. A settlement you cannot find again is a settlement you paid for once.

The safety assumption

A settlement is safe in the sense that combat there is not the point, but the walk to it is not. Most deaths on a loot run happen in the last few hundred metres, when a player relaxes because they can see the destination. Keep the same discipline on the approach as at any other point: cover, quiet, and awareness. The stealth page applies right up to the gate.