Jester

It turns out that I have gotten some people to play the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, and even many of those that do can benefit from this guide. Not to mention S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will be out by 2012. Now you have over a year of studying material. This long post will contain some Zone facts, beliefs and other guidelines that will help you not only survive in the Zone, but become successful.

What is the Zone?

This guide will not contain any spoilers. So I will not answer this question directly. Playing the games can get you most of the answers, but not even all of them. Fortunately, I have all of the answers. I know how the Zone was formed, why, and I know what lies in the center of the Zone. But I'm not putting that into this guide.

So what do I have to say for this question? Well I can give you some basic facts for starters. That is, what everyone knows.

• Fact: In 1986, reactor 4 of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant overheated, resulting in a series of thermal explosions. The details of the accident can be found here. It was the worst nuclear accident ever recorded, with an INES rating of 7. It is the only incident to have such a rating. People in nearby towns and villages were evacuated. A 30 kilometer exclusion zone was created.
• 2005: Unnatural forces within the Zone begin to have an influence over a wider area. Significant changes in weather patterns are noted, including hurricane winds and tremors.
• March 4, 2006: Blinding light could be seen illuminating the sky above the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. This lasted for 2 hours before subsiding. No explanation could be given on this event.
• April 12, 2006: The skies lit up once again by an intolerable bright light. The clouds could then be seen evaporating out of the air, followed by a tremendous thunder crash, lasting far longer than normal. After the thunder faded away, there was a period of silence, followed by a 6:9 Richter Scale earthquake. The glow in the sky continued, spreading over the entire region, while deadly energy disturbances raged through the Zone, making any rescue effort impossible. Subsequent investigation turned up the fact, that the center of the explosion was a kilometer away from the nuclear plant itself, evidently the nuclear fuel dump going up.
• Several Months Afterwards: The Zone abruptly grows five kilometers bigger. Most of the military securing the perimeter perished. Panic-stricken people from nearby villages were evacuated.
• Shortly After: Military expedition is sent into the center of the Zone to destroy it with nuclear weapons. Once they landed, most of the soldiers died in unknown anomalous energy formations or were killed by mutants. Many of those who survived were killed by an emission, that is a release of energy in the Zone. Few survivors remained.
• Shortly After: First anomalies are discovered in the Zone. These anomalous energy formations may be extremely dangerous and the source of them is unknown. The Zone has pockets of distorted gravity, unexplainable gravitational forces, chemical anomalies, electrical disturbances/anomalies and other anomalies with no explanation on how they were formed.
• September 28, 2009: A group of Kiev scientists succeeds in creating a special device for detecting anomalous activity at a distance of up to 10 meters. This winter, an expedition in protective suits and with detectors manages to penetrate the Zone 1 km deep and return without incident or injury.
• August 17, 2010: Expeditions further penetrate the Zone, one locates an abandoned camp of the first "stalker". They also locate first artifacts and observe the emergence of first blowouts or emissions. Artifacts are formed by anomalies and have incredible abilities. Some have the power to heal, cure incurable diseases or resist harmful effects.
• 2011: With news of the possibility to survive in the Zone leaked, amateur researchers, marauders and poachers begin to make their way into the zone, soon becoming known as stalkers, seeking artifacts in the dangerous environments. At first ignoring them, the government is soon forced to reevaluate their policies, as artifacts make their way into private hands.
• 2011: According to one of the stalkers at Lake Yantar one of his friends encountered some zombies who muttered what sounded like English, presumably remnants of a foreign tour group that disappeared in the Zone ten years earlier.
• February 4, 2011: The government retaliates against illegal stalkers, during this campaign over 70 are arrested and ten trading posts closed down.

So those are the facts. The beginning of the Zone as the world knows it. The Zone is an unexplainable phenomena where it is easy to get rich, and easy to croak any second. In this guide, I will help you do both. Before we continue, you are probably wondering, what does "stalker" or "S.T.A.L.K.E.R." mean? Well a stalker is a typical person in the Zone as detailed above. There is a lot to the acronym and I will not go over it since it is full of spoilers. But I can tell you what it stands for.

Scavengers
Tresspassers
Adventurers
Loners
Killers
Explorers
Robbers

So that's what S.T.A.L.K.E.R. stands for. It describes all of the people in the Zone. There are three S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games currently released, here they are.

• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl - First S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game. Released in 2007. You take on the role of "Marked One", an amnesiac Stalker who fell out of a "Death Truck" and was rescued by Stalkers. Has no recollection of who he is or how or why he was in the Death Truck. You must uncover the truth about who you are and what the Zone is.
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky - Second S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game. Released in 2008. The storyline is set before Shadow of Chernobyl, so it's a prequel. You take on the role of "Scar", a Mercenary who has some special abilities and must help the Clear Sky faction stabilize the Zone by eliminating whoever reached the center.
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat - Third S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game. Released in 2009 in some countries, but by 2010 it was released worldwide. Takes place after all of the other games. You take on the role of Major Degtyarev, a USS special agent sent into the Zone to investigate the failure of Operation Fairway, which was an expedition to capture the CNPP.

Before we move on, lets move onto important terms you should know.

• Emissions: - Also called blowouts. These are a sudden release of energy throughout the Zone. The power of Emissions varies. Some aren't too bad, while others can kill anything not in shelter. When an Emission is incoming you must get to cover. Studies have shown odd patterns dealing with Emissions. They sometimes remove anomalies and make new ones appear, making some explorable paths impossible to travel through and opening up new paths. Studies have also shown that when someone attempts to break through to the center of the Zone, emissions become more frequent. It's as if the Zone itself tries to prevent people from reaching the center, with Emissions being one of its weapons. Playing through the games won't even answer all of the questions dealing with Emissions. But I know the truth behind Emissions. And no, I won't share it with you.
• Anomalies: Anomalous energy formations formed after the Zone appeared in 2006. There are many different anomalies and I'll go over them.
• Artifacts: Formations formed by anomalies. These have amazing features and are worth lots of money. I'll go over every artifact.

Anomalies

So now you know that anomalies are anomalous energy formations. Here is a list of every anomaly ever recorded in the Zone.

Gravitational Anomalies

• Springboard - The first anomaly ever recorded. It's 1-2 meters wide, ground level and usually remain active for about a week. Upon contact with a Springboard, it releases shockwaves that can either wound, critically wound or kill beings. Forms the Jellyfish, Stone Flower and Night Star artifacts.
• Whirligig - Deadly anomaly. Upon contact, the Whirligig sucks in the unfortunate being, twirls it in the air and blows it to pieces. Forms three artifacts - Stone Blood, Meat Chunk and Soul.
• Vortex - Most powerful gravitational anomaly. It is 10-15 meters wide and lives for a week on average. Contact with the Vortex causes the object or being to be sucked into the center, crushed into a lump and then blown into pieces by a powerful gravitational discharge. Forms three artifacts - Wrenched, Gravi and Goldfish.
• Lift - Contained area where gravitational force is much lower than normal. Harmless in nature. Cut from all games, but it forms the Pellicle artifact.

