There are several player statistics in the Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl and artifacts can help you upgrade them in exchange for radioactive side effects. Finding an artifact in an anomaly is a problem, at least with the default echo detector that players get at the start of the game. However, you can get some great early game artifacts without using the artifact detector at all.

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The best artifacts to get early in Stalker 2
There are some artifacts that players can get early on Stalker 2: Heart of Chornobyl without having to use the echo detector. While they can be acquired early on, they can be a bit difficult to obtain and might require players to do some quests or a mini-quest to finally get them. Here they are all listed below.
Strange Ball Artifact
The Weird Ball is a legendary artifact that can be found in the eastern part of Zalissya under a large Bulba anomaly. The bulb is constantly contracting and expanding, attracting everything around it. So players will have to maneuver behind large objects in their vicinity and grab the Weird Ball artifact just below it.
It is one of the best artifacts in the game that reduces bullet damageespecially when you're standing still.
Strange Flower Artifact
Weird Flower is the second artifact players can get early on Stalker 2 without using an echo detector. It's another legendary artifact that can be found in the Poppy Field, southwest of Zalissya's base. Players reach the area during the side quest, “Poppy Fields”.
However, it doesn't matter whether you complete the mission or not. You can simply venture into the field and grab the Strange Flower Artifact in the designated location marked in the image above. It is a useful artifact that improves the pillar for players, decreasing their detection rate by 10%.
Artifact based on acid anomalies at the eastern checkpoint
Artifacts related to a specific anomaly require the use of detectors to acquire them. However, this is not the case with the eastern checkpoint artifact Stalker 2.
Players can head east from the Zalissya base to the Easter checkpoint. Instead of entering the checkpoint, follow along its wall to the right and go around the border. After reaching a section with a fallen border wall, players will notice a corpse and an acid anomaly-based artifact right next to it.
This could be any of the artifacts that can be found in acid anomalies, and in most cases it will be a common artifact. Even if you don't like what you have, you can always sell it for a decent amount of coupons.
Rat King Artifact
The last artifact on this list is the Rat King, which players can obtain from Vova Amalgam in the Garbage region of Stalker 2. He is a lone stalker stuck in the electric field south of the Detention Center. After helping him escape the abnormal field, he will ask Skif to choose a reward for his help. Selecting the artifact option will reward Skif with the Rat King artifact.
Rat King Artifacts provide both electrical resistance and bleed resistance with weak radiation side effects. It's a great starting artifact if you get into a lot of gunfights or if you're often caught getting damaged by electro anomalies Stalker 2.