Chapter 2: The Forest Station

After escaping from the Vavilov complex, the protagonist of P-3 finds himself on the surface for the first time. The “Forester’s Village” chapter opens up access to the open world and introduces the player to new mechanics: surveillance cameras, security ratings, and transportation. Below is a detailed step-by-step guide for each stage.

First Steps in the Village

The elevator in the Vavilov complex will take the P-3 to a room beneath the office building. Right in front of the elevator exit is a vending machine—use it to upgrade your equipment and be sure to save your game. Then go upstairs, search the office, and exit through the front door.

Outside, you’ll find a small residential area teeming with hostile vehicles. Pay special attention to the red Bees equipped with cameras—they patrol the roads and increase your safety rating when spotted. They’re hard to spot: the bright daylight masks the beams of their headlights.

Tip: As soon as you leave the office, destroy the security camera on the right. This will lure the nearest Bees—gather them in one spot and shoot them so it’s easier to move around later.

Head toward the main road. The area is open for exploration: gather supplies and check out the houses. The Chatterboxes are located at the playground in the northeast corner of the district and in the barn in the southwest.

Cameras and enemies are everywhere here, and the game doesn’t warn you when you’re in the enemy’s line of sight. Be prepared for frequent skirmishes. Use buildings as cover: duck into the ends of hallways when hordes of robots are chasing you, or hide in closets if the situation becomes completely hopeless.

In the northeast corner of the map, there is a safe room where you can save your progress, upgrade your gear, and wait out the enemy onslaught. When you’re ready, head toward the quest marker—it will lead you to a locked gate monitored by two cameras.

How to open the village gate

At Gate P-3, you’ll realize that you need to access the security camera system to open the door. Your next objective is the tall tower located just west of the gate.

There is a large red building next to the tower. If you need resources, go inside and collect everything you find. Then approach the tower, stand on the yellow ring at its base, and the platform will lift you up.

Inside the tower, look for the white cylindrical object by the window. When you try to activate it, the system will reject P-3, stating that additional authorization is required. At that moment, Grandma will call—she’ll say she has the necessary codes. Don’t forget to pick up the chatterbox on the mattress behind you before heading back down.

The Path to Grandma’s Cottage

After leaving the tower, head east, up the hill toward the large farm at the top. There you will find a small wooden cabinet with a bell—interact with it.

After that, a new type of robot appears and brutally beats up P-3. However, at the last moment, Grandma Zina’s flying hut arrives and burns the robot with its jet engines. The hut lands, and P-3 is able to climb the ladder inside.

A long cutscene will play inside the hut. When it ends, Grandma will say she has prepared a gift. Approach the table across from her—you’ll receive the authorization codes and the blueprint for the “Dominator” weapon. If you have enough resources, you can craft the weapon right away.

Talk to Grandma—she’ll tell you all sorts of interesting things, including about the chicken with a wooden hut on its head and her flying hut. Say goodbye to end the conversation and open the door.

Now return to the tower you climbed earlier. This time, the Volvo vehicle will be available. Through the interface, you’ll see footage from all the cameras on the premises. Select the yellow circle on the map—it will switch you to the camera facing the desired gate. Press R1 / RB to open it.

Before going through the gate, destroy both nearby cameras so you won’t be spotted. After that, feel free to move forward along the road.

The road to the train station

You can either rush through this section or take your time exploring the open world. There are resources here, but collectibles and story clues are practically nonexistent.

Just past the gate on the left is a red car that you can use to drive all the way to the station. However, be careful: the car is extremely fragile—a single collision with a wall could cause it to explode, leaving you stranded on foot.

Follow the mission markers north. When the road is blocked by wrecked cars, the route will take you onto a dirt road and then to the station. Along the way, there are houses and buildings with spare parts on both sides. Two of them are particularly useful:

Once you reach the station, go up to the upper platform and enter the train through the open doorway. To the right of the entrance, behind the bar counter, there is an android—talk to him. He is ready to send the train on its way, but will ask for a ticket.

Search for a train ticket

After talking to the bartender, go down to the street. Charles will tell you that you can get the ticket from one of the nearby corpses and will mark three bodies on the map.

The body you need is located at the monument southwest of the station. However, if you want to earn the “Necromancer” trophy, talk to the other two bodies first, and go to the monument last.

The corpse by the monument will tell you that the station is cursed, but will still hand over your ticket. Go back to the android bartender—he’ll tell you that the ticket has expired and needs to be exchanged. It seems the station really is jinxed…

Getting a monthly pass

Now you need to find one more body. Head to the lodge across from the station (the one you were advised to search earlier).

On the second floor in the hallway, find the broken window on the right. Stand on the window frame and jump into the stream of polymer wrapping around the building. Swim all the way to the end—you’ll fall into the bedroom where the corpse lies. Exhaust all dialogue options to get a monthly pass.

Go back to the train conductor. He won’t accept your pass, but he’ll figure out that you’re a law enforcement officer—and the whole quest to find tickets will turn out to be pointless. But now they’ll let you on the train without asking any questions.

Take a seat at the table marked with the quest marker. This concludes the chapter “The Forester’s Village,” and the next stage awaits you—VDNKh: Territory.