Stalker 2. The Duga Complex

Kirking it

I get that the actual reanimation is a bit of a put off, but that isn't about that

Might have been like this at the start but they now possess the ability to mind control allies and turn them into zombified stalkers.

So the story goes like this. Got 2 out 3 docs in pripyat for Korshunov, ward route. Was wading through this apartment complex and some Corps guy helped me gun down some monolithians. Danger sense flares up on the HUD. Nothing happens. Than this dude starts screaming- then starts shooting at me. Then the monolith stiffs come to life and also start shooting at me. His friend rushes in, also turns. I'm dashing through the building, looking for the controller-prick corners me at the end of a corridor. However, I have a gauss gun. Though he was dead, he raised a small army waiting for me downstairs.

10/10 peak horror gameplay.

Also apparently there are 'hogweed' anomalies....

Me walking away thinking I had plenty of time to reload since I couldn't hear any stampy stampy, proceed to have a heart attack instead.

Someone tell this dude they are supposed to be loud.

After real life days of hunting the hornheads in burnt forest and selling parts to malachite, I've gathered enough coupons to pretty much fully upgrade every weapon and armor I could gather.

I switch my loadout fairly often, but I like running the Arev and its variants along with either the clapper or the Saiga and the nightstalker. I'll also just throw in armor piercing or mutant ammo since I have so much, even if realistically it doesn't have that much of an effect on some weapons.

As far as artifacts, I'll usually run utility stuff like Thunderberries, Hypercubes, and Liquid Rocks since Diamond exo is so good armor stat wise. I know people don't care for the health regeneration of Flare Light, but gimmick stuff like that I like running and it has helped me some times.

How are you meant to get this?

(I apologize if this is annoying and/or gets asked alot im new here)

Heya stalkers! After spending 300+hrs in the zone, i think we can all agree that stalker's atmosphere is unmatched, the game is absolutely stunning, saw alot of hate in the comments regarding the visuals trailers vs current some even called the game "ugly and outdated" which was just genuinely insane to me.

Even not on max settings the game still looks gorgeous the environment was one of the most immersive ones ive ever experienced. (2300+ screenshots)

Which got me thinking, there are alot of beautiful regions but which are the most popular. be that for pure visuals or practicality, what are your top regions? (Could even be...The Shining zone)

For me personally my favourites are: The Red Forest, Pripyat and The Iron Forest. so here are my thoughts regarding each one.

The Red Forest is just so surreal, from the trees to the blood red rivers and ponds, i also find it strange how on the map its not that big as a "biome" but exploring it on foot makes it feel like double it's actual size.

(Also it has some of my favourite harmless anomalies like the static leaves that float in a specific shape, or the "flock" of red leaves that "flies" around like birds).

Pripyat on the other hand is a noticeable contrast to the usual wilderness, it's such a haunting location to walk around in, especially after watching Chernobyl (miniseries) and Chornobyl: Exclusion Zone (series) and seeing how it was before the catastrophe.

Exploring abandoned schools/kindergarten always makes my stomach sink with this dreadful feeling :( it overall feels under utilized imho would have loved some side quests there.

The Iron Forest is also similar when it comes to "dread" the stillness of it is insane, the claustrophobic fog that covers everything gives heavy "The Mist"(movie) vibes and the soundtrack fits perfectly. It still looks immaculate during clear weather too (idk if bug tho)

Honorable mentions:

The Duga gives a very similar feel to Pripyat, it's a fun area to explore.

Wild Island mainly because of it's highly strategic and defensible location (still looks good tho).

and Finally The Swamps, honestly dont know why people hate this region i went through it twice now and it's lovely, looks good in all weathers.

Thank u for reading if u made it this far! I would ABSOLUTELY love to hear ur thoughts on ur fav regions and locations <3

I am rocking fully upgraded SEVA-D -suit currently. What would be a good replacement armor that I should be on a lookout for? Assault on the duga is my current main mission.

Hello John Stalker, how was the zone? I bet it was zoney. Wait are you alone? Have you fulfilled your duties, or have you achieved and granted personal freedom? Huh, a super duper big white rock, like a monolith? Oh in the end, we're all full of sins. You better not go full renegade on me. For sure the skies are clear I suppose.

Coop mod is best mod

Had this happen I couldn’t stop laughing after it happened

I had no absolute idea what the fuck was going on

Was watching this guy's 150+ things missing in stalker 2 video. Like legit the first thing he says is tall trees. Im sorry what? Tall trees is... ok. Well Red Forest giant trees are there.

He showed footage from enhanced Clear sky and passed it off as OG footage. He tried showing off things that were missing but I could have sworn the video looked dated and found out that his bird shooting point included video ripped directly out of Zone Slug's video from more than a year ago.

I got to looking into it further and he has a "stalker 2 raw" playlist with all unlisted videos on his channel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOVISjUQlgk

IN that video, from like 2 days ago, it has the 1.0 stalker 2 inventory. You know the kind with the artifacts on the bottom instead of the side.

I think this dude is russian and is using... lets just say "Acquired" versions of stalker to "prove" his points. That or lift videos from other creators because he doesnt know how to "acquire" updated versions of the game.

Get out \crack* of *crack* here, Sta*crack*lker.*

This one legit scared me when playing. lol

But am enjoying it so far very much. slava ukraini

i have very limited time nowadays so i play selective games, currently completed cost of hope & just wanted to share my experience.

This dlc delivered what i wanted from stalker, the ending made me sad watching mavka die. watching her tears fall reminded me that her intentions were never bad but i had to side with duty coz i know that Tech will definitely fall into wrong hands someday in outer world so had to be destroyed.

But even after the succesful ending that grim and ominous feeling never goes & that is the beauty of this game.

The critical thinking i was doing after the game suddenly made me realise that this game gave me the experience i dont even get watching movies nowadays!

thank you to the whole team that made this game, i will forever be gratefull!

I played this game on launch got to Pripyat and stopped, now I’m on my second playthrough got the game modded big time, it looks insane plays incredibly well on my 5080, my next mission is point of no return.

Sounds silly but I don’t want it to end.
I’ve got the DLC I suppose just complete that and the game and call it a day.

The problem is it’s turned into an absolute masterpiece now.

I’m not ready to put it on the shelf even though I have a huge backlog of incredible games.

How have some of you prolonged your play through?

I suppose hunting down all stashes or role playing as an artifact hunter?