The factions of theSTALKERseries and the upcomingSTALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylare one of the games' greatest triumphs, with each group having their own understandable motivations and goals. While each faction has undergone changes in leadership and territory, only two have experienced real development: the Military and the Mercenaries.
Usually serving as mid or high-tier human enemies, members of these factions are a challenge to fight with loot to match. However, as is often the case in the Zone, GSC Game World has given these NPCs much more nuance and depth than simply being another target to shoot. InSTALKER 2, their presence will likely have far-reaching implications not only for the Zone, but for the outside world.
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The Military Faction
Before 2006 in theSTALKERworld, the Ukrainian State Security Service was a national army like any other. Nevertheless, no one could have been ready for this new Chornobyl; the first forces sent in were either lost tothe mutants and anomalies of the Zone, abandoned to fight for their own survival, or routed to the edges of the perimeter. With the Zone now out of its control, the Ukrainian government locked down the exclusion zone and ordered that any mutants or unauthorized personnel be shot on sight.
By 2011 the Military was losing what ground it still had, not helped by rampant corruption as soldiers were easily bribed by Stalkers entering the Zone. Spetsnaz occasionally conducted missions in the Zone, but even these highly trained soldiers fared poorly. The military grew so distant that the sanctioned ecological teams stationed deep in the Zone started hiringLoner Stalkers skilled at surviving the Zonefor protection. Ultimately the Military’s successes would come from the very thing they had sworn to stamp out: Stalkers of their own.
InShadow of ChernobylandClear Sky,the Military are enemies adjacent to the Bandits, albeit better equipped with superior tactics. Most military weapons are basic but reliable and their armor provides excellent defense against firearms but below-average protection against anomalies and mutants. Spetsnaz armor is also lacking, though they at least havehigh end Eastern bloc guns forSTALKERplayers to bear in mind. The main exceptions to this are the suits worn by Military Stalkers, which are some of the best outfits available with high protection against all damage types.
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The Mercenary Faction
The Mercenaries are a secretive and mysterious faction operating on hidden agendas and unknown backers. Much like Loners the Mercenaries aren’t actually a unified faction, rather an umbrella term referring to privately-hired contractors with combat experience outside the Zone. However, their prolific use of Western bloc guns and their collective use of the falcon symbol hints at some form of central cabal pulling their strings from the shadows. All Mercenaries demand large sums of money orthe Zone’s rare and powerful artifactsas payment for their services
Individual mercs vary in loyalty and morals. Many Mercenaries view any Stalker observing their operations as a loose end to be tied up at the first opportunity, even in cases where the Stalker assists them in navigating the Zone. Others operate on a warrior’s code, only choosing worthy employers like the Ecologists and avoiding unnecessary bloodshed. The player character ofClear Sky, Scar, is a Mercenary himself, allowing the player to choose their own loyalties inthe ideological war between Duty and Freedom.
Mercenaries are one of the best-equipped factions in the Zone, using high-end Western weapons and explosives. Combined with their above-average battle-tactics and numbers, firefights against them can be tough at any stage of the game. Even their lowest-tier armor provides good protection, and their best units are equipped with anomaly-resistant combat suits or powered exoskeletons. It is even possible that NATO itself is their main backer, using proxy soldiers to bypassthe black market supplied by Stalkersand advance their own interests in the Zone.
The Importance of the Military and Mercenaries
The Military and Mercenaries represent the mundane outside world and its instinctive desire to subjugate the Zone in the name of profit and the status quo, only to be rebuffed in the face of something outside of their understanding or control, yet for a long time refusing to learn from it. Both factions excel athunting down human Stalkersyet constantly find themselves vulnerable against the threats of the Zone itself. Over the course of the games, this slowly changes.
The once dogmatic Military, following defeat after defeat, at last recognizes Stalkers as a potential asset, forming their own group of Military Stalkers drawn from or taught by ex-Loners. The most famous of these, Major (later Colonel) Alexander Degtyarev serves as the player character ofCall of Pripyat, not only surviving but discovering and escaping withthe deepest secrets ofSTALKER’s Zone. By admitting their own ignorance and learning from their one-time enemies, the Military finally makes progress.
Conversely, the Mercenaries are shown to deepen their desire to exploit the Zone at the same time they are coming to comprehend it. InCall of Pripyatthey have transitioned from extracting artifacts to pillaging the underground labs; these labs contain the means by which the Zone was first created. With thehints inSTALKER 2’s gameplay trailerthat someone is trying to subjugate the Zone, it may be that the Mercenaries and their masters are about to become a much greater threat. Not just to Stalkers, but to the Zone itself.
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylis in development for PC and Xbox Series X/S.
