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Pripyat Underground(Lost Alpha) is a major location in the standalone Mod S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Lost Alpha.
Overview[]
- The level amalgamates considerable portions of Limansk Hospital (Clear Sky) with some parts of Pripyat Underground (Call of Pripyat) , and a remodeled part of old Pripyat Undergrounds (Unreleased project by GSC) to form one contiguous labyrinth that the player travels through to reach Pripyat.
- Many parts are quite radioactive, most have an abundance of anomalies and all have the potential for mutant attacks.
Walkthrough[]
- The level may be divided into four areas of interest:
Limansk Hospital[]
- Very redolent of the Limansk Hospital level in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky but with no chopper attack.
- Highly infested with anomalies which appear to be de-tuned for this mission segment in terms of their trigger radii.
- Wildlife comprises a pair of Bloodsuckers with a gang of Zombies further in.
- The player has welcome support from Guide at this stage and may conserve ammo.
- Guide only escorts the player as far as the Underground entrance proper.
Subterranean dual carriageway[]
- The first part of the Underground proper is very radioactive, is occupied by snorks and rats and is best traversed quickly to avoid suit degradation or conflict.
- A ladder up to a short network of broad sewers should lead the player to the well lit Subterranean dual carriageway where there is a need to locate a corpse by minimap triangulation (there is no map of the underground) in order to obtain the pass-code for a door later on. In v1.3003 the passcode is contained within a document pickup next to an unmarked corpse in a tunnel above the marked corpse which is accessed by climbing on top of the piping and heading down a very short tunnel.
- This and the subsequent area is populated with around 20 snorks from v1.4000+. DC snorks seem to be more vulnerable than LA counterparts, but the player will be well advised to adjust protection to highlight rupture and bleeding reduction. There is little need for bulletproof enhancement at this stage.
- There is loot in the area and in side rooms.
- Only rats need concern the player at this stage. Any "player crushing anomalies" should be avoided.
Roadway back to Underground[]
- With the passcode secured (and now undroppable for the remainder of the game) the player ascends the first of the laddered steel columns after dealing with the snork pair and avoiding the Burner anomalies.
- More than one of the side rooms upstairs are laddered back down to the second set of anomaly infested radioactive sewers where a Ratpack and a group of six zombified stalkers will converge on the player. A local heap of rubble provides altitude from the rats and corner cover from which to eliminate the Zombified Stalkers.
- These sewers lead into a Mine warren of smaller timbered tunnels where the player has a choice of routes.
- Generally choosing the left 'path' seems to work well and it is possible to descend to a lower, similarly styled level occupied by a naked Burer. The upper level contains rats and possibly a pair of Karlitos.
- Eventually the player arrives at the codelocked door to the Subteranean rail terminal.
Subterranean rail terminal[]
- Occupied by a few rodents and snorks, with a gang of zombies in the adjacent tunnel areas, the terminal is otherwise unpopulated (v1.3003)
- Extra opposition in the form of a score of Zombified Stalkers is added from v1.4000 onwards. Many are well armoured in Exoskeletons and carry rapid fire Chaser 13 weaponry. Elevated bulletproof and bleeding measures are helpful here, as the player may make excellent use of the knife (avoiding the lesser Zombie infestation if simultaneous rupture enhancement is difficult at this time.
- One or two snorks are also present but are of little consequence.
- Player needs to get past (or through) all them up to the central platform, then climb variously to the top of the service walkways and negotiate towards the right as seen from the entry door in search of the Level exit to Pripyat.
- An alternative route exists; around the excavator to the right, working up the earthworks towards the first gantry ladder. This avoids two snorks and the rodents, but is challenging if heavily laden.
Notes[]
- Clearly the player needs good radiation protection implying SEVA suit, SSP-99M suit or a suitably equipped Military armored suit as first choices. It is possible to use middle grade armour but this tends to be heavy on medkits and antirads.
- Second generation Night vision could be a distinct advantage.
