New player quickguide

Welcome to the Zone

In here you will be given a brief explanation about surviving your first day in the Zone. Everything is abridged, so you should read the rest of the wiki after this.

Game start

After joining the server, clicking the lobby screen will bring up certain menus.

• Nameless stalker - character creation.
• Backpack - equipment.
• Diary - statistics.
• Forest - party management and game start.

Everything is simple. Make a character, choose your equipment and gather your friends in to a group. OOC is enabled before game starts, so you can try asking to join an existing group, or make your own out of newbies just like you. If that fails, try to team up with someone in the bar. It might be difficult due to the language barrier, but trying to do your first expedition usually leads to quick death and a bad experience.

Safezone

Everything no further than the camp to the west or up until the farm to the north is a safezone. That means that all shots fired at other stalkers will automatically miss. Furthermore, shooting at others might catch attention of Jabas spotters who will send out a punitive squad after you and your group. Anything you do outside of the safezone is free game. Kill people to your hearts content.

How to traverse the Zone

Bag of bolts in one pocket, and a detector in the other (if you took one). In the right side of the UI there a big button with an eye on it. Clicking it with RMB will begin inspecting your surroundings for anomalies. Smarter characters find anomalies faster and with a higher probability, but there is never a guarantee to spot an anomaly. Throw a bolt before proceeding, or maybe even two just in case. Walk through the same tiles as your pathfinder and on "help intent". otherwise you might push one of your comrades i to an anomaly. MMB will look in to distance (and ladders). Regularly check what (or who) is waiting for you on the next screen.

Getting dark? Look for a shelter and start a fire. Trying to travel through the Zone is a terrible idea - wolfs see you, but you don't see them. Not to mention, you won't find any artifacts in the dark.

It's morning? Well done. You've survived your first day. Cook some food on the fire to fill your stomach and continue onwards.

Great wisdom from an ancient stalker

1. Find a group or bring a friend - there is strength in variety, and there is little reason to be exploring with anything less than an intelligent pathfinder and a sturdy fighter.
2. Combine different methods for spotting anomalies, never relying on just one - all it takes one wrong step for someone to die.
3. You don't have to be an action hero. Retreating or walking around mutants and stalkers might be more prudent than shooting everything on sight.
4. The night is dangerous. Trying to stake it out in an open field without a fire might end with you disappearing in the dark.
5. Don't panic and don't run through anomalous zones, unless other options are worse. Stay on on "help" intent, or you might push one of your friends in to an anomaly.
6. Be prepared to get killed for seemingly no reason - just because you don't know it, doesn't mean there isn't one. This might happen if you are tracing the path, or are walking in parallel to another group, or at an artifact hotspot.
7. If your expedition was successful, it might be a good idea to leave the Zone instead of doing an another run. This will save all your items and convert any cash on your tab in to loadout points. You won't be able to play the same character again this launch, but extra equipment and points will give you a serious advantage next time. But then again, noone is stopping you from going for another run...
8. If you find a blue-green ball, lick it. You'll enjoy the taste.
9. Considering how the game works, you can often mistake a feature for a bug. Before submitting a report, ask around in discord.
10. Food and water are important. Take with you at least 3-4 bottles of water and 5-6 cans of food per person for an expedition. Take a pot with you, and butcher wolfs and bears for meat to cook later. You can refill your water supply from rivers, lakes or barrels, but don't forget to boil it before refilling your bottles. Keep track of your supplies.