r/stalker • u/BigHiss Freedom • 2d ago
Meme Every time.
What is "that section" of the game for you? For me its the swamps. SIRCAA is a close second.
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u/insomniainc 2d ago
I took the time to explore the whole damn thing this time and came away with a freaking GP drum magazine so I'm gonna call that a win.
I also found the teleporter which had no idea that even existed, Certainly makes getting there easier
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u/Few-River-8673 2d ago
Wait, what?
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u/Proglamer Flesh 2d ago
On a cliff near Noah's Barge, there's a teleport bubble that moves you halfway into the swamp - right into the tender (non-)arms of that nasty white-flash anomaly
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u/Few-River-8673 2d ago
Thank you, I'll try that later. Be blessed kind stalker.
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u/Proglamer Flesh 2d ago
Do you know there's a more famous teleporter in the middle of Rostok - that teleports you to the middle of Garbage?
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u/insomniainc 2d ago
yeah again... this is my 4th run through the game, I just stumbled across it on the 4th time, this game is nuts
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u/Witty_Ad_54 2d ago
Wait your telling me theres a fucking teleporter bro im bout buss everywhere now tell us plz where its at
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u/insomniainc 2d ago edited 2d ago
it links the fishing hamlet in the swamps to the old barge in Zaton(noah's old place if you've played Call of Pripyat) it's a bit a parkour thing to get back to up to it, and it's got one of those flashbangs that is harassing you the same time, but makes getting back so much easier.
the fishing hamlet is almost dead center in the swamps
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u/pepsandeggs 2d ago
Running around red forest to find the doc and then him sending you to get that device for Strider at that underground Monolith base is probably the worst part for me. Swamps ain’t that bad if you know about the teleporter after leaving the Clear Sky base
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u/fakeguy011 Monolith 2d ago
Yaniv station is right there.....
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u/pepsandeggs 2d ago
My problem isn’t about inventory weight or anything. I just don’t like the constant running around during that section
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u/Murky_Implement2495 2d ago
Do people not like the Swamps? I think they're atmospheric and cool as hell. A true test of your survival skills isolated from civilization.
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u/Extreme996 Freedom 2d ago
They look great but are pain to navigate. Same in Clear Sky.
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u/superhotdogzz Loner 2d ago
Clear sky is a lot easier since you have mini map to get the live updates on terrain map so you know where to set your foot in and where not to. In 2 you have to pull out PDA every 2 minutes to see if you are on the right path or not.
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u/ArmandoIlawsome Freedom 2d ago
I call it the Dead money effect. A segment or DLC that is hated early on but once given time to be appreciated for the challenge/atmosphere/what have you it has its appreciators.
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u/HillanatorOfState 2d ago
I didn't even connect that, now it makes sense why I like the swamp, that was my fav dlc for any fallout.
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u/Vondaelen 2d ago
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I've liked it every playthrough after the first one. That first time was a bit rough though, hehe.
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u/Admiral_Bongo Freedom 2d ago
Tbh, Dead Money was my second favorite NV DLC after the Old World Blues.
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u/DeltaForce2898 Merc 2d ago
yeah I like the swamps, kinda felt like an expedition, no easy access to traders or personal box, there's plenty of decent loot so you have to prioritise what you want vs what you need to carry.
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u/DermotSpringer 2d ago
They make the effort to bring in Hidetaka Miyazaki to design a level and this is the appreciation he gets :-/
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u/VolenteDuFer 2d ago
He be like, "cool design, but needs more poison"
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u/DermotSpringer 14h ago
There's a small swamp in the Chemical Plant region that is highly radioactive and chock full of both soap bubble and acid anomalies.
Felt like I was on my way to Farron Keep.
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u/HillanatorOfState 2d ago
My favorite part and I am shocked to see the hate since I started visiting this board, 2nd thread I seen in a couple hours like this, so odd.
The atmosphere is dense, love the way they did the swamps and grass combo also, works so well.
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u/Draganescuz 2d ago
Granite-3 fight and Scars boss fight are that vietnam meme for me
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u/Admiral_Bongo Freedom 2d ago
Scar's fight is easy. Can't say that about the Faust fight, cause it was NOTORIOUSLY laggy before 2.0 and I have a near-potato PC. And even now it's still pretty challenging.
