S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Clear Sky


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               S.T.A.L.K.E.R.  Clear Sky  BEGINNERS GUIDE  
****************************************************************************


                         Copyright 2008 Val's Evil Twin*

                      Contact: vals_evil_twin@australiamail.com

                          v 1.1   30 OCTOBER 2008

                             CONTENTS
                     +-----------------------------------+
                     I              MAP                  I
                     I        Part 1  WALKTHROUGH        I
                     I        Part 2  GUIDE              I
                     I               +                   I
                     I        Version History            I
                     I        Links                      I
                     I        Acknowledgements           I
                     I        Copyright and Permissions  I
                     + ----------------------------------+




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MAP of the SWAMP:
****************************************************************************

 MAP LINK: http://www.borntobefreeform.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=1620
 *********

****************************************************************************
****************************************************************************
                            PART 1   BEGINNERS' GUIDE
****************************************************************************
****************************************************************************
This is:
> a Beginners Guide played on "Novice" difficulty.
> a solo campaign with no faction affiliation.
> made with the 1.5.05 patch.
> contains SPOILERS.
> uses no MODS

NOTE: Due to different patch versions, objects may appear in different
locations or quantities, or not appear at all.

 
****************************************************************************
                 1.00     INTRODUCTION
****************************************************************************
Great game. Reminds me of why I enjoyed Shadow of Chernobyl (SoC) so much.
Much of the map is the same as SoC with a couple of new areas.


Outline of main mission maps (linear)
> 1.01 Swamp
> 1.02 Cordon
> 1.03 Garbage #1
> 1.04 Dark Forest
> 1.05 Garbage #2
> 1.06 Agroprom
> 1.07 Agroprom Underground
> 1.08 Yantar
> 1.09 Red Forest
> 1.10 Mines
> 1.11 Army Warehouses
> 1.12 Limansk
> 1.13 Hospital
> 1.14 Nuclear Power Plant
 

It is not necessary to have Played SoC first. This is a stand alone prequel.
The Swamp level of the game is a tutorial. You learn how to use the
controls, PDA, map, inventory, weapons, bolts, anomaly detector, to search,
converse, trade, upgrade  and repair weapons, interact with NPCs and use
the guide system for travelling. You learn to stay healthy, cure bleeding,
and radiation sickness. You have a huge freeroam area with a few
mutant boars, infrequent anomalies, easily skirted areas of deadly radiation
and only one "emission" event.

You don't join a faction in Swamp, but you do meet two factions.
Clear Sky is a research organisation working to understand
the Zone and benefit mankind. Since the emissions from the Zone have upset
nature's balance, the previously safe haven of the Swamps is being invaded,
by a second faction, the Renegades.  The AI is pretty harmless, although
you can die very fast on Stalker, Veteran or Master levels!
Play on 'Novice' if you want to learn the ropes, explore, collect, and plan
strategies for making money. Experiment with saving travel time by accepting
multiple missions. Then try it on "Master".

NOTE: You are well advised to read through Part 2 GUIDE SECTION below before
you get too far into the walkthrough, especially the 'PATCH' section. 



Let's go...



****************************************************************************
                 1.01      SWAMP: CLEAR SKY BASE CAMP
****************************************************************************

      
The introduction shows Scar at the railway tracks, leading a team of
scientists south from Agroprom into the Swamp. The scientists are just
saying the next emission is reliably predicted for two months time.
But, of course, it happens in the next two seconds. 
Don't worry about the story too much because there isn't much of a story.
Apparently a Stalker got past the Brain Scorcher near the citadel, or
the Monolith, or the Wishgiver...whatever. That upset the zone so now it is
firing off emissions. 
The emission kills the whole team except for Scar. The local faction in
the Swamp, Clear Sky, take him back to their leader, Lebedev. Scar wakes
up with nothing but a headache, but his nervous system is damaged and he
has strange new powers. 

IMPORTANT NPCs in the SWAMP:
****************************

> Guides. They act as sort of 'teleporters'. No charge.
> Cold is the barman. He will trade food, vodka, etc and sell info on stash
locations.
> Lebedev is the Clear Sky leader. He gives missions.
> Prof Beanpolev has some background knowledge of the Zone.
> Suslov is the trader. He trades guns and ammo gives rewards, and sells
stash locations.
> Gray is the technician (mechanic). He gives missions to find upgrades and
performs repairs and upgrades.
> Nimble makes a return from C of S. He explains the PDA functions.
 
Now take control of the game: 

        *Mouse click in your dialogue panel to answer Lebedev.*

NEW TASK:
*********
Talk to the barman. Have a beer to fix that headache. 
The next few tasks are linear, and then it's freeroam responding to
multiple radio calls for help.
Stand up, look around, take a walk and check the video options you selected
are giving a nice smooth framerate, and head for the bar.
Press P for the PDA map and see yourself as the blue marker and the barman
as red.
Click on all the icons on the PDA map to see what they are and experiment 
with the controls in the lower right corner. Try out the tabs for factions,
statistics and message log. Press P to close the PDA and use the minimap
to get to the bar. You are the white dot in the middle of the minimap.Duh!
When you get to the barman Press F to talk, and you will see that your
character is called "Scar the Mercenary".


NEW TASK:
****************
Go back to Lebedev.
 
Got the white-dot-red-circle thing worked out now? Lebedev explains
what's going on in the swamp, and sends you to the trader to get outfitted.
He also mentions the guide/blindfold system of travel.  Everytime you
change areas you need to find a guide. Guides are marked on the maps!
They are what CS has in place of vehicles. There are too many barricades
and obstacles for cars, and too many spoken interactions, so we have the
guide system instead. It is cheap, quick and practical. This is a good
time to make a main save via the ESC key. Name it "Start", lol.
Gee, lucky it's daylight outside, night time gets REALLY dark!
Now that you have your kit from the trader, start the next mission fast.

Press F5 for a quick save in case you stuff it up, then press X and
sprint to the guide. He will blindfold you and lead you part way to
the outpost. When he leaves you, press 6 for your bolts, and throw them
ahead to locate the anomalies. They will kill you stone dead even though
you were magically altered by that last emission. Press O to use the Echo
detector. Throw bolts ahead, avoid stepping in an anomaly, listen to the
geiger clicking, and when the detector goes crazy you are on line
for an artifact. Pick it up without stepping in the anomaly. Later when you
have armour with pockets,you can equip artifacts for various benefits. You
soon get nice CS-3 body armour (with pockets) from the trader as a reward.
The first artifact is a 'Jellyfish', which gives -2 radiation protection.
It's also worth a lot when you sell it. If you wish to re-do the mission,
press F9 for a quick load.  Fortunately you won't need to be throwing bolts
every five seconds in the swamp, it's just bad for this little area.
The artifact is on the northwest tip, just to the left of the first plank
bridge. Now follow the yellow arrow on the mini map and
reinforce the outpost. Press 3 for the shotgun and run for the
base of the tower.
There's time to search the first body (Press F and click 'take all').
Search the second body at the base of the tower, shoot two mutant boar and
climb the ladder. Take the shotgun ammo (press F to pick up). Climb down
the ladder (or jump) and seek shelter as another emission blasts through.
Scar needs to find shelter and wait until they subside. 
The game takes control now, and you wake back at the CS base camp.
Stalkers have saved your sorry ass once again, and you owe them.



NEW TASK:
*********
See Lebedev.
Check your main map and mini map. The red circle is Lebedev, you have to
talk to him next. But the yellow mission reward circle is also lit.
See Lebedev first, your reward will still be there later.
Lebedev says that you have survived a second emission! The story is that
the emissions are caused because a STALKER got past the Scorcher and now
the Zone is upset. Poor Zone!
Scar must help the Clear Sky faction stop the emissions, because if the
emissions continue they will kill him. Lebedev says, "This may sound like
a line from a corny movie, but you really don't have a choice."
...and I thought the merc talk in FarCry was cheesy!

NEW TASK:
********* 
Talk to our old friend from SoC, Sidorivich.(But not just yet.
You need to do the whole Swamp first.)


