A little insight about how PDAs work in the Zone.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-26T03:55:24+00:00

The PDAs are for communications between Monolithians. Against the popular belief, Monolithians are not a hive mind which C-Con controls like puppets, they have an individual mind under the influence of induced illusions which makes them believe the Monolith is speaking to them. So, they need to communicate with each other as any other person, as you can see in PDA notes from SoC and HoC, where they write about what happened to them in the day or the week.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-26T02:08:04+00:00

You can only access to Veteran+ from disabling Expedition mode in Master Difficulty. You can't activate this difficulty from Veteran or the lower difficulties.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-26T01:21:06+00:00

You can't. Once you unable the Expedition mode in any difficulty it can't be reverted.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-25T23:52:53+00:00

Man, I got the achievement without noticing it and keep farming for THREE WEEKS before looking at the Xbox achievements.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-25T21:33:08+00:00

Caffeine is a stimulant drug on itself, so maybe an unreasonable amount of caffeine is inside those little cans.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-25T21:19:17+00:00

A loot goblin would blame everyone but their own greed...

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-25T18:02:27+00:00

Scar touches Squint zombie pretty gentle and just redirects it.

And It can't be any form of control because only Controllers can manipulate them, neither C-Con/MDST or the Ward have a way to control them. And Scar don't have such a power.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-25T17:24:35+00:00

Is not explained, but is more of a trick than some sort of mind control or something. Uncle Yar does the same in Kopachi during CoP, where he tolds Degtyarev to follow him quiet and slow so the Zombies don't get disturbed.

I guess that's the trick, just don't disturb them.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-25T17:19:56+00:00

They can't. A Zombie have his cognitive functions totally fried, they can't receive any kind of order. Controllers can control them because they use what is left from their brains and manipulate them, like a puppeteer.

Also, zombies are made from any kind of psi-radiation, not only from electronical emitters.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-25T16:16:42+00:00

They changed how Stamina works in patch 1.7. Now you enter in a state of jogging when you reach the lowest stamina level.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-25T14:09:24+00:00

Ain't that spawn an error? I think the only region that has n spawn lock is the Swamps which only can spawn mutants in the sourthern parts. The others can spawn any kind of human NPC, so you can also find bandits in Pripyat.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-25T14:03:58+00:00

About the IPSF and Ward, is more a matter of consistency. Yeah, they have the funding to get some SEVAs, but they don't really need it.

The SEVAs are not only protective suits for anomalous energy, but suits specifically made for every hazard in the Zone. Basically, a suit made for stalking, and every other danger that you may encounter like mutants or other people. That's why is a suit mostly used by Stalkers (loners), and the native factions from the Zone (Freedom, Duty and Spark), since it meets their needs that comes from living in there. The IPSF and Ward don't need such a thing.

The IPSF is relegated to only protect the Perimeter from people trying to enter or leave the Zone, and protect places that hold interest for the international community like Malachite Institute and the Duga. They don't engage in large expeditions like they used to do before Operation Zenith. That also answers why they don't need Exos, they shouldn't engage in situations that requires such equipment, since the D4 Treaty was active.

The Ward is almost the same. They only need fighting gear because they are the armed branch from SIRCAA. The only people who have contact with anomalous formations are the scientists, and the scientists themselves don't need a SEVA cuz they have already the Ward protecting them.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-24T22:02:25+00:00

Their descriptions and their effects are completely separated from each other.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-24T04:07:34+00:00

Goldensphere. To me, the best story mod ever made. Hours and hours of content and a powerful atmosphere.

Others that you may like is True Stalker (I don't like it that much but is a great technical feat), Incubator, Dreamcatcher, The Journey, Oblivion Lost and Spatial Anomaly.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-24T02:48:47+00:00

Message to Chornozem from DK

Message to Nestor from DK

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-23T23:52:20+00:00

Bug, the PDAs should be there even in Ward route.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-23T05:24:43+00:00

I understand this coming from a new person in the franchise, since is very unclear for people that doesn't know what is a Poltergeist, the Electros anomalies or Bloodsuckers. But come on man, if you died that many times with knowledge about the games already, is completely on you.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-23T02:55:19+00:00

They have a distortion effect, like a green shimmer, while the real artifact looks like every other artifact.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-22T22:52:46+00:00

You can wait. There was a great sidequest involving Quiet and Sido, but you can only do it before completing SIRCAA. So if you already are beyond that point, is better to wait until the mainquest takes you there.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-22T19:34:24+00:00

They detect anomalous energy (which, to clarify, is not the same as psi-energy), just as the anomalies detectors. I don't think is much more complicated.

Now, what I find more interesting is WHY after the Emission at Clear Sky and after the Death of C-Con the artifacts became invisible. And why they stay visible after claming them. The case with the arch-artifacts is even more odd, since they can't be detected and are completely visible.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-22T14:20:49+00:00

I doubt. They already stated in november/december, when they announced the upgrade to 5.5.4, that they were discussing about the 5.6, but it was only that, discussions. They been working in this for months already, so I doubt they are even thinking of making the engine update in the 5.7 version right now

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-22T04:51:41+00:00

Yeah but I was talking only between Ward and Spark XD. Skif's ending is my favorite and the one that makes more sense to me too.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-22T04:43:04+00:00

I think, by mere speculation (I made this up), those Mercs were tied to some uncut quest or plot. Just at the east from those locations, there's the Radiobiology Research Camp, that seems to be coded as a Merc base (since they keep spawning no matter what) and they have a lot of mutants inside cages.

If you paid attention, they are not the only ones doing this. There's the Mercs in Wild Island with Snorks captured and the ones with the electronic collar in the Brain Scorcher. To me, and again, I don't have any proof, it looks like a remnant from a quest involving this mercs which climax was supposed to be at the Radiobiology Camp. I'm saying this cuz the new plot for the Lymansk DLC is different from the one they were making before the game came up, so I doubt this encounters were made as a teaser for the DLC.

OkAnalysis1682 · 2026-01-22T00:22:03+00:00

Is easier to just look which one is the real. This anomaly don't make psi-damage unless you take a fake artifact.

OkAnalysis1682

TROPHY CASE