Artifact Spawns

 take place in both Lost Alpha and the Developer's Cut on a random basis from many anomalies.

Overview

 * These spawns differ markedly from Anomaly Fields in that spawning is entirely random (or non-existent) and that a 'biological component' needs to be terminated within the anomaly for spawning to actually be a possibility.
 * Pretty much any anomaly might spawn an artifact in exchange for a mutant life, with the first example seen by the player in Cordon during a cutscene early in the game where a Flesh enters a Whirligig zone.

Trivia

 * Good detection equipment (fully upgraded "Bear" or "Veles" detector + an appropriate suit with upgrades against anomalies + Supernova artifact on belt) where applicable is a must if running around anomaly clusters to minimize the chances of the player getting sucked into an untimely end. Supernova artifact lets you run much faster and decreases the chance of being stuck in any anomaly.
 * Sometimes you need to wait, before you re-enter an area, otherwise the local mutant life won't be replenished at all or less mutants will respawn.

Cordon

 * There are 2 weird spiky puffball anomalies and vortexes near Sidorovich, where you can lure the patrolling Bloodsucker into the puffball. Spawns Thorn, Crystal Thorn and Urchin (this implies that the anomaly is controlled by "zone_ameba.ltx" with the corollary that Fungus, Battery and Green beads are also possible spawns), but these occasionally get trapped within the anomaly making retrieval slightly problematic. You can reach them, by slowly closing to the "puffball". If the artifact gets trapped inside, you can also shoot it with guns. The bloodsucker respawns, so it's good loot of Bloodsucker tentacles as well. The bloodsucker rarely gets killed by the vortexes as it runs faster than the vortex' trigger time.
 * There is a productive use of the Trade Route Tunnel: There are 3 blind dogs, scripted to respawn every time you enter the map. From Garbage they are closing the road from the right, when you get near the Moskvich. These dogs DO NOT cover an area (as usually they do). Instead, if they notice the player, they will charge at him and follow everywhere. Luring them cleverly towards the tunnel works well. Kill the Flesh (patrolling near the tunnel) during the run as the dogs will stop and fight it which makes no use.

Garbage

 * In v1.4007, on a first visit to Garbage the strong Witches' Jelly by the heliwreck south of the Vehicle Graveyard can be used to lure four or five zombies to their end if the player disturbs them and waits in the dead spot between the fence and the anomaly. Some dogs in the area may also expire there. Spawns include fairly easy Bubble and Mica artifacts. Note that once the Hangar is cleared three Loners take up station by the VG entrance and prevent zombies from wandering round.
 * There is a whirligig where you can lure the fleshes to (enter the area from Bar Rostok and the anomaly is located right to the road, between a broken and a sound tree). As the fleshes respawn, it can be easy loot. The stronger fleshes seems to be more clever and may stop right before the anomaly though.

Bar Rostok

 * The anomaly described above in the notes section.
 * Nearby whirligig directly over the Bar. Less productive.
 * The whirligig by the tailgate of the wagon on the road to Military Warehouses. Nearby pack of blind dogs can be lured into it; artifacts usually spawn on top of truck.

Agroprom

 * On the top of the hill, above the stalker base in tunnel, the 2 whirligig anomalies convert the blind dogs that do respawn every time the player enters the area.

Yantar

 * The Electro anomaly around a radar where the zombies are found (slightly Eastwest to the military base) produce Sparkler and Electra artifacts.

Construction Site

 * There is a Witches Jelly close to the Eastern part of the map slightly south to the radiated garbage dumps. There are 2 Fleshes and 2-3 zombies respawning near to it. As the anomaly damages not much to the mutants, it's difficult to produce artifacts, but it's possible (just damage the mutants with weapons first, then lure into the anomaly or hit the zombies, when they are in the anomaly, and they may die during the period they are lying on the ground).
 * There is a whirligig north to the radiated swamp. If you exit the Eastern tunnel, it's very close on the right. There are 2 Fleshes respawning nearby. Easy to lure them into the anomaly.
 * The whirligig clusters west of the Merc Bar in Forgotten are quite productive at turning the blind dogs into Meat Chunk, Stone Blood and Soul.
 * In the cemetery, next to the ruined village in the center of the map, the zombies respawn. Their number vary each time you enter (but an average of five) the map. The vortex anomalies work well on them.
 * There are 4 blind dogs near the stalker shelter. When you leave the shelter, go Northeast, where you can find the unfinished building (actually just the base of it) with an anomaly cluster inside of it. 4 blind dogs respawn east of the building and you can lure 2 of them into the whirligig. You just stir them and go and fall next to the ramp. The dogs will follow the player into the whirligig.

