Stalker, just wow......

[metlman72]

Hello all, 

I bought this game back in November. Started playing in Voyager and was able to get to about 50 or so days after a few runs in the sandbox. Figured it was time to step up to stalker.

 I have played quite a few said survival games and this is by far now my favorite. All I can say is WOW. The weather is just punishing and wildlife are unrelenting. It really makes every decision matter. I am about 6 days into this character (Shady Steve) and just made it to Pleasant Valley from Mystery Lake. Hoping I can make it to the Farmhouse and then we will go from there......

Thank you Hinterland for this amazing game. 

[Sherlock Holmes 18]

50 gün biraz kısa bir zaman dilimi bence biraz daha tecrübe edinmelisiniz. Umarım kurtlara yem olmazsınız😉 

[metlman72]

14 minutes ago, Sherlock Holmes 18 said:

50 gün biraz kısa bir zaman dilimi bence biraz daha tecrübe edinmelisiniz. Umarım kurtlara yem olmazsınız😉 

It is quite possible I will end up wolf food. Hopefully it will not be on day 7 of my journey. However, avoiding wolves is the thing I struggle with the most. Either way I can't see myself going back to Voyager. 

[Schrodingers Box]

Try interloper. Then you will get a real Challenge. stalker is easy because you have endless food and the clothing allows you to just ignore the weather. 

[metlman72]

On 1/25/2021 at 5:02 AM, Schrodingers Box said:

Try interloper. Then you will get a real Challenge. stalker is easy because you have endless food and the clothing allows you to just ignore the weather. 

I am not even close to ready for interloper. I dont have the map knowledge yet. I am good in mystery lake, coastal highway and pleasant valley. The other areas not so much. Another big thing is the tools, I still need to find my axe in a stump and knife on the floor. Can't say that I've been able to ignore the weather either. Has been exactly the opposite actually.

I am at 28 days on my first stalker playthrough. I am good with that for now. LOL.....

[Serenity]

23 minutes ago, metlman72 said:

Can't say that I've been able to ignore the weather either. Has been exactly the opposite actually.

At the beginning that's normal. Stalker is pretty cold. But that has a lot to do with your bad starting clothing. There is loot everywhere though and crafted clothing is very good for temperature. Stuff like thick sweaters, expeditionary parkas or insulated boots. It usually doesn't too long to get a great outfit.

[metlman72]

4 hours ago, Serenity said:

At the beginning that's normal. Stalker is pretty cold. But that has a lot to do with your bad starting clothing. There is loot everywhere though and crafted clothing is very good for temperature. Stuff like thick sweaters, expeditionary parkas or insulated boots. It usually doesn't too long to get a great outfit.

I have decent clothes, but still wouldn't say I could ignore the weather. Am I missing something? 

[Sherlock Holmes 18]

Daha iyi kıyafetlerle bile bir tipiye çıkmam. 

Neden mi? 

Çünkü tipinde hiçbirşey göremem! 

[hozz1235]

23 hours ago, Sherlock Holmes 18 said:

Daha iyi kıyafetlerle bile bir tipiye çıkmam. 

Neden mi? 

Çünkü tipinde hiçbirşey göremem! 

Anyone know how to translate this to English automatically in the page?

[Sherlock Holmes 18]

Well, at the top of the page (from the phone) you can do it from 3 points in a row. (If your browser is Google) 

If you open the computer with the "translate this page" button without opening the page, it will automatically work with Google translation. (As far as I know) 

[NightIsDark]

On 1/26/2021 at 12:08 PM, metlman72 said:

I have decent clothes, but still wouldn't say I could ignore the weather. Am I missing something? 

 

Nah you're not missing anything. Your clothes are fine.  I dont want to spoil anything for you, but you'll enjoy what's ahead. It keeps getting better for a while So great job on your 28 days!

The only thing I can suggest is dont read the forums or wiki too much... so you figure/explore most stuff out organically. It will prolong your enjoyment of this mode.

Voyager was a fun challenge in some ways but I wanted something more punishing. So I switched to Stalker and felt just like you did! My first combined ~100 days in Stalker was when I was when I fell in love with TLD. Oh the thrills and fear of merely setting out to explore!