Chemical Anomalies

• Fruit Punch - Looks like a puddle of acid on the floor. Contact causes the anomaly to react, resulting in severe chemical burns. Forms three artifacts - Slime, Slug and Mica. Similar chemical anomalies appear in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat, forming the Stone Blood, Meat Chunk, Soul, Kolobok, Firefly and Bubble artifacts.
• Gas - Strange chemical processes go non-stop in this anomaly. They result in acid which eats away skin and toxic gas which devours lungs equally well...The good thing is, that the anomaly is easy to spot in the open air... It is less pleasant to unexpectedly discover it in a dark tunnel. Sometimes, when in contact with fauna, forms strange mutated vines. Forms six artifacts - Stone Blood, Meat Chunk, Soul, Kolobok, Firefly and Bubble.

Heat Anomalies

• Burner - Looks like a small heat wave before triggered. Contact causes extremely hot flames to shoot out, causing severe damage or death. Forms six artifacts - Droplets, Crystal, Fireball, Mama's Beads, Eye and Flame.
• Boiler - Looks like steam before triggered. Contact causes extremely hot gas to shoot out, causing severe damage. Forms Crystal, Fireball, Mama's Beads, Eye and Flame artifacts.
• Comet - Mobile Burner anomaly on a fixed path. Not known to form any artifacts.

Electric Anomalies

• Electro - An anomalous formation, roughly 10 meters in diameter, accumulating large quantities of static electricity. When triggered the anomaly bursts out in dozens of miniature lightnings, causing electric shock nearly always lethal to all living beings. Recognizable by the bluish fog hovering above it in daylight. At nighttime, the Electro can be revealed using any type of detector or by throwing metal objects into the anomaly. Forms six artifacts - Sparkler, Flash, Snowflake, Battery, Moonlight and Shell. Mobile Electros exist, but are not known to form artifacts.
• Sparks - An anomaly that has been cut from all games. There is no information on it.

Other Anomalies

• Burnt Fuzz - Mutated vegetation. Reacts to fast-moving objects - slow objects can pass through it unharmed. On contact it discharges a cloud of projectiles wounding any rapid-moving object that passes through. Produces three artifacts (most likely its seeds) - Thorn, Crystal Thorn and Urchin.
• Space Anomaly - Also called a Space Bubble. Almost invisible. Contact with a Space Anomaly causes you to teleport to another fixed location. Being trapped in a Space Anomaly is one of the worst things that can happen to a Stalker. You'll be trapped in looped space - whichever way you go, you can't leave. Some believe it forms the Compass artifact but there is no confirmation on this.
• Teleport - Found only near the center of the Zone. Similar to a Space Anomaly but not as dangerous - you can't get trapped inside of one. It just teleports you to another location. Does not form artifacts. This might be a result of a laboratory experiment.
• Time - A true miracle of an anomaly: an area several meters in diameter where the time flow is significantly slower than usual. Appears to have no negative effect on human health. However, the Time Machine can be very difficult to get out of. Interestingly, removing Mama's Beads - an artifact usually found in the center of the anomaly - causes the Time Machine to disappear.

Artifacts

Artifacts are formed by anomalies. They have very useful features, such as healing powers, resistance to harmful effects and they can even make bullets swerve by you. For information on artifacts, see here. Their properties changed in every game, so this list will be of great use to you.

Artifact Hunting

Now you know what anomalies and artifacts are. Now how do you get artifacts? Well in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl, they lie out in the open. But in Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat, they are not visible and are located in anomaly field clusters. So here is a proper way to artifact hunt and navigate through anomaly fields.

• Equip bolts (6) - You have an unlimited number of these. Throw these in front of you to look for safe paths. These trigger anomalies, or just react to gravitational anomalies. The Burnt Fuzz and Space Anomalies do not react with bolts, but you can see those anyway.
• Listen to Your Anomalous Detector - If you hear beeping, that means you are approaching an anomaly. It does not detect Burner anomalies, Space Anomalies, Teleport Anomalies or Burnt Fuzz anomalies.
• Equip Your Artifact Detector (O) - This is required for finding artifacts in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat. There are a few artifact detectors - the Echo Detector, which has a light that beeps/blinks when you approach an artifact. Then there is the Bear Detector, which indicates the direction of the artifact. The Veles Detector is the best one in Clear Sky. It shows the position of the artifact on the LED screen, clear as day. It also detects all artifacts unlike the ones before it. Finally, exclusive to Call of Pripyat is the Svarog Detector which you help develop (bring parts). It not only shows the position of the artifact, but it also shows the position of anomalies in the area on the LED screen. It makes artifact hunting very easy.
• Get Adequate Protection - Artifacts in Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat, and valuable ones in Shadow of Chernobyl are located in highly irradiated and anomalous areas. Be sure to bring lots of Vodka, Antirad and a good suit and helmet (CoP) when going artifact hunting.

That's all there is to it. A bit of practice will make you a seasoned Stalker.

Locations

The Zone has many key locations. Here is a list of them.