Pripyat Underground

 * The Ameba anomalies might convert a snork into a Bubble (this implies that they are coded by the "zone_isparenie.ltx" file).
 * Snorks can be lured into the Burner anomalies. They are tough, so they may need 3-4 hits before getting killed by the anomaly.

Countryside

 * North to the Military Checkpoint in the corner of the map, you can lure the blind dogs into the whirligig anomalies.
 * A whirligig works for 3 respawning boars south to the road crossing (where a bus and a tanker is situated). Just follow the muddy road and you will notice the boars and also the anomalies close to them.
 * In the swamps, boars and swamp beasts can be lured into whirligig and electro anomalies.
 * Actually lots of mutants respawn in Countryside, so other instances may also work for artifact farming.

Darkscape

 * There are 3 packs of blind dogs north to the Service Station on both sides of the road, but only the farther (3rd pack) is situated near anomalies. 20-30 meters before the small road crossing, there is a witches' jelly and a springboard on the left where you can lure them into.
 * In the Abandoned Village, in front of the door of the southern house in the middle, there is another combo of a witches' jelly and a springboard. There are multiple zombies and blind dogs that respawn at later visits. When you enter the area at first time, there are izloms, a pseudogiant and even a chimera next to the zombies.
 * There is a small, ruined hamlet with a chimera between the Abandoned Village and the Southern exit of the Sin base. Lots of witches' jelly and springboard anomalies are all around. And there are 2 boars slightly east of the hamlet as well.

Military Warehouses

 * Chimeras (and bloodsucker) respawn in the village, where you can lure them into the springboards.

Dead City

 * From Yantar entrance, you need to get on to the 2nd plateau, just straight ahead. Several vortex anomalies and 3 boars await the player from where you can see the first buildings of the city.
 * Not much further, there is a small stone bridge on the east. 3 cars and 2 electro amonalies await the blind dogs. Jump onto the roof of cars after the dogs have been stirred and wait until they kill themselves.
 * North to the houses with Freedom members, there is a vortex cluster. You can lure the snorks inside of these. Normally they are on the other side of the swamp, but are willing to follow the player if attacked.
 * On the road to Radar, halfway between the crossing (a mud road leads to West) and the exit to Radar, on the left, there are boars and a single vortex anomaly where they can be lured into.
 * When you turn left and take the mud road to west, you can find a boar and vortex on your right (approx. 30 meters), just before reaching the bandit village.
 * There is a sports field with electro anomalies and a playground. Both are situated just east to the (former) mercenary base. Several blind dogs and pseudo dog inhabit the area. Some of them can be lured into the anomalies.
 * Several springboards are on the street at the southeast and southwest corner of the park just west to the (former) mercenary base. The base is the building that the military takes over during the storyline. Few pseudodogs are running in and around the park.
 * There is a graveyard south-east from town, housing a few zombies and multiple Burner anomalies scattered across the graves.

Radar

 * Just south of Nomad, there are springboard anomalies and snorks.

Concrete Factory

 * none

Dark Valley

 * There are whirligigs between the exits to Garbage and the bandit base. The area is inhabited by few dogs, flesh(es), boar(s) that do respawn. A bit time-consuming to lure them. Generally: there are a lot of respawning mutants in Dark Valley, but most of them patrol far from anomalies.

Swamps

 * There are 2 whirligigs slightly west the Northeast exit point and occasionally 3 swamp beasts.
 * At the Southeast exit point, there are 2 springboards and several swamp beasts.
 * There is an Ameba and 2 boars around a ruined house. Left to the road, west to the middle exit point.
 * On the road coming from Dead City entry point, not much before you'd reach the bus, you go left and there is a springboard and 3 fleshes around.
 * There are many anomalies in the area that may have a single mutant close and possible to lure into.

