What is Stalcraft? An Introductory Guide

If you’ve been browsing through Steam recently, you might have