Loner routes

The  is an optional set of exploits that are available in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Lost Alpha standalone mod.

Overview

 * As noted in the NPP article:


 * There are plenty of potential routes to the Sarcophagus code door. A few are noted below.
 * Since the player avoids both the Military fork and the Duty fork there are no status benefits accrued using these route exploits.

Suburbs route

 * The player arrives from either entry knowing that the lost Duty recon unit is where the action is.
 * Taking the classical route seen in the Base Game has serious downsides but the Lost Alpha NPP has 'suburbs' to the east out of sight of the snipers and a deep northern territory with assorted mutants and anomalies, so a wide anti-clockwise arc is a possibility (shown below in yellow in the gallery picture)
 * The dead leader of the Duty recon unit provides the entry code for the Sarcophagus door.
 * Armed with the door code, the player should now make best speed back to the door keeping to cover where available, and the road closer in to keep distance from the (now emerging) Monolithian guard.
 * On reaching the door, enter the code, open it, get inside and close it afterwards.
 * This particular strategy frequently results in no attrition to the player or expenditure of resources.

Arrival by car

 * There are many obstacles, particularly pipelines, that inhibit vehicular travel. Something rugged like a UAZ Jeep might be best suited for the various encountered hazards.


 * If arriving by car from Pripyat the shortest practical route to the entrance guarded by the Military recon unit is through a wall gap that is heavily infested with gravitational anomalies.
 * Charging through the anomaly cluster in a suitable vehicle will minimize any damage inflicted upon the player, who can eventually advance on foot, keeping well over to the western sarcophagus wall to avoid alerting the Monolith troops guarding the code door (shown below in orange in the gallery picture)
 * Driving east towards the Duty taskforce could also be possible but the chances of an incoming OG-7v or just general attrition from a sniper are non-trivial.

The Wall break routes

 * Alternatively, running a westerly path (from the Radar gate) or just east north east from the Pripyat gate allows the player to run past the Military assault group in the center, and run through the "Wall break".
 * The only drawback with this approach is that the player is now approaching the Monolith BTR and the 'Ambush squad' albeit from the cover of the east.
 * Conveniently, the BTR blows up, the Military taskforce attacks anyway with the support of the MI-24 Helicopter strikeforce (who make an excellent attack upon the 'Heli-hunters') somewhat distracting the ambush unit as the player weaves between the storage tanks and moves on possibly without encountering any of the Monolith guards.
 * From here keeping to the cover of the Sarcophagus wall and running past the Military recon unit to the door is uneventful.

The 'Classic' route

 * This is now just a variation of the above mentioned route.
 * There is no "wall blast" as the player arrives near the main gate as happens in the Base Game and a swift trip around the gate to relative safety is required.
 * The possible alternative of running straight across the tracks, through the buildings to link with the suburbs route usually encounters heavy opposition and crossfire from the nearby BTR.