Outskirts

 * If you enter the area from Radar, you can find 1-1 springboard anomalies on both side of the road. 1st one on the right, just behind the bush which covers the distant sight of the house occupied with bandits. The other one is a bit further away on the left. 4-6 boars cover the area. There is a 3rd springboard (on the right) they are scripted to never run into, but the other 2 works. Stir them up, run around the springboard, wait exactly at the border of the damage radius, so the boars won't turn around and get to their initial position, but run into the anomaly while charging at the player.
 * Close to the entry to Pripyat, there is a small crossing. There are 2 boars and a springboard left to the road before you reach the crossing.
 * If you follow to road to Lab X7, there is a tanker with electro anomaly underneath it. You can lure 4 local blind dogs into it. Just jump onto the roof of the driver's cabin and wait for the dogs to kill themselves.
 * 40 meters south to the Southern paling of the small church, on the top of the hill-side, there is a vortex anomaly next to a bush and a bit further away a springboard as well. Fleshes and cat(s) around can be lured into.
 * There is a cluster of vortexes and a pack of dogs east of the heap of the radioactive junk.
 * Northeast to the Duty hideout there is a warning/caution board with electro anomaly and a boar close to it...
 * Not much west of it, on the top of the hill-spine, there are further boars and springboards.

Rostok Factory

 * If you enter from Agroprom, there is 1 whirligig just left before the 2nd railway crossing and there are 3 whirligigs behind the same crossing, when you are about to enter the village. 1-2 boars and may blind dogs inhabit the surroundings. Maybe not all of them can be lured into the anomalies as sometimes they stuck into the objects (like the houses or palings).

Pripyat

 * Some boars and even zombie in the stadium. There is a burner anomaly in the middle of the stadium. Whirligigs, vortexes and a springboards all around.
 * In the Northeast corner of the map, there are 3 blind dogs and springboards.

Forest

 * There is a Springboard anomaly along with pack of fleshes a bit west from southern M-shaped turn of the road.

Locations with non-respawning mutants:

 * The Trade Route Tunnel has a wide variety of anomalies and a one-off group of five zombies. They do not respawn and trying to get the local Flesh to enter the tunnel is difficult.
 * Enter from the north (where the flesh pack is) and make an interim save somewhere near the underground door. Up to the carwreck mid-tunnel, all of the Springboards are of the strong variety and may yield a Spring or a Cake in exchange for a Zombie. The semi-useless Bouquet is also possible with the even more useless Red beads being coded with a zero probability. More likely spawns of Stone Flower and Night Star will predominate.
 * The springboards south of the wreck are of the weak variant (still fairly deadly) and only yield Jellyfish and Stone Flowers. The Whirligig certainly spawns Stone Blood and Meat Chunks and other possibilities may present themselves but are probably limited to the Soul as the anomaly is far from powerful.
 * The general idea here is to encourage the occupants to expire in the strong springboards to preferentially spawn the higher end artifacts. Gaining a Spring or two on day one of the game would set the player up handsomely.
 * Since the artifacts spawn in the anomaly for the most part, a shotgun is helpful in dislodging them. Unfortunately, any Cakes may vanish from the game through the tunnel walls...


 * The Music Village zombies may also be similarly exploited.
 * The village splits into a north and a south part separated by a wide, overgrown lane, infested with several strong Springboards, and a derelict car in the middle.
 * Make a save when on the roof of the car and wait for the zombies to arrive. Some minor jumping and walking around to stay out of their clutches may be necessary as they walk into the anomalies.
 * NOTE: the game manager reports (erroneously) that any spawns caused during this originate from "zone_buzz_average" when clearly these are Springboards and yield those corresponding artifacts.
 * NOTE 2: Dislodging the Cake from the anomaly is best performed with a handgun as the artifact is quite labile. Other artifacts might need a few rifle shots to get them out of the kill zone.
 * In Old Road, there is a small farmstead to the west, populated by as many as two controllers and numerous zombies. After dispatching the former latter can be lured to the north from gate, into nearby Vortex; and most of zombies are willing to go into Electra under the truck or even Springboard further to the north.