You can buy the FOB-45 binoculars from Hamster in the Lesser Zone, while the Yastrub and Fighter binoculars are sold by Eugene in Rostok after Update 2.0.
Binoculars finally work in Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl, and the free Update 2.0 patch dropped three of them into the Zone at once. All three can be looted out in the world, but the fastest way to kit yourself out is to buy them, and there are only two traders you need to visit. Here is exactly who sells what and where to find them.
- All three new binoculars at a glance
- FOB-45: buy it from Hamster in the Lesser Zone
- Yastrub: buy it from Eugene in Rostok
- Fighter: an affiliation scanner in the same Rostok stock
- Can you find the binoculars as loot instead
- What Update 2.0 changed for binoculars
- How to buy the FOB-45 from Hamster
- How to buy the FOB-45 from Hamster in the Lesser Zone
All three new binoculars at a glance
| Binoculars | Where to buy |
|---|---|
| FOB-45 | Hamster, in the Lesser Zone (Zalissya) |
| Yastrub | Eugene, in Rostok |
| Fighter | Eugene, in Rostok |
Key Use this as your jump table: one quick stop in the Lesser Zone for the FOB-45, then a longer trip to Rostok where Eugene stocks both the Yastrub and the Fighter in the same trade menu.
FOB-45: buy it from Hamster in the Lesser Zone
The FOB-45 is the easiest of the three to pick up, and it is the model most players will reach first. Head to the Lesser Zone, the first proper settlement you arrive at, and make for Zalissya. The trader there is Hamster, and you will find him in the Zalissya Bar, tucked next to the Technician’s house.
Open his trade menu and the FOB-45 sits in his stock alongside the usual gear. This is the basic analog rangefinder model — the simplest of the three — but it is genuinely useful thanks to its clean, uncluttered readout, so do not skip it just because it is the entry option.
Yastrub: buy it from Eugene in Rostok
The other two binoculars come from a single vendor, so you only need to make one more trip. From your starting point in the Lesser Zone, travel all the way across to Rostok, and you will find Eugene there. Talk to him, open trade, and the Yastrub is waiting in his inventory.
The Yastrub is the digital rangefinder model, a step up from the FOB-45 with a sharper display that ranges targets more precisely — the natural pick if you want cleaner distance reads for long-range scouting or sniping.
Fighter: an affiliation scanner in the same Rostok stock
You do not need to go anywhere else for the third pair. The Fighter sits in the very same Eugene trade menu in Rostok as the Yastrub, so you can grab both in one visit.
What sets the Fighter apart is that it pairs the digital rangefinder with an affiliation scanner, letting you tell enemies from allies as you scout — the most feature-rich of the trio and the one to prioritise if you play around factions.
You only need two stops for the full set — grab the FOB-45 from Hamster in the Lesser Zone, then pick up both the Yastrub and Fighter from Eugene in Rostok in a single trade.
Can you find the binoculars as loot instead
Yes — all three models also turn up out in the Zone as loot drops, so buying them is not the only route. Since the patch only just went live, where each pair surfaces can shift as vendors restock, but hunting them down in the world is slower and less reliable. Buying them from Hamster and Eugene is simply the quicker, cleaner way to get the full set.
What Update 2.0 changed for binoculars
| Model | Function |
|---|---|
| FOB-45 | Analog rangefinder — simple, uncluttered distance readout |
| Yastrub | Digital rangefinder — sharper display, more precise target ranging |
| Fighter | Digital rangefinder plus affiliation scanner — distinguishes enemies from allies |
Before this patch the base game had no working binoculars at all — you made do with weapon scopes and the camera. The Update 2.0 “Back to the Zone” patch, which went live on August 20, added all three models to the free update rather than locking them behind DLC, and made them obtainable from traders as well as world loot. Here is how the three compare.
How to buy the FOB-45 from Hamster
How to buy the FOB-45 from Hamster in the Lesser Zone
Grabbing the FOB-45 is the quick one — reach the Lesser Zone’s first settlement, find Hamster, and buy it straight from his stock.
STEP 1/4
Travel to the Lesser Zone
Make your way to the first settlement, Zalissya, in the Lesser Zone to the north of your starting area.
STEP 2/4
Find Hamster the trader
Head into the Zalissya Bar and look for Hamster, standing next to the Technician’s house.
STEP 3/4
Open trade and select the FOB-45
Talk to Hamster, open his trade menu, and find the FOB-45 in his stock.
STEP 4/4
Confirm the purchase
Buy the FOB-45, then equip it from your inventory or a quick slot.
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