The Hypercube is one of the most valuable artifacts in STALKER 2, offering excellent protection against extreme heat while also reducing the duration of bleeding effects. However, it is a legendary artifact, which makes finding one a difficult and time consuming process.
There is only a very small chance for a Hypercube to appear in any thermal anomaly field across the Zone. If you plan to hunt for one, make sure you have enough Thermal Protection, otherwise the flames can quickly force you to burn through your healing supplies.
One of the earliest locations where you can search for a Hypercube is the Magnetic Cave. This is the flame filled tunnel that players pass through early in the game after the prologue. Enter the cave, pull out your detector, and search the anomaly in hopes of getting a Hypercube instead of one of the other thermal artifacts.
If the cave does not give you the artifact, travel north to Garbage and investigate the thermal anomaly fields around the Detention Center and The Brood POIs. Watch out for hostile stalkers and mutants while searching, and avoid spending too many healing items on damage from the surrounding anomalies.
If you still have no luck, head northeast toward the Cement Factory and search the Hell POI. Look for an artifact along the scorched road. Should the Hypercube fail to appear again, continue north to the Cooling Towers and investigate the Burning Fire Depot.
The Burnt Forest is another useful region for farming the Hypercube. It contains four separate thermal anomaly fields. They are spread fairly far apart, but all of them can be found within the same general area.
The locations to check are:
«I found my own Hypercube in STALKER 2 at the Helicopter Base. It was located near the guardhouse by the southern gate. However, the exact spawn location of the artifact will likely vary between players», — writes the Game Rant guide author.
A Veles detector is the best option for artifact hunting, although the Bear detector should also be sufficient if you want a visual aid for locating artifacts.
The Hypercube will significantly increase your resistance against thermal damage, and bleed effects will expire much sooner.
The Hypercube greatly improves your resistance to thermal damage and causes bleeding effects to wear off much faster. Its major drawback is its extremely high radiation output, meaning you will need sufficient radiation protection or a suit equipped with a lead lined container to use it safely.
Equipping a Hypercube gives you a lot of flexibility when it comes to your armor selection and upgrade paths.
The artifact also gives you considerably more freedom when choosing armor and upgrade paths. Its high Thermal Protection allows you to focus on upgrades that improve resistance to other types of damage. Armor with little or no fire protection can also become a much more viable option.
If your only goal is to maximize Thermal Protection, two Fireballs and one Plasma provide almost the same level of protection as a Hypercube without its radiation penalty. Players concerned about bleeding can also equip a Petal, which provides 4/5 Bleeding Resistance. Although Petal generates a significant amount of radiation, the three thermal artifacts have enough Radiation Dispersion to offset it without requiring a lead lined container.
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