S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Cost of Hope: The Price of a Miracle — X19 Walkthrough, Codes, Loot & Faction Choices
Updated August 25, 2026
If you're heading into Laboratory X19 during The Price of a Miracle in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Cost of Hope, the mission is much more than a straightforward trip through the CNPP.
You have to navigate the damaged Reactor 4, restore power, find your way through ventilation shafts and pipes, solve several access puzzles, and survive a series of mutant encounters before reaching X19's deeper laboratory sections.
There are also several useful rewards hidden off the main path, including the Kharod behind the X19 door code 2110, an RPM-74, ammunition and medical supplies. Later, the objectives change depending on whether you previously sided with Mavka/Freedom or Zulu/Duty.
Most importantly, the Mavka/Zulu faction decision was already locked in during The Destructive Power of the Mind. The Price of a Miracle doesn't give you a new faction choice; instead, it carries that decision into its final X19 objectives and rewards.
This walkthrough focuses on the parts most likely to cause trouble: how to reach X19, the 2110 and 3150 codes, the power and generator puzzles, optional loot, the Service Elevator fight, faction-specific objectives, and where to keep a save if you want to experience both routes.
📋 Table of Contents
- What to Know Before Starting
- Mavka vs Zulu: Which X19 Route?
- How to Reach Unit 4
- Reach the Reactor Technical Floor
- Duty Route: Use the C-4
- Freedom Route: Use the Open Hermetic Door
- Restore Power on the Technical Floor
- How to Find the X19 Door Code 2110
- X19 Door Code 2110: Kharod Loot
- Continue Through the Technical Floor
- How to Reach the Service Elevator
- Service Elevator: Rodents, Snorks & Pseudogiant
- Enter Laboratory X19
- X19 Generator Puzzle
- X19 Projector Room Code 3150
- X19 Laboratory Navigation
- RPM-74 and Other X19 Loot
- Amok and Poltergeist Encounters
- Door 5 and the Experimental Block
- Final X19 Objective: Duty vs Freedom
- Freedom Route: Activate Backup Cooling
- Duty Route: Destroy the Mutant Tanks
- The X19 Final Encounter Is Objective-Based
- The Price of a Miracle Rewards
- Where to Make a Manual Save
- X19 Missables Checklist
- FAQ
- Final Tips
The Price of a Miracle: What to Know Before Starting
The Price of a Miracle is the late-game Cost of Hope mission that takes you into Unit 4, Reactor 4 and Laboratory X19.
The expansion's official information identifies the CNPP as one of its major new regions, alongside the Iron Forest and other new and returning locations.
Before entering the reactor complex, prepare for:
- Heavy radiation.
- Zombified enemies.
- Electro anomalies.
- Rodents.
- Snorks.
- A Pseudogiant.
- Poltergeists.
- Long indoor sections.
- A faction-specific final encounter.
Bring plenty of:
- Anti-Radiation Drugs
- Healing items
- Ammunition
- Bolts
- Radiation-resistant equipment or artifacts
The reactor section is also a poor place to arrive overloaded with unnecessary equipment. Keep enough ammunition and healing supplies for the X19 sequence without filling your inventory with weapons you don't actually need.
Mavka vs Zulu: Which X19 Route Do You Get?
The most important thing to understand before starting The Price of a Miracle is that your faction was already determined earlier.
During The Destructive Power of the Mind, the story reaches the permanent Mavka/Zulu choice:
- Mavka → Freedom
- Zulu → Duty
After that decision, the campaign branches into different missions before eventually converging on the CNPP and The Price of a Miracle.
So you do not choose Duty or Freedom again when entering X19. Instead, your previous choice determines:
- Which faction accompanies you.
- Which late-game missions you complete.
- Which character waits for you near X19.
- Which final X19 objective you receive.
- Which unique weapon reward you obtain.
The X19 route is therefore best understood as the payoff to the earlier faction choice, rather than a new branching point.
How to Reach Unit 4
Regardless of your faction, the final journey begins at Unit 4 in the CNPP.
- Approach the building from the northwest and look for the exterior metal staircase.
- Climb toward the roof.
- You'll find a Teleport anomaly near the top.
- Enter it to reach the upper reactor structure.
From there:
- Look for the rope.
- Use it to descend.
- Move deeper into the reactor structure.
- Carefully drop to the lower area.
