Artifacts are the real treasures of the Zone that all stalkers hunt for, but they are not easy to get. They are formed inside anomalous fields.
Each artifact has special properties: one can protect you from radiation, another can give you stamina, another can heal wounds, or, on the contrary, make you more vulnerable. Useful effects are combined with harmful ones. These effects are applied when you insert artifacts into your armor slots.
For example, most artifacts are radioactive, but some can offset the radioactivity of others so that you can wear them together for a long time without any consequences.
Artifacts can be sold to merchants, but keep in mind that the price will depend on the rarity of the artifact and the merchant's attitude toward you. Of course, the benefits of the artifact may outweigh its cost, but money will never be superfluous.
You can't just find an artifact, because they are usually invisible. This is where an artifact detector comes in handy.
An artifact detector is a special device that picks up the radiation of artifacts and starts giving sound and light signals when you approach your prey. A detector of a simpler model, such as “Echo”, can only determine the direction of movement and distance based on the frequency of the light flashing, but a more advanced “Veles” will show the exact location of the artifact. This makes things much easier, especially when there are a lot of anomalies around, and a cunning artifact is trying to hide from the stalker.
Any detector, when approaching a critical distance to an artifact, will reveal it, allowing you to pick it up.
The artifact detector is activated from the radial menu or by pressing the 7 key on the keyboard. You can use the detector simultaneously with a bolt, knife, or gun.