Shortly after his introduction inSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl, Professor Hermann becomes a pivotal character. Hermann is a senior researcher at the Scientific Institute for Research of the Chornobyl Anomalous Area (SIRCAA), apowerful, well-informedSTALKER 2factionthat plays a major role in the plot. He’s also Skif’s source of transportation into the Zone in the first place, agreeing to help him in exchange for some valuable data. However, the mission goes south, and Skif and Hermann are temporarily separated. When they eventually find each other again, it’s a fateful meeting that could prove fatal for Professor Hermann.
During the main quest “Wishful Thinking,“Skif will encounter Professor Hermann tied to a chair in a back room of the SIRCAA HQ. Having long since realized that Hermann and Faust used him as a pawn, and planned to kill him, Skif can choose whether to return the favor, or to let the professor go on living. While the immediate consequences of this choice are easily inferred, the long-term ones might not be so easy to see coming. Here’s what the Professor Hermann choice affects.
What Happens If You Kill Professor Hermann?
Pros & Cons Of Attacking Hermann
Once he comes upon the weakened and trapped Hermann, Skif will receive a message from Heather. She reminds him that Hermann betrayed him, deliberately hid information from him, and ultimately, decided to try and kill him for Hermann’s own convenience, seemingly egging him on. Heather then materializes in the room and hands Skif a gun. If Skif then chooses the dialogue option, “He has to die,” Hermann will protest, but Skif will shoot nonetheless. Restrained and already bloodied,Hermann dies immediately.
Of course, the most obvious consequence of this decision is thatHermann will no longer appear for the rest of the game. Skif will no longer see or hear from him; his storyline will effectively conclude in that room.
STALKER 2: Heart Of Chornobyl - More Than Another Cult Classic
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl is an ambitious and engrossing open-world immersive sim, putting you in the Zone, an unnerving and unfathomable place.
Agatha will then take Skif aside and give him some necessary information, which will eventually lead into the next chapter of the story - either “To the Last Drop of Blood” or “Law and Order,” depending on whether Skif sided with Dubny or the Ward at the end of this mission. Either way, the intel he gets from Agatha is the same. Even though she claims to want to avoid bloodshed, she doesn’t really seem to mind if that blood is Hermann’s.
Nor does killing Hermann affect the material rewards for this quest. Either way, Skif will receive a handful of coupons - nothing more, nothing less.There are no unique rewards for killing Hermann, since Skif will leave the room automatically in a cutscene after making this choice. It doesn’t affect the next mission, either, as manypivotal choices inSTALKER 2seem to do. The Dubny-Ward decision will have a far larger impact there.
The amount of coupons paid for mission completion depends on thedifficulty level ofSTALKER 2.
Don’t expect anyone to come after Skif for killing Hermann later inSTALKER 2. Faust seems to be his only friend at this point, and a confrontation with him is unavoidable, if much further along in the story.Killing Hermann doesn’t seem to affect Skif’s reputation with SIRCAA, either. It would seem that killing average civilians aligned with that faction has a greater effect on decreasing reputation than big acts of revenge like this one.
What Happens If You Let Professor Hermann Go?
Pros & Cons Of Siding With Hermann
If Skif instead chooses the dialogue option “Let him go,” the ensuing scene will play out in much the same way, with one crucial difference. For one thing, Skif will hand the gun back to Agatha, and she’ll untie Hermann’s bonds, giving him a chance to bolt out of the room - but not before profusely thanking Skif for sparing his life. Hermann’s body will no longer serve as the background for Agatha’s spiel, which is identical either way.
The same can be said for the remainder of the mission, as Skif proceeds to the Cryptobiology Lab and makes his choice regarding Dubny and the Ward. Dubny doesn’t seem to care what happened with Hermann, andSkif can proceed through “Wishful Thinking” and the following quest of his choice normally.
Just as there are no special rewards for killing Hermann,there are no special rewards for saving him, either. He runs away with little more than a “thank you,” and it doesn’t seem likely that Skif will see him again any time soon. Frankly,it doesn’t seem like Hermann plays much of a role in the rest of the story. He may appear later on in a very minor capacity, but it seems like he’s fallen off the face of the earth immediately after completing “Wishful Thinking.”
You Should Spare Professor Hermann
Just In Case
Even so,it’s probably best to let Professor Hermann go. Even though it doesn’t seem to have much of an impact, besides giving the player a sense of agency in a difficult moment, keeping people alive is generally considered the right thing to do, when given the chance.
STALKER 2frequently rewards the merciful approach, especially when it comes to scenes like this one, or the one where Skif may chooseeither to kill or help Squint. Usually, that’s in the form of other characters expressing their gratitude, or those Skif spared coming back later to lend a hand. Even though none of that happens here, it’s best to give Professor Hermann a second chance anyway. The player stands nothing to gain by killing him, and nothing to lose by sparing him. Hermann is clearly grateful for his rescue. He has little cause to strike out now that his secrets have been revealed.
That said, on the off chance that Professor Hermann does show up later in some obscure mission, he’d probably greet Skif more warmly if he were alive, just as happens if Skif chooses toknock out Solder instead of killing him. So, if for no other reason than to cover one’s bases, it’s best to let Professor Hermann go inSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