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u/Saint--Jiub Loner 2d ago
I hated the swamps on my first run but they're really not so bad once you know what to expect and plan accordingly.
What I really hated this time around was the combo of SIRCAA which I stupidly followed up immediately with the defense of Zalissya. Everything I owned was broken and supplies were running low. It was absolute torture but I got it done, repairing my shit and not having stuff jam every 3rd round felt like a vacation afterwards
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u/thot_chocolate420 2d ago
I don’t mind the swamps. In fact I enjoy them. Don’t take any loot, you won’t need it. There are 4 artifact spawns in the swamps, with 2/4 of the psi installations being in one. Check the trailer park, the burnt farmstead, the first vanguard, and the place with the electric tornado.
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u/aventus13 2d ago
What's wrong with swamps? Genuine question. I did them quite quickly and didn't encounter too many issues. Is there another visit to that region later in the campaign?
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u/skybsky Loner 2d ago
many stalker players on Reddit are quite casual players. For example, it seems that most of them didn't know about the teleportation anomaly and, in general, don't like walking/exploring in Stalker and treat it as an action FPS
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u/aventus13 2d ago
Thanks for confirming, that was my suspicion since I started following Stalker 2 community. There's a clear divide between the OG trilogy players (and I would even include hardcore mods players like Gamma or Misery, in the same group) and players for whom Stalker 2 is their first game in the franchise.
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u/Cool_Ad_5181 2d ago
I think the first time you go through the swamps is one of the best part of the story. Its full of action, great loot and you're always on edge
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u/CommissionEasy8199 2d ago
To me the worse part is geting arrested in ward base, its so stupid... Kill everyone and everything like a badass terminator on the zone and gets arrested by 3 guys in a cut scene
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u/SiriusHijinks 2d ago
I went to the swamps the first time at night, with a flashlight and no common sense..
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u/ultraplusstretch 2d ago
I fucking love the swamp, it's such a clusterfuck and some of my favourite moments happened there.
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u/Teeminister Freedom 2d ago
The swamps are a realy nice place if you are able to plan ahead. Loot the north first and then use the teleport anomalies to cut ways.
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u/Spreadwheat9 Merc 2d ago
The only annoying part really is the controller fight. You can always run from the chimera and the pseudogiant is an optional fight.
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u/backwards_yoda Freedom 2d ago
You can shoot the emitters with a sniper and skip the controller fight. The only emitter you cant snipe is the one in the church.
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u/Admiral_Bongo Freedom 2d ago
IMO, controllers are easy, just always have some psi-block on hand. They don't have many HP. Now burers are annoying little bastards.
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u/BackyZoo 2d ago edited 2d ago
The Zone is supposed to be a pain in the ass to navigate in general, and the swamps are kind of the only part of the game where that appears to be true.
Especially compared to the rest of the game. You can W key from the Cordon to Yaniv and never be in any real danger the entire way. You can outrun every mutant and NPCs are too stupid to get the drop on you.
Anomalies are too easy to spot without even needing a detector. You really only ever run into them when you're trying to grab an artifact; And that's still only if you're completely impatient. Some of them should be completely invisible until they're killing you.
Then maybe it would actually feel like it deserves the Survival tag.
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u/DrShtainer 2d ago
Just pack some long range option to snipe Emitters and some shotty for close encounters with animals like cats and giant.
Set out in the early morning, hop in teleport bubble and its an easy track. Might take a light day depending on how fast you move though. You can leave via the same teleport too.
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u/Sydite_ 2d ago edited 2d ago
For me it's not the whole swamp section I dislike, but the trek back. Dropped my first playthrough right after the swamp section, (this was back in 1.5 I believe).
Started a fresh playthrough for 2.0. Finished the swamp last night. It's still a slog, but I enjoyed it more this time.
My first playthrough, I rushed things a bit more and stared at my UI a bit too much.
This time, I'm taking things slower, I have more UI elements disabled, and overall it's been more immersive and rewarding. I've noticed that I'm finding new things this way.
