Hot on the Trail is the first mission in the Wild Island zone in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl. This mission takes you to the Noontide base, but they don’t just let in anyone. Find out how you can access the base, where you can find Strider, and everything else you need to complete the mission.

Table of Contents¶

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How to Get into Noontide Base¶

When you reach the Noontide Base for the first time, depending on your choice regarding the Unusual PDA in the Back to the Slag Heap, they may not let you in. If you did, you’ll get a Ward Badge, and you won’t have any problems.

If you didn’t trust them and show the PDA to them, you’ll need to head back to Sawmill to speak to Mute, who will give you a side mission called A Heavy Burden, where you’ll need to retrieve the cargo (near the Noontide base), and that will give you clearance into the base, although they won’t trust you still.

Look for Strider¶

Although you have access to the base, you won’t be able to use the vendors yet, however, you can still use the stash. Exit the checkpoint via the long tunnel, and if you took the A Heavy Burden route, take the cargo to Prof. Lodochka in the southeast. After you’ve done that, ask him where Strider is, and he’ll tell you he’s busy, and you’ll need to speak to Dubny.

Find Dubny¶

Dubny can be found in the main building to the northwest. Exit Prof. Lodchka’s lab, and follow the tracks to the outer wall. Go back the way you came (toward the tunnel) and you’ll find a white door leading into the base. Inside the base, go down the stairs to your left, follow the hallway north to the end, and take the stairs up. Proceed through the hallway, go through the door at the end, and then follow the next hallway until you see a couple of guards.

To the east is a wooden plank acting like a bridge leading into a tunnel. Head across and follow the tunnel to the end to find Dubny, who appears to be having an altercation with Faust. At first, he won’t tell you where Strider is, but he’ll ask if you’ve seen anomalies without an emission present, and you’ll tell him you have. If you want, you can ask him some questions, and when you’re ready, you can go to where Strider is located.

Disable the Scanner¶

Head back the way you came, but the wooden plank will fall where the guards were, so you’ll need to drop, avoid the anomaly, and climb the ladder up. When you get back to the main hub area of the base, make your way to the door near the bed and stash. Follow the path around until you reach the guard blocking the way and as you approach him, he’ll move out of the way, saying Dubny has told him to let you pass.

This area is filled with anomalies, so have your bolt equipped while traversing the area. If you need healing supplies, speak to the Doctor, Foma in front of you, and he’ll pay you some cash for some Anti-Radiation Drugs. When you’re ready, follow the linear path southeast until you reach the red brick wall with the poisonous anomalies.

Navigate your way around them while heading east (wait for the poisonous clouds to dissipate) until you reach the pallets of metal drums. Walk up to and around them, and then navigate past the poisonous anomalies again. Continue east around the corner and then head south until you reach the carriage to your right.

Go through the carriage and you’ll find Strider. He’ll ask you if you know what this “thing” is, and by that, he means the scanner. You’ll tell him just as much, and he’ll ask you to turn it off. Head over to the scanner to interact with it, and you’ll shut it down. With that done, he’ll agree to talk. After some explanations, you’ll have a choice to show him the Unusual PDA, he appears to be a stand-up guy, so why not? Hand over the scanner, and he’ll tell you about a database that can be used to track down every Monolithian PDA. He’ll tell you to talk to Prof. Lodochka for more information. Leave the area by going back through the carriage and exiting out the door to the south.

Return to Prof. Lodochka¶

Make your way back to Prof. Lodochka, who is to the south. When you enter his lab, you’ll hear him on the radio to Khors, talk to him, and if you want a side mission, ask him if he needs some help to accept the A Sign of Hope mission that rewards a new anomaly detector. When you’re ready to continue with the story, tell him you need to trace a Monolithian PDA.

Getting the Inductor¶

Apparently, you’ll need an Inductor to do this, which you can find in two different places, depending on whether you’ve completed the Shift Change side mission earlier or not.

Completed Shift Change¶

If you did the Shift Change mission earlier, read on, if you still need to, skip this part. Completing Shift Change before this mission means you will have less distance to travel due to them moving the Inductor from the Waste Processing Plant to a nearby storage facility. Exit the lab and run northeast directly toward the objective marker. If you follow the objective marker, you’ll run into a wall. Follow the wall left to find a gap in it, go in between the green containers to the right, and go right again where the small gap is. Finally, go right one more time to find some crates. Behind the crates is a backpack containing the Inductor.

Didn’t Complete Shift Change¶

Not completing Shift Change before this mission requires you to do so now. Follow our Shift Change Guide on how to complete it. After you finish the mission, you’ll find the Inductor on a shelf in the storage room, left of the stash.

Return to Strider¶

Now that you have the Inductor, all that’s left to do is to return to Strider with it back at the Noontide base. When you get there, you’ll get a short scene between Strider and Faust. Afterward, talk to Strider, and he’ll tell you that you need to head to the Azimuth Station before he hands over his personal gun to you, the Lynx. That’s it for this mission, and you’ll immediately unlock the following mission, Chasing Ghosts.