- Find the ladder.
- Continue into the reactor interior.
Radiation becomes increasingly dangerous as you descend, so don't enter this section assuming ordinary armor protection will be enough.
Reach the Reactor Technical Floor
Continue through the reactor interior until you reach the control-room section.
You'll encounter:
- Zombified enemies.
- Electro anomalies.
- Additional hostile mutants.
For the Electro sections, use Bolts to trigger the anomalies before crossing.
Eventually, you'll reach a fenced control room. Inside, find the red control button and activate it to restore power.
After that, search the nearby rooms if you need supplies, then take the staircase toward the lower section.
The route eventually reaches a large area where your faction determines how you proceed.
Duty Route: Use the C-4
If you're on Zulu/Duty's route, the way forward is blocked.
Look for the cracked section of wall. Zulu provides the explosives needed to open it. Use the C-4 and proceed through the newly opened route.
You'll then have to cross an area containing Electro anomalies and continue through a long corridor while dealing with Rodents.
Don't waste time searching for an ordinary door around the destroyed section. The explosives are the intended route.
Freedom Route: Use the Open Hermetic Door
If you're following Mavka/Freedom, your route is different.
The hermetic door is already open. Go through it and follow the narrow passage toward the ventilation route. You'll encounter Rodents blocking the way, but the path eventually connects with the same reactor progression.
This is one of the first places where the two faction routes visibly differ, even though both eventually reach the Technical Floor.
Restore Power on the Technical Floor
Once you've reached the Technical Floor, look for a small structure illuminated by a red light. Inside is a fuse box with a lever.
Pull the lever. This restores power, but there's an important consequence: The flooded section outside becomes electrified.
Don't simply run through it. Instead:
- Return toward the control room.
- Climb onto the table.
- Move through the open window.
- Drop onto the pipes.
- Follow the pipes toward the ventilation shaft.
This pipe route is the key to reaching the next part of the mission.
How to Find the X19 Door Code 2110
This is one of the easiest things to miss if you rush through the ventilation shaft.
When you enter the vent, don't leave as soon as you reach the obvious exit. Continue farther into the ventilation system.
You'll eventually find the body of a Mad Scientist. Next to the corpse is the Mad Scientist's Notebook.
Pick it up. The notebook contains the combination for the nearby X19 locked room.
X19 Door Code:
The code is fixed, so you don't need to generate a different combination for your playthrough.
X19 Door Code 2110: Kharod Loot
After collecting the notebook, leave the ventilation shaft and follow the route toward the keypad door. Enter 2110.
The locked room contains worthwhile supplies, including:
- Kharod assault rifle
- Ammunition
- Medkits
- Other supplies
Current walkthrough coverage specifically identifies the Kharod as being at 100% durability, making this detour particularly worthwhile.
Don't skip this room: You can technically continue without collecting the notebook first because the code itself is fixed. But if you're playing normally, the notebook is worth picking up anyway because it explains where the combination comes from. The bigger mistake is leaving the vent without checking the Mad Scientist's body.
Continue Through the Technical Floor
Return toward the previous ventilation exit.
Follow the pipes downward until you reach a white platform.
Enter the room containing the Glass Shard anomaly.
Inside you'll find a lever.
Pull it.
Then move toward the nearby control panel illuminated by red and yellow lights.
Press the red button.
This opens the hermetic door and also unlocks a barred shortcut that can make returning through this area easier.
How to Reach the Service Elevator
Continue through the newly opened route. Follow the corridor until you reach a hatch. Open it and descend one level.
Keep following the passage until you reach the Service Elevator.
The elevator itself isn't a completely safe transition. You're going to have to restore its power while dealing with several waves of mutants.
Service Elevator: Rodents, Snorks & Pseudogiant
Use the control panel in front of the elevator to call it. A group of Rodents attacks. Clear enough space to survive while you wait.
Then the power fails. Look for the lever near the rotating red warning lights. Pull it to restore the electricity.
Another wave arrives: Rodents and Snorks.
After dealing with them, the power fails again. Activate the next lever. This triggers the more dangerous encounter: Pseudogiant and Rodents.
The Pseudogiant is the main threat here, so don't let the fight force you into a bad position near the elevator.
Once the mutants are dealt with and the elevator becomes operational, ride it down.
Enter Laboratory X19
After leaving the elevator, continue along the available route.