• 
• Swamps: Featured only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, although it was present in earlier builds of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl closer to the center of the Zone. But as it stands - the Great Swamps are on the fringes of the Zone. Located towards the West. Before 1991 it was a farming region. It was destroyed when the Soviet engineers, building a dam for the hydroelectric power plant nearby, flooded the area. Whether it was deliberate or an accident is unknown. What is known, however, that there were many casualties and the area was abandoned for years to come. When the Zone formed, the Swamps were mostly inaccessible due to the many anomalies. Thanks to emissions, this changed over time. At a time it was the base of operations for the Clear Sky faction. Some typical mutants, some dangerous ones.
• Cordon: Featured in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky. It is an antechamber to the Zone, located just East of the Swamps. Guarded by the Military, this is one of the more quiet places in the Zone. Features many rookie stalkers and occasional bandits. Mutants aren't too dangerous. Key locations include a broken bridge which was destroyed during an earthquake the Military outpost guarding the entrance, and the rookie village where rookie stalkers live. The rookie village is just outside of Sidorovich's bunker. Sidorovich is a well known trader in the Zone.
• Dark Escape: This level was never featured in any game but documents found within Shadow of Chernobyl (or older SoC builds') files indicate that this level was going to be East of the Cordon and South of the Dark Valley. It connected the Cordon and Dark Valley and the player was supposed to be escaping from a military chopper through this level from the Cordon.
• Garbage: Featured in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky. Located North of the Cordon. It was the main dumping site for the toxic materials found after the 1986 incident. Now it is home to the Bandits who constantly demand pay from stalkers who dig up materials buried under rubble. Mutants are not much of a problem. Key locations include a vehicle scrapyard, Depot and some broken buildings like the Flea market. High radiation levels.
• Agroprom: Featured in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky. Located West of the Garbage. A vehicle center was built here in the 1980s. After the 1986 incident, the Agroprom Research Institute was set up to do research on mutated vegetation. Known for its high radiation levels, dangerous mutants and constant battles between Stalkers, Military and Bandits. At a time it was home to the Duty faction. Key locations include the Research Institute, vehicle factory and underground area.
• Agroprom Underground: Featured in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky. Underground tunnels set up beneath Agroprom. This is where the majority of studying and experimenting went on for the Agroprom Research Institute. Now full of very dangerous mutants and Bandits.
• Dark Valley: Featured in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky. Dark, gloomy and mysterious Valley set up East of the Garbage. A Science Center started production here in 1981, but was never completed because of the 1986 incident. After the Zone appeared, this place became home to the Freedom faction. After they left, it would become Bandit territory. Known for being a very dangerous place with many dangerous mutants. Key locations include the unfinished Science Center, factory complex, gas station and farmsteads.
• Lab X-18: Featured only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl. Unknown laboratory located beneath the factory in the Dark Valley. Anymore would be too many spoilers.
• Rostok: Featured only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl. Located North of the Garbage. Formerly the site of a large manufacturing plant. Once the Zone appeared, this area was cut off into two sections. The bar area and the Wild Territory - they're actually two separate levels in the game. The Wild Territory didn't get its name by any coincidence - many Stalkers met their death here. Constant gun battles between factions, Stalkers, Mercenaries and full of very dangerous mutants. These mutants are literally swarming here from all over the Zone. However, many daredevils try their luck here since it is said that something of great importance is hidden at the site. It might have been held by the Military when the Zone appeared, but it eventually became home to Duty soldiers who opened the place up to Stalkers. The Wild Territory however cannot be taken under control. Notable locations include the 100 rads bar - a common Stalker meeting place ran by the Barkeep, another infamous trader. It is also home to the Duty headquarters.
• Yantar: Featured in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky. "Yantar" translates to "Amber" in English. A large lake used to be present here, hence the name Lake Yantar. However, the site became home to a factory complex and underground laboratory. An accident caused the water from the Lake to drain, leaving a stinking swamp in its place. Very dangerous and avoided by many Stalkers, although some Stalkers still try their luck there due to a mobile laboratory set up in the place for researching the Zone. The mobile laboratory is home to Professor Sakharov, Professor Kruglov, Professor Vasiliev and Assistant Semenov. Sakharov is known to give out jobs to Stalkers and he is a great trader. But Yantar is avoided due to its high levels of radiation, dangerous mutants and Zombies. The factory complex is a place where you will certainly meet your end. Anyone who dares wander too deep into the factory loses their mind and becomes a Zombie.
• Lab X-16: Unknown laboratory located underneath the Yantar factory complex.
• Army Warehouses: Featured in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky. Home to a military base, although most of the Military perished from Emissions. It's the last inhabited place before the center of the Zone (except for Call of Pripyat). Features dangerous mutants - the Bloodsuckers alone are a legion located in a desolate village. Terrible anomalies are present and it is now home to the Freedom faction. A barrier has been set up to keep mutants and Monolithians at bay, coming from the center of the Zone.
• Red Forest: Previously called the Wormwood Forest. Prior to the 1986 incident, a huge antenna was put up called the DUGA-3 Radar System AKA the Russian Woodpecker. Its use was unknown. The 1986 incident caused this forest to be highly irradiated. Featured only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky as two separate areas. Clear Sky has a smaller section of the Red Forest. This section was unreachable for years due to anomalies, but the Emission that started the game made it accessible. The area in Shadow of Chernobyl is impenetrable. It blocks the path to the center of the Zone. Called the Brain Scorcher, coming close to this area will cause your brain to start boiling, leaving you an empty, mindless shell much like the effects in Yantar.
• Lab X-19 - Unknown laboratory located in the Red Forest.
• Dead City: An area cut from all games, but nevertheless it exists but not officially. Secret Soviet town. I won't go over what's there, telling you its presence is already a spoiler. If S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 does not tell you, then I will.
• Limansk: Another secret Soviet town, just North of Dead City. Not many people new about it - but one particular fellow does, called Forester. According to him, Limansk is the site of a large research institute called the Radiowave Institute. They erected a huge antenna complex, another Russian Woodpecker. Going to the town caused your head to hurt, and the residents disliked outsiders. They always mumbled something under their breaths, and praised the Soviet regime. Everyone who lived there was a member or servant for the Radiowave Institute. Featured only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky. It is said to be a resurrection of Dead City but GSC confirmed that it is not, and both exist on the map anyway. After the 1986 incident, the people were not evacuated and research continued. The town was finished around 1980. After the Zone appeared, it became unknown what was in Limansk. Leads to the center of the Zone.
• Limansk Hospital: Hospital for Limansk. After the 2006 incident it became destroyed due to massive earthquakes. Leads to the Pripyat Underground which could be used to get to the Zone's Center. Featured only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky.
• Pripyat: Located North of the Red Forest. Well known town, home for Chernobyl workers. Evacuated after the 1986 incident. For a long time this town was a mystery. Leads to the center of the Zone but the Brain Scorcher blocks the path to Pripyat. Central Pripyat was featured in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl while Eastern Pripyat is in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat.
• Pripyat Underground: Underground tunnels in Pripyat. Leads to Jupiter factory, Pripyat and perhaps other locations. Playable in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat, it was supposed to be featured in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky but it never was.
• Lab X8: Unknown laboratory in Pripyat. Only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat.
• Lab X7: Unknown laboratory in an unknown location. Only mentioned in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat.
• Zaton: Swampy area near the center of the Zone. Featured only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat.
• Yano Area around the Jupiter factory and Yanov train station. Featured only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat.
• Generators: Unknown area near the center of the Zone. Cut from all games. Got its name after 1998 when an engineer spotted six field Generators near the center of the Zone. If S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 does not tell you about this area, I will.
• War Lab: Unknown laboratory in Generators. Cut from all games, although the layout from the lab is reused for Lab X8 in Call of Pripyat, minus a few areas.
• Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant: Center of the Zone. Cleared out after 1986. Believed to hold a Wish Granting machine, a Monolith. What is here remains unknown and a dream to all Stalkers. Featured only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky.
• Sarcophagus: Sarcophagus of Reactor 4 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Featured only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl.
• Secret Lab: The name alone already tells you too much. Good thing I didn't use the alternative name... anyway this is a secret lab featured only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl. I'm not even going to tell you its location...