NEW TASK:
********** 
Go to the swamps with the guide.
Test out saving a game here. Press ESC to enter the main menu.
First, check the PDA, and click on the "Collect your Reward" icon.
On your way past Nimble, you will hear a chime/tone from the PDA.
If the message flashed up too quick to read, look in the PDA message log.
OK, Nimble is offering to give a guided tour of the PDA.
Well I already gave you that. =] 
New tasks are coming fast on the PDA, but relax. Talk some more to Nimble.
Ask Nimble, "What can you offer me?" and he will offer you stash locations,
but the cost varies from 200 RU to 900 RU. You have enough to accept the 
cheapest one. The types of task where you must pay for information for a
stash location can go either way. You might find a valuable Flash drive
with weapon Upgrade info, or you might get a lemon in the middle of a
field full of anomalies.
The trader, barman etc will also sell info on stashes. Stashes are only
used once and then disappear from the PDA. You can store loot in them once
they are emptied out, but it is probably safer to use boxes.

MULTIPLE NEW TASKS:
*******************
You will get a million radio calls for help, but don't stress about it.
Just get to as many as you can. "Cancelled Mission" messages are not
important. It's only the "Failed Missions" you need to stress about. =]
You have the option of fighting alongside Clear Sky faction members
(Green dots on map) if you want to walk with them. Or just clean up the
Renegades(Red dots) on your own.
First task will be to reinforce the fishing village. Then head to the 
observation tower. Use all the usual FPS strategies: reload before an 
action. Quick save. Find cover. Use Crouch/Low Crouch.  Make headshots.
You know...
New tasks will come in for the old church, Pump Station, etc.
Pick and choose, either take them on your own or in company with Clear Sky.


CLEAR THE ROADS/REDUCE RENEGADE NUMBERS:
****************************************
Now help the CS faction reduce Renegade numbers in the swamp.
Check the faction tab in your PDA for allies and equipment levels,
and overall missions/status with the Renegades. Lots of missions pop up and
the game is no longer linear. See the Guide to get you north into the swamp.
Missions come through on the radio for Fishing Hamlet, Old Church,
PumpStation. Clear out the renegades and mug their corpses for everything you
can carry. Remember, headshots rule! 
If you're feeling poorly, use bandages/medikits/anti-rad drugs/food/drink.
Talk to the Stalkers you meet to see what missions they will give you. After
you have seriously reduced Renegade numbers and answered various calls for
assistance, you can stroll around a bit checking stashes, collecting loot,
asking for and completing all the side missions. 

COLLECT A REWARD:
*****************
On the PDA map, click on "Collect Reward" and a  mission sheet will
overlay your map. You can use the "eye" to place the location on the map,
and the "move" icon to centre it there. Press X to hide it away again.
Collect your reward to date from the trader. Talk to him a bit and
the TRADE option will appear. Go into your inventory screen and unload
any weapons before trading them. Your items coloured red cannot be sold
here, take them over to the bar and unload some weight/make some roubles.

STEALING THE AK and SCOPE:
**************************
Next let's pay a visit to Gray, the technician.  I feel bad about this
but we're going to rip him off for a scope and two (2) AKs. 
Maybe he won't know it was us. 
He's a good guy,  he will repair and upgrade your weapons and armour.
Head up to his shop and look in the back. See the scope in the vise and
the two AKs in a rack on the left wall? climb under the floor, get under
the scope, and jump straight up until you no-clip through the floor.
Hold F as you jump to collect it. Same for the AKs. The one on the table
cannot be taken! (peetz)
Update: I could only steal the scope with 1.5.05  =(

SPECIAL ITEMS LIST:
*******************
 
> Scope and 2 AKs from the Technician (no clip cheat)
> Scope on Lookout Tower
> Viper 5 at the Pump Station and Southern farmstead.
> Silenced pistol in a stash underwater in the big chimney at the
Village Ruins. ( I paid for that info, but maybe it's there for
everyone to find.)
> Chaser 13 in a stash east of the Pump Station.(Paid for info.)
> Vintar Sniper Rifle at the train wreck. 
> CS-3 armour as a reward from the trader.
> Veles artifact detector.
> Various artifacts (type may vary) 



ACHIEVEMENTS LIST:
******************
You can now manage the PDA and inventory, faction display, navigate with
the main/mini maps, trade, upgrade weapons, find/use stashes, use the guide
system, locate anomalies and artifacts, quicksave/load, jump weave and duck.
CONGRATULATIONS!
 
BEFORE LEAVING THE SWAMP:
**************************
 
> collect all your rewards from the trader!
> hand over any Flash drives to the technician.
> you should have the Chaser 13 shotgun, Vintar Sniper rifle, and silenced
pistol. You can get a good assault rifle at the Army base later.
Take lots of roubles. There's no need to carry a lot of ammo and medikits,
there are heaps to find in Cordon.
> if you found the Veles detector in top left (NW), you would have located
many artifacts in the Swamp.

> Faction relations with Clear Sky are not important once you leave the
Swamp, which is really just a tutorial area.

> If you go to Cordon and immediately return to Swamp, the northern Agroprom
exit and Northeast Cordon exit is now open. This will allow you to avoid
the machine gunner covering the tunnel exit from the army base, but beating
the m/c gunner seems what the devs intended.

> Depending on what patch you use, ammo may be very hard to come by. 
Accumulate as much money and ammo as you can before leaving the Swamp.
Spoiler: Spend your money freely on upgrades in Swamp, Cordon and Dark
Forest for reasons that will become apparent when you get to Garbage.  
*****************************************************************************
  THIS IS THE END OF THE BEGINNERS GUIDE WALKTHROUGH.
*****************************************************************************
The following sections include spoilers for areas of difficulty. Wondering if
your insoluble problem is a bug, or just something you have missed? This
should help you out.
The game is now truly freeroam. It is possible that moving back-and-forth
between areas in ways the devs didn't expect, might break the script. So
remember to save often in case you have to return to a previous area.


*****************************************************************************
                   1.02   CORDON: LIKE OLD TIMES 
*****************************************************************************

Felt very nostalgic, coming back to Sidorovitch, Wolf and the Rookie Village.


IMPORTANT NPCs in CORDON:
*************************

Guides. They now charge an arm and a leg.
Wolf, the rookie leader. Gives side missions. 
Sidorovitch the trader. Also gives main missions.
Father Valerian, Chief at main Cordon Base.
Shilov the trader.
Van Loner,technician.
Khaletskiy, Army Commandante.


ENTER CORDON FROM SWAMP:
*************************
NOTE: 
>A bug in previous versions prevents the guide taking you from
Swamp to Cordon.
>Another bug in previous versions allowed m/c gun bullets to penetrate
the tree! Make sure you have 1.5.05.

To get past the m/c gunner, drop all excess equipment so you can sprint.
If you're carrying 59.9 kg you won't be able to run ten metres without a
break/redbull. 
It's slightly easier at night, and easier if you holster your weapons.
It's not really all that hard once you know how.
Run to the big rocks between bursts. Crouch and bandage if necessary,
using  ] and [ keys for health and bandages.
Run to the fallen tree on the left, and either crawl under/hurdle it.
Run left to Cordon Village and the trader. If you keep a
good line you won't even get hit.
Aah, the Rookie Village, feels like coming home. Wolf is there but that
neat suit up in the rafters is gone.
Haul anything you find down to Sidorovitch and trade it. 
The metal box at Sid's is a safe place to store your valuables.

Alternative entries to Cordon:
******************************
If you just CAN"T get past the m/c gunner, go back to Swamp and take the NE
exit into Cordon, which now is open. Or you could go out the northern
entrance to Agrprom.(The Renegades have set up bases on the northern road
so be prepared to fight or sneak past at night. It's nice and friendly in
Agroprom though.)
 

A CHAT WITH SIDOROVITCH:
**********************************
Sid tells you that in the past, Stalkers found artifacts in the Zone, and
the Army guaranteed their safe passage through the Cordon. Now they are
'bickering' and nothing is getting through. He asks you to bring out a case
for a valuable customer. In exchange he will help you in your mission to
find the unknown Stalker (Fang). He tells you Fang was buying up certain
weird items of equipment that allowed Stalkers to get past the Brain
Scorcher and enter the Centre of the Zone!

