Stalker Call of Pripyat

100 Zone Survival Tips

1Vodka, a cheap alternative to antirad meds, is the easiest way to reduce the effects of radiation on the body.
2Technicians in stalker camps can upgrade your weapons, suits and helmets.
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4You can hide and show different markers on the map in your PDA using filters. Filter buttons are located above the map, under the current mission line.
5Some suits have integrated helmets. It is not possible to use other helmets with such suits.
6To wait out an emission, take cover in a reliable building or underground. When an emission is approaching, the nearest cover will be marked on your PDA.
7Weapon flatness affects bullet trajectory, while handlingdetermines the time it takes the sight to return to its original position after firing.
8You can use a bandage, a military medit or Vinco drugs to stop bleeding. If you don't deal with it quickly, bleeding can seriously damage your health.
9Drugs don't take effect immediately and some last for quite a long time.
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11You can unload the weapons you find to get more ammo. To do this, right-click on the weapon in your backpack and select the appropriate action from the context menu.
12To use an item via the quick access slot, drag it from your backpack to one of the four slots above the artifact containers.
13You need a detector to search for artifacts. The best detectors make searching easier and may even detect more valuable artifacts.
14Stalkers don't let people with their weapons out into their camps. To hide your weapon press the appropriate key ("1", "2", "3", "4").
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17As well as addressing your hunger, food will also slightly improve your health.
18Energy drinks temporarily improve your endurance recovery, which increases your potential mobility.
19Take some food with you when going out on a long raid. If you get really hungry, your endurance recovery will suffer greatly.
20Low endurance can make you immobile and vulnerable to enemy attack at crucial moments.
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22Having a detector in one hand doesn't stop you from using a knife, pistol or bolt with your other hand.
23Some medical products increase the body's resistance to harmful effects. Using such products can save your life during missions into anomalous areas.
24The blood drop symbol in the bottom righ-hand corner of the screen warns you of bleeding and the need to stop it. The color of the symbol indicates how serious the bleeding is.
25A radiation danger symbol in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen will warn you that you have been exposed to radiation. When this happens, you should use anti-radiation meds. The color of the symbol indicates how badly exposed you are.
26Your relations with people directly affect the price of goods and services you may wish to purchase. If your relationship is sour, don't expect a discount. If you're getting along well, the trader might even be inclined to offer you something special.
27You can bring up the context menu for items in your backpack by placing your mouse over the required item and pressing the right mouse button.
28In addition to their useful effects, most artifacts are also radioactive. This can be compensated for by using artifacts that absorb radiation.
29Your knife is inefficient against enemies armed with firearms. Use it in close combat or for a stealthy kill.
30A detector is the only reliable way of checking anomalous areas for artifacts.
31Most artifacts will remain invisible as they move around in the anomalous area, until they are identified by your detector.
32Mutants are more active come nighttime, which explains why stalkers prefer to wait for sunlight before venturing into the Zone.
33If you have suffered serious radiation exposure, use anti-radiation drugs. If you don't have any, use medkits to deal with the initial symptoms and until you make it to a medic.
34Most stalkers can take you to nearby locations, but only an experienced guide can lead you safely and quickly to distant areas. Despite this, they will all charge you an arm and a leg for the service.
35Selling artifacts isn't the only way to make some cash: offloading unneeded equipment can be a profitable business, too. Keep in mind that traders aren't usually interested in items that are seriously damaged.
36To repair an item you'll need to find a technician and click the repair button once you have selected the item in the modification screen. You can also right-click on the item in the same window to select the appropriate action from the context menu.
37The AC-96/2 has a unique two round burst firing mode. In this mode, both bullets in a burst will hit the same spot.
38To detach a silencer, scope or underbarrel grenade launcher from your weapon, right-click on the weapon in your backpack and select the appropriate action from the context menu.
39Doubloe-barreled shotguns can be used to fire both barrels almost simultaneously.
40If you want to move with minimal noise, press "Shift" to walk or "Ctrl" to crouch.
41Shotguns are close-combat weapons. The further your enemy is from you, the less effective they are.
42When taking cover from small arms fire, make sure to hide behind something solid. Unlike concrete walls, wooden boards and sheet metal don't make for very safe cover.