Depending on your faction, you'll encounter:
- Mavka if you chose Freedom.
- Zulu if you chose Duty.
This is another reminder that your faction choice has already been made.
Complete the conversation and continue into the X19 Central Room.
X19 Generator Puzzle
Once you're inside the laboratory, head downstairs and try the nearby control panel. There's no power.
Don't waste time searching every room for a missing keycard. Instead, go to the second floor on the opposite side. You'll find the generator.
Attempt to activate it. The generator doesn't simply solve the problem. Skif becomes trapped in the room, but another door opens and provides the route forward.
If the generator seems to have failed: That's normal. The apparent failure is part of the progression. Follow the newly opened route rather than trying to restart the generator repeatedly.
X19 Projector Room Code 3150
One of the next important puzzles involves the Projector Room. The code is:
You can discover the code naturally by following the laboratory's document trail.
How to get the clue:
- Enter the open bunker room.
- Climb through the hole in the wall.
- Pick up the Access Card to the Living Quarters.
- Use the card on the adjacent room.
- Collect the MDST Scientist's Folder.
- Check your objectives for the newly revealed Projector Room combination.
- Enter 3150 at the Projector Room keypad.
X19 code quick reference:
The important distinction is that 2110 and 3150 are for different parts of X19.
X19 Laboratory Navigation
Once you're through the projector section, the laboratory becomes much more vertical.
You'll move through:
- Staircases.
- Laboratory floors.
- Side rooms.
- Ventilation sections.
- Access-controlled doors.
- Damaged platforms.
Don't assume every locked-looking door is meant to open immediately. In several places, the intended route is through:
- A hole in a wall.
- A vent.
- A ladder.
- A lower floor.
- A side opening beside a main door.
If an objective marker appears to be directly behind an inaccessible door, look above and below the door before assuming you need another key.
RPM-74 and Other X19 Loot
There is another worthwhile weapon opportunity deeper inside the laboratory.
After restarting the system, follow the route through the laboratory until you reach the area with the large 06 marking. Drop into the room.
Before continuing, check the safe on the left. It contains:
- RPM-74
along with additional supplies. This is an easy room to overlook if you're concentrating only on the main objective.
X19 loot worth checking:
- Kharod — X19 code room, 2110
- RPM-74 — room marked 06
- Ammunition
- Medkits
- Food and supplies
- Weapon racks
- Partially damaged weapons
- Access cards
- Scientist documents and notes
The Kharod is the standout optional pickup because of its condition and the fact that the route to it is easy to overlook.
Amok and Poltergeist Encounters
After restarting the system, an Amok emerges from the doorway you need to use. You don't necessarily have to kill it. If you're trying to conserve ammunition, you can move quickly into the room it came from and use the ladders to continue.
Three Poltergeists: Later, activating the central switch causes three Poltergeists with different elemental properties to appear. You can fight them. But if your immediate objective is already available, you can also concentrate on completing the objective and moving forward rather than spending all your ammunition clearing the room.
This is useful to remember throughout X19: Not every enemy encounter has to become a full room clear.
Door 5 and the Experimental Block
Eventually you'll find Door 5. Look for the opening beside it and crouch through.
Inside, collect: Access Card to the Experimental Block
Return to the main area. You'll find the locked door that accepts this card. Use it to proceed.
Before leaving, check the nearby weapon racks for: Ammunition, Partially damaged weapons, and Other supplies.
This is another example of an X19 door that initially looks inaccessible but actually requires you to approach it from somewhere other than directly through the main entrance.
Final X19 Objective: Duty vs Freedom
After progressing through the experimental sections, you'll eventually return to the Central Room.
This is where the final X19 objective changes dramatically depending on your faction. The two routes are not simply different dialogue choices. They give you different objectives.
Freedom Route: Activate the Backup Cooling System
If you chose Mavka/Freedom, the final sequence revolves around the laboratory's cooling system.
Zulu damages the system. The room becomes dark and foggy. Zulu then attacks Skif with his shovel.
The important part: Don't treat this as a normal boss fight where the only objective is to keep shooting. You need to deal with the changing objective. The laboratory begins overheating, and Mavka directs you toward the cooling controls.
The practical sequence is:
- Survive the initial attack.
- Create enough space to reach the control panel.
- Find the marked red control.
- Activate it.