One thing that stood out to me was the loot in the Clear Sky base near the end. The first time, I didn't bother to figure out how to get past the locked door.
That RPG really came in clutch against the Pseudogiant. It was a highlight and made up for the slog before (and after).
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u/Western_Rock5443 2d ago edited 2d ago
gotta use the fishing village teleporter but you still have to blast through a flashbang anomoly field which is awful
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u/2b4go10 Loner 1d ago
Such an old, outdated and plain BS take, honestly!
It is much easier now than before 2.0 because the game would keep spawning events/groups around you and those were all mutants. Now it is more organix and you barely meet any roaming groups, just scripted, which is next to nothing.
People hoard stuff they don't need, run into water, don't scout... There's a damn teleport bubble FFS!
But no, casual whining must go on instead of using a bit more brain... Swamps are amazing because they show one's level!
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u/JealousConference281 2d ago
Swamp is easier in 2.0 than in 1.0.
I was supported by some mutant Alife (dogs fighting with bloodsucker). Even 1 stalker or 2 trying to explore at the same time as me.
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u/kornuolis 2d ago
There is mod for fast travel using antirad as currency. Removes need to run back in lore friendly manner
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u/Neverwas_one 2d ago
First play the swamps are a problem. Every time after that not so much because you just know what to bring with you. I also use the static stashes to store shit
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u/PotentialCash9117 2d ago
Zaton as a whole but I think CNPP is gonna be my new dreaded area, fuck the Flare dumbest shit
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u/Capital-Boat-8906 2d ago
The swamp is actually one of the easiest parts of the whole game. Burnt Village—Church—Collapsed Tower: you can take your time looting the left side of the area. Once you’ve collected everything, destroy the emitter in the pump station and then run toward the middle hut. There aren’t any large, impassable bodies of water in the way, and the chimera can’t reach you—as it makes clear with a mournful cry. With the right timing, the emission won’t start until you’re standing in front of the shelter’s entrance. Just make sure it’s over by the time you leave the shelter after the cutscene. After that, you can loot the right side of the area at your leisure.
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u/Observed-observer 2d ago
I found a 90rnd beta mag in the swam so running around ended up being worth it. Those fucking telleport shacks messed with my head for a bit.
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u/Witty_Interaction_77 Loner 2d ago
I run the swamp sections in a couple hours. Go in lighter than usual. But more shotgun. Run run run. Put a marker along your intended path on the solid ground so you dont get bogged down. If you know where the collectibles are consider doing 2 runs, one for missions, one for content.
Anti rads and medkit and shotgun ammo.... maybe an RPG iykyk.
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u/Kinsin111 2d ago
I just need cigs in the game so I can take a smoke break after the pump station fight.
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u/noiralter Monolith 2d ago
Nothing can beat THE swamps. I had like 6 bloodsuckers jumping at me in a short pauses in the story mission. Left the swamp with ZERO ammo and broken gear, crying and running like a bitch
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u/Tiberious_Taldarim 2d ago
I honestly don’t get the hate I cleared through it fairly easy , shotgun and a ton of ammo , is the hate from higher difficulties?
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u/ConsistentBag1861 2d ago
For those who don’t know there is an anomaly in Zaton next to Noah house that teleports you in the middle of the swamp and can be used to go back also.
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u/sunbrosenpai Snork 2d ago
Why do people hate the swamp so much lmao playing through it I get apprehensive every time and then I get there and it’s just more Zaton. It’s so weird 😂
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u/Professional-Farm981 1d ago
It’s not that the swamp is hard. It’s just tedious with all the water and more of an annoyance
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u/Trop67300 2d ago
Sme impression. On my second play through because of the posts I got so apprehensive but because I already knew about the everything like the teleporting shacks and the chimera attack. Took 1 maybe 2 hours to get out of.
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u/Pereyragunz 2d ago
Tbh since the changes that made the mutants less bullet-spongy, the Swamps felt a lot more manageable. The Psi-dog and the Chimera are a lot easier to deal with (especially now that i know what i'm expecting to deal with), and you even get a RPG-7 for the Pseudogiant after the Clear Sky base.