New Task:
**********
> visit the Stalkers on the embankment, and bring back the case.
The main missions are now fairly linear, with plenty of opportunities to do
side missions, buy stash information, etc. Remember to trade and
repair/upgrade equipment at every opportunity. Travel light, the game is
MUCH more enjoyable.
The 'Stalkers on the Embankment' are at the main Stalker base in Cordon.
Here are the trader, technician, and a safe box to store your loot. 

Deal with the Army Commandante and his two henchmen and return Sid's case.
He sends you after Fang. This is the beginning of the main storyline/quest.

SUMMARY OF LINEAR TASKS (CORDON):
*********************************
> Talk to Army Commandante Khaletskiy about the location of his loot.
> Kill Khaletskiy's two henchmen.
> Eliminate military at elevator.
> Interrogate the commandante.
> Collect Sid's case and return it to him.
> See diggers at Garbage.

Escort Mission:
*********************************
When rescuing wolf's brother, have a cheap pistol in your inventory that
you can give him. Escort him all the way back to the Rookie Village or the
mission will fail.

THE ARMY BASE:
*********************************
There is a side mission to collect military medikits from the Army Base.
You can enter the base unseen. There's a tree over a fence leading to the
left side of the base. Climb over some junk against the wall and you're in.
Stealth works well here. You can low crouch most of the way unseen.
Grab the medikits and exit through the first story window to the ground
in front of the base. Elegant!

PDA at east end of railway tracks:
**********************************
On the way from the Army base back to Cordon Main Base, you find
Semyon Lambee (military faction) skulking in a tunnel under the road.
He asks you to find his friend. The friend's body is in a tunnel at the
end of the railway tracks that you cannot reach. Every time you enter you
are teleported back out! Talk to the guys guarding the pass under the
embankment. That weird Ball of Light above the embankment is some sort of
teleporter. The only use they found for it so far is to throw their
garbage in there, lol. OK?

Update on Cordon from Trith Leonharte:
**************************************
"Some people are vets of The Zone at the Cordon Rookie Camp. These "Vets"
don't have the newbie armor. Some had really nice weapons and armor, so, in
all my greed, I shot the one with that stuff. As it turned out, the newbies
in the village didn't fire on me, only the guys with the nicer stuff (which
I also stole). I ended up with a SPAS-12 (the better shotgun than Chaser-13)
and two IL86s and some other nice stuff. In other words, I think you should
try out some things at places like this, as sometimes there are multiple
teams within a non-faction base and their rewards can be very... rewarding."

Update on Rookie Village from wavelength121:
********************************************
"I failed to respond to a PDA distress call from the Village early
in the game and forgot about it... Later I was passing through and the
place was full of psyonic dogs, at least 50, didn't do any damage but
the game slowed to a crawl... After putting them all down I found
the village full of corpses... was a very eerie scene, but I got a lot
of high powered weaponry out of it... not to mention a lot of guilt.
That kind of unscripted carnage made me fall in love with this game." 
Wolf's brother is dead, Wolf is gone. Some people even report Sidorovitch
is dead. (Unconfirmed, that.)



Next, head off to GARBAGE to see the Diggers.  They have more info on Fang.


****************************************************************************
                1.03      #1 GARBAGE: HOME OF THE BANDITS
****************************************************************************


There are a lot of side missions in Garbage, and a lot of money to be made
offing the bandits and selling their pathetic possessions. They are easily
avoided if you are sick of killing them. It is not possible to eliminate
them at this stage, they only respawn.
There is a small STALKER encampment at the Flea Market.
If you are friendly with the Bandits you can play the Crow Shooting
mini-game. Pure frustration!


IMPORTANT NPCs in Garbage:
**************************
> Yoga, number1 bandit.
> Wasian.
> Limpid, Bandit technician.
> Borov, Bartender
> Tooth, trader.
> Skinny, crow-guy.

Flea Market:
**************************
> Wild Napr, STALKER leader.
> Gavin, technician.
> Timka, trader.


The bandits are waiting to rob you. You can sprint up the hill to the left
and evade them. The advantage of this is that the whole Bandit faction will
not be hostile to you. I don't like bandits so I just shot them all. The
only good thing about bandits is the upgrades from their technician. You can
shoot as many as you like to make money but forget about wiping them out. 
They must have a lot of bandit women somewhere because they respawn faster
than rabbits. There's also no point in making a huge amount of roubles at
this stage either. So my advice is to avoid the bandits, detour around them
for now.
If you wish to join the Bandit faction, you should do so while they are
still neutral. Speak to Yoga, he will give you the missions to gain trust.


SUMMARY OF LINEAR TASKS (GARBAGE):
**********************************
> Get information about Fang from the diggers at Garbage. Too late,
the digger is already dead.
> Get information from the digger messenger. He is being attacked by dogs.
   Climb onto the rock and help him out.
> Follow Fang to the Dark Valley. Fang went there to buy more weird
equipment from the Freedom Base. Freedom has good stuff for sale.




****************************************************************************
                    1.04      DARK VALLEY: FREEDOM TERRITORY
****************************************************************************


IMPORTANT NPCs in Dark Valley:
******************************
> Egorka Partisan welcomes you to Dark Valley.  Stand still and holster your
weapon.

> Commander Lingov is second in command of the Freedom faction here. He is
also a "frigging rat" traitor.
> General Chekhov is the boss of Freedom. Talk to him to join this faction.
> Yar is the technician. Also upgrades the Vintar and Sunrise suit.
> Ganja is the barman.
> Ashot is the trader.



Whenever I enter Dark Valley there is a corrupted skybox that lasts until I
get close to the Freedom Base and then self-corrects, so No Problemo.
When you enter Dark Valley you meet a Freedom Checkpoint. Do as they say:
holster your weapon and stand still. Bit of chit-chat and you head for the
main Freedom base.

First up, talk to Lingov. He is the Commander (Second in command to Chekhov,
the boss of Freedom.)
Lingov gives you a few missions to establish trust. First is easy, kill
some pseudo-dogs. Next he asks you to go upstairs in the little building
next door to get some ammunition from the trader (Ashot). The mission is to
supply a patrol with ammo. When you reach them, they are all dead.
Check them over for TRs301 ammo. The PDA you need is with the dead soldier
on the mattress. The map target location is in the incorrect position here.
Chekhov asks you to bring him the PDA. Now you get to meet the real chief of
Freedom. Chekhov will tell you about Fang when you hand over the PDA. Fang
was trying to buy parts used in the army's old cryptographic machines. Hmmm!
The Freedom technician bugged Fang's PDA so Chekhov knows his location. But
you must do him a favour first: kill the traitor Lingov.
Do so, pick up Lingov's PDA and also find a nice, scoped TRs301 to replace
the IL86 or AK you have now. Whatever.
If you'd like to join the Freedom Faction, ask now. You are told you need to
do more missions to prove your worth. The missions involve capturing two
triangulators, at the swamp and a farmhouse. These will allow Freedom to
locate the tunnel where the mercs are entering Dark Valley. Once that's done
you can join Freedom. You get a reward for joining, an exit reward later,
and access to special upgrades from the Freedom technician.
Joining a faction extends game play exponentially. But it's also quite
acceptable to play right through and never join a faction.

A side mission for Yar (the technician) must be started at night. I saw him
at 2200 hours, it was pitch black and everyone had their torches on.
Know what he said to me? "Come back when it's dark!" 
I came back at 0300 hours and he finally gave me the mission.


For rewards, missions, trading etc see Ganja (the bartender). Hard drink or
soft smoke.=)

peetz gave me these tips for Dark Valley:
"When I first went to Dark Valley and got the mission to kill the ghost dog
up on the hill, behind the Freedom base - I had some difficulty finding the
real dog amongst all it's ghost clones (which don't even hurt you, even
though they seem like they do). Then I found out that the real one shows on
your minimap. Then I figured out that an easier way to accomplish that part
was to stand at the back of the Freedom base and just snipe the dog - before
you get close and he clones all his images! There's a nice weapon bonus in
that mission as well.  I noticed that one of the Freedom guys guarding the
back entrance was carrying an SVDm2, so while I was across the pond, up on
the hill in the little camp where the dog was, I simply sniped him with my
Vintar from there.  No alarm.  My relations stayed good - so I simply picked
up the sniper rifle and got it upgraded at the technician there (Yar). Even
though ammo for it is a bit hard to come by, there are a couple of small
caches in the Dark Valley factory and there's a 200 shots package in a cache
in the tree by the back door of the Loner base in Agroprom. Getting that
cache took a few tries, until I figured out that you simply need to go up on
the roof, drop down and walk along the pipes, and then jump up on the tree
branch to reach it.  That SVDm2 is an incredibly accurate, 1-shot kill from
a LONG distance away.  Nice to have in your backpack." 
 
