Loner camps


 * s are minor locations on various levels where Loners (obviously) set up their various camps. They can sometimes be located around campfires, or in derelict buildings, or both.

Overview

 * Loners are stalkers so named as they are by themselves or in small groups, ranging from two to ten people.
 * Often they stop on locations slightly off of the beaten path where they make small camps for themselves to rest, play music, drink, engage in braggadocio or sleep.
 * Some combination of all these features will frequently be observed by the player during his or her travels.
 * In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Lost Alpha, these camps may contain minor/major unique NPCs, who offer main missions or side missions for the player.
 * These locations, however are considered as camps because they are smaller than "Headquarters" locations which typically have between fifteen and twenty-five people in them, and are well fortified and defended.

Notable Locations

 * Road Tunnel (Cordon): This is where player will meet Petruha to take down bandits at the factory on the hill. This tunnel is special however as it not only is where Petruha is met, it also contains bunker where Wolf's Key is located after the player takes Wolf's mission to find it.
 * Between The Trash Piles  (Garbage): Another main story-related, this is where the player talks to Bes about troublesome sniper up on top of the bridge.
 * Hangar (Garbage): Hangar is another plot location, where the player and Yurik flank bandits so other loners can kill them. After fight is over, the loners settle around a small campfire in rear tunnel.
 * Railroad Tunnel (Agroprom Institute): After the player returns from underground looking for Strelok's flash, they can go to empty railroad tunnel near to the Garbage level-changer and find Mole here as well as surviving loners from the military raid on the factory (assuming that player was able to save any of them).
 * Wagon In Lake Agroprom (Agroprom Institute): As part of the plot, player will meet Ratcatcher here. Ratcatcher is the sole inhabitant of the wagon.
 * Bus Stop (Great Metal Factory): Interestingly, on road to the factory where the Duty faction has its main HQ at the beginning of the game, some lone stalkers set up small camp in a bus stop by themselves.
 * This is a convenient place to rest before traversing ground to the 100 Rads Bar if at nighttime, so that the player won't be killed by the pack of Pseudodogs.
 * Pig Farm (Dark Valley): The player meets Oleg Gusarov at the pig farm as part of the plot.
 * Interestingly, even though Gusarov's PDA bio says he is always alone, there are everal other loners at the farm with him.
 * Stalker Farmstead (Military Warehouses): A few loners live in this small cluster of buildings, as well as a single Duty member and a trader named Ugrymiy. This place is frequently attacked by a respawning trio of bandits.
 * Polissya Hotel (Pripyat): This is where player finally meets up with Ghost. Ghost lives in Room 26.
 * Loner Hamlet (Swamps): A small hamlet with loners. Nearby to another small hamlet with bandits.
 * Doc's House (Swamps): Eventually, as part of the plot, player will come here to speak with Doc and gain repair items as part of a task assigned by Sakharov. Eventually Doc also helps the player's actor's amnesia and assigns the task to meet with Ghost.
 * Loner Village (Yantar): A few loners live in a village south from level-changer for Great Metal Factory. Location of Father Diodor (a technician), and with no blowout shelter.
 * Loner Camp (Construction Site): This is the location of Alex and his gang, who's help is needed to gain entry to the Mercenary Base and Bar up the road. Also te previous home of Geoff Henderson an information seller (who now tends to be more "on the move") and a few other random loner NPCs.

Trivia

 * Some Loner camps are so ephemeral that they become inactive until repopulated. The roadside camp between the Hangar and the Vehicle Graveyard being a typical example.
 * Occasionally, previously vacated camps (Bes' Camp most notably) become occupied by other factions (Bandits in this case) and may be repopulated by a token Loner presence if the infiltrators are exterminated.