Stalkers!
Life has given you a wonderful opportunity to make new friends on the battlefield! Everything from snowball fights to Christmas carols are on the cards for this season of fun festivities! A buffet of great food will be available to cater to any and all tastes, so you'll only have to bring a bottle of booze and a smile if you want to join in for the celebrations!
Stalker? Stalker?! Is everything okay? Great! Now that I have your attention, let's get to the meat and potatoes (yummy) of what I have to offer. Enter the "Battle of Yanov" expansion for S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Eisenkrieg. For those who are yet to be brought up to speed, check out my previous article here for more info.
The fate of Yanov Station has now been unwillingly placed in the hands of both Duty and Freedom. A few Mercenary groups are due to be caught up in the fighting. Death and destruction is abound. What remains of these strong, fighting men may only be left strewn about on the frozen battlefield in less than a matter of hours. Negotiation is off the table. Both sides blame the opposition and now the whole place has turned into this large, icy tinderbox. Even the mutants have made themselves scarce.
Unless something is done about it, the destruction of this Zone-renowned trading hub is almost inevitable.
Before you pick up your weapon and venture off into the frozen wasteland, allow me to give you a few tips that I've learned from my time surviving out in the cold. Listen and listen well. My advice could perhaps buy you some extra time to stay alive on the battlefield, even if it's only a few minutes. Well, here it goes.
GATHERING INTEL:
Survey your enemies from afar. Take note of their positions. Can you see what outfits they are wearing? What weapons do they have equipped? Heavy units exclusively wear exoskeletons and pack some powerful weaponry. Specialists are prone to sporting SEVA suits while Sniper units and Assault units usually sport Sunrise suits and hooded leather jackets.
How many of them are there? Is the risk worth the reward? What outpost do they occupy at the moment? Ask yourself these things before going in for the kill. Sniper units would especially have the advantage in this regard, though they might struggle if an enemy was to home in on their position without them knowing.
One useful tactic involves waiting for an enemy squad to approach your target, then gunning them down from afar while they're both distracted with each other. Another tactic that I have experience of involves taking a shot from a concealed position, then moving from cover to cover to take the next shot; while the enemy is distracted with where the first shot came from, you'll be given the opportunity to waste a few more of your enemies before they catch wind of you. It may seem like one of the oldest tricks in the book, but it works.
Not all intel may have a focus around your enemies and what firepower they're packing. Sometimes, you might feel the need to operate from the shadows. Looking for intel elsewhere, so to speak. If you really want to know what's been going on, my guess would be to search the Jupiter factory for clues. Who knows? Maybe you'll find a cool gun in there. Maybe you'll find some useful info. I haven't been there in a good while. Just don't get yourself shot, you hear?
LOOT, LOOT AND LOOT:
Loot, loot, then loot some more. When you're done looting, loot again, and don't look back. Jokes aside, if you find something better than what you already have equipped, take it. If you don't, someone else surely will. Heavy units and Specialist units may sometimes have repair kits, if needed.
Word is that various supply caches have been dotted around Jupiter. Keep a keen eye out for them. They might have some extra ammo, though you might score yourself a cool weapon, too. You might even find something that's worth keeping, something that the grunts from both Duty and Freedom haven't already been issued with at this time. Collect all of these supply caches and the Zone might even bless you with a gift. Ooooohhhh! Spooky! Well, that most likely isn't true, but only time will tell.
Reports say that these supply caches are nicely tucked away in these small, yellow boxes. These reports aren't always accurate, especially as we're talking about Duty and Freedom here, but it's still something to go off, right?
Always set boundaries for yourself. Don't try to carry too much equipment around with you. An over-encumbered may soon become a dead one, and you'll be no good to us dead. At least, not yet.
KEEP YOURSELF WARM:
Always keep your armor on. That is not a joke. Really, always keep it on. It won't make you invincible, but it might save you from getting a fatal bullet wound, or worse.
Never be caught running around without your armor, especially in these temperatures. You will start to freeze to death if you don't keep your armor on. Frostbite will not help you one bit. Even if the plates on your armor are damaged, at least keep something over your carcass so we're not tasked with thawing you out in the morning.
LEARN THE BASICS:
Want to start off from the beginning? Sure you do! Why else would you be giving this a read? Even the vets from Duty and Freedom like to refresh their combat knowledge every once in a while. It gives them an excuse to blow off some steam and shoot at some stuff. Tin cans, mutants, even enemy stalkers. You name it, they'll shoot it.
With the release of the v1.2 version of the base modification of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Eisenkrieg, complete with various fixes and even the mod's ability to take your temperature (though it doesn't fare well if you're feeling sick), one can give themselves a fresh start in Dead City. The versatility of this small, urban combat environment knows no bounds. Grab your gun, download v1.2 for this base modification here, and take on the role of a soldier who has seen the horrors of the Second World War with his very own eyes!
On a final note, I'd like to thank you so much for giving this article a read. I hope this modification breathes a bit more life into your escapades into the Zone. Do get in touch if you have any questions!
As for those who wish to stay updated on what I'm working on, I've left links down below to my YouTube channel and Twitter account. Feel free to stop by for a chat or ask me any questions that you guys may have. I have so much more planned over the coming months.
- Modder's Playground YouTube: youtube.com/@moddersplayground
- Modder's Playground Twitter: twitter.com/ModdersPlaygro1
On that note, thank you all so much for stopping by. I'll be sure to see you all soon.
Much love, Jacob_MP.
"The Station is yet to fall,
The hills, the trees bear witness to the fighting,
Men of young and old give it their all,
Only to yearn for control and die trying.
The battlefield is yet to be marked,
Like the one who lay almost-dead in the fetcher's bunker,
On their last trip, these men shall embark,
And be greeted not by warmth, but a permanent frozen slumber.
Do keep it in mind,
For their sacrifice and what they've died for,
Should their efforts and mistakes do keep you in line,
Then you'll learn not to glorify war."
- "One Should Not Glorify War", author unknown (2024).
