Stalker - Where should I start for a good challenge?

[Jigsawn]

Over a year ago I sunk a lot of time into The Long Dark, playing through the old Wintermute and delving into Survival. I started out on Stalker and found Mystery Lake too easy to start on, so I tried out The Lost Coast. After a bunch of deaths I found it quite easy to survive and still have a 30+ day run save from that run where I moved onto Forlorn Musteg because I got bored.

Returning to the game in 2019 I wanted to have a bigger challenge, with Stalker before I found that after you got over the initial hurdle the game was too easy, but that was in an Intermediate difficulty area. This time I've been trying to play Stalker on Pleasant Valley and Timberwolf Mountain, but now I'm finding it too hard/slow.

The thing is that I don't want to learn the maps because for me exploring the unknown whilst surviving is half the fun, Pleasant Valley, Timberwolf, Desolation Point and Hushed River Valley are the only maps I don't know aside from the few attempts I've had at them so far. It seems like Pleasant Valley and Timberwolf require some map knowledge to survive as I keep dying roaming around the wilderness. That's fine but each attempt I learn the map a bit more and so lose that feeling of exploration for my next run.

I don't want to knock the difficulty down so do you have any suggestions for regions I could start in for a good Stalker challenge? I was thinking River Valley might be good but it connects to the easy Mountain Town region. What would be a good challenge and route I could potentially take? Maybe start in a region next to Pleasant Valley and then once I'm established, move into Pleasant, explore that region and eventually climb up to Timberwolf once I'm geared up a bit? Then try to get down again?

I like the idea of trying to explore the whole world in one run, but after you get to 100+ days on Stalker your gear and item hoard is so good its hard to die unless you have bad luck or make a big mistake. I'm not up for Interloper because I don't know the maps well enough or know the systems inside out, plus trying to explore these "new" regions would be an excercise in frustration. Easier difficulties than Stalker are just too easy for me too. I guess I could go Custom if anyone has any suggestions for settings I could tweak. Any suggestions for personal challenges I could try on Stalker would be cool too, like would collecting all the in-game backer notes be a good goal, or just annoying?

Thanks for any advice!

PS Any news on new Survival Maps?

Edited March 11, 2019 by Jigsawn

[Jigsawn]

Case in point. After writing the post above I started a game on Stalker on a random map. Turns out it was Hushed River Valley and I spawned at the exit to the next region. But I dutifully went onwards into the valley not knowing the map, grabbed some cattails at a big waterfall and walked along next to the river on the left. I killed a rabbit on the way and further left found some branches to climb which led me to a dead guy next to a dead fire. He had some handy loot lying around including a dead rabbit and a snare. Good start, I thought!

I started up the fire to cook my rabbits and warm up from freezing, although night was already approaching. Unfortunately a great wind blew up just as I'd fueled the fire enough to start warming me, and blew out my fire. Oh well. I climbed further up the little mountain when the wind turned into a full scale blizzard, and I was forced into a little sheltered nook atop the hill to light a fire again to try and warm up. I harvested my rabbits and had the meat sizzling away. Whilst I passed time using the fast wait for the meat to cook, I thought I heard something.

I turned around and there were a series of big footprints leading right past my fire in the narrow corridor between the rocks. Uhoh. But why hadn't the beast attacked me? Because of the fire? Just as I was thinking that, a giant head poked around the edge of my nook. A bear! He raised up on his hind quarters and I did the only thing I could - sprinted for my life down the rocky hill!

But I was rudely interrupted when the bear overtook me with ease - and mauled me as I screamed in pain. Somehow, it left me alone, still alive on a sliver of health. I ran away from the retreating bear back up to my precious fire and food, freezing and bleeding out. I futilely bandaged the wound, but the blizzard had changed direction and my fire was going out. I grabbed everything and went down the hill to find more shelter, it was getting dark too. I couldn't take any more condition loss so desperately I found another sheltered nook by the dead guy and started up my fire, but I didn't have enough wood to get it hot enough - I'd already used all the rest on the last two fires.

My vision started to blur. I stumbled down the vines to try and find some sticks. Nothing. My health was nearly empty, I was freezing and exhausted. I lurched onwards towards a fallen tree over a ravine, my hopes fading.

The last sound I heard was my own scream as I staggered off the fallen tree bridge, down into the ravine below.

Maybe I should just stick to the intermediate areas for the maps I don't know

Edited March 11, 2019 by Jigsawn

[MarrowStone]

A fun challenge is to start in broken railroad, climb timberwolf mountain, and shoot the flaregun at desolation point on Stalker. Kind of like hopeless rescue but a much longer journey. You then have to survive a week in DP in the lighthouse as if you're waiting for rescue. (wolves and food will be a big challenge here.) After a week your character gives up on rescue and moves wherever. Most likely you take trips up the mountain to bring the rest if the loot down to the pleasent valley farmhouse. 