 

SUMMARY OF LINEAR TASKS (THE DARK VALLEY):
******************************************
> Collect ammo from Ashot and deliver it to the patrol.
> The patrol are all dead. Get the PDA. Pick up an IL 86 if you wish. As 
advertised, it jams frequently, even when fully upgraded. =((
> Take soldier's PDA to Chekhov.
> Find the traitor (Lingov).
> Take out mercs at Southern farm. Pick up a TRs301 if you like. Yes!
> Deliver Lingov's PDA to Chekhov.
> Follow Fang to Garbage.

SPOILER:
When you return from the Dark Valley, you enter the famous cellar door at
the Flea market and the Bandits take all your money.
So be warned. Spend everything! If you spend on food/drink you can resell it
later without losing money. (Speedcanhurt)



****************************************************************************
                  1.05     #2 GARBAGE:  MORE BANDITS
****************************************************************************

Drop your main rifle on the ground with some ammo before you head through
the door to get Fang's PDA. Don't drop everything because it'll take five
minutes to pick it all up again.
I hope you only have 2 roubles in your pocket, kiss it goodbye.
Lot of ppl had trouble with the cellar door not opening. Using the latest
patch, it opened fine for me. You get a blinding white light here.
If you have a 24" Samsung you will get snow-blindness. When you come to,
Bandits are discussing your erstwhile wealth. Pick up Fang's PDA and  pistol.
Back upstairs, pick up your rifle and find all your valuables in a stash
down the hill a bit. Shoot the two bandits guarding it. =))

I hurried on to Agroprom, but there's a lot to do here. The bandit music is
funny for a while and then it drives you crazy. You can hear it for miles!
There's also a couple of dudes sitting down and a skinny guy lounging behind
them. He runs a sort of mini-game shooting crows for pleasure and profit. =)

peetz: "The major plus with the new patch is that after you side with Loners
and clear out the Bandit Depot in Garbage, you get a Seva suit, money and a
Bubble artifact from the trader in Cordon.  That Bubble (-6 Rad) is the best
artifact to have with you!"
****************************************************************************
                    1.06   #1 AGROPROM INSTITUTE: HOME OF DUTY
****************************************************************************

Agroprom is a lot friendlier and more relaxing than Garbage. And there are
still Bandits to kill and maintain cash flow.
There's a big lake here. Help the Duty guys out and you get a nice
"Sunrise" suit. Nice artifact in the lake too. The northern building is a
Loner base; southern building is Duty.
Tour the Mutant Zoo In the southern building, opposite Mitay the trader.
There's also a handy metal box there to store your stuff.



IMPORTANT NPCs in Agroprom:
***************************
Northern Building (LONERS):
> General Orest.
> Aydar, technician.
> Thrush, trader.
> Hermit
 
Southern Building (DUTY):
> General Krylov.
> Thunderov, technician.
> Mitay, trader.
> Kolobok, barman.
> Major Zvyagintsev, Shooting Gallery.

Missions given by Orest are rewarded back at Loner HQ in Cordon Main base.
There is a Vintar in mint condition in the north of the map. Thunderov will
upgrade it, even if you are not a member of Duty. He will also upgrade the
Sunrise Suit. Five pockets is nice!

The hermit who lives underground amongst the big oil tanks at Duty (N) base
gives a mission. I've heard that once you complete his mission and get his
stash info, if you point a gun at him he will pull out a RPG-7. Which
becomes yours for free. Didn't work for me though. =(

The Shooting Gallery mini-game is located through doorway on the right as
you head to the NW exit from the Duty base. Talk to  Major Zvyagintsev.
It didn't make me rich. =(
Weapons at the Gallery are: PMm
                            Martha
                            AKm74/2U
                            Viper 5
                            SG1 5K
                            SA "Avalanche"




****************************************************************************
                     1.07    #2 AGROPROM UNDERGROUND
****************************************************************************
The Agroprom underground is teeming with mutants.Your mission is to turn off
the pumps that drain the sewers and drown the lot of them! The mini map will
suffice as the area is mainly linear.
The survival/horror atmosphere of SoC is nicely recaptured here.=)
You have to defeat a psi-mutant and turn off a valve. You then 
have a timed run to escape the flood waters. Clean out a stash on the left,
there is plenty of time. A gate slowly raises, duck under and go down
a level. Turn left, run against all the fleeing mutants and climb a ladder
to an area above the floodwaters. 
Now find a stash in a secret room. Finding the stash is the same deal
as in SoC: through a hole in the wall and up a ladder to the secret room.

Make your way to the surface and back to Agroprom Institute.


****************************************************************************
                       1.08   YANTAR: HOME OF THE SCIENTISTS
****************************************************************************

IMPORTANT NPCs in Yantar:
*************************
> Dr Sakharov. Gives missions. Sells ammo and SEVA suit.
> Lefty, squad leader for assault on factory.

NOTE: You cannot join the Scientist faction.

Head north across Agroprom to the Yantar exit. Before you can enter
Dr Sarkhov's bunker you have to defend the base. Once all the zombifieds are
dead, the siren will switch off and the door to the bunker will be unlocked.
If it won't unlock, check that one of the zombies isn't still alive and
kicking on the ground. Check your main map for red dots. I had a lot of
trouble here, there was a red dot marked INSIDE the bunker. Had to go back
to an earlier save to correct it. Sakharov has nice ammo and a Seva suit for
sale =) Take his mission to find the stalker's PDA. This is outside on the
western edge of the factory.
You will be attacked by phantom dogs, which are unable to harm you. So don't
panic. The deal here is that ONE dog is real. Kill it, and all the phantoms
disappear. =)
There are also real dogs here, brown ones that do a lot of damage. So...
Sprint along the west side of the factory and climb on a box, duct etc.
Shoot the dogs from safety. Ignore the psi emissions, they won't hurt you.
BEFORE you get the PDA from the stalker corpse, check out the stone archway
thingy with your Veles. I found an "Eye" artifact here worth 20,000 RU. 
NOW get the PDA and get the door to the bunker unlocked again. As long as
the siren is going, it won't open.
After clearing out the zombifieds on the margins, I climbed on the roof
of the bunker and took the rest out at my leisure. Once they are all dead,
the siren has stopped, and there are no more red dots on the map, the door
to the bunker will unlock. If not go back to a SG in Agroprom and try again.

Rest of Yantar to the Red Forest exit was bug free. =)) meet up with Lefty
and follow his instructions. Don't get in his way during the fight through
the factory. Follow a stalker onto the factory roof and protect the guys as
they turn the valves on the Cooling System. The sniper on the roof with you
drops a Vintar if he dies. After the Cooling system is stabilised, you get
a message to follow Strelok to the Red Forest. There's time to clear out
some stashes in the factory before you leave...


****************************************************************************
                         1.09   RED FOREST: HOME OF THE FORESTER
****************************************************************************
Red Forest is a Death trap. It is also fairly linear, straightforward and bug
free. It is also very spooky, especially at night when the wolves are howling.
You will encounter Psy-dogs and BloodSuckers. The BS can only be killed when
uncloaked.Follow theirs eyes. When they are close and "uncloak" themselves
they are vulnerable to the knife. Or just shoot them in the face.
There is plenty of Vintar ammo around, and the Forester awards you an upgraded
Vintar at the end. 

> Follow Strelok as he makes his way towards Limansk. You are just in time to
see him disappear into a tunnel.  He blows the tunnel so you can't follow him.
There's a bridge that Duty and Freedom raised, that can only be lowered from
the other side. And the other side is crawling with bandits! Just as things
look like they can't get any worse, you are ambushed!

> Don't annoy the Bandits across the River just yet.  There's a lot to do
before we lower the bridge.