Interloper is definitely more challenging. But people forget it's strictly a veteran experience. There are many players who never played Interloper because Stalker was the perfect balance of fun and challenge for *them*

I love both Stalker and Interloper in their own ways. Interloper is almost a different game which is fun. But Stalker is more dear to me since "exploring the mysterious unknown still being doable but punishing" is one aspect that Interloper will always lack. Meaning, Stalker is the highest difficulty you can play and enjoy without needing to learn and memorize almost all the gameplay mechanics, regions, and loot tables etc

Edited January 29, 2021 by NightIsDark
typos

[Old Hermit]

I am on my first Stalker run (9 days now), and i'm LOVING all on it. Despite the shortage of clothings overall, there is a decent amount of resources. And all those wolves everywhere... uhhh

I got lucky on very first day, as i randomly started at the far end of Desolation Point and found a jackpot. By the way, i got my first scare there, when i entered an explorable cave to escape cold, and heard a close howl FROM INSIDE wtf. I still was just in my underwear, so i got out, and headed to Hibernia, and found Expedition Parka AND Muks together inside the safe.

IDK if i would enjoy Interloper so much, since i'm not fond of "less options" as a challenge regulator.

Anyways, ninth day, and im at Ash Canyon, preparing to the great climb. As a self-respecting packrat, i need that tactical backpack

[Sherlock Holmes 18]

You went there without getting ready? 

It would be good to get ready. 

I hope you don't die. I wish you the best of luck. 

[ManicManiac]

I think Stalker is probably my favorite.  It is a bit more challenging while still having access to all the game's gear and features - and so I suppose I'd consider it to be the "fullest and most complete" of the Survival Mode standard difficulties.

I admit, I have yet to experience a long lived Interloper run... so perhaps my preference will change when I get around to committing to one.

[Gracia_WolfSlayer]

@metlman72 A trick I've become fond of for avoid wolves: Throw a rock far away, but close enough that the wolf will detect it. The wolf will trot over to investigate! Do this several times luring him farther and farther out of your path and crouch as you walk around. It's important to crouch AND have no meat on you. This is a great way to lure them out of a bottle neck you need to pass through.

You can also throw a rock around blind corners that you think a wolf is behind to draw him out. This technique once perfected is also great for lining wolves and bears up for a good kill shot later on.

 

Hope this helps!

[tulkawen]

In my opinion Stalker is scarier and more punishing than Interloper.

I feel that each of these modes tips the challenge into the opposite direction. Stalker is stalky for a reason, these are the meanest and stickiest wolves in the game that travel in huge packs. So your game style revolves around getting a good firearm just in case and learning to deal with the predators, the game style revolves around this teeth gauntlet. Whereas Interloper is tipped stronger towards combating natural elements and resource scavenging. Cold, hunger and weather are far more menacing enemies than the wolves in this mode, but the wolves are fewer and not as persistent.

It is not a hundred percent clear cut to me which one is harder.

I started with voyager and I was past 200 day voyager mark when I felt ready for a new mode. I jumped directly from voyager to Loper precisely because I didn't fancy running wolf hurdles every two steps of the way. Loper was a HUGE learning curve, especially when you learn about a few starting surprises (yep I didn't know about those 😅 when I first tried Loper). But then you learn to appreciate the resources. But, before you go into Loper, you definitely need to have strong map knowledge of the Muskeg and of any Forge maps.

[Old Hermit]

23 hours ago, Sherlock Holmes 18 said:

You went there without getting ready? 

It would be good to get ready. 

I hope you don't die. I wish you the best of luck. 

No no, i went there after some preparations.

I spent 2 days at the Garage in CH, then gone to Thomson's Crossin gin PV, where i spent another 2 days. In both places i swept the surroundings for supplies and gear. So, I gone to the climbs fearless and ready.

Im back already. Arrived in Mystery Lake, and now i gonna cry, because i just got parasites at 1% chance  Second time i eat wolf meat in this save, and i got this.

[metlman72]

I just passed my 50th day on this run and have to say that I really do enjoy this game. Dont think I have played more than an hr or so of other games this past week. 