Here is a map of the Zone, but the Call of Pripyat levels are not here. There are only 3 main levels in that game anyway.

Zone Beliefs

So I know everything about the Zone. If you're reading this, you most likely don't. I won't tell any secrets about the Zone, but I will tell you some common Zone Beliefs. A quote from Professor Beanpolev of Clear Sky brings up a nice summary.

People are mistaken in their belief that they understand the essence of what the Zone truly is. Some consider it a universal evil, others - a wonder sent down to humanity, and others still consider it no more than a source of riches....They are all wrong. The Zone is impossible to understand when viewed through the prism of human perception; moreover it is far too early for humans to even try. Ergo, the actions of both the Zone and the government with the respect to the Zone are misguided and I fear that the potential consequences may be...or indeed, are, completely unpredictable. Naturally this presents a terrible danger.

Enemy of the World

Duty and possibly the Government (not very likely) believe that the Zone must be destroyed. They believe in fighting the Zone since they think it is more of a danger to humanity. Duty constantly beings "Holy wars" or assaults on mutant territories, attempting to slowly destroy the Zone. But whenever Duty begins a holy war, mutants and emissions only increase in number. In other words, their actions are futile and they seem to be exacerbating the problem.

Gift to Mankind

Freedom, Ecologists and Clear Sky believe that the Zone is a gift to mankind and the most wondrous thing we have ever received. Why? Well artifacts formed in the Zone have the power to heal, cure incurable diseases and so much more. Anomalies cannot be recreated in laboratory conditions. They believe researching and studying the Zone will result in a huge scientific leap for humanity. To achieve this, they believe the Zone must be researched and humans must coexist with it. Freedom studies the Zone in a practical sense while the Ecologists and Clear Sky have actual scientists.

Opportunity

Most Stalkers, Bandits, Mercenaries and many Military Soldiers believe that the Zone is no more than a source of riches. They enter the Zone with a primary goal of earning cash. Stalkers dig for loot especially in the Garbage, Bandits take money from Stalkers "for keeping order" and the Military profits from trading done between Stalkers and the outside world. These people believe that at the center of the Zone is nothing more than a treasure trove of artifacts.

Wish Granter

Some people believe that at the center of the Zone, deep within the Sarcophagus is a wish granting machine. A monolith - an alien crystal responsible for life forms on other planets. They believe that if you make a wish, it comes true but not without an ironic consequence. And for every wish made, the Zone grows 5 kilometers. One faction believes in this so much that they named themselves after the stone - the Monolith faction. Various Stalkers believe in it as well.

Oasis

Various Stalkers of any given faction believe that at the center of the Zone, there is a place, many believe it is a lake, where if you enter all of your wounds and sickness fade away. They call this place the Oasis. Some Freedom members wonder that maybe the Oasis was the result of someone's wish at the Wish Granter.

Zone Residents

The Zone is home to many factions, not to mention loners and Government forces as well. Here is a list of operators in the Zone.

• State Security Service: Ukrainian government forces. It is unknown whether their goals are to protect people from the Zone or protect the Zone from the people. Their job is to shoot down any Stalkers on sight and stop people from entering the Zone. Occasional raids happen as well. There are many corrupt officials that establish trading outposts with Stalkers for cash. Stationed mostly on the Zone's edges. Usually hostile to everyone.
• Spetsnaz: Special forces sent into the Zone where normal soldiers would not live. Featuring state of the art equipment, many Spetsnaz operators are indeed specially trained Stalkers. Sent into the center of the Zone. Hostile to all and very rare.
• Ecologists: Government scientific research group. They reside in a mobile laboratory in Yantar, and another one is set up in Yanov 2012.
• Duty: First faction to form in the Zone. Formed after the 2006 expedition mentioned above. The founding fathers for Duty were survivors of that expedition. The main founding father is General Tachenko who died shortly after the expedition. Other top officials include General Krylov and General Voronin, followed by Colonel Petrenko, Colonel Skull, Lieutenant Colonel Shulga, Major Zvyaginstev and Zulu. Very powerful faction featuring top of the line armor and Soviet weaponry. Base was originally the Agroprom Research Institute, then Rostok. Duty wishes to destroy the Zone and has ties with the Government. Known for their strict discipline.
• Freedom: One of the earliest factions to begin in the Zone. Very powerful with top of the line armor and NATO weaponry. Opposing faction for Duty - Freedom believes the Zone should be open for all and that humanity should try to coexist with the Zone, since it is a huge scientific opportunity. Founding members are Lukash, Chekhov, Lingov and Loki. Key members include Ashot, Uncle Yar, Cap, Kremen, Kostyan and many others. First base was in the Dark Valley, until they moved into the military base at the Army Warehouses. They also captured Jupiter factory although shared it with Duty because of an emission. Less strict than Duty.
• Stalkers: Lone Stalkers, although there are some unified groups as well. During 2011 many Stalkers joined forces to fight the Military and Bandits. This group eventually broke up. Mostly neutral, some are trustworthy while others are scumbags. They're in the Zone for money. Constantly harassed by Bandits.
• Bandits: Criminals and thugs. There are several unified Bandit factions. One was put together by Yoga in the Garbage, and they skimmed Stalkers for money if they dug up useful objects. Fairly successful, but their success rate grew when Yoga, Limpid and Tooth left the Zone and Borov took over. Borov moved their base into the Dark Valley and their territory increased dramatically. Separate Bandit factions were formed during S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat - one under the command of Sultan in Zaton, and one less successful one ran by Jack. Hostile in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and neutral in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat.
• Renegades: Another Bandit group featured only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky. Unknown leader. Hostile to the player and engages in a war with Clear Sky.
• Clear Sky: One of the very first factions to enter the Zone. Supposedly a United Nations Environmental Research Group. Their goal is to research the Zone and peacefully coexist with it, much like Freedom. But they're more willing to fight for the Zone than Freedom is. Only featured in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky and are friendly to the player.
• Monolith: Religious cult. Originally neutral, these fanatics believed that a Wish Granting machine, a monolithic crystal, was in the center of the Zone. One day they rose up and went straight to the center of the Zone, through the Brain Scorcher. That was believed to be the end of them, until they returned some weeks or months later, hostile to everyone. Has more members than all other factions, as well as the best weapons and top notch armor. Most powerful faction in the Zone. Controls all territories toward the Zone's center. Figurehead leader is Charon.
• Mercenaries: There is a variety of Mercenary factions in the Zone. Some neutral groups, some independent or lone Mercenaries, but each game has a particular, mysterious Mercenary group. Shadow of Chernobyl had the Mongrels gang, whose field commander was Wolfhound, a very dangerous and cruel person. They control the Wild Territory and their goal is unknown, although they seem to be after the Zone's secrets. Hostile to everyone except for the Bandits who pay the Mercenaries for protection. Their base of operations is unknown but is said to be near the center of the Zone. If S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 doesn't confirm their location, I will. In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, there is a war between Freedom and Mercs. The client for the mercs is unknown. In Call of Pripyat, there is a Mercenary group led by Jackal. Their field commander is Black. They are also after the Zone's secrets and become hostile over time.
• International Scientific Group: AKA Delta. Only mentioned in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky. They're a United Nations research group. In earlier builds of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, Scar was guiding them through one of the anomaly fields in Generators when an emission hit, killing everyone but Scar. Scar was picked up by Clear Sky members. This whole scene was thrown out the window. Rather than using guides, they are guided by satellite.
• Sin: AKA Dark Stalkers. Cut from all games. Originally they were a religious cult, they believed in the divine essence of the Zone and redemption for humanity. It is believed that they fell under the control of psychic mutants, which led to them being hostile to everyone. Supposed to control the military base in the Army Warehouses in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl, until they were removed from the game.
• Final Day: AKA Judgement Day. Said to be crazy, wild and dangerous. The goals of the faction are unknown - they were only mentioned in a conversation. Their leader was taken out by a legendary Stalker called Ghost.
• Strangers: Neutral to almost everyone, cut from all games, no indication of their beliefs or territories.
• Zombified Stalkers: Former Stalkers or even soldiers who had their brains melted in Yantar or at the Brain Scorcher. They can still fire and somehow reload weapons, and mutter meaningless words.