> Prepare for some intense action. You escort some Loners through the Red
Forest anomalous area. Go ahead of them into the tunnel and protect them from
snorks. Or hang back and let them do the work. Past the tunnel, fight a
particularly powerful mutant ogre thingy. Calls for help to the Witches Circle
come on your PDA but I could never respond in time.

> As you escort the Loners through the anomalous zone, there is another camp
to defend. There's a four-arched rock formation here with two
artifacts. I died a horrible radioactive death here a few times getting the
second artifact (Eye). You might need to reload a few times, and snatch it
from the edge of the crater before it drops in.

> There's a Space anomaly above a tank that teleports you to the Forester's
place. There were Snorks sitting all over the tank, you can run/jump through
them to the teleport, or snipe them from safety. There's a machine gun here,
part of a quest, if you're aligned with a faction. Only the gun is required
for the quest, so you can unload it to save weight.

> Have a long talk to Forester. Get all his stash locations first.
Talk to him about the research institute at Limansk and get more of the
back-story. You can reach the centre of the Zone )Chernobyl NPP) through
Limansk without having to pass the Brain Scorcher! Hmmm!

> Before you head off and talk to the Outpost commander, check out the Red
Forest stashes. One to the west is a red valve in the mine pipe system!


 

****************************************************************************
                       1.10   MINES: HOME OF THE POLTERGEISTS
****************************************************************************

When I arrived at the mine everyone (except the poltergeists) was dead.
The Red Forest Underground contains a shedload of loot. There are AC96/2
rifles everywhere. Also several artifacts including the Compass. It's  Worth
50000RU but you can't sell it ( part of the main quest). I walked straight
inside, turned right, and there was the Compass artifact jumping around on a
table.  Didn't even need to use a detector.

> The Poltergeists here are a pair of mischievous spirits that throw stuff
around. You get hit with a crate or a gun it'll take two/three bandages to
heal! Thanks to ricoblack for putting me on the right track here. Climb down
the ladder then back to the top. This will trigger the two  ghosts. Use one
of the AC96/2s to shoot them from above. I used ten save points, 10 medikits
and 30 bandages before I killed them. Collect the stash over head, then go
down the ladder for an artifact. There's a passage back to the main tunnel.

> When you finish the mine and have all the Red Forest stashes, follow the
main mission again: 'Talk to the Freedom Outpost Commander.' You now have
a short excursion to the Military Warehouse map.The outpost commander tells
you that the army has lost control.
> See the mercenaries in the village. They have 'misplaced' a squad of
Stalkers during the last emission when they became trapped in a
Space Anomaly'loop'. First kill some bloodsuckers, then climb a tower to
receive a radio transmission giving the mercs' co-ordinates. When you climb
down from the tower, leap onto the lowest ledge and clean up the pseudo-dogs
waiting to ambush you.

> Talk to Forester. He requires the Compass artifact to lead the mercs out
of the Space Anomaly Bubble - loop thingy. If you haven't already done so,
fetch the Compass from the mine. Restart the conversation with Forester to
complete the objective.
Your bonus is a Vintar with upgrades: 
       Magazine +5
       Flatness +50%
       Accuracy +50%
       Recoil -50%
       Weight -10%

Not bad! =)

****************************************************************************
                       1.11   ARMY WAREHOUSE
****************************************************************************

aka Military Warehouse.
> Talk to the mercs in the little village again. We need to get a radio
transmission to the trapped squad with the co-ordinates Forester found using
the Compass artifact.

> See Kostyan. Freedom will help you reach the radio transmitter in the
centre of the military base. Clear out the military with the Vintar and
climb the tower to send the transmission. Pick up a Tunder S14. Near the
tank at the entrance is a stash with an RPG-7u, which fires OG-7V grenades.

> Easy mission, fight off dogs at the Sports Arena.

> After the co-ords are sent and the guys rescued, go back via Red Forest
to the Limansk Bridge. 




****************************************************************************
                 1.12      LIMANSK: WAR ON THE CITY STREETS
****************************************************************************


This map reminds me of MOHAA, but here the snipers are not static, they will
hide/circle/advance etc.

NOTE: Once you enter Limansk, you are unable to return. You are unable to
collect rewards in previous areas, trade, replenish ammo, upgrade, repair,
...nothing. This is a serious shortcoming in the game structure, probably
due to the devs running up against a publisher deadline.

NOTE: The way ahead through Limansk is totally linear. 


> Protect the Clear Sky Stalkers lowering the bridge with the mechanism on
the other side of the river. Just a case of shooting more bandits, plus a
couple of snipers who appear on top of the hill.
You'll find the SA "Avalanche" on the dead bandits. Clear Sky and Lebedev
make a reappearance.
Various interesting bugs have occurred here, including the bridge only
partially closing, and dozens of mercs guys creating a traffic jam on the
bridge. With 1.5.05 patch, no such excitement. 

> Talk to Lebedev: "Scout the road through Limansk to ensure safe passage of
the main CS squad. A war has broken out on the city streets, so proceed with
caution.". 
If you are quick, you can save some bandits from execution by CS. Hand them
a medikit and they will warn you of a booby-trapped car ahead. Now I've
warned you, save your medikit and just hug the right wall to avoid the
tripwire.

> Clear the city of ground troops and snipers on rooftops.

> CS ask you to take out a machine gunner ahead. Duck in a doorway on the
left and clear the building. You will get some assistance from CS, even if
you are playing non-aligned to any factions. This is where you find some
nice weaponry: there's an RP-74 light machine gun (7.62PP ammo) and a
Bulldog 6 (VOG-25) revolving grenade launcher up near the machine gunner
on the balcony.

As you continue to clear the streets you will pick up weapons from various
dead factions, including Monolith:

RP-74 light m/c gun
Bulldog 6 Grenade launcher
SG1 5K Assault rifle (NATO 5.56X45)
Black Kite revolver (.45)
SVDm2 (7.62 &h14 ammo)
Plenty of ammo for Vintar and FT200M.

The AC96 has served well so far, and the SVDm2 is very nice for picking off
the bandits from a safe distance. The bullet doesn't drop as it does with
the Vintar!

> Meet up with CS Commander. The road ahead is blocked with anomalies,
but there's a gate on the right. Go through to the house.

> Talk to the CS commander. Take out the defenders on the bridge over the
canal and in the house ahead. If your suit has a bit of wear and tear, see
Vadik Phantom (CS) for upgrades and repairs. I found him on the upper level
of the house. Downstairs on the right is the back door leading the way to
the canal and bridge.


> Scout the road through Limansk.

There are Space Bubble Anomalies right across the road, but it's easy to
wind your way around and under them, and climb through the bus. Stand by the
giraffe in the children's playground to receive the next objective.

> Find a way through the construction site.

There are a lot of crates here with nothing inside, and a lot of buildings
with locked doors. =(   There's the occasional bit of loot, eg. medikits
behind the three tin sheds here. From the giraffe, head upstairs to the
construction site.
The AI at the front are fairly aggressive, but easy to outflank. AI on
higher floors are fairly dumb and don't even turn to attack. There's some
medical supplies on the top floor. You can see the sniper in the tower to
the north,and scope out the whole area. Go down to the floor with the fire
and scramble down to ground level at the back (north). Duck through the
hole under the back gate by the two CS Stalkers. 

> Take down the sniper in the tower and generally help out the CS guys.

> Report to the commander. Ahead is an electrified fence blocking the way.

> Get inside the big Institute Building down the road on the right. This is
all linear. Work your way through the buildings and switch off the 
generator. There's a bit of a puzzle here. Climb a ladder inside the first
building and work your way across rooftops and pipes to the next building.

This completes Lebedev's task to scout the way through Limansk: "Good job.
The main CS squad can now move through Limansk.  The advance squad is to
find the entrance to the Pripyat underground at the old hospital entrance on
the edge of Limansk."

> Find a way to Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).


> Go to the hospital.


****************************************************************************
1.14                   HOSPITAL

****************************************************************************
The Hospital is a new section not found on SoC. CS are at the entrance and
only you can help them. They need you to outflank and take out a sniper who
is covering a machine gunner. Once you get the sniper, cover CS as they
advance. Vasgo Lamer (CS sapper) blows a tin barricade and silences the
m/c gun with a grenade. He has also opened the passage to the next section
of the hospital. Vasgo Lamer (CS) is standing by the exit and he can
repair/upgrade your gear.