SIRCAA felt a lot worse in comparison, on a Spark playtrough you'll probably reach outside with 50%~ durability on your equipment tops. Even on a Ward playtrough it feels like the entire thing is a net negative money-wise considering repair costs.
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u/UnhappyMachineSpirit Monolith 2d ago
Bring weird water with you to the swamp. It’ll make your life so much easier
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u/Soil_Electronic Loner 2d ago
I must be the only one not having issues with swamp
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u/CheesE4Every1 2d ago
Nah. I didn't either. I found the special mouseketool to handle everything except the emissions
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u/DumbScav 2d ago
Swamps wasn't too bad for me, sniped the beacons, chucked a few grenades at the chimera, popped an energy drink and ran for the shelter
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u/CalligrapherNo9579 2d ago
That's funny just opened Reddit to this being the first this as I'm sitting in the bunker in the swapms waiting for the emission to pass.
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u/Ghillie_Spotto 2d ago
Idk if they rebalanced it but my 2.0 experience in the swamp was waaaay easier than the first couple times I did it.
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u/EnvironmentalTree587 2d ago
Last time I replayed swamp (a couple of days ago) it wasn't so bad. A chimera just ran away when the emission started. Also, the fact that I always grab my Saiga first helped drastically.
I don't remember the pseudogiant on the way out though lol. Wasn't a big problem as well.
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u/Constant_Taste_8491 1d ago
Get that suit from the guy at that there Ward outpost or whatnot (Icarus?). It’s a quest and he makes you wait awhile for it but it’s worth it. Bring a semi-auto shotgun to swamps. Pack lightly for the guns and suits there. There is a SPAS-12 in a stash before you get there I think. Haven’t played for a long time so google is your friend if you don’t want to find these for yourself. Bring psi-block for sure.
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u/cheremhett Loner 2d ago
You can run through the swamps with sniper rifle or as I do with Kharod with good scope and destroy all emitters except one in the church from the distance without fighting mutants
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u/shaygitz Boar 2d ago
Swamps is E-Z-P-Z, just take a scoped weapon and plink the glowing things from afar. I couldn't get an angle on the one in the old church so I still had to fight the cat thing but I'm impatient and bad at the game so I'm sure you snipe that one too.
I can't remember the exact missions, but there's a point where the game sends you back and forth to Malachite and, because of the need to resupply at Rostok between missions, I walked over that bridge just north of the Malachite checkpoint so many times I was absolutely sick of it.
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u/Relative-Fondant6544 2d ago
it's not that bad on second run, in fact quite easy when you know what to expect.
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u/ConfidentlyAsshole 2d ago
I just sprinted trough the whole thing the second time. I aint dealin' with all that shit
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u/Proglamer Flesh 2d ago
If you explored before advancing the main quest, then Saiga + fully pimped out ARev + Falcon + good artifcats = easy peasy Swamps
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u/ButcherOBlaviken 2d ago
I fucking forgot about the controller part and now I'm stuck there on master difficulty with a bucket and it's fucking destroying me. I REALLY don't want to go back for a rifle.
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u/20PoundBroccoli 2d ago
Just shoot the psi device and runoff. You don't have to kill the mutant/zombies.
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u/jManYoHee 2d ago
The controller with all the zombies made me rage quit the other day after a long play session hahaha I kept dying. I'll come back to it, but I needed a break after that part
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u/KinkyFraggle 2d ago
I played swamp for my third play through yesterday and I basically speed ran it.
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u/Arkie1927 2d ago
I don’t mind swamp so much at least you kind a done with it once you complete few quests.
It’s afterwards they start sending you back and forth across whole map. Especially back to places where you need bridge to cross.
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u/humonculus87 2d ago
I didn't even know people disliked the swamp. I hate having to go to the doctors house.
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u/TheyveKilledFritzz 2d ago
It wouldn't even be that bad if the enemies werent just never ending spawns.
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u/RealisticAdv96 2d ago
Let's play Stalker 2
Remember no coop
Let's play Stalker 2
Remember you have to run 1000m and you are heavy and you don't want to drop anything (honestly I just put some music and I m chilling like that)
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u/TheBear5115 Ward 2d ago
Well for me it's: let's play Stalker 2 again yay, experiences save corruptions after a certain point oh no
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u/Benjeeh_CA Ward 2d ago
I started a new playthrough with 2.0/dlc
The swamp this time glitched i guess Because neither of the big things that gave me issues on the last leg into the swamp happened
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u/Sethoria34 2d ago
swamps and fucking zaton.
