STALKER 2’s best easter egg references Call of Duty’s most iconic campaign mission

STALKER 2's best easter egg references Call of Duty's most iconic campaign mission

What you need to know

  • GSC Game World’s new open-world survival shooter STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is full of interesting secrets, surprises, and easter eggs for players to discover.
  • One such reference is a callback to “All Ghillied Up,” a beloved mission from 2007’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare in which players sneak through the ruins of Pripyat and attempt to assassinate a Russian paramilitary leader, the game’s antagonist, with a sniper rifle.
  • STALKER 2 includes Pripyat as an explorable space, and in the exact same hotel room that Call of Duty had players take their shot from, you can find a high-powered sniper rifle.
  • There’s also a STALKER 2-themed can of the Ukrainian NON STOP energy drink there that’s a replica of the real-life Limited Edition version of the drink. There are only a handful of these special cans across The Zone, making them collectibles.

As a tech enthusiast with over two decades of gaming under my belt, I must say that STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl has truly outdone itself in terms of Easter eggs and nods to the gaming community. The callback to one of my all-time favorite missions, “All Ghillied Up” from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, is a delightful surprise that had me reminiscing about the good old days.


In the fresh open-world survival shooter by GSC Game World, STALKER 2, there are numerous fascinating mysteries and hidden gems waiting to be discovered – from a subtly concealed nod to DayZ’s Livonia landscape, to a vehicle suspended in a tree that evokes memories of Harry Potter’s magical world. However, the Easter egg that truly stands out for me is an apparent homage to one of the most memorable missions in Call of Duty’s first-person shooter legacy.

In the original Call of Duty: Modern Warfare from 2007, there’s a level known as “All Ghillied Up,” which is often praised for its excellence. This mission places you in the role of Captain John Price, who was a Lieutenant at the time, along with his superior Captain MacMillan. They are sneaking past Russian paramilitary forces to attempt an assassination on antagonist Imran Zakhaev during a black market deal. The setting is the devastated Pripyat, Ukraine in 1996.

In the final scene of “All Ghillied Up”, the two-person squad establishes a Barrett M82 anti-material rifle on the upper level of Polissya Hotel, a city building, which they later use in the subsequent mission titled “One Shot, One Kill” to make an assassination attempt. The upcoming game STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, set within the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, features Pripyat as one of its explorable regions on the map. Inside this version of the hotel lies a tribute to the memorable level.

Upstairs, there’s an M701 Super sniping rifle situated on a table, in the very room where Price and MacMillan made their shot in Call of Duty (as shown). Interestingly, the M701 Super boasts the highest damage output among all sniper rifles in the game, making it the closest equivalent to a .50 BMG anti-material rifle like the Barrett M82 that you can find within The Zone.

Near the weapon, you’ll find a box of ammunition, accompanied by a unique edition of Ukrainian NON STOP energy drinks, similar to those found in STALKER 2. These energy drinks function as stamina recovery items within the game and resemble the actual STALKER 2 Limited Edition versions. Notably, they restore more stamina but increase your hunger levels as well. In the game, these are somewhat scarce, making them a desirable collectible due to their rarity compared to standard beverages.

Due to their rarity, I prefer to save energy drinks like this one as keepsakes rather than using them. However, the M701 Super is an exception – if you haven’t already acquired one by the time you reach Pripyat, it’s definitely worth adding to your arsenal in the mid and late-game. It’s particularly useful against heavily-armored enemies like stalkers and mutants. Even if I already own one when I encounter another, it’s still worth picking up for resale once I return to a base.

STALKER 2's best easter egg references Call of Duty's most iconic campaign mission

As a researcher of video games, I must confess that “All Ghillied Up” from Call of Duty remains my all-time favorite mission. So it’s quite thrilling to find this iconic reference in my most cherished open-world shooter series – STALKER 2. It seems the developers share my admiration, and indeed, many other gamers too, considering the shared appreciation for elements like an unsettling ambiance and pulse-pounding gameplay that both the mission and this new game are renowned for.

I enjoy finding hidden surprises, or “easter eggs,” in games, especially when they enrich the experience of exploring an open world without relying on guides. While there is a map for STALKER 2 that you can use if needed, GSC Game World intentionally incorporated many easter eggs throughout The Zone. Be sure to keep a keen eye as you progress through your journey; who knows, you might stumble upon an interesting find like the one shown here.

The highly anticipated game “STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl” is now available on Xbox Series X|S and Windows PC. This year, it’s been recognized as one of the top Xbox games and top PC games. With an MSRP of $59.99, it’s a significant purchase, but currently, you can find a discount on it at CDKeys. Additionally, you can play it through Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

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2024-11-25 23:09