- Follow the next cooling-system objective.
- Operate the additional switches/levers.
- Bring the backup cooling system online.
- Continue once the temperature stabilizes.
Don't make this mistake: If you're continuously shooting Zulu while ignoring the cooling-system objective, the encounter becomes much harder than it needs to be. The environment is part of the fight.
Duty Route: Destroy the Mutant Tanks
If you chose Zulu/Duty, the objective is effectively reversed.
Instead of protecting the specimens, you're trying to destroy the mutant tanks.
The sequence involves:
- Using the marked controls.
- Operating levers/buttons.
- Unblocking the platform.
- Shooting the indicated fuses.
- Exposing the mutant tanks.
- Destroying the exposed tanks.
- Repeating the process for the remaining groups.
Mavka attacks during the sequence. However, she cannot simply be killed to bypass the objective. Your priority should remain: Follow the objective → expose the tanks → destroy them.
Don't waste ammunition trying to turn the encounter into a conventional boss fight if the objective is telling you to manipulate the laboratory.
The X19 Final Encounter Is Objective-Based
This is one of the most important things to understand before entering the final room.
The encounter isn't simply:
Enter arena → shoot boss → collect reward.
Instead:
Mavka/Freedom
Control the cooling system → stabilize the laboratory → survive the confrontation.
Zulu/Duty
Operate the controls → expose the mutant tanks → destroy them.
That means you can temporarily appear to be making no progress if you're only attacking the opposing faction character.
Watch the objective marker and listen to the dialogue.
The Price of a Miracle Rewards
Your faction determines the major unique reward from this mission.
Freedom / Mavka: You receive Guardian and the Freedom-side reward package.
Duty / Zulu: You receive Mriya along with the Duty-side reward package.
Current walkthrough coverage lists the Duty reward package as 32,000 Coupons, Mriya and a Duty Medal, while the Freedom route provides Guardian and Lukash's Bracelet.
The important collection point is:
- Mavka → Guardian
- Zulu → Mriya
These are faction-route rewards rather than two weapons hidden somewhere inside X19.
If you're collecting unique weapons, this is particularly important because Guardian and Mriya are mutually exclusive on a normal branch.
For the broader weapon collection, see: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Cost of Hope: Best Faction Weapons — Duty vs Freedom Rewards
Where to Make a Manual Save
This is the most important save point for completionists.
The best save is NOT inside X19. If your goal is to experience both faction routes, don't wait until The Price of a Miracle.
The critical save should be made before the permanent Mavka/Zulu decision during The Destructive Power of the Mind. That is the point where the campaign branches into:
- Mavka → Freedom
- or
- Zulu → Duty
The later missions then differ before both routes eventually converge around the CNPP and The Price of a Miracle.
Why this save matters: From the pre-choice save, you can experience:
- Route A: Mavka → Freedom → The Price of a Miracle → Guardian
- Then reload.
- Route B: Zulu → Duty → The Price of a Miracle → Mriya
You don't have to replay the entire Cost of Hope campaign to see the alternative branch.
Keep another save before X19 if you're a completionist: Although the earlier X16 save is the important branch save, it's also sensible to make a fresh manual save before entering the final X19 sequence. That gives you a convenient recovery point if: You miss optional loot, You want to inspect the laboratory again, You make a mistake during the final objective, or You want to revisit the faction finale.
X19 Missables Checklist
Use this as your quick checklist before leaving the laboratory.
Before entering X19:
- ☐ Bring Anti-Radiation Drugs.
- ☐ Check armor durability.
- ☐ Carry enough healing items.
- ☐ Bring ammunition.
- ☐ Make sure you have Bolts.
- ☐ Keep your inventory manageable.
Reactor 4 / Technical Floor:
- ☐ Restore the first power system.
- ☐ Follow the correct Duty/Freedom route.
- ☐ Restore Technical Floor power.
- ☐ Follow the pipes.
- ☐ Search the ventilation shaft fully.
- ☐ Loot the Mad Scientist's body.
- ☐ Collect the Mad Scientist's Notebook.
X19 locked room:
- ☐ Enter 2110.
- ☐ Collect the Kharod.
- ☐ Take ammunition.
- ☐ Take Medkits and other supplies.
Inside X19:
- ☐ Solve the generator sequence.
- ☐ Collect the Living Quarters Access Card.
