As the presently unknown release date ofSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylremains out of reach, now is the best time for prospective Stalkers to get informed on the perils of the Zone before the game’s release. TheSTALKERseries can be quite difficult for the unprepared, and GSC Game World has given no reason to doubt their sequel will be any less harrowing than its predecessors.
A Stalker is always fighting for survival. Military patrols and bandit gangs are the least of their worries in the face of the deadly phenomena that litter the landscape, and the horrible monsters that stalk from the outer Cordon, to the depths of Pripyat. Stalkers who intend to survive inStalker 2for more than a few minutes must take the time to familiarize themselves with the hazards of their hunting grounds, from the anomalies to the mutants.
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Anomalies of the Zone
Trespassers survive Chornobyl only by learning its dangers. Anomalies are altered areas within the Zone where the laws of nature have been upended, resulting in dangerous phenomena which defy conventional understanding. Usually marked by a faint shimmer in the air, Stalkers have developed a habit of tossing metal junk into areas where they think an anomaly might be; if it reacts, they keep their distance. The Zone is defined by its anomalies, from the threats they pose to Stalkers, to the artifacts found within.
There’sworse things than radiation in the exclusion zone. Most anomalies are easily recognizable once a Stalker knows what to look for. Many are straightforward and easy to avoid, such as the raging flames of a Burner, the shredding gravitational force of a Vortex and Whirligig, and the green glow of a Fruit Punch. Others require keen eyes and ears to avoid like the nearly invisible Springboards, the grass-like Burnt Fuzz, and the faintly pulsing lights of Electros, each of which is highly damaging.
Unfortunately, the artifacts, which are the entire reason for Stalkers coming into the Zone, are only formed within anomalies.The exclusion zone is filled with amazing things, but Stalkers hoping to score a payday must get right next to the deadly phenomena as they scramble in the dirt with their detector, hoping to find the artifact before they take a wrong step and get incinerated. Even then, what was once a safe route on one expedition may prove deadly after an emission.
Emissions (also known as blowouts) are extremely dangerous releases originating from the center of the Zone at the remains of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Anyone caught in the open during an emission without a dose of anti-psionic drugs will be killed and often reanimated as a hostile zombified Stalker. The fear evoked by an emission warning is one of the reasonsStalker endures as a horror classic. However, these emissions also have a chance of forming new artifacts within anomalies, causing many enterprising Stalkers to charge right back outside the moment an emission has passed.
Animal Mutants of the Zone
As bad as anomalies are, at least most of them stay put and don’t actively hunt Stalkers. Animal mutants are not the result of radiation from the 1986 disaster, but rather, the same warping influence responsible for the Zone itself. The (possible) exception to this rule is the iconic and formidable Pseudodog, and their illusion-projecting cousin the Psydog, both likely the result of deliberate gene-splicing experiments that (like everything else in the Zone) could not be contained. Furthermore, all animal mutants seem to be capable of reproduction, meaning they continue to roam the Zone despite constant culling efforts byStalker factions like Duty and Freedom.
The most commonly encountered mutants are the relatively weak Fleshes, grotesquely twisted pigs who pose little threat even to rookie Stalkers who can dispatch them with a knife to save ammo. Much more dangerous are Boars; less deformed but significantly more aggressive and durable, a real threat when encountered in a pack. Domestic and wild dogs were likewise mutated into pack animals: The swift but weak Blind Dogs. Mutants of this sort must usually be fought with the short double-barrel shotguns which saturate the Zone’s edges, at least until one can acquire one of thebetter Stalker weapons available in the Zone, at which point they largely become trivial.
Two animalistic mutants of unknown origin pose a much greater threat at any stage of a Stalker’s career: the Chimera and the Pseudogiant. The two-headed Chimera is arguably the more dangerous of the two, being essentially a bullet resistant and hyper-aggressive lion able to sprint to a Stalker and rip them apart before they have a chance to fire more than a few shots.
Themutants of Chornobyl are always on the hunt. For sheer durability and potential damage however, the Pseudogiant is the strongest mutant in the Zone, capable of generating disorienting shockwaves and taking a Stalker’s entire inventory of bullets to kill. In these cases repeated salvos of grenades are usually the only way a Stalker can escape with their life.
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Humanoid Mutants of the Zone
Human-derived mutants are an altogether different beast from animal mutants, with some retaining primitive instincts or, even worse, developing advanced intelligence. In either case, they are homicidally aggressive to Stalkers and one of the major dangers of the Zone. Human mutants aredark reflections of the worst aspects of humanityand a reminder of their collective sins. One species, the bizarre but flimsy Poltergeist, literally haunts sites of suffering as an invisible spirit, though most humanoid mutants pose much more concrete dangers.
The least dangerous, the gas mask-faced Snork, can leap at Stalkers from a distance and quickly pummel them to death. Due to their tough hides (despite their open wounds) Snorks are best engaged with automatic fire, using accuracy by volume to hit these speedy mutants. Bloodsuckers, the infamous denizens of the Zone’s underground, are capable of turning invisible to ambush all but the most paranoid of Stalkers. However, they are surprisingly frail once caught and can be eliminated with a few shotgun blasts if the Stalker has a steady hand. For some,the horrifying monster designsmight be enough to make them panic and lose their chance for survival.
The Zone also hosts several breeds of psychic mutants. Most famous are the Controllers, psionic murderers who pummel Stalker’s brains from a distance in the span of a few moments unless the victim can break line of sight. There are also the Burers, squat mutants who take the more direct route oftelekinetically beating enemies to death with loose objects.
In addition to their frustratingly durable hides, they are able to project a force field which renders them immune to all damage, though they cannot attack while it is up. Grenades and long range rifles are the best counters against psychic mutants, but because these creatures usually pick fights in cramped areas, patience and a cool head are usually the only way to survive.
It is currently unknown exactly which anomalies and mutants will be returning toSTALKER 2, thoughofficial trailers forHeart of Chornobylhave confirmed the inclusion of Whirligigs, Fleshes, and Bloodsuckers. The Zone is known to change daily, so years of mutation and permutation have likely resulted in all new dangers, both anomalous and mutant.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylis in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
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