User blog:AnthonyIrwin26/Newb Loadout cuz why not

OK, so i've been playing LA for a while. I have replayed my beginning games (namely the storyline in cordon) a number of times, and looking back I think I really suffered from not knowing what the hell I was doing. I've got no idea whether or not anyone really comes here anymore, but this'll be just a bunch of tips and advices to take on your first game in the fuggy as buck (~Byte Me, some time in the 21st century) game we call S.T.A.L.K.E.R Lost ALpha.

1. Quicksave every minute
THis probably sounds dumb to many people, but this'll save you from going insane, believe me. the concept of autosave here is almost non-existent, so if you mess up in smth such as shooting a friendly guy and turning him and his friends into enemies or getting killed by a Bloodsucker while sneaking in Agroprom underground, you can jump to the last quicksave and leave your good progress intact. (Or, as has happened to me a lot, the X-ray engine causes your device to stop working in the middle of a game).

2. Conserve resources wisely
Again, this sounds like a no-brainer, but this is a real crisis that at least I've run into many times, mainly regarding ammo or medkits. Most of the time firefights are not particularly bad, but extended ones can go real hard on your supply of available ammo, especially if you need ammo for a certain gun for a specific purpose i.e. running out of assault rifle ammo. while facing multiple enemies. In all fights where this happened to me, I ended up surviving by conserving stolen ammo from dead bodies and their owner-less guns, but this isn't reccomended all the time as it may be unfeasible.

3. Loadout
Your loadout can vary, but what I personally found to work for me by the time I've finished the storyline at Cordon is :


 * An AKS-74U from saving Nimble aka NumbNutz(as quoted by Byte Me elsewhere in this wiki). Rather versatile as you can select single-shot for accuracy or full-auto for obvious reasons. (You need to manually configure the fire mode button in settings from my experience)
 * the TOZ-66 sawn off given for free by proverb using #4 buckshot (recommended for boar-harvesting in an emergency)
 * An SKS from the dead body of a soldier at the bridge checkpoint (Didn't like those particular pricks, holding a bridge and not letting ppl pass compared to their rostok- and garbage- checkpoint counterparts). Also needed smth that packed a bigger punch than an AK at better ranges, and an SKS is all I can get, so why not.
 * Pistols are largely just emergency firearms in case you need more firepower on the spot, but I personally like the M1911(Or Kora if you're confused) for the powerful bullet. Not recommended for those with bad gunnery skills, if that is the case I suggest you get a Fort-12 and increase mag-size. Like you're ever gonna rely on a pistol for main firepower on a gunfight anyway.
 * RGD-5 grenades - another reason why i actually killed the bridge checkpoint people, grenades are a life-saver at times.
 * Knife - at the very start of the game a knife may be pricy at 750 RU, but it's real worth it. You'll need it to break boxes and collect loot inside them, and to kill silently, too.
 * Armour at this point of the game is mostly not worth investing too much into, but It is recommended to use the Double-Mail Jacket found on one of the bandits at the Old Factory shootout, save Fox and have him both repair it and install weight-carrying upgrades, and you're actually good to go here.
 * Flashlights are obvious choices, but at this point of the game finding batteries is a rather hard thing to do, so It is reccomended to carry at least 2 spare flashlights with full power untill you can find 3 batteries to use. Flashlights are lightweight at 0.1 kg anyway, so carrying 2 more won't break your back
 * Sidorovich (Often just called Sid here) may be selling a 'Vampire' night-vision device (NV). Sounds cool, but don't buy this one as it is of very poor quality and is not worth 1.5k RU, especially since torches are sufficient for your early game.

Anomaly Detectors are very useful, but buying one at this stage is bad for the economy and you should be able to find a free one in some Garbage/Agroprom stashes anyway, plus it wont detect anomalys fast enough if you happen to be running long distances - a common occurance given the large nature of maps. Use your eyes and spot any variations in the air and throw some bolts, and you wont need that detector (At least use your brain, you will need it later anyways, but by then you should be able to get better detectors anyway).