tips for beginner

[foot scruggs]

i jsut started playing this game, any tips? (i already know most of the obvious ones like playing on master and not killing everything you see)

[marie pavie]

Shoot from a crouch or low crouch in short bursts or single shot. Have fun.

[phonely]

Play whatever difficulty you want. Read. Read your tips in PDA and all dialogue. Explore everything. Take your time and enjoy solitude. Take all quests available. Listen to your surroundings. Be constantly aware. Always keep vodka. Only eat food off of other Stalkers you kill. It saves inventory space. Don't be afraid to leave loot behind, carry what you need at all times. You will need to learn how to prioritize your gear. Artifacts and Meds are more important than an extra gun for example you want to sell. Make mistakes, have fun, die a lot.

[i give hatch]

save a lot so u can reload in case ur game corrupts, don't save during combat or else ull be in combat if the save u loaded is too close to when u were in combat

[kallipsoul]

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2798586622

[JocoM]

First time playing on master? Don't believe the myth you inflict more damage on master, you don't.

[ENOWONMAI]

There is no shame in running away from enemies, you will run out of ammo before you kill all the bandits anyway.

[[Lizard Wizard]]

Leave these forums, go read other places on your own, and decide on what is the best way to enjoy the game for yourself. Going in blind I think would be best, enjoy it like they did back in 2007.

[Win2000Fan]

It's my first time too. Here is what I have learned so far. Be ready to play the game several times before your really ready to get going. Do not forget to save at every spot you even think something is about to happen because it will. Most all gaming websites offer a walk-through. Read as many as you can because all gamer writers experience this game differently. Personally I would not play this game for the first time on master. I find those higher settings keep you on your toes to much and you miss out on your surroundings. This game is worth looking at what it has to offer visually. How can you do that if every time, or every second time, you get shoot or scratched your dead?? My opinion.

Edit update: Do not assume that if you are in your inventory/map you are free or safe from being attacked. I just died while in my inventory. A dog or pig got me from no where. Make sure you're in a safe spot and then check your map or inventory.

[Redrick]

If it hurts, run. If it bleeds you can kill it.

The rest you make up as you go along.

[ENOWONMAI]

Originally posted by 10Transistor:

It's my first time too. Here is what I have learned so far. Be ready to play the game several times before your really ready to get going. Do not forget to save at every spot you even think something is about to happen because it will. Most all gaming websites offer a walk-through. Read as many as you can because all gamer writers experience this game differently. Personally I would not play this game for the first time on master. I find those higher settings keep you on your toes to much and you miss out on your surroundings. This game is worth looking at what it has to offer visually. How can you do that if every time, or every second time, you get shoot or scratched your dead?? My opinion.

Edit update: Do not assume that if you are in your inventory/map you are free or safe from being attacked. I just died while in my inventory. A dog or pig got me from no where. Make sure you're in a safe spot and then check your map or inventory.

I disagree, DO NOT read every single walkthrough out there until you finish the game for the first time, else you will spoil many many plot elements and other "surprises".

Difficulty in the game is all relative, if you play carefully and explore every corner of the maps and do not play COD style, you will get so much armor, artifacts and weapons that you will be more than fine.
The only thing that changes is the survival aspect of the game, you will get less loot and enemies will hit you more often. Here is an old tread on Reddit with a handful graph with lots of numbers that go into more details:
https://www.reddit.com/r/stalker/comments/7fxvt5/what_do_difficulties_actually_change_in_stalker/

You're supposed to save often and a lot anyway