 

[Pufuletul_19]

On 3/11/2019 at 9:03 PM, MarrowStone said:

A fun challenge is to start in broken railroad, climb timberwolf mountain, and shoot the flaregun at desolation point on Stalker. Kind of like hopeless rescue but a much longer journey. You then have to survive a week in DP in the lighthouse as if you're waiting for rescue. (wolves and food will be a big challenge here.) After a week your character gives up on rescue and moves wherever. Most likely you take trips up the mountain to bring the rest if the loot down to the pleasent valley farmhouse. 

 

LOL,  nice story, I may try

 

[wilsonaka]

I am quite particular in my challenges, both personally and professionally XD.  You could try to give yourself a set of rules that are not set in-game. If you don't like Interloper, Stalker is always a fun challenge to forego manufactured weapons, or to not allow yourself certain luxuries like coffee or teas, or make it so you're a pescatarian and can only eat fish meat or plants and canned vegetables(obviously no pork and beans). I personally don't allow wool anything on a particular save I am still working on. It's been a rough start, but you can always change your mind if you find it too difficult.

[Glflegolas]

On 3/11/2019 at 6:03 PM, MarrowStone said:

A fun challenge is to start in broken railroad, climb timberwolf mountain, and shoot the flaregun at desolation point on Stalker. Kind of like hopeless rescue but a much longer journey. You then have to survive a week in DP in the lighthouse as if you're waiting for rescue. (wolves and food will be a big challenge here.) After a week your character gives up on rescue and moves wherever. Most likely you take trips up the mountain to bring the rest if the loot down to the pleasent valley farmhouse. 

 

I seriously have got to try this for my next YouTube series -- after I do Escape the Darkwalker. It sounds really fun and I'm up for a good challenge.

[MarrowStone]

9 minutes ago, Glflegolas said:

I seriously have got to try this for my next YouTube series -- after I do Escape the Darkwalker. It sounds really fun and I'm up for a good challenge.

By all means! Be sure to post the video in the community creations forum! I'd love to see it. You can't leave the region for a week and if you want more challenge, you have to use one flare gun shell from the lighthouse every day until you run out or the week is over. After the week is up you've technically won but it is a good start to a typical survival run after that. 

[Bean]

Try Ash Canyon start.  I did one of those on Stalkerand it worked out fine. Exited to deer clearing and went to summit to complete my gear on day four.  

[Glflegolas]

On 1/9/2021 at 8:57 PM, MarrowStone said:

By all means! Be sure to post the video in the community creations forum! I'd love to see it. You can't leave the region for a week and if you want more challenge, you have to use one flare gun shell from the lighthouse every day until you run out or the week is over. After the week is up you've technically won but it is a good start to a typical survival run after that. 

I guess the goal here will be to speedrun from Broken Railroad to the Desolation Point lighthouse as fast as possible. IDK if I can use one flaregun shell every day though, that depends on how many spawn at the plane crash.

EDIT: I wonder if the Hushed River Valley would also make for a good starting region? The trip from there would be nearly as long as from Broken Railroad, though by starting in Broken Railroad I guess I could start in the Hunting Lodge and role-play being the last surviving member of the Forest Talkers.

Edited January 14, 2021 by Glflegolas

[UpUpAway95]

On 1/8/2021 at 11:37 PM, Pufuletul_19 said:

LOL,  nice story, I may try

 

 

On 3/11/2019 at 3:03 PM, MarrowStone said:

A fun challenge is to start in broken railroad, climb timberwolf mountain, and shoot the flaregun at desolation point on Stalker. Kind of like hopeless rescue but a much longer journey. You then have to survive a week in DP in the lighthouse as if you're waiting for rescue. (wolves and food will be a big challenge here.) After a week your character gives up on rescue and moves wherever. Most likely you take trips up the mountain to bring the rest if the loot down to the pleasent valley farmhouse. 

 

Broken Railroad is one of my favorite starts on any level.  Great chance of a rifle or pistol in the hunting lodge or in the ravine right at the start.  A bit tougher on Loper since no way to forge their when it's your starting zone, but also easy access to Spence's in FM and onto Mystery Lake.  Currentlly I have a custom file save going where I bumped the BRA to High and I've gotten all the crafting items made without leaving the zone at all (except, of course for ammo).  Got a lucky spawn of a heavy hammer in the zone.  Both bear and moose have respawned multiple times.  Currently working on getting all the skills as high as possible before running completely out of supplies (no mag lens so firestarting 5 is going to be the challenge... stockpiling wood and lighting as many fires with torches as I can at a time).  Mending 5 is also going to take a long, long time... if even possible before I run out of scrap metal for hooks.

Edited January 14, 2021 by UpUpAway95

[MarrowStone]

12 hours ago, Glflegolas said:

IDK if I can use one flaregun shell every day though, that depends on how many spawn at the plane crash.

Yeah I meant you just expend one of whatever shells you have each day until you run out, to roleplay trying for help and make wolf deterrents more rare at the end. 

You could try from hushed river valley as well, but maybe you have to take the exit to forlorn muskeg for added challenge if you think you can do it.