With nearly a decade and a half on the clock between S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl and the last entry in the series, Call of Pripyat, everyone can be forgiven if they cannot remember the key story details from those previous games. Just in time then is this handy primer, aiming to fill in whatever narrative blanks you may have between the last entry in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series and its upcoming instalment. Although GSC has made a point to say that no prior knowledge of the series is needed, why not join us as we dive into the series’ irritated history.
NOTE: The following contains major spoilers for the entire S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series to date. Although we don’t know exactly how S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 will fit into the canon, if you haven’t completed the original trilogy and plan to, we recommend bookmarking this and coming back later!
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Set in an alternate 2012 after a second Chernobyl disaster, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl follows the amnesiac “Marked One,” a Stalker sent to kill a man named Strelok. As he explores the dangerous Zone, he uncovers his past and learns of the Wish Granter, a powerful artefact at the heart of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
The Marked One discovers secret labs behind the Zone’s horrors, including the mind-controlling Brain Scorcher. Protected by a Psi-helmet, he learns he is actually Strelok, the man he was hunting. After battling through the Zone to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, he confronts the Common Consciousness, the force behind the Zone. In the canon ending, Strelok destroys it and walks away, uncertain if he made the right choice.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky
A prequel that unfolds several years before the events of Shadow of Chernobyl – and recounting the events that lead to that game’s starting point – S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Clear Sky focuses on Scar, a mercenary with unusual genetic gifts thanks to the emissions of The Zone. After joining the Clear Sky faction, Scar is commanded by its leader, Lebedev, to stop a mysterious group from reaching the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant and uncovering the secrets that are held within.
Believing that if the group is successful calamity will be brought to the world at large, Scar pursues the group to Yantar, whereupon he understands that a member of the group, Strelok, has obtained a special helmet which prevents him from being damaged by the emissions from the Brain Scorcher. After nearly catching Strelok, Scar battles through the newly activated Monolith forces that have arrived at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant as part of a three-way skirmish that also involves Strelok.
After the power plant releases an emission which disables everybody both in and around its perimeter, Scar’s fate is left unknown, while the ending shows a newly brainwashed Strelok accepting his new identity as the Marked One.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat
After the events of Shadow of Chernobyl, S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Call of Pripyat follows Major Degtyarev as he investigates a failed military operation in the Zone. Discovering that helicopters were brought down by mysterious electrical forces, he tracks survivors to Pripyat, uncovers the Zone’s secrets with the help of Strelok, and faces a massive enemy assault. Multiple endings hint that the Zone is expanding and may eventually threaten all of Europe.
So whether that was a nice trip down memory lane or you simply needed a lore dump before jumping into the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe for the first time, you are now primed to venture into the Zone. The only thing you need now is a copy of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl and thankfully, you can grab one of them over on the Green Man Gaming store right now!