u/dioaloke

I did all endings at released, but from saves at key points. Coming back 2 years later I decided to go Ward from the very beginning and was pleasantly surprised.

I didn't to see so many changes. Not only in story and fate of some characters, but things like getting access to different bases and going to different locations.

For me what sold the Ward as more than just the evil faction is Korshunov's sincere care for the welfare of his men. He's easily one of the best characters in the game both in acting and writing. Scar feels annoying at times and suffers from the dissonance CS players feel from his version in that game. He's like that friend that tries a bit too hard to be funny and cool.

Sotov, the officer at Zalissya also helps sell the faction. His diplomatic approach separates him from regular Wardens who treat stalkers like trash. His actions during the Wish Granter activation also make him likable.

Having access to the Chemical Plant and easier access to STC Malachite after the Ward occupies it is a great QoL feature. I also like the Ward drip a lot. It reminds me of the operative armors in Xcom 2.

To compensate this is the worst possible ending for everyone except the Board and Skif. Being hated by Richter and having to kill him also sucks balls. I'm glad for the journey, but I probably won't follow this route many more times, if ever.

I've been trying different weapons and while the Saiga has awesome quick reloads I'm finding the Ram-2 very satisfying to use. Something about the sounds and mechanisms working when shooting it and switching ammo is just chef's kiss.

I plan to test the Cracker with the clip upgrade next, but I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Since you can't free roam after the campaign what's your favorite point in the story to just go about the Zone?

After your decision in Zalissya most of the Zone is open to you, with the exception of Pripyat and maybe the Duga? I don't know if you already have immortal Monolith there at this point...

I read that after SIRCAA the chances for legendary artifacts greatly increase, so it seems pointless to do artifact hunting before that as you might not make enough money selling the artifact to cover the repair costs from anomalies. That would be my midgame point to free roam a lot.

Of course, after getting access to Pripyat is the ideal, but that happens pretty late.

Does anyone go around a lot before SIRCAA? And what do you like to do when free roaming?

One of the main points of Stalker 2 is that the Alpha Artifact that destroyss Skif's home can be recharged by the scanners while every other artifact 'fades out' when taken outside the Zone. But smuggling out artifacts has always been arguably the main reason for everybody wanting a piece of the stalker pie.

So many people enter the Zone to get rich hunting due to the miraculous powers of the artifacts and the power-that-be that covet them and pay fortunes for them. After decades of such trade, no serious 'client' would be cheated by an artifact that no longer works. Do artifacts fade out really slowly? Is it a question of 'usage wear' or simply a temporal decay (like a half-life)? Are inert artifacts still valuable somehow? Or maybe stuff gets made with artifacts inside SIRCAA in the Zone and exported, their properties 'kept' somehow in the process?

EDIT: To the people saying it's easy and 'do this, do that', my point wasn't that it's hard. It's that what you actually need to do is different from what you're told to do. I get this plays into Pomor's scheme, it makes sense. When I first played this at launch, I wanted to thoroughly explore the field: if it's dangerous there should be good stuff here, right? And there is. But it was frustrating with the teleporting to random places when you're about to fall to asleep and the petal cloud that instakills you. My annoyance is more from this first experience than anything else and it's been interesting to see some people share my frustration while other had an easy time. Even if I think it could have been done better I'm still glad they tried something different with this anomaly.

The problem is that the game gives you bad instructions and bad feedback.

What you hear makes it sound like drinking an energy drink will stave off the sleepyness, but that's just not true. You can't drink indefinitely to keep awake and that's OK because it would be brute forcing, but I don't feel any distinct increase in how long I stay awake by drinking the energy drinks.

Your only real meter is your blinking and it's somewhat unrealiable.

I don't know if drinking beforehand and getting the energy drink icon over your health bar does anything.

The only reliable strategy is to get 1 thing at a time and leave the field entirely to reset some hidden timer, which is fine in itself, but has nothing to do with what the games tell you to do. If you follow the instructions you'll probably die repeatedly without really knowing what you did wrong, my first experience with this quest.

I don't know if this was some awkward implementation of a product placement (there is a real NON STOP Stalker themed energy drink afterall), but it spoils what could have been a rather flavorful quest.

I'm currently rocking Dagger + Mace for the crazy fast double swing with stagger power.