Those are the main Zone residents, but you can't forget about mutants!

Mutants

Mutants became well known after the 2006 incident. Here is a list of all recorded mutants.

• Blind Dogs: Many dog species lived in the Zone, each generation becoming more mutated than the last. Blind Dogs became the long lasting type of dog in the Zone. Despite their lack of vision, Blind Dogs still pose a threat due to their exceptional senses of smell and hearing. They can even avoid anomalies. Usually attack in groups which can be a pain for a lone Stalker. Appears in all games.
• Pseudodogs: More viscous dogs. A little bit more rare than Blind Dogs. They have glowing white eyes and long, dark fur. Appears in all games.
• Chernobyl Dogs: Found close to the center of the Zone. These look like Pseudodogs but have some white fur. These have the ability to create phantom images of themselves, which hurt you. Shooting these phantoms makes them disappear. Killing the actual dog makes them all disappear. The actual dog usually stays back. Appears in all games.
• Cat: Cut from all games. It is the size of a fairly large dog, and has swollen cheeks.
• Tark: Never made it into any game. Design was scrapped. It was supposed to be a mutated horse.
• Izlom: Mutated human that walked on all fours and had one arm longer than the rest. Cut form all games.
• Zombie: Typical zombie that scratched you. Removed from all games.
• Rats: Simple rats. Not sure if they're mutated or not.
• Tushkano: AKA Hamsters. They look like mutated rodents but in fact they're gregarious mammals. The actual mammal they are remains unknown. Usually hostile and appears in all games.
• Flesh: Mutated pig. Looks much different than a typical pig. Only hostile if approached. Appears in all games.
• Boar: Mutated boar. Has glowing white eyes, loss of fur in some areas and longer fur in others. Can withstand quite a bit of radiation. Hostile if approached. Appears in all games.
• Crow: A crow. They can avoid anomalies and are not hostile.
• Phantasm: A mutant that can generate phantom images of itself like the Chernobyl Dog. No design for this mutant was ever finalized and it was totally scrapped.
• Snork: Mutated human. Walks on all fours and has animal like abilities - long hops and feeds on anything it kills. It is unknown what types of conditions can turn a human into this. Always hostile, moderately dangerous especially if in packs. Appears in all games.
• Bloodsucker: Another mutated human. Has many tentacles around its mouth. It feeds on blood by wrapping those tentacles around a human neck. Very dangerous and excellent hunters - they have optic camouflage which makes them invisible (totally invisible in Call of Pripyat). In Clear Sky their hunting method is a bit different - they pin down one unlucky victim, roar and leap away into the distance. Moderately dangerous especially if in packs.
• Controller: Rare mutant, found usually close to the center of the Zone in underground or indoor areas. Has powerful psychic abilities. Approaching one causes your health to drain due to the psychic field it generates. Can control the mind of creatures and damages yours. However it is very slow. Moderately dangerous. Featured in all games.
• Burer: Result of experiments on criminals. Look like dwarfs - very short, they wear black trenchcoats and have very mutated skin. Featured only in Call of Pripyat. Very dangerous mutant - they are fairly bullet resistant, they can put up a psychic shield which makes your attacks useless, they have a telekinetic "shotgun-like" attack which does lots of damage and they can hurl objects at you with telekinesis. They can also make you drop your gun and make you lose all stamina. It is easy to determine if they're in the vicinity - their footsteps are very loud and distinct. A knife is the preferred way to fight them, since they cannot take that from you. Or if you have enough distance, sniper rifles work fine. Found only near the center of the Zone, usually in dark areas. Feeds on anything it kills.
• Chimera: Featured only in Call of Pripyat. Muscular dog-like body with no fur, and two human heads that resemble Lenin. Said to be the most dangerous mutant in the Zone. Very bullet resistant, very fast and has very long leaps. Not to mention they deal lots of damage. Found only near the center of the Zone.
• Pseudogiant: Unknown type of mutant featured in all games. Very large mutant, has two limbs that function as legs and arms. It also has two useless little arms hanging off of its head. Large footsteps but faster than you would think. Deals tons of damage, creates shock waves that knocks down objects in the area, and is by far the most bullet-resistant mutant. In Call of Pripyat it will take hundreds of bullets to take down. It almost takes this much in Clear Sky while in Shadow of Chernobyl an assault rifle magazine should do the job.
• Poltergeist: Supernatural to some. These mutants look like a ball of electricity, although when killed in Shadow of Chernobyl their body appears. Resembles the upper half of a human with a very mutated face. Uses telekinesis to hurl objects at you. It can't see - it detects movement in the gravitational field. So in Call of Pripyat you can stay still and it won't harm you. Very dangerous in Clear Sky where it hurls heavy objects at you that can instantly kill you, and it's much more bullet resistant. Featured in all games.
• Pyrogeist: Looks like an orange glow. Has some telekinetic abilities - it can jam doors or stop your movement. It generates fireballs out of thin are that deal heavy amounts of damage. Dangerous mutant and is featured in all games.

Weapons

The Zone is full of weaponry, mainly Soviet weaponry but there is a good selection of Western firearms as well. Here is a list of weapons and their general performance/rating. Keep in mind that all guns in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games do not have real names!