I do like the fact that Stalker still has gun play. I absolutely love the fact that said gun play is not the focus though. Have I mentioned that I hate wolves.... 

Was harvesting a deer this morning, started my fire to keep the wolves at bay. I usually keep a flare in hand when I start to harvest so it will be ready when I'm done (if needed). Coming out of the harvest animation I hear the bear growling at me. After quickly soiling myself I realise I can't run away and decide to run down a few rocks. This is good the bear has to go around. Allows me to get a clean line, pull out the trusty Mosin Nagant drop to a knee and clean hit but the bear is still coming. I reload hoping I will have time to get off the second shot, ready my weapon and fire. The bear drops right before me. I had to pause the game because my hands were shaking. After I could hear the wolves howling so I ducked out inside of a nearby house after dropping my  much needed venison in the snow out front.

The game just keeps getting better. Oh yeah did I mention I hate wolves.

[Sherlock Holmes 18]

Why are you lighting a fire when you're picking up the flesh of a generational animal? 

[AdamvR]

18 minutes ago, Sherlock Holmes 18 said:

Why are you lighting a fire when you're picking up the flesh of a generational animal? 

to (try to) keep the wolves at bay while butchering. or against cold.
I often do the same, usually also add the first 2 slices (often just half kilos) on it, so they are ready by the time I've finished with the whole thing.
although it makes more sense with a bear or moose for sure.

[Sherlock Holmes 18]

So you're both cooking while slaughtering and protected from animals. It makes sense, but I probably won't. 

 

[metlman72]

7 hours ago, Sherlock Holmes 18 said:

So you're both cooking while slaughtering and protected from animals. It makes sense, but I probably won't. 

 

I have only used it for protection from wolves and protection from the cold. I do like the idea of having a few steaks ready when I am done harvesting. I am going to try this.

[metlman72]

Just passed 100 days and the game just keeps getting better. Milton/Mountain town was a blast, saw the sights, shot some wolves. You know the usual stuff.

Now we are off to FM. Then hopefully to a forge to craft some ammunition. 

[Bean]

Have you tried Timberwolf Mountain yet?  That’s my favorite zone.  Also it will help you fill in some holes in your gear like a second woolen underwear and climbers sox and woolen ear flap.  Put the moose bag on the outside and wool flap inside.  The bag is tough and can take some damage and is easily repaired with a piece of leather.

my 210 day stalker file got corrupted somehow.  So that’s another fun way to “lose” this game!

I started a new one in Ash Canyon on Stalker.  One day in and I’d got my technical backpack and crampons, rifle and pistol and an axe.  Exited that zone to deer clearing and went up to the summit of TWM.  It was kinda fun to have full gear on day two.  
Now my survivor is on day 11, got my hides almost cured and several large animals worth of meat cooked at the climbers shack.  I have a bow and four arrows and six shots left on the rifle, 10 for the pistol.  My rifle skill is 2 almost three, pistol at 2, cooking at 3.  And I have about three months worth of food and gear.  
Crazy how bountiful this zone is!  This might be my best start ever.  
 

I did a challenge last year to get full gear  all tools, two skills to level 3, and level 3 in a weapon skill, as well as 30 rounds of ammo for that weapon and a months worth of food.  Took 15 days

[metlman72]

Just a quick update, made it to the forge in FM and realized I didn't have enough coal to get it to temp(will not make that mistake again). Left my hammer there for when I return. I finally got around to crafting a bow and have four arrows. Was hoping to make a few more arrowheads. When I get back to the Muskeg I plan to do just that.

I am now on day 130 and have Harvesting, Cooking and Firestarting at level 5. Rifle, Revolver and Mending are at 4. Archery and Gunsmith are at 2. The rest are at 1 still. Wow what a difference a level 5 skill makes!

I now have 2 cured bear pelts and guts for days. I am hoping some of the vet players can give some guidance here. Is it more beneficial for me to craft a bearskin jacket or the bed roll. What benefit does the bed roll give? I assume a warmth bonus of some sort? Any advice greatly appreciated and thanks in advance.