- ☐ Collect the MDST Scientist's Folder.
- ☐ Enter 3150 at the Projector Room.
- ☐ Check room 06.
- ☐ Collect the RPM-74.
- ☐ Collect the Experimental Block Access Card.
- ☐ Check nearby weapon racks.
- ☐ Don't waste ammunition on optional fights unless necessary.
Final room:
- ☐ Follow your faction-specific objective.
- ☐ Freedom: activate backup cooling.
- ☐ Duty: destroy the mutant tanks.
- ☐ Collect your faction reward.
FAQ
What is the X19 door code in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Cost of Hope?
The Laboratory X19 door code is 2110 during The Price of a Miracle. The clue can be found in the Mad Scientist's Notebook inside the ventilation shaft. The room contains a Kharod and other supplies.
What is the X19 projector code?
The Projector Room code is 3150. You can obtain the clue by following the Living Quarters Access Card and MDST Scientist's Folder sequence.
Where is the Mad Scientist's Notebook?
The notebook is found beside the Mad Scientist's body deeper inside the ventilation shaft on the route toward X19.
What weapon is behind the X19 2110 door?
The locked room contains a Kharod, ammunition, Medkits and other supplies. Current coverage identifies the Kharod as fully repaired.
Is the Kharod missable in X19?
It is easy to miss if you follow the main objective without exploring the ventilation route and keypad door. If you're collecting weapons, enter 2110 before moving on.
Where is the RPM-74 in X19?
The RPM-74 is inside the laboratory in the room marked 06, along with additional supplies.
Do I have to kill the Amok?
No. The Amok encounter can be bypassed by continuing through the route it came from and using the ladders.
Do I have to kill all three Poltergeists?
Not necessarily. You can fight them, but you can also focus on the active objective and continue if the route is open.
Does the Mavka/Zulu choice happen in X19?
No. The permanent faction decision happens earlier during The Destructive Power of the Mind. The Price of a Miracle reflects that choice through its route, characters, objectives and rewards.
Can I get Guardian and Mriya in the same playthrough?
Not through a normal uninterrupted faction route. Guardian belongs to the Mavka/Freedom route, while Mriya belongs to the Zulu/Duty route.
What does Mavka's final X19 objective involve?
The Freedom route requires you to activate the backup cooling system after the laboratory begins overheating.
What does Zulu's final X19 objective involve?
The Duty route requires you to expose and destroy the mutant tanks by operating the appropriate controls and shooting the indicated fuses.
Where should I save before choosing Duty or Freedom?
Make your main branch save before the permanent Mavka/Zulu decision during The Destructive Power of the Mind. That save lets you return and experience the opposing faction route without replaying the entire expansion.
Is X19 the same as X16?
No. X16 and X19 are separate laboratories and story locations. X16 is part of The Destructive Power of the Mind, where the permanent Duty/Freedom decision occurs. X19 is reached later during The Price of a Miracle. The official Cost of Hope material specifically lists X16 among returning locations while the CNPP is one of the DLC's major new regions.
Final Tips for Completing X19
The easiest way to get through The Price of a Miracle is to stop treating X19 like a conventional linear corridor.
When you get stuck, check three things first:
- Is there a power problem?
- Is there a route through a vent, window, pipe or lower floor?
- Has the objective changed from fighting to operating something?
That solves most of the apparent dead ends.
The most important numbers to remember are:
- 2110 — X19 locked loot room
- 3150 — Projector Room
And the most important collection reminder is: Search the ventilation shaft before leaving it. That's where you'll find the Mad Scientist's Notebook that points you toward the 2110 room.
For the faction weapon consequences, Mavka gives you Guardian while Zulu gives you Mriya, so don't expect to find the opposing weapon somewhere else inside the CNPP.
Finally, if you're a completionist, protect the save from before the Mavka/Zulu decision. That's far more valuable than creating a late save after you've already committed to a route.
For the next step in your Cost of Hope collection, you can continue with:
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Cost of Hope: Best Faction Weapons — Duty vs Freedom Rewards
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Cost of Hope: Flickering Flare & The Forgotten Guide
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 Cost of Hope: The Forgotten Walkthrough
The key to X19 is simple: follow the power, check the vents, use the codes when you reach the correct doors, and watch the objective during the final encounter.
Guide for S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 – Cost of Hope
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