Knife - Very low range, but powerful. Recommended to use on Burers and Tushkano. Works well on Bloodsuckers too!

Pistols

• Makarov PM - Called PMm in the games even though it's a Makarov PM and not a Makarov PMm. Magazine capacity is eight 9 x 18mm bullets. Starting weapon in all three games. Relatively poor power, poor range, poor accuracy and relatively poor durability.
• Ceremonial Makarov - Unique PM used by Major Degtyarev (protagonist of Call of Pripyat). Same as regular PM but has engraving.
• PB/6P9 - Called PB1s in the games. Silenced Makarov. Holds 8 9 x 18mm rounds. Relatively poor power, poor range, poor accuracy (although better than the PM) and poor durability.
• Fort 12 - Called Fora 12 in all games except for Shadow of Chernobyl. Holds 12 9 x 18mm rounds. Relatively poor power, poor range, poor accuracy (although better range/accuracy than PM and PB/6P9) and poor durability.
• Fort 15 - Unique Fort 12 carried by Major Kuznetsov. Same as Fort 12 but holds 15 rounds. Both the gun and character are only in Shadow of Chernobyl.
• Walther P99 9x18 - Unique Walther P99 (called Walker P9m) modified to fire the 9 x 18mm rounds. Holds 16 rounds. Only in Shadow of Chernobyl. Slightly better characteristics than the previous pistols.
• Browning HiPower - Called HPSS-1M in games. Not featured in Shadow of Chernobyl. Holds 13 9 x 19mm rounds. Much better performance than previous pistols.
• Beretta 92F - Called Martha in games. Extremely rare in Shadow of Chernobyl. Holds 15 9 x 19mm rounds. Performs on par with HiPower.
• Walther P99 - Called Walker P9m in games. Holds 16 9 x 19mm rounds, performs on par with previous 9 x 19mm pistols. Slightly better accuracy but slightly worse stopping power.
• Colt M1911A1 - Called Kora 919 in games. Holds 7 .45 caliber rounds. Better performer than previous pistols, except in Shadow of Chernobyl where 9 x 19mm pistols are overpowered.
• SIG P220 - Called SIP-t M200 in games. Holds 7 .45 caliber rounds (10 in Clear Sky). Slightly better than M1911A1.
• H&K USP 45 Compact - Called UDP compact in games. Holds 8 .45 caliber rounds. Least powerful of all .45 caliber pistols, but has fastest ROF.
• IMI Desert Eagle - Called Black Kite in games. Modified for .45 caliber bullets - 8 round mag cap. Most powerful pistol aside from unique ones.
• Steppe Eagle: - Modified IMI Desert Eagle. More accuracy and stopping power. Only in Call of Pripyat.
• Modified Shooter - Bandit Desert Eagle in Clear Sky. Has upgrades applied.
• Big Ben - Modified Desert Eagle in Shadow of Chernobyl. Most powerful pistol by far. Holds 8 9 x 39mm subsonic rifle rounds.

Shotguns - Recommended to use against mutants. Do not bother using slug and dart rounds in Clear Sky - they're useless.

• TOZ-66 - Sawn-off double barrel shotgun. Good firepower, poor accuracy and poor durability. Holds 2 rounds.
• TOZ-34 - Hunting rifle. Not in Shadow of Chernobyl. Good firepower, best accuracy out of any shotgun but poor durability. Holds 2 rounds.
• Mossberg Maverick 88 - Called Chaser 13 in games. Pump action, more reliable and generally more effective. Holds 6 rounds (7 in Call of Pripyat).
• Combat Chaser - Modified Chaser 13 in Shadow of Chernobyl. A fragment of the Gravi artifact has been inserted into the barrel, increasing stopping power and accuracy. Holds 5 rounds.
• Predator - Modified Chaser 13. More powerful. Only in Call of Pripyat. Holds 7 shells.
• Franchi SPAS-12 - Called SPSA-14 in games. Used in semi automatic mode only in Shadow of Chernobyl and Call of Pripyat. Holds 8 rounds. Best shotgun in Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky, second best in Call of Pripyat.
• Threaded SPAS-12 - Unique SPSA-14 in Shadow of Chernobyl. Features a rifled bore, increasing accuracy with 12x76 slug rounds and 12x76 dart rounds. Not recommended to use with 12x70 buckshot rounds.
• Ripper Shotgun - More reliable SPAS-12 in Clear Sky.
• Carabiner - Unique SPSA-14 in Call of Pripyat. Has less recoil and holds 10 rounds.
• Armsel Protecta - Only featured in Call of Pripyat. Called Eliminator. Holds 12 rounds. Best shotgun in the game.

Submachine Guns - Only good starting weapons, except in Call of Pripyat where they are more powerful than assault rifles. Go figure.

• H&K MP5 - Original MP5. Called Viper 5 in games. Holds 30 9 x 19mm rounds. Sucks in Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky, but better than the shotguns for anything more than point blank combat.
• Noiseless MP5 - Called Noiseless Viper. Exclusive to Shadow of Chernobyl as a unique weapon. Has integrated silencer.
• H&K MP5 9x18 - Called Viper 5 9x18. Exclusive to Shadow of Chernobyl as a unique weapon. Chambered for the more common 9 x 18mm Soviet rounds. Found in a tunnel in the Garbage. Not worth the effort really.
• Frasier - Unique MP5 in Call of Pripyat. Chambered for .45 ACP rounds. One of the best guns in the game despite how little sense this makes.