The mace has Paralyze, which is OP and funny at the same. I wanted to put Absorb Stamina on it too, so I could keep power attacking indefinitely, but I don't have it, so I put Absorb Health instead, which is kinda meh. Probably should put Soul Trap and use in conjunction with a reusable soul gem so it's always charged.

The dagger I'm leaving unenchanted for now so I can take advantage of Elemental Fury (it only considers the left hand weapon), but what would be some nice enchantments for it?

I know Fire/Frost/Shock enchants benefit from reduced casting costs for Destruction, but I'm not sure if Paralyze and other enchants do the same (probably yes)

I like that Adept is basically a playground after a while, but it gets a bit too easy most of the time with the occasional difficulty spike, so I'm considering starting a new playthrough - in part to test a better build for my mage.

Thing is, I'm afraid enemies just become health sponges and the game doesn't require me to make better use of the mechanics, it just gives me more work to kill them in essentially the same way as in lower difficulties.

I have similar worries about survival mode. I know it survival involves extra work, but is it engaging or does it feel tacked on/artificial difficulty?

After years since I last played and having never played a mage build, I'm a bit lost if I'm doing something wrong or if the mage playstyle is a bit lacking.

I'm currently level 40 and playing on Adept. I main Destruction (currently at 55), with Firebolt/Fireball being my main weapons. I'm doing a battlemage, so I'm more or at the same level in One-Handed, using Maces for their armor penetration.

I usually start in stealth by flinging a Fireball or Firebolt at the enemy. First question: does magic benefit from stealth attacks? Then when I run dry of magicka I use my mace and usually either use the off-hand to cast Firebolt so the enemy takes more damage from burning or to heal myself with Fast Healing.

When I know I'll have to do melee and not just finish off the enemy I use the 2nd level of armor spell.

I currently have 230 Magicka and 75% magicka regen, with 12% Destruction cost reduction (Novice Hood + robes).

I've read Destruction falls off hard as enemies level, since its damage doesn't level with your skill? Does any other school scale? Should I really just aim to get 100% cost reduction to spam spells? Even if I can cast indefinitely, if I do poor damage I might die before the enemy.

Should I be summoning more? Using more crowd control via the Illusion school?

Should I be drinking magicka potions like I have an addiction or focus on magicka regen and mix a bit of melee as I recharge?

How much magicka is enough?

I'm liking it so far, but at times I feel like I'm playing badly or missing something important.

I thought I'd have an easy time clearing Orc Town, but it didn't go as cleanly as I'd like.

Rain of Fire takes so long to cast and doesn't do that much damage. Storm of Fire (the 4th circle aoe) I can spam, but it doesn't always CC the orcs with the burning animation, so eventually they close in.

My solution was to pop a speed potion, aggro a group and cast Wave of Ice, the Rain of Fire and repeat WoI > RoF until everything's dead.

I mean it worked, but didn't feel that satisfying. And against the orc shamans Wave of Ice doesn't deal damage, just paralyses, while Rain of Fire is useless. I guess I could use Storm of Wind 😒 but I'd probably be stunlocked to death with the burning animation

How do my fellow mage tackle this and fighting groups in general?

BTW I'm playing a templar so no 5th circle spells for me. But my next game will be a pure mage, so I want to read it all!

I've read you can it by using a Transform into Meatbug scroll to enter the Feee Mine, but it doesn't seem to work? Am I supposed to pass through the gaps of the portcullis?

(I have both Union and the Community Patch installed)

As a kleptomaniac loot goblin I've always picked Sneaking in Gothic 1 because I like to loot everything. On my current run I haven't learned that skill and... it really doesn't matter? I'm like that pikachu meme 😮 All those years sneaking around... For nothing. I could've just walked in like everywhere is my house, pick the lock in front of its owner and brazenly walk away. I guess I have 10 extra SP now, but my world view has crumbled.

You only need to kill the immortal orc priest right before the final battle, right? You don't need it to kill the humans and demons at the Sleeper arena.

If I'm from the Swamp Camp and can't use its rune (that requires the 6th circle), I can use the sword even if I'm not trained in 2H, right? Of course, if I have the 30 STR to equip it, which I will. It won't be as effective, but it should get the job done.

Same if I'm a mage with 30 STR but for whatever reason don't want to turn it into a rune, right?