So the best way to get good gear early on is checking out the general store bedroom in zalissya outskirts, where you'll find your first private chest near hamster's shop pretty useful for storing stuff. The weapon shop at slag heap is another solid spot, theres usually decent gear behind boozer's counter if you look carefully.

The detention center's got some nice surprises too - look for that thermal anomaly area west of hlynka, and if you find a dead soldier with a key, those orange doors hide some really good equipment. Just watch your radiation levels while searching around there.

Vehicle graveyard has these cabins near bubble anomalies that nobody really talks about but they're packed with meds and ammo, though the chemical hazards can be nasty if youre not careful. Over in garbage, help out vovchyk koldyba first and he'll give you access to some decent starter gear in the pigsty stashes. While youre there, check those broken tvs for a key that opens up a brick building with even more goodies.

One interesting spot most people miss is the barracks west of the main stalls near Screw in rostok market, got some private chests tucked away. Later on when you're better equipped, the cement factory and wild island shelter are worth checking out but maybe grab some anomaly detection bolts from sidorovich first, makes finding those hidden stashes way safer.