Assault Rifles

• AKS-74U - Called AKM 74/2U in games. Starting weapon in Call of Pripyat. Holds 30 5.45 x 39mm rounds. Don't bother using it. It's fine in Call of Pripyat until you get a full sized AK-74 which are everywhere (Sawmill). In the other games, just get a full sized one. In Shadow of Chernobyl, don't use any assault rifle until you get to Strelok's hiding spot and take the unique AK-74.
• AKS-74U Special - Called AKM 74/2U special. Exclusive to Shadow of Chernobyl. Held by Bes who resides in the vehicle scrapyard at the Garbage. Has an integrated silencer and greater reliability.
• AKS-74 - Called AKM 74/2 in games. Can be fitted with a PSO-1 scope and/or GP-25 grenade launcher depending on the game and upgrades. Holds 30 5.45 x 39mm rounds. Again, don't bother using this in Shadow of Chernobyl unless your custom one wears out badly and you can't find anything better. You can find an AN-94 in Call of Pripyat early at the Sawmill so this should see little use here as well.
• Fast-Shooting AKS-74 - Unique AKS-74 in Shadow of Chernobyl. Located in Strelok's hiding place. It shoots faster and more accurately.
• Trophy AK-47 Called Trophy AKM 47/2 in Clear Sky. Chambered for 7.62 x 51mm rounds. 30 round capacity. Most powerful assault rifle with good accuracy.
• AN-94 "Abakan" - Better rifle than the previous ones. Holds 30 5.45 x 39mm rounds. Can take PSO-1 scope and/or GP-25 and silencer depending on the game.
• Sniper Obokan - Unique Abakan in Shadow of Chernobyl. Has fixed PSO-1 scope with custom height.
• Storming Obokan - Unique Abakan in Shadow of Chernobyl. Has integrated GP-25.
• AS Val - Called SA Avalanche in Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat, and VLA Special Assault Rifle in Shadow of Chernobyl. Integrated silencer. Good reliability, great accuracy, great stopping power and penetration. Can accept PSO-1 scope in Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat. Holds 20 9 x 39mm rounds. Recommended.
• Scoped AS Val - Unique AS Val in Shadow of Chernobyl. Has PSO-1 scope.
• OTs-14 Groza - Bullpup Soviet rifle with integrated grenade launcher. Called Tunder S14 in games. Good reliability, high stopping power, moderate accuracy and moderate rate of fire. Accepts PSO-1 scope in Clear Sky. Recommended.
• Tunder 5.45 - Groza chambered for 5.45 x 39mm rounds. Featured only in Shadow of Chernobyl. You can buy one at the beginning from Sidorovich but you won't have the money and it's not worth it. Duty soldier Barin has one and dies quite a bit near the Rostok entrance. If he drops one in good condition, take it.
• Storm - Same as above, but only in Call of Pripyat.
• Enfield L85-A1 - British assault rifle. Called IL 86 in games. Features integrated SUSAT scope. Holds 30 5.56 x 45mm NATO rounds. Good first shot accuracy. Poor reliability. Not recommended.
• Balance L85-A1 - Custom L85-A1 in Shadow of Chernobyl. Has less recoil. Held by Scarecrow.
• Lightened L85-A1 - Custom L85-A1 in Shadow of Chernobyl. Weighs less and has integrated silencer. Held by Master.
• ZM LR-300 - Called TRs 301 in games. Better firing rate and accuracy than previous assault rifles, and better durability than the L85-A1. Can accept SUSAT scope, M203 and silencer. Holds 30 5.56 x 45mm NATO rounds.
• Sniper LR-300 - Custom LR-300 in Shadow of Chernobyl. Has integrated SUSAT scope, integrated silencer, much better accuracy but limited to semi automatic.
• SIG SG-550 - Called SGI 5k in games. Better stopping power, accuracy and reliability than the other weapons listed as well as a good magazine capacity. Holds 30 5.56 x 45mm NATO rounds. Can accept SUSAT scope and/or M203 depending on the game.
• Sniper SG-550 - Custom SIG SG-550 in Shadow of Chernobyl. Has SUSAT scope. Carried by two Freedom guards - Leshiy and Twig.
• Strelok's SG-550 - Custom SG-550 in Call of Pripyat. Better all around performance.
• H&K G36K - Called GP-37 in games. Beats out everything else listed in accuracy, rate of fire and still has good stopping power and its reliability is one of the highest. There are only two ways to get this in Clear Sky - finish the Bandit campaign or give a Flame artifact to someone in the Army Warehouses as a mission. Holds 30 5.56 x 45mm NATO rounds. Has integrated scope.
• FN F2000 - Called FT 200M in games. Holds 30 5.56 x 45mm NATO rounds. Best assault rifle bar none in Shadow of Chernobyl. Highest stopping power, highest accuracy, great rate of fire and reliability. Falls short to the G36K in Clear Sky in terms of accuracy. In Call of Pripyat it is also one of the very best. Has integrated EGLM grenade launcher and accepts a silencer in Clear Sky. Highly recommended. Very rare.

Sniper Rifles

• VSS Vintorez - Called Vintar BC in games. Integrated silencer. Holds 10 9 x 39mm rounds. Exceptional accuracy, great stopping power and good reliability.
• Tide - Custom Vintorez in Call of Pripyat. Has the greatest durability and 50% more stopping power (estimated). Highly recommended.
• Dragunov SVD - Called SVD m/2 in games. Extreme accuracy and power, with great armor penetration and good reliability as well. However you can never sprint with it. Holds 10 7.62 x 51mm rounds.
• Lynx - Modified SVD in Call of Pripyat. Even more powerful and accurate.
• Dragunov SVU - Called SVUmk2 in games. Very good accuracy/power and armor penetration, as well as good reliability. The SVD is more accurate/powerful, but this one is more portable. You can sprint with it in all games except for Shadow of Chernobyl. Accepts a silencer in Call of Pripyat after modification.
• Dragunov SVU2-A - Custom SVU in Call of Pripyat. Belonged to Max. Has less recoil, higher firing rate and higher accuracy. Unfortunately it isn't the fully automatic SVU-AS, but it's the closest you will get without modification. My preferred sniper rifle.

Light Machine Guns

• PKM - Called RP-74 in games. Not in Shadow of Chernobyl. Has extreme power but poor accuracy since you can't aim down the sites. Must have for any mutant hunter. Holds 100 7.62 x 51mm rounds.
• Tank Machine Gun - Custom PKM in Clear Sky. Holds 2000 7.62 x 51mm rounds but cannot be upgraded.
• Zulu's PKM - Custom PKM in Call of Pripyat. Holds 200 7.62 x 51mm rounds and better all around performance.

Explosives

• RGD-5 Grenade - Basic fragmentation grenade.
• F1 Grenade - Fragmentation grenade with more shrapnel. Blast radius is the same despite real life performance.
• GP-25 Kostyer Grenade Launcher - Attachment for soviet rifles. Uses VOG-25 and VOG-25P grenades.
• M203 Grenade Launcher - Attachment for NATO rifles. Uses M209 grenades.
• RG-6 - Called Bulldog 6 in games. Six shot Soviet grenade launcher capable of holding 6 VOG-25 or VOG-25P rounds. Must have.
• RPG-7 - Called RPG-7u in games. Has integrated 4x scope. Very, very deadly. Holds one warhead. The in-game warhead is called OG-7v which is an anti-infantry warhead with a range of 350 meters. However the in-game warhead model is that of a PG7-VL warhead. Older, range of 500 meters and more penetration (500mm).

Other Weapons

• EM1 Rifle - Rifle that fires EMP slugs at incredible distances. Used for disabling electronic devices. Developed by the Clear Sky faction.
• Gauss Gun - Super accurate weapon that is an instant kill on most opponents. Does not use gun power so it has less noise. Recoil is low as well. Ammunition is charged by a Flash artifact. Based on the EM1 Rifle design.

