Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/GSC Game World

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/GSC Game World

A close-up of a Bolt held in the hand of the player character in a field in Stalker 2.

Turns out, the purpose of Bolts is very simple, and using them is even simpler. In this quick guide we’ll walk you throughhow to use Boltsand when you should be using them in Stalker 2.

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How to use Bolts in Stalker 2

Throwing a Bolt in Stalker 2 is easy: all you need to do is select the Bolt using the Radial Menu (Tabon keyboard orLBon controller), and then either left-click for anoverhand throwor right-click for anunderhand throw. But the purpose of throwing a Bolt, and understanding when it might be necessary, is a bit more complex.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/GSC Game World

The player in Stalker 2 holds a Bolt in their hand in a field, while Richter, a key character from the game, sits on an overlook in front of them.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/GSC Game World

The player in Stalker 2 stands in front of an anomaly in a doorway inside a house, and prepares to throw a Bolt into the anomaly to disable it.

Aside from their primary purpose of interacting with anomalies, Bolts can be used asauditory distraction toolsin certain situations. If you want an enemy or mutant to look the other way (assuming they’re not already focused on you), you can throw a Bolt behind them to distract them. This is particularly useful with zombies - including aspecific side questwhere you must choose whether or not to deal with a certain zombie. If you don’t want to attract its attention, a thrown Bolt is a good option.

That’s everything you need to know about how to use Bolts in Stalker 2. Short answer: they’re for finding and (temporarily) disabling anomalies. For other quick and handy primers like this one, check out our guides onhow to get more ammo,how to repairandupgradeyour weapons, andhow to fast travelthroughout the Zone.