Who`s who in The Zone

[JRD]

Been searching the net for some more info on The Zone. The whole world is so neatly tailored it takes a while to get used with factions populating the area. RedRaven posted some great links to sites with lots of features.

I just decided to bring on some of what I found so OWG members or visitors interested in the STALKER series can have a glimpse of who`s who.

Also... factions are the same for the three games, only including Clear Sky on the second title!

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Stalkers

Stalkers exploring the Zone on their own. Most of stalkers are loners as membership in grouping takes valuable time and thus reducing the income; besides, some are just inclined to isolation and independence.

Military Stalkers

Soldiers who took special training after service in the Zone, or stalkers contracted by the army.

They carry special equipment, are well armed and equipped. Most often they are used to study the causes and consequences of the disaster, and also map the Zone.

They may move alone or in groups of up to five people. They do not let regular stalkers approach, immediately opening fire.

Freedom

Anarchists and daredevils who declare themselves to be fighting for free access to the Zone, and consequently find themselves in constant conflict with army units, military stalkers, and Duty.

These freedom fighters believe that information about the Zone must not be hidden from humanity, and challenge the state's monopoly over the Zone's secrets and wonder

Duty

A clearly militarized group noted for its strict discipline, with members living according to a code.

Only Duty representatives refuse to trade unique items from the Zone with the outside world. According to rumours, all artifacts found by members of this group are passed to scientists.

Every member considers it his primary objective to protect the world from the Zone. Most of the group's operations concern destroying monsters, and so Duty's raids often save regular stalkers from many daily problems.

The faction has long been in a fierce war with Freedom.

Monolith

This group is most like a religious sect. Its members believe in existence of an evolutionary alien crystal, the Monolith, in the Zone's center.

Most stalkers treat Monolith adepts with contempt, and consider them lunatics. From its inception the group has attempted to block progress towards the Zone's center, fearing that stalkers have ill intentions regarding the Monolith.

Rumors say that the group has a large base near the center of the Zone, but its exact location is known only to its members.

Scientists

Researches of the Zone nature and the nature of its bearings. Under their favorable attitude a lucky stalker can profitably sell the Zone loot to scientists without the dealer`s mediating.

Bandits

Representatives of criminal world who came into the Zone for different reasons: earn from selling the artefacts, hide from the law, buy or sell weapons. The Zone has quite a few of this element, ranging from hoodlums to hardened criminals.

Most of the time they are united into gangs, however there is still no unified bandit organization in the Zone. Bandits pose a big trouble to rank-and-file stalkers.

Mercenaries

The most mysterious group in the Zone, the very existence of which is doubted by many.

Some frequently use services of the mercenaries: professionals in their field, they quickly deal with any stalker, and can even completely liquidate a small group.

For their services, it seems, they take quite hefty sums in money or artifacts. The location of the base of this group still remains a secret; clearly, it must be located somewhere deep in the Zone.

Zombified Stalkers

Those who suffered extensive impact of radiators in Yantar or some other sectors. Incautious stalkers quickly become insane, turning into walking semi-corpses. They are plentiful in the Zone, some can even reach the perimeter.

This way or another, it is impossible to help them: the process of personality erasure is irreversible. Although zombied stalkers can still use their weapons, they are rather stupid. Encountering them you can hear them murmuring bits of phrases which, though, are fully meaningless. In time zombied stalkers completely lose all the previous skills and turn into zombies.

As a rule, they are very aggressive and pose serious threat when in masses.

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[Art Blade]

good reference, thanks JRD  :) :-X

[PZ]

Nicely done JRD!  :-X

[wexer9]

Nice guide! :)

Gotta love the Mercenaries...I got some great loot from them when they tried to wipe out the Rookie camp. That'll teach them to mess with me!