> Take down the military chopper. There is a red "Health" bar at top-right of
screen. 'Lean' from behind cover you can take it down with a couple of clips
from any rifle (Novice level). Drop through a hole in the floor to enter the
Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).

Major Spoiler: all those roubles, artifacts, guns, ammo, etc that you have
collected throughout the game are now useless.
You only have a few minutes gameplay left! =(

Comments on Inventory: Playing on Novice level, the final battle at the NPP
is fairly easy. I was carrying 125kg of crap most of which was unnecessary.
I had the Sunrise suit Duty gave me (free). Upgraded
it to 5 artifact pockets and carried a Bubble (RAD -6), Wrenched (RAD -4),
two Gravis (+20kg) and a night Star (+10kg). I played most of the game with
the TRs301, then the AC96/2. My favourite rifle was the SVDm2. At the end I
was holding a whole bunch dead weight:anti-rads, bandages, medipaks, grenades,
ammo, artifacts, scopes, silencers, flashdrives and PDAs. So that's the
Beginners Guide finished. =)) I guess all that stuff is more necessary when I
try a higher difficulty level.


****************************************************************************
1.15                 CHERNOBYL NPP

****************************************************************************

There's a cut scene while Lebedev explains what is happening.  With your help,
Clear Sky have pursued Strelok to the heart of the Zone (NPP).When you regain
control you have the Gauss (electro-magnetic) rifle and the FT200M. This could
send you over your weight limit! There's  a battle at ground level between CS
and Monolith soldiers. CS are all neutral (yellow). No one will talk to you or
offer repairs, and the Monolith enemy here are indestructible, but there are
few bodies to mug if necessary. Just stay on the top level!

You have trailed Strelok all the way to the NPP, managing to bypass the
Brain Scorcher by travelling via Lemansk. Now you must incapacitate his
psy-protrection. The Psy-field intensity at the station is off the scale, but
Strelok is protected from psy-emissions by the prototype suit. Incapacitating
it will stop Strelok. Only an electro-magnetic weapon can harm the prototype's
electronics.

So after a month of shooting and looting, you have about five minutes to go.
If you have 300 000RU and thousands of rounds of ammo, I'm sorry.


                                                                              
> Climb onto pipeline and intercept Strelok. 

> Incapacitate Strelok's suit with the Gauss rifle.

> Find the teleport that leads to the heat pipeline.

> Track Strelok on your mini-map and try to shoot him before he escapes. If he
gets away, advance to each teleport and chase him. Kill the Monolith soldiers
that spawn after each teleport.
You eventually reach a large teleport. As you approach it, a cutscene whisks
you up close. You may even spot Strelok creeping in behind it. Just shoot at
the teleport until the red "Health" bar at top right of the screen reduces to
zero.  There's another cutscene, a panorama of the NPP, and you see a room
full of dead/dying guys. Strelok lies there twitching, and  the camera zooms
to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. tattoo on his arm. That's it. Finito! The Credits roll.

****************************************************************************
                       END OF PART 1: WALKTHROUGH.
****************************************************************************






****************************************************************************
****************************************************************************
                         PART 2: GENERAL GUIDE
****************************************************************************
****************************************************************************

                           CONTENTS

                      2.01  Controls
                      2.02  System Requirements
                      2.03  Tweaks
                      2.04  Display
                      2.05  The Patch
                      2.06  Tactics                        
                      2.07  Bugs and other complaints
                      2.08  Day/Night cycle
                      2.09  NPC missions, buying info, trading, upgrading
                      2.10  Health
                      2.11  Saving Games
                      2.12  Detectors (Artifacts)
                      2.13  Artifacts
                      2.14  Suits
                      2.15  Weapons
                      2.16  Mutants
                      2.17  Faction system
                                     

2.01   CONTROLS
***********************************

There's the usual FPS keyboard controls. Learn to use WASD by touch
so you can move around while you wait for the shotgun to reload, etc.

An important combination is W + X + SPACE for a long-running-jump.


F     Use, interact, talk, search
P     Pause to scratch or make coffee.
F5    Quick Save
F9    Quick load
P     PDA map, missions, log etc.
I     Inventory
O     Detector for artifacts
1     Knife
2     Pistol
3     Rifle, Shotgun
4     Grenade
5     Binoculars
6     Bolt to show anomalies
L     Flashlight
X     Sprint
SPC   Jump
L CTRL            Crouch
L CTRL + L SHFT   Prone    
ESC   main menu
F12   Screenshot
Q/E   Lean L/R
Y     Change ammo
V     Grenade Launcher
L MOUSE  Fire 
R MOUSE  Iron sights
R MOUSE  Select Unload/Drop weapon in Inventory screen.
N    Night Vision
]    Quick Bandage
[    Quick Medikit
SHFT + F  Drag (body)


2.02 SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
***********************************
Recommended:
XP/Vista
Intel Core2 Duo E6400 / ATHLON 64 X2 4200+
1.5 Gb RAM. 3.5Gb is better.
8800GT / HD 2900XT  video card
Installation is easier if you disable your firewall temporarily,
or hit ALT+TAB to exit any locked-up screen.


2.03  TWEAKS
***********************************
Koroush Ghazi CS Tweakguide at http://www.tweakguides.com/ClearSky_1.html 
DX 10 dynamic lighting is only available with Vista.
Turn grass density right down, makes it easier to see things on the ground.
Adjust screen resolution, object/texture detail etc for a smooth frame rate.
1440 x 900 seems reasonable.
You can reduce the options a fair amount. It will still look great, and may
reduce CTD frequency..
Leave NPC flashlights on so you can find them in the dark.



2.04 DISPLAY
***********************************
Mini map in the top left corner has a blue arrow pointing north, red south.
Grey arrow points to current task location/Secondary objective.
Yellow arrow points to Primary Objective.
Friendly NPCs are green.
Neutral NPCs are yellow.
Hostile NPCs are red.

In the bottom right corner are health and armour bars,
Keep an eye on the red health bar in case you are bleeding to death or
have radiation sickness.
Ammo type and quantity, and the geiger counter. And pictograms for Psy,
chemical, heat and radiation exposure.


2.05 THE PATCH:
***********************************
Problems with early patches are history now, and I have deleted that
information. This guide was made using the 1.5.05 version. This patch allows
the game to play correctly, though minor bugs still exist. Objects such as
weapons, ammo, artifacts, health items and NPCs may be missing, in different
locations or in different quantities according to which patch you are using.
People also have different experiences according to their system specs.

Patches are not cumulative. Just install 1.5.05. (variations for Steam and
retail CD). 

The 1.5.06 patch is out (30OCT2008). It is cumulative. Save games from
1.5.05 still work. The bug with the locked door at Yantar scientist bunker
is still there for some people. =(





2.06 TACTICS
***********************************
> If you missed any dialogue, all conversations are in your PDA
message log.

> Seek cover, use crouch, low crouch before attacking. This is not
your typical run-and-gun fps.

> Stand on a rock or crate to shoot attacking dogs, boars etc.

> Talk to everyone.

> Search/explore everything. Smash crates with the knife.

> Select a cache in each area to stash your loot, medicine,
and remember/record its location.

> Trade frequently and keep your inventory small. Low weight allows
you to outsprint (Hold X) boars, to run-and-gun, seek shelter from
emissions, beat the m/c gunner, etc.

-Before trading a gun, go to inventory and unload it first.

> Accept multiple tasks, then complete them one by one, to save
a lot of travelling back and forth.

-Repair/upgrade weapons and armour at every opportunity.

> There is more time to complete missions than in S-of-C.
You will miss out on a bunch of missions, don't stress over it.
Failed tasks are recorded in your PDA but cancelled tasks don't give
a penalty.  Tasks are only cancelled when all attackers are dead.
If you miss seeing a mission, it will be written in your PDA log.

> Pay for information about stashes, it's worth it to find those hard to
get weapon upgrades. 

> Always make headshots. Weapons aren't particularly powerful unless you
make headshots. 

