Everyone in the Zone belongs to a faction, and if you want to survive in the messy world of Stalker 2, you'll need to know who your friends and enemies are. Unlike other RPGs, factions don't play as big of a role in this game, but dealing with them is still something players will have to do as they play the main campaign.
The faction system is surprisingly simple, albeit poorly communicated. Choosing which side to support can be either beneficial or detrimental, and if you'll generally want to avoid getting on the nerves of the biggest players in the Zone. Here's a list of all Stalker 2 factions as well as some nuggets of information that you may want to know.
All Stalker 2 Factions
There are 12 factions in the Zone, and they all have their reasons for fighting over resources and territory. Players will gradually encounter them over the course of the story, and some may even ask players to make some potentially important decisions, like in the Warlock's Debtor quest in Stalker 2. Here are all the factions and their known bases of operation.
|
Stalker 2 Factions |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Faction Name |
Base Locations |
Description |
|
Bandits |
Zaton, Yanov |
A band of robbers and murderers. |
|
Duty |
Agroprom |
A Paramilitary group set on containing the Zone. |
|
Ecologists |
Yantar, Yanov |
Scientists dedicated to studying the Zone. |
|
Freedom |
Dark Valley, Rostok |
Anarchists fighting for free access to the Zone. |
|
Loners |
Cordon, Pripyat |
Independent Stalkers with no clear allegiances. |
|
Mercenaries |
-- |
Foreign fighters who work for the highest bidder. |
|
Military |
-- |
Elements of the Ukrainian military trying to contain the Zone. |
|
Monolith |
Monolith Control Center, Pripyat |
Fanatics and zealots hostile to almost everyone. |
|
Noon |
Wild Island |
Ex-Monolith members freed from mind control. |
|
Spark |
-- |
Remnants of Clear Sky plotting retribution against the Ward and SIRCAA. |
|
SIRCAA |
Northern Perimeter |
Government organization dedicated to studying anomalies. |
|
The Ward |
Northern Perimeter, Lesser Zone |
The armed branch of SIRCAA. |
Factions usually follow specific themes, though this mostly matters because their respective merchants tend to sell equipment that's commonly used by their members. If you want more NATO equipment like the AR416 and other guns that use 5.56mm ammo, then visit Freedom in Dark Valley or Rostok. If you prefer Warsaw Pact weapons like the AKM74S, visit Duty or Loner bases.
Some factions also have ongoing feuds and alliances with each other. Loners, for examples, often work together with Ecologists, but are hated by Bandits. Duty and Freedom have been constantly at each other's throats since the first game, and the Military tends to be hostile to everyone but the latter two and other government forces.
Can You Join Factions In Stalker 2?
Not exactly. Players will be interacting with all the factions one way or another, and if they don't shoot you on sight, you'll likely be able to work with them. With that said, players can befriend a faction by helping them out with jobs — the more jobs you do, the better your reputation will be with them. However, if you fail missions or kill any of their faction members, relations will sour. This may cause members of that faction to attack you, or make their traders offer their wares and services at higher prices, turning gear repairs and upgrades in Stalker 2 into a nightmare.
You can tell if your reputation with a faction is good or bad based on the color of their NPCs' icons on the map. Green is good, red is bad, and white is neutral. NPC voice lines will also vary depending on your standing with their faction.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
- Released
- November 20, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
- Developer(s)
- GSC Game World
- Publisher(s)
- GSC Game World
- Engine
- Unreal Engine 5
- Franchise
- S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Genre(s)
- First-Person Shooter, Open-World, Post-Apocalyptic, Survival