43Don't underestimate pistols. They provide considerable stopping power and can be very effective against poorly armored targets.
44Headshots do critical damage and are fatal for moste enemies.
45Each type of mutant in the Zone has its own combat traits. If you take these into account, you will be far more likely to survive.
46You can adjust how far you throw a grenade by holding "mouse2".
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48Speeding up before you jump allows you to overcome big gaps and cracks.
49Key indicators that show your health and endurance are located in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.
50Sniper rifles are ideal for eliminating enemies from a distance, thanks to their flatness and accuracy characteristics. They are less effective at close range.
51Firing accuracy suffers considerably when you're on the move. Stand still or crouch to improve it.
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53The Zone has a life of its own, which means that there's always a chance of bumping into mutants or enemy stalkers in areas that you have already cleared.
54Stay alert in the Zone and don't rely on old information. When you return to an anomalous area you've already explored, you may find that the old tested path is no longer available.
55Artifacts are not usually static: they tend to move within an anomalous area. Gun ho attempts to chase down an artifact will lead you into an anomaly in no time.
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57Some stalkers may offer you servicese, such as information, exclusive goods, or give you orders for specific artifacts.
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59New artifacts may appear in anomalous areas that you've already explored after an emission.
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61Every trader you encounter in various stalker camps offers his own, unique range of goods. As an example, medics are bound to have the best selection of medical products.
62If you get a stalker camp wounded or with radiation poisoning, you can make use of free assistance from the local medic.
63You can leave your things in a personal box at the camp to avoid dragging around unnecessary stuff.
64If you need to wait for a specific hour you can take a nap at the camp to pass the time. To do this, find the sleeping area, press "F" and choose how long you want to sleep for.
65The night vision device in your helmet can be upgraded to the next-generation version. This will expand its coverage range considerably.
66If you want to survive, always keep track of the crackling noise made by the Geiger counter, which warns you of radiation, and the anomaly danger signal that lets you know you're close to an anomaly.
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68Remember to save your game regularly - this will prevent you from playing the same parts over and over.
69To use drugs appropriately it helps to know what they do. Consult drug descriptions to find out the effect of certain drugs.
70Use grenades to attack enemies in cover. Keep in mind the grenade's blast radius to avoid hurting friendly fighters.
71To discard an item from your backpack right-click the item and select the appropriate action from the context menu.
72You can use the special setting in the options menu to have the game save your progress automatically at key points.
73When you return to camp you should repair your equipment, sell unneeded loot and restock on ammo and medical supplies.
74You can change the game difficulty in the game options menu at any time.
75To reduce the harmful effects of anomalous areas during raids into the Zone, use a protective suit, artifacts, or take appropriate drugs.
76Each weapon has unique accuracy, handling, damage and rate of fire characteristics, allowing you to pick one that's right for you from a large selection.
77In addition to weapons and ammo, enemy bodies may contain valuable items like PDAs with information on them.
78Artifacts aren't just valuable loot: in addition to being light and expensive, they can often have extremely useful effects.
79Due to the Zone's environment, many mutants are radioactive. Approaching them without adequate radiation protection is extremely dangerous.
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82Some places are impossible to pass through even when crouching. To crouch as low as you can, press and hold "Ctrl" and "Shift" simultaneously.
83To take a screenshot, press "F12".
84To reduce your chance of being hit by enemy fire, return fire by leaning around corners. To do this hold "Q" or "E".
85Thanks to a built-in target location mechanism, your binoculars allow you to not only get a good look at distant objects but also locate enemies. To get your binoculars out, press "5".
86To turn your flashlight on or off, press "L".
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90Your PDA has a map, information about current missions, your personal statistics and a message log. To open your PDA, press "P".
91You need to get your detector out to search for artifacts. To do this, press "O".
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93To quicksave, press "F5". Press "F9" to quickload the last quicksave.
94Running is the fastest way of moving, but also the most tiring. Press "X" to run.
95Firing while aiming is far more accurate than firing from the hip. To aim, press "mouse2".
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98To reload your weapon before your magazine is empty, press "R".
99To discard your current weapon, press "G".
100To look in your backpack, press "I".