> No animal parts in this game, don't bother searching for tails lol.

> Bloodsuckers are different to CoS.They are invincible while invisible.
Say that ten times! Shoot them in the face when they become visible,
and then bandage yourself.

> Items you place in stashes may disappear, though they seem more permanent
than in S0C. Upgrades can disappear. I put my guitar in a box near the
Mutant Zoo and later it disappeared. I also dropped a bunch of shotguns in
the middle of the road at Garbage and they stayed there for the whole game!

> Removing your own loot from a stash may be considered 'stealing' by
nearby NPCs, who might become hostile. Check this with a quicksave before
stowing loot in a box or stash. Might be a function of Faction relations.
(THNX SpeedCanHurt) 

> Escaping emissions-run towards the marker on the map for shelter.

> Repeatedly mouse click to move bulk items quickly around trading screen
and transferring items to stashes/boxes.

> Use drag (SHIFT + F) to place bodies in a pile once you have mugged them
so you won't have to keep checking them over and over.

> You see a dude waving to you, he's either a guide, or he has a mission
or information for you. Anyone waves, you should talk to him.



2.07 BUGS and other COMPLAINTS
***********************************

Bugs reported so far include:
> AI hung up in the environment.
> Poor optimisation. Frame rates vary wildly according to where you are.
> Broken mission scripts.
> Corrupted Save Games.
> If you are playing windowed and using ALT + TAB to enter/exit the game, you
might have problems.
> Pirate versions seem to be seriously bugged.

UPDATE: Patch 1.5.05 has fixed most of these. Save Game works 100%.
No more CTDs, but occasional reboot after playing a few hours, so
don't forget to save frequently.

The Wild Territories and  Pripyat are gone!
Night time is so dark and the flashlight is so weak.
No women in the Zone! No female stalkers or Scientists, not even any Bandit
whores!.
Prettier but not as creepy, the horror/survival feel is not as strong.
No encyclopaedia. 
Messages disappear off the screen too fast! GrrrR!


2.08   DAY/NIGHT CYCLE
***********************************


> 1 minute real time = 10 minutes game time.

> Sleeping Bag mod has serious side effects, you are better to upgrade
night vision  and learn to love the dark.

> You can check the time-of-day in your PDA mission log.
Advantages of night, headshots on enemies are easier, just aim for
their lamps. Night cover is also good for stealth, 
like sneaking past m/c gunners!

> Press N for night vision. Upgrade night vision on your suit as suit 
as soon as possible, because night time is pitch black!
It's kinda cool/creepy trying to do stuff at night. Getting jumped by
a Snork or rushed by a pack of dogs is pretty epic feeling.  When the
dogs come you see a red dot approaching super fast but can't see what
it is until all six of them are right on top of you. Blind dogs
can leap attack like the pseudo dogs now wooo! (t0m)

> Turning on Sun rays in video options gives some amazing sunrise effects!



2.09  NPC MISSIONS/TRADING/INFORMATION/UPGRADES
****************************************************** 

GUIDES: Blue Circle with a dot on the main map. Take you anywhere for
free at the start. Then they charge on a distance basis. 
TECHNICIANS: Upgrade and repair weapons, armour. Give missions. Later
in the game it helps if you are in their faction, as ALL technicians
are not able to upgrade ALL weapons/suits.
TRADERS: Buy and sell weapons and ammo. Hand out rewards for completed
tasks.
Different traders charge/pay different amounts so shop around
for that special rifle or suit.
BARKEEPERS: Give rewards. Sell stash info. Trade food/drink/vodka.
GENERAL NPCs give free info. You can pay them for stash locations!
IMO it is worth the money to get good weapons and Flash drives with
weapon upgrade specs.


2.10   HEALTH
***********************************
You will lose health for a variety of reasons.
If you are too tired to walk/jump/sprint, eat or drink.
If you are bleeding, press ']' for bandages.
If health is low, press'[' for a medikit.
If you have radiation sickness, go to inventory and take anti-rad drugs
or drink Vodka.
Select artifacts that reduce radiation/chemical/electrical/burn damage.

2.11   SAVE GAMES
***********************************
Due to various bugs, CTD, reboots, broken scripts, you need to organise your
Save Games (SGs). Then you can restart at an earlier save when necessary.
And it WILL be necessary.
I suggest numbering your SGs and naming them with the level and the event.
By the time I started Red Forest I had over two hundred Saves already.
Many were corrupt, sometimes a whole block of five or six were corrupt.
 (I didn't use Quick Save/Load at all.)
So name them something like this: 

"015 Swamp Veles Detector"
    or 
"175 Yantar Find Lefty" 

While 1.5.04 Save games will load into 1.5.05, you are asking for trouble.
Start 1.5.05 over from the start and delete old SGs.

UPDATE: Save Games reload without problem in 1.5.05.
I never used quick save/load. It could be risky to reload from a quick save
point ... I wasn't willing to risk it.


2.12   ARTIFACT DETECTORS
***********************************

> Echo is the starter version. 
> Bear is a bit better, but won't detect higher level artifacts.
> Veles is the best detector in the game, so don't waste time with the
others. Find it at top left of Swamp. Go north under the broken rail bridge,
turn right before the power lines to find a tunnel beneath a railway
car. It is under the mattress and may not be visible.  When you are in
position against the wall and facing the mattress, the icon will appear
in the middle of the screen. 



2.13    ARTIFACTS
***********************************

You can find heaps of these and sell them. You can equip them in the pockets
of your suit for various benefits. The upgraded "Sunrise" suit for example,
has five pockets/holds five artifacts.
The SEVA suit has the best anomaly protection, but it is usually possible to
get artifacts with a minimum of protection.  You can avoid damage by finding
a path into the atrifact. Track them as they move around with the Veles, and
notice if they move in a particular path. Electrical anomalies can be
discharged with a bolt. (Frag_Maniac)
The Jellyfish is very useful early on because it reduces radiation damage
without the need for vodka/anti-rads.
Rock formations that look like four pieces of an arch have good artifacts.
The one behind Yantar has an "EYE" worth 20,000 RU.
Anomalies may have different artifacts for different ppl. I've heard reports
that they will also respawn after a period of time.

Link to Russian site with maps of artifact locations:
http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fdomkrat.nm.ru%2Fclear
_sky_faq.htm&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&sl=ru&tl=en

Complete map link (THNX Zealot_warrior):
http://www.webalice.it/requena/game/stalkercs/stalkercs_map_zone.htm 


ARTIFACT    VALUE    ATTRIBUTES g=good  b=bad
Battery      6000RU  Radiation +2b  Endurance +2g
Bubble      12000RU  Radiation -6g
Compass     50000RU  Endurance +6g NOTE: Main quest item, do not sell.
Eye         12000RU  Radiation +2b  Bleeding +40g                  
Flash                Radiation +1b  Electrical +3g
Gravi       12000RU  Radiation +3b  Max Weight +20kg g
Jellyfish    4000Ru  Radiation -2g
Kolobok     12000RU  Radiation +2b  Health +4g
Mama's Beads 6000RU  Radiation +2b  Bleeding +20g
Meatchunk    4000RU  Radiation +1b  Chemical +3g
Moonlight    6000RU  Radiation +2b  Telepathy +3g
NightStar    6000RU  Radiation +2b  Max Weight +10kg g
Shell       12000RU  Radiation +3b  Endurance +4g
Stone Flower 3000RU  Radiation +1b  Telepathy +1g
Soul         6000RU  Radiation +2b  Health +2g
Wrenched     8000RU  Radiation -4g

more later.......


2.14     SUITS
***********************************

> Warning re Night Vision: If you upgrade to a mask, you cannot enable night
vision goggles as well.

> peetz:
"You can't upgrade all the radiation/psi protection "legs" of the options
without disabling some of the "heavy armour" legs of the options.)  You
really have to read and try to understand each upgrade, because you can't
"uninstall" it, if you made a mistake.
With an upgraded SEVA (which I recommend you upgrade along the
chemical/telepathy/radiation path, rather than the bulletproof path), you
can add a couple of appropriate artifacts and pretty much walk through
anything without damage.  I'm using a Bulat as a "bulletproof-type" suit,
so I just switch between them, depending on what I am doing."

