Wondering whether to kill Squint in Stalker 2? Squint is a Stalker that you will meet early in the main story Stalker 2in the mission “A needle in a haystack”. Your goal is to get the Ward Sensors that are on Squint’s person, but whether you take them by force or earn them as a reward for completing his mission, the choice is yours. But which choice is really better?

In this guide, we will introduce you each result of killing Squint or by leaving him alive during any of your encounters in the “A Needle In A Haystack” quest. So, if you want to know what is the best outcome materially or morally, keep reading!

Should you kill Squint in Stalker 2?

The short answer is that it doesn’t really matter if you kill Squint or not. If you want to complete the mission as quickly as possible, kill Squint in your first encounter. Sticking it all the way will give you an artifact, after which you can still kill it or leave it alive. He doesn’t have anything worth looting besides the Ward Sensors, so you won’t gain much from killing him, so it might be worth leaving him alive if you see him again under more positive circumstances.

First meeting with Squint

You have two opportunities to kill Squint in the mission “A Needle In A Haystack”. The first is during your initial conversation at the top of the windmill. If you choose to attack Squintthen a quick headshot will kill him in one hit and you can loot his body for the Ward Sensors you’re after. It doesn’t have much else to it at all, but you have what you need. Quick and simple.

If you don’t kill Squint on your first encounterhe’ll then send you on a short errand to retrieve an artifact from a nearby acid-filled cave. The cave is nearby and won’t add much to the length of your quest. However, Squint is a badass and neglected to tell you that the cave is guarded by a dangerous Bloodsucker mutant.

After killing the Bloodsucker and retrieving the artifact – called “Mold” – you can return to Squint.

Second encounter with Squint

Skif will immediately question why Squint didn’t tell him about the Bloodsucker, to which Squint replies, “Would you have gone in there if I had? That’s why”.

You will then have a second choice:

1. (Mold) Take it and get lost.
2. (Attack) I will keep the artifact.

It might be considered reasonable to kill Squint after he sent you to retrieve the Mold artifact, as he deliberately withheld the important information that the artifact was being guarded by a dangerous Bloodsucker mutant. But which is actually the best choice? Should you really kill Squint?

The sad truth is that there isn’t much difference between either option. If you give Squint the artifactthen he’ll reward you with the only thing in his possession worth anything: the Ward Sensors. He ends the conversation with a “Zon wishes, we’ll meet again,” and then you’re free to take the Ward Sensors back to either Richter or Captain Zotov.

If you attack Squintyou can loot the Ward Sensors from his body just like before. Now at least you have the “Mold” artifact to keep, although it’s not a terribly useful artifact.

Useful tip:
Even if you kill Squint in the first encounter, there’s nothing stopping you from entering the cave and retrieving the “Mold” artifact for yourself.

Either way, it makes no real difference if Squint lives or dies. Neither Richter nor Captain Zotov will ask about whether you left Squint alive or not. All they care about is the Ward sensors, and you’ll get them at the end of the mission anyway.

If you want my opinion, you should probably leave Squint alive if you can bear his betrayal. All it costs you is the Mold artifact, and you’ll find much better artifacts elsewhere anyway. You can encounter him again later in the game, and having a Stalker on your side could be useful. But in terms of material rewards, there’s no real difference between the two options, so it’s entirely your choice whether to kill Squint or not!

That concludes this guide on whether to kill Squint or leave him alive in Stalker 2’s main mission, “A Needle In A Haystack”. We also have you covered if you ask whether to give the Ward Sensors to Richter or Zotov. Alternatively, you can read more general guides such as how to get more ammo, how to travel fastand how to repair weapons and other equipment.