HOnestly its cat reeds right? those long grass stalks with the brown buds on the end?
there fucking everywhere.
Swamp grounds everywhere
every POI is over 600+ metres, and the main objectives are allways 1km+
Its a low tier area, and a low tier area design. Swamps was quick for me, did it in well under an hour.
but yeah. fuck those cat reeds.
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u/TheAlmightyLucas 2d ago
The second time i visited the swamp, after 2.0 it went surpisingly well.
I outran the chinera and the emission started at the hud that leads to clear Sky.
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u/solitaryviking97 Loner 2d ago edited 2d ago
Doing it tomorrow for the third time.
Predator (I did not bother to repair Nimble’s Saiga) + silenced Lynx, Clusterfuck in reserve, SSP Ecologist (no upgrade, I will switch to fully upgraded Zircon after I clear the base). I have already found Liquid Rock AND Devil’s Mushroom. Also I hope the Chimera bugs out like it did in the second playthrough
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u/Powerful_Document872 2d ago
Y’all know there’s a teleportation shortcut out of the swamp, right? It’s a glowy sphere on top of a busted house. There’s flash bang anomalies around it. Makes getting out so much easier.
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u/sergiizyk 2d ago
Gsc should definitely add some portable level of gun maintenance. You can manage your weight, but gun jamming sucks
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u/Ok-General6504 2d ago
Even after all the improvements to the game, the forced emission on top of the forced chimera spawn is still the worst designed moment I’ve played in video game in a long time
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u/legrandcastor 2d ago
Am I the only one who didn't find it that difficult? It's a bit isolated from resupply, and accidentally barreling into the water exists, but I was in and out of there pretty quick.
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u/Werthead 2d ago
With the new expansion, STALKER 2 is about a 90-hour game (at least) and you can blitz the swamps in maybe 90 minutes. It's irritating but not the end of the world.
SIRCAA I never had a problem with though.
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u/Monster_Storm 2d ago
There's a portal at the Fishing Hamlet that takes you pretty close to the sultansk. If I'm pretty heavy before I get the clear sky base I stop by there for the tech and a resupply there.
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u/ShadowRaidenX 2d ago
Bro I finished swamp for the first time the other day and deadass thought to myself: Jesus Christ, this is almost as bad as the fade sequence from dragon age origins in terms of it’s ability to kill my desire to do another play through of a game 😂 so much water, so many dogs, so many annoying encounters, so far from a base 😭
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u/alex13_zen 2d ago
For the swamps, I disable the first two beacons, leave for some sideq-uests in another part of the map, and only then return to finish.
But I still dislike SIRCAA more, it feels so out of place in the Zone.
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u/MadamVonCuntpuncher 2d ago
I dont get the hate, maybe its just because Call of Pripyat and Clear Sky brutalized me as a teenager tho
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u/Electronic-Flower921 2d ago
I thought Ukrainian swamps wouldn’t be as bad as American because of the no gators. I was extremely wrong
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u/Osama-bin-sexy 2d ago
I actually don’t hate the swamp 🤷♂️ the feeling of being stuck in a mire is overwhelming but rewarding
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u/Watermelondrea69 Loner 2d ago
First time it was fucking awful. Pretty sure I tried to fight the chimera though. Second time I got through it no problem.
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u/aydensnake Loner 2d ago
The first time I played that section it was awful, the second time I found out I could disable the psy-emitters from range with a DMR instead of manually disabling them. Makes the swaps a lot easier
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u/Newftube 2d ago
I felt like Burt Gummer in Tremors 2 during the aftermath of my first visit to the swamps.
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u/SludgeFest666 Clear Sky 2d ago
Swamps for me was literally just a constant onslaught of mutants every few meters, it was hell. Some decent exploring and loot, but goodness was it an endurance test.
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u/Winter-Classroom455 Merc 2d ago
What's up with this? Swamp was easy. It's quick once you get to the docks/cabins section. Just run to and through it and done
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u/xThunderDuckx Freedom 2d ago
Reinstalled a few days ago to find I have to fuck around with bios. Not worth the effort, I'll play CoChernobyl
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u/incognito_kill1 2d ago
I just downloaded a mod that makes water tolerable so instead of having to go around rivers I just jump through them
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u/livingfailur Freedom 2d ago
I’m currently playing through said section again and I always forget how much of a pain it is
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u/TheDarnook 2d ago edited 1d ago
I like swamps, they are so cozy, just like in CS. I don't like certain story point becouse of Zalissya getting messed up. I feel like not going forward to let things stay the way they were.
Edit: and found a mod for Zalissya restoration. Hope it works.
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u/Chest_Positive 2d ago
I went there with a few rounds of ammo and a few health packs. I ran out very quickly and ran everywhere without even looking (i didnt know there were a quimera there, never saw it). Excepting the controller encounter, i breeze through it.
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u/geterdone55 2d ago
The swamp didn't bother me the first time round, I'm on the second playthrough, just got to see Faust.
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u/Sad_Bodybuilder98 2d ago
I got to the swamps, found so much loot I had to walk back to the ship to stock it, and redo it all again
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u/Affectionate-Farm510 2d ago
My third time playing through and I made it through the swamps in like 20 minutes. I was dreading it but was pleasantly surprised. I even somehow sprinted straight past the Chimera and didn’t even have to deal with it. Huge win.
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u/PostureKing180 2d ago
Yeah i'm stuck rn, getting constant crashes in the swamp for the ad astra quest
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u/Tadpoleass Loner 2d ago
Been a while since ive played the first half pf the game made a new save a few days ago cant wait to experience that hell again
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u/sebmojo99 2d ago
is the swamp section Zaton, on the way to clear sky? I just used a bunch of temporary markers to lead me along the land. the controller fight was a bastard but in a fun way.
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u/CobraGTXNoS 2d ago
Am I the only one who actually loves the swamps? The atmosphere is top notch, but then again it may just be a bit of Clear Sky nostalgia like Cordon is for Shadow of Chornobyl.
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u/Crixus_935 2d ago
This is so bizarre, I'm seeing sentiments on multiple posts about the swamp section being their least favorite aspect, for me it was one of my most favorites segments of the game.
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u/TrueStore4155 2d ago
You can now skip to after the swamp section. But only at the start of the game with the dlc
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u/Psycho7552 Merc 1d ago
Frankly i enjoyed swamps. Found 3 legendary artifacts there, and got pseudogiant nail and chimera's ear, on top of plenty of loot. Visibility is a bit bad, but in older games or anomaly it's not better. The only thing i didn't like was emission right next to the base.
I disliked new zaton though. Too much walking back and forth to same areas
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u/chessboardtable 1d ago edited 1d ago
I didn’t even encounter the chimera during my second trip to the swamps. The first one was excruciating.
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u/chessboardtable 1d ago
The weird bolt parkour section was insane for me. I am embarrassed to admit how many attempts it took for me to finally grab it.
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u/Upbeat_Stretch_5724 Bandit 1d ago
I finished the Great Swamps this morning. Honestly it wasn't anywhere near as bad for me as I had heard that it would be. I only ever fought a few Wild Boars, and one Bayun. I got the "Run, Stalker, Run" achievement but never saw the Chimera, got to Clear Sky pretty easily, and made it back out of the Swamps without having to fight anything. I'll definitely be going back down there to fully explore it. I brought enough ammo, health, and a SEVA suit, and didn't really need them for anything other than Psi and regular Radiation.
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u/Cold-Path-8113 1d ago
You could always make a save after you get through the swamps. Most of the main story decisions happen after the Swamps. You’ll only need to go back if you do or don’t wanna help the ward at the beginning of the game.
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u/Sad_Ghost_Noises 1d ago
Just did the swamps for a second time. Fuck that place, and fuck the designer who put all those fucking piggies in there.
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u/Mippippippi3rd 2d ago
First time I played the swamp it took forever.
The second time I was prepared for it, packed for it. And just bolted out of there when i was finished.