Towards the end of portion of STALKER 2's map.
Skif, meanwhile, has his own goals: he wants to learn where Solder, the man who sold him out in STALKER 2's prologue, ended up, and what he might have wanted. However, no one in Zalissya will tell him anything until the situation with the Ward is resolved. After tracking Squint down to an abandoned bit of farmland, and cornering him inside a heavily trapped windmill, Skif has the opportunity either to help Squint escape, or to kill him outright. Their choice affects both the outcome of this quest and, eventually, the fate of the independent settlement of Zalissya.
What Happens If You Help Squint?
Pros & Cons Of Helping Squint
If Skif agrees to help Squint and demonstrates that he's a friend by invoking Richter's name, Squint will back down pretty immediately, and offer up the basics of what he knows. However, he's effectively trapped himself in this middle-of-nowhere windmill, surrounded by deadly anomalies and bloodthirsty mutants. He needs Skif to find an artifact for him, which he hopes will be enough to guarantee him safe age out of the area.
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And he is right, but first, Skif needs to use his own artifact-given powers to descend into a nearby cave and retrieve one for Squint. It's easy enough to find: explore the nearby farm buildings, looking for one that has a hole instead of a floor. The hole will be filled with greenish-yellow glowing goo.
Head on down carefully, minding the risk of fall damage and keeping an eye out for the Bloodsucker that lurks there. These enemies can camouflage themselves, appearing only as little clouds or ripples in the air, then sneak up behind Skif and deal massive damage in a matter of seconds. Skif will probably have to engage it, as the next phase of this quest requires some delicate work, and the cave ages are too narrow to run away from it.
Bloodsuckers are fast and hard to hit, but they're extra vulnerable while invisible. Attempt to deal as much damage to them as possible while they're cloaked, then run away as soon as they appear again.
Proceed further into the cave to find a room bubbling with pools of acid. The anomaly detector starts beeping here, warning the player to stay away. Pull out the detector and look around the room, always heading towards the areas where the detector begins to beep more rapidly. Eventually, Skif will triangulate the position of the artifact and, once it's close enough, it'll appear out of thin air, a small, spiky green clump of a thing.
The position of the artifact in this room appears to be slightly randomized; it came up in different spots during multiple playthroughs of this mission. One of STALKER 2's most important features, the detector is Skif's best friend here, and, with a little bit of persistence, will lead the player to the artifact before long. Finding it may require them to walk through a few pools of acid, though, so hopefully, they've already defeated the Bloodsucker and have a few healing items on hand.
Eventually, Skif will find the artifact, and can bring it back to Squint, who's thankfully come about halfway down the windmill. Exchange it for the sensors, and both Skif and Squint can go on their merry ways. However, don't expect too much acknowledgment for taking the peaceful route, or any extra reward for it. Squint doesn't seem to play much of a role in the later story, so don't expect to see him again later. Skif will get the information he needs to proceed to the next main quest, along with a few coupons, but not much else.
What Happens If You Kill Squint?
Pros & Cons Of Attacking Squint
Of course, it's always an option to just attack Squint outright and take the sensors by force. It's not a difficult fight: Squint wields a broken hunting rifle, and is pretty much at the end of his rope. There's not much room to run or take cover in the cramped windmill, which can be either an advantage or a disadvantage, but as long as the player is quick on the draw they should have no problem taking Squint out.
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Once he's down, just loot the body and grab the scanners. Bring them back to either Richter or Zotov and end the quest. Again, there should be almost no mention of Squint's fate - they'll just be appreciative of Skif returning the scanners, and send him on his next mission. There don't appear to be any consequences for killing Squint in the story later on; it seems everyone in Zalissya had already accepted the inevitability of his death.
You Should Help Squint
The Nice Thing To Do
Still, it's best to help Squint. It can be kind of a hassle to retrieve the artifact for him, but it seems like the right thing to do. Squint represents a faction (or rather, a mindset) of independent Stalkers who value their own freedom. He's opposed to the Ward's attempt to bring the Zone under its control, and directly cuts at their monopoly on information by stealing their sensors. He's something of a friend to Richter and Warlock, both of whom make great allies throughout the game. It only seems right to help him, and his rapidly disappearing ideology.
That said, all the NPCs in Zalissya make it abundantly clear that they don't really care what happens to Squint. Richter would like to know he's alive, and Zotov would rather him dead, but both of them would rather just have the sensors back. It's a perfectly viable option to simply attack Squint and take them back by force, even if it's not the nicest thing to do. Players should choose whatever makes the most sense for their STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl playthroughs.