There is a huge variety of ammunition in the game. Standard, hollow point, armor piercing, etc. For a full list of weapons and ammunition, see here.

Armor

The Zone is not a friendly place. There is a variety of things that can kill you. Bullets, shrapnel, explosions, fire, mutants and so on. You want a suit that can protect you from all of those. But getting one is not that easy, prices are not cheap. Here is a list of all armors in the Zone as well as a general rating of them. Keep in mind that in Call of Pripyat, Duty suits can't have artifact containers. Modified suits won't be in this list.

Tier One Armors - State of the Art

• CS-3a Battle Armor - Not to be confused with the CS-3a body armor down there in Tier Four. The naming for this suit remains a mystery. If it makes you feel any better, the Russian version calls it CHN-3a. Only featured in Call of Pripyat. Similar to the SKAT-9M suit, but slightly worse ballistic protection and slightly better anomaly protection. Its upgrades are a mix of ballistic and anomalous protection upgrades, as well as endurance/health increasing upgrades.
• PSZ-9d Duty Armor - Not to be confused with the PSZ-9d Duty Suit down there in Tier Three. The naming for this suit remains a mystery. It should really be called PSZ-12d since it utilizes the PSZ-12p bodysuit. My mods fix this. Not featured in Shadow of Chernobyl. Great ballistic protection and good anomalous/radiation protection.
• SKAT-9M Military Armored Suit - AKA Bulat suit. Latest military outfit designed for the Zone. Features PSZ-12p bodysuit and Sphere-12M Helmet. Has great ballistic protection and good anomalous/radiation protection.
• SEVA Suit - Latest suit from the Kiev institutes. Features closed cycle respirator for outstanding anomalous/radiation protection and has decent ballistic protection thanks to the lightweight Kevlar suit. Features night vision in all three games.
• SSP-99M Protection Suit - Modern suit developed for Ecologists in the Zone. Similar to SEVA Suit and PSZ-9Md suit, slightly better in fact. Only obtainable in Shadow of Chernobyl.
• PSZ-9Md Universal Protection - Duty variant of the SEVA Suit. Nearly identical in protection. Only obtainable in Shadow of Chernobyl.
• Exoskeleton - Can't sprint with this in Clear Sky and Shadow of Chernobyl. Increases weight capacity. Best ballistic protection and decent radiation/anomaly protection. Best suit in Call of Pripyat since you can sprint with it after a final upgrade.

Tier Two Armors - Very good

• Guardian of Freedom Suit
• CS-1 Body Armor

Tier Three Armors - Decent

• Mercenary Suit - Lacking in anomalous protection. Only in Shadow of Chernobyl.
• Stalker Suit - Good all around suit.
• Berill-5M Armored Suit - Military suit certified for the Zone. Radiation and anomalous protection is rather low, ballistic protection is better than the other suits in this tier.
• SSP-99 Ecologist Suit - Only featured in Shadow of Chernobyl. Outstanding anomalous and radiation protection, but very low ballistic protection. Comes with top of the line night vision.
• Monolith Suit - Only in Shadow of Chernobyl. Good all around suit.
• Wind of Freedom Suit - Good all around suit, although lacking in some areas in Clear Sky.
• PSZ-9d Duty Suit - Good all around suit, except in Clear Sky where it is tier four material.

Tier Four - Subpar

• Leather Jacket - Typical thick jacket. Very low protection. Featured in all games.
• Bandit Jacket - Typical bandit outfit. Slightly better scratch protection than leather jacket. Not in Call of Pripyat.
• Trench Coat - Thick Bandit coat. Only in Call of Pripyat. Low protection.
• CS-3a Body Armor - Lowest end Clear Sky suit. Only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky. Better than the rest of the suits in this tier.

Tips

So now you know about the Zone's formation, Zone beliefs, Zone population, Zone weapons/equipment and how to survive in the Zone. Now it's time to top if off with some gameplay tips to help you with your money and equipment.

• Search every last corner of every map.
• Do all side missions. But some side missions are unlimited (always given, just have to wait before accepting it again). These include artifact hunts and maybe some assassinations.
• Don't buy many guns.
• Don't buy any armor in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl.
• There is a Merc Suit in the Shadow of Chernobyl rookie village (starting location). Go on the rooftops and check the attics of the houses. If I try to explain where and how to get it, you'll probably end up getting confused.
• Check dead bodies for stash coordinates in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky.
• It is extremely easy to get rich in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat. Artifacts respawn. So go artifact hunting throughout the entire map, go to sleep for a while (eat every time you wake up) and artifacts will be waiting for you.
• Sell artifacts to Sakharov in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky. In Call of Pripyat, sell them to Beard. They pay the most.
• Go neutral in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl.
• Do not go neutral in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat. Favor the Stalkers or Bandits, and Duty or Freedom. This way traders will have the best equipment for sale. You can't make any permanent enemies in this game.
• Use a knife on Burers.
• Use explosives or the Gauss Rifle on Burers and Pseudogiants.
• Use a shotgun on Chimeras.
• Get up close to Controllers and blast them with a shotgun, as seen in the bottom video below.
• In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, give every flash drive to every technician. In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat, give the technicians toolsets.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky Flash Drives

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, technicians require flash drives that carry information about equipment upgrades. Giving them these flash drives expands on their available upgrades. To find these flash drives, talk to traders and other unique characters, asking "What can you offer me?"

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat Tools

Rather than using the flash drives like in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky, Call of Pripyat now gets more technical and in order to expand your upgrade list offered by technicians, you must give these technicians tool kits. There are two technicians that accept these tools - Cardan in Zaton (Skadovsk) who also requires Vodka to do most upgrades at first. Then there is Nitro in Yanov Station. There are also 10 tool sets in the game. Two sets of rough tools, two sets of fine tools and two sets of calibration tools. You can give each trader one of every toolkit. Zaton and Yanov have one set of rough tools and one set of fine tools. Pripyat has both calibration kits. For the exact location of the toolkits, see the videos at the bottom of the page.

Stashes

All three S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games have stashes. These are places where people hide their loot. They're always hidden. In SoC and Clear Sky, stashes will always be empty unless you have previously acquired the coordinates for the stash. If you acquire the coordinates it will be marked on your PDA as a purple radiation symbol (green in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat). In SoC and Clear Sky, stash coordinates are retrieved from dead bodies. In CoP, stash coordinates are given to you as a reward. Dead bodies no longer give you stash coordinates.

Videos

Here are my personal videos of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games. Many of them are tutorials.















The ones below is not mine, but check them out. The first one shows how to get a Merc Suit in the rookie village. It is a Stalker Suit in the video since it's the unpatched game.



Below is a video of Generators before it was cut from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky.



Finally, a video of Pripyat Underground before it was cut from S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky.