Powers of the Zone

The factions.

Seven powers vie for the Zone — each with its own creed, colours and claim on the northern Zone. Pick one to read their dossier.

Duty Freedom Bandits Free Stalkers Military Ecologists Monolith

Duty

"The Zone must be destroyed — to the last anomaly."

Militarised order

A paramilitary group known for its discipline, whose members live according to a strict code. Duty members are the only group who refuse to trade unique items from the Zone with the outside world. According to rumors, all artifacts found by the group are passed on to scientists.

Its members consider protecting the outside world from the Zone's dangers their primary objective. Most of the group's operations concern destroying monsters, hence Duty raids often save normal stalkers from serious trouble. The faction has long been at war with Freedom.

Freedom

"The Zone belongs to everyone or to no one"

Anarchist coalition

Anarchists and daredevils who declare themselves fighters for a free access to the Zone and consequently find themselves in constant conflict with the army, military stalkers and the Duty faction.

These so-called freedom warriors believe in sharing all information about the Zone with the rest of the world and challenge the state's monopoly over the Zone's secrets and wonders.

Bandits

"Hand over your gear, friend — nice and slow."

Outlaws

Members of the criminal underworld who came to the Zone for different reasons: to make money by selling artifacts, hide from the law or trade in weapons. The Zone is full of bandits, ranging from common thugs to serious criminals, most of whom are members of one gang or another.

Although the Zone gangs frequently fight among themselves, the criminal element still poses a serious problem for normal stalkers.

Military

"No one enters. No one leaves. Shoot on sight."

State Security Service

Regular army soldiers. They guard all roads into the Zone, patrol its perimeter, kill mutants and hunt down looters.

Spetsnaz — elite army troops, usually dispatched to the Zone to conduct rescue operations and other special missions.

Ecologists

"Every anomaly is a question waiting to be answered."

Scientific expedition

Operating under orders from the Ukrainian government, the Ecologists are a group focusing on researching the Zone, in order to properly harness its potential for the good of mankind. Their base of operations is a sturdy bunker at Lake Yantar, filled with scientific apparatuses and a steady supply of weapons and ammunition.

The head researcher is Professor Sakharov, a veteran Ecologist, who participated in the first expeditions into the Zone in 2007. Originally the Ukrainian Military itself protected the scientists' bunker, but their garrison force was all but obliterated by emissions of the Miracle Machine in lab X16, turning the survivors into zombies.

The scientists now greatly rely on Loners and Mercenaries looking for work, or Duty to do their field work, since most Ecologists aren't particularly combat-proficient.

Monolith

"We are the guardians of the wish-granter."

Preachers of the monolith

This group displays many features of a religious sect. Its members believe in the existence of a complex alien crystal, the Monolith, located somewhere in the center of the Zone. Most stalkers treat Monolith adepts with contempt and consider them as lunatics.

From its inception the group strives to block all progress towards the center of the Zone, protecting the Monolith from other stalkers. Rumor has it that the group has a large base deep in the Zone, but its exact location is known only by the members.

Free Stalkers

"The Zone owes you nothing"

Neutral Stalkers

An organized group of Loners, the 'Free Stalkers' serve as guides, teachers and defenders for all STALKERs who dare to brace the dangers of the Zone.

Choosing to remain neutral in the Zone's constantly shifting political landscape, 'Free Stalkers' have little care for who is working for who... so long as it does not harm their fellow STALKERs. They are seen doing business with all matter of individuals or organizations, constantly working towards safeguarding a future for all Loners.

This group strives to maintain it's neutral stance but neutrality doesn’t mean being passive and unaware of the Zone’s complex politics or avoiding conflict; it just means being able to identify when something needs to involve them or when it’s best to step away and let things handle themselves.

Their objective to defend all STALKERs within the Zone from those who would prey on them puts them directly at odds with Bandits, Military and other hostile groups.