> CS-3 Suit (Clear Sky) is a reward from the Swamp trader. The Loners will
upgrade it. 

> Sunrise Suit is a reward for helping Duty at the lake in Agroprom. Duty
technician will upgrade it. Plenty of pockets (5).

> SEVA suit can be bought from Dr Sakharov in Yantar scientist bunker.

> "For artifact hunting, Fully upgraded anti-anomalous SEVA suit with
2x bubble and 3x goldfish.
For firefights, fully upgraded anti-bullet Freedom EXO, with 1x bubble and
2x goldfish in the EXO to carry all my gear." Thnx CRASHBANG25.

> Blue night vision is better than green.

more later.......



2.15   WEAPONRY
***********************************

NOTE: re weapons upgrades. If you upgrade to a different barrel size, you
cannot go back and uninstall it!

> Don't waste your money buying rifles. Spend up on upgrades/repairs.

> If a weapon has the correct fittings to mount a scope, just drag the
scope onto the rifle in Inventory.

> When you get upgrades installed, sometime your scope/silencer will be
unmounted. Just click on the weapon in Inventory screen and remount. 

> I don't like pistols.  You need to be <20 metres away, they have the power
but are inaccurate. Unload them and sell them, imo.

> AK74 is best assault rifle (AR) for early stages of game, until something
better comes along..

> IL86 has a nice scope. Dual purpose sniper/assault rifle. As described,
it jams frequently.  Believe it! Even when fully upgraded!

> Pick up a scoped TRs301 in the Dark Forest. It uses same cartridge as
the IL86. Suffers wear/unreliability. Best AR for this stage of the game.

> The Chaser 13 shotgun is found early on in the Swamp. Good for dogs,
mutants, or Bandits at close quarters. Unless you hit a bandit in the face
though, he won't go down. There is a better shotgun later on.

> There is a Vintar sniper rifle in the Swamp but it is damaged. There's not
enough ammo at the start of the game to make it worth repairing. There's a
100% Vintar in Agroprom, by which you'll have plenty of ammo. The Duty
technician in Agroprom South (Thunderov) will upgrade it even though you are
not in the Duty faction. I like the Vintar. It sounds good and is
ballistically realistic. Good damage despite being sub-sonic. The Forester
gives you an upgraded Vintar in Red Forest as a reward.

Once ammo is available, I recommend carrying a Vintar at all times as it is
a dual purpose assault/sniper. 

>The SVDm2 is a better Sniper rifle.  Available in the Army Warehouse.

>The AC96/2 is the 1996 version of the AK47. There's a bunch of scoped
examples in the Red Forest mines. An EXCELLENT all-round assault rifle,
practical, reliable, upgradeable.

> SiG 550 is accurate and powerful. For the late stages of the game, it's
perfect, especially for sniping.

> The G37 is better still. 

> The F2000 is a complete package - grenade launcher, scope, range
accuracy, damage and rate of fire. (SpeedCanHurt)


< Quote PhatoseAlpha
"At the end, it's a fielders choice. If you're talking solely about ARs,
it's a three way between the accurate GP37, the powerful SGI, or the
well balanced FN2000. All 3 are very accurate, with the GP37 taking the
crown. The SGI hits the hardest. The FN2000 is as accurate as the SGI
and only hits as hard as a GP37, but it has slightly less recoil and has
a grenade launcher for when things get ugly."

more later....... 

2.16     MUTANTS
***********************************

> Various faction leaders have dead mutants as trophies. Forester
has a bloodsucker head mounted on his wall! All the mutants are on display
in the Mutant Zoo at the Duty Base in Agroprom.

> Pseudo-dogs: big dogs that run in packs. The SPAs 12 shotgun is good, find
a rock to stand on.

> Psi-dogs: This dog creates phantom clones of itself. Found in Yantar and
Red Forest. Sometimes they cause no damage, just push you around, and when
you shoot them they vanish. The strategy here is to locate the main dog on
the mini-map (red dot).  You may be able to snipe it from a distance.

> Blood Suckers: mainly found in the Red Forest. They cannot be killed
while 'cloaked' (invisible). Track their eyeballs, and when they are up
close and 'uncloak' themselves to attack, slash/shoot them in the face.

2.17     FACTION SYSTEM
***********************************

> It is OK to play through without joining a faction. In fact for the
first play-through, this is probably a good idea. For your second play
through, try Stalkers, Duty or Freedom. Not Bandits. They won't support
you when you take an objective, but you can make a lot of money from
weapons by mass-killing Stalkers and Duty.  If that's what you like.

> The faction system has been described as "broken", but it works in part.
You can join a faction, get bonuses for joining and completion.

> CRASHBANG25:"Best thing to do is pick a faction to hate, continue killing
them a lot, grab as much gear as you can and dump it in front of a guide.
Keep doing this then pick it all up, go to a friendly base and sell it all."

> It is possible to do all faction objectives on your own, you just won't
have any back-up.

> You can leave a faction, and join another faction, as long as they don't
already hate you. If you join Freedom or Duty, you will have to kill some
loners along the way but you have to kill A LOT before they hate you. Just
feels wrong though, killing loners.

> Faction rewards seem to be random. 

> Collect rewards before changing factions or they will be forfeit.

> If you wish to join the Bandits, you must do so before you get negative
relations with them. If you can get a Seva suit, the Bandit technician will
fully upgrade it.

> If you join the Bandits, all Stalkers are hostile. And the Bandits will
still mug you and give poor support.

> If you join Freedom, Duty will be hostile....and vice versa.

> When you complete a major Faction objective, new items are unlocked at
the traders.

> Don't expect to ever completely eradicate the Bandits. They are meant to
respawn to keep the game interesting with more opportunities for bandit
interaction with other factions. If a faction does overtake Garbage
completely there's a chance mutants will take them out and the bandits will
return.

****************************************************************************
                        END OF PART2: GENERAL GUIDE.
****************************************************************************



****************************************************************************
Version History:
****************************************************************************

v0.1  14SEP2008              -beginnings.

v0.11 17SEP2008      Added   -map of Swamp area.
                             -entering Cordon
                             -trading and upgrading

v0.12 21SEP2008              -exit to Cordon

v0.14 30SEP2008      Added   -patch information
                             -tactics section
                             -Cordon missions

v0.3 10 OCT2008      Added   -Dark Forest
                             -Garbage
                             -Agroprom
                             -Yantar
                             -Suits
                             -Artifacts
                             -Detectors
                             -Weapons

v0.8 12 OCT2008      Added   -Mutants
                             -Faction System
                             -Red Forest
                             -Mines
                             -Army Warehouse
                             -Limansk

v1.0 14 OCT2008              -Hospital
                             -Chernobyl NPP

v1.1 20 OCT2008              -new patch info
                             -long-running-jump (controls)
                             -spoiler re large inventory for final stages.

****************************************************************************
Links:
****************************************************************************
 www.STALKER-GAME.com
 www.DEEPSILVER.com
 http://www.tweakguides.com/ClearSky_1.html 
 http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/home/942067.html



****************************************************************************
Acknowledgements:

****************************************************************************
Notepad2: Thanks to Florian Balmer  for 79 character end-of-line and white
space marker.
ASCII Art courtesy of http://www.network-science.de/ascii/
Thanks to- GSC Gameworld for more S.T.A.L.K.E.R. goodness.
         -Gamespot message boards, DJKABoom,SpeedCanHurt,ricoblack,GTA4Cool,
                                     Frag_Maniac, PhatoseAlpha, CRASHBANG25.
         -Alexander Little for advice and encouragement.
         -master STALKERs peetz, trith leonharte and t0m.
  



****************************************************************************
Copyright and Permissions:

****************************************************************************
This Walkthrough/Guide is for:

GameFAQs
Supercheats
Neoseeker
Cheatsguru
Gameborder
Cheatcc
Gamershell
Chaptercheats
Cheatchannel

It may be not be reproduced except for personal use. It may not be placed
on any web site or otherwise distributed without permission. 

*****************************************************************************

Now I'm not a beginner any more, I think I'll try it on "Master" and join a
Faction.
Thanks for reading, and I hope this has helped someone.

Val 
30 OCTOBER 2008
*****************************************************************************