- While a handgun will sort out the Rats, Rodents and the Zombified Stalkers, a suitably modded Chaser 13 is helpful with the larger mutants but not essential. The "Green box cache" in the first office conveniently contains 40 cartridges of buckshot and a choice of shotgun.
- The player will also be carrying an assault rifle of choice for business in Pripyat immediately after conclusion of the level.
- The Pripyat Sewers mission is one of the more confusing, since there is no help from the mini-map. While the tunnel system is not particularly difficult to navigate, the absence of a discernible path leads to considerable exploration before the exit is found. If intending to carry out the loot found in the sewers, carry a lot of anti-rad meds as there are many irradiated areas.
- A note on the importance of selecting the right gear for the mission ahead is shown in the gallery.
- From v1.4000+, Guide is now a Technician. Leaving him at his spawn point gives the player an extra tech on the map (albeit not easy to connect with) There is little downside to this stratagem, since he is no longer needed to open the gate near the bloodsuckers. Provided the player knows the route to the sewers, and can cope with the anomalies and mutants in the Hospital section, he will remain on the map as a fixture.
- If Guide is left in place (opening the first dialogue and then exiting), the player is free to choose their own route towards the Bloodsucker pair. If the player negotiates the Springboard anomalies instead of turning 90° towards the pair and jumps over to their territory using the broken walkway, the bloodsuckers do not spawn.
Notable loot[]
- Some good loot is available within the level including:
- PSZ 9Md Universal Protection with 1st gen NV (at the foot of the ladder which descends to the floor where the naked Burer is). (v1.4007DC) The suit is in a loft covered with pipes above the Burer, not at the foot of the ladder. There is a ladder located nearby, which cannot be climbed normally, so the approach is kinda difficult (similar to the Dark Valley document), but is possible despite many people state the opposite. When you reach the top of the ladder, just force your way to the loft by moving to the sides until you get off the ladder, after that immediately strafe+forward until you step fully on the loft.
- Monolith suit with no NV (deprecated after v1.4005)
- Tunder S14 and (v1.4007DC) a CS-3a body armour next to it in a small locker room with many snorks around. To the left after you cross the triple burner anomalies.
- Artifact Merger (in a packing crate in Limansk Hospital)
- Black Kite
- There is also a wide variety of food items, medkits, antirad, batteries and ammunition in the level, together with some minor but potentially useful artifacts.
- One X-Virus antidote lies on the ground in the Hospital near an entrance blocked by six packing cases and an Electro anomaly. (All versions, but in v1.4007 this is the only instance on the board)
- A PKM can be found within the bucket of the digging machine within the rail terminal. 2 x 100 round magazines for this weapon can also be found within the bucket section next to the PKM. (v1.4007)
- 2 x 100 PKM round magazines can be found within the control room of the rail terminal near some pipes.
- A Sunrise-4 Suit can be found on the top of the radiated ladder, after you fight the first 2 snorks. (there was a Stalker suit nearly in the same location in previous editions). As you climb the ladder, just turn around, it's lying next to the support coloumn. It's easy to miss due high radiation light levels. (v1.4007DC)
- Even the vending machines will still provide Energy drinks, and the dead zombified stalkers carry varying random loot. All of which will overburden the player unless necessity is given consideration. See also Gallery image.
Trivia[]
- In the Underground to Roadway phase there is a blocked level transition with the message "Blocked due to cave-in".
- The game files indicate that this leads to Outskirts,
although the actual arrival point is not clear. This transition becomes operational after the level has been traversed. - The Exit/Entrance point of the Pripyat Sewers in Pripyat City is shown in the gallery in small and large detail and is located on the east side of main North-South boulevard towards the end of the row of apartment buildings lining the road.
- Using console commands and "nocliping" trough the walls will show that the level is on a different part of the map (the player, when in noclip) is on the other side of the map indicated on the map.
- There were previously several Phantom Stashes within the underground, and although the various foci still exist to confuse the player, all other reference to them in the gamefiles has been excised (v1.4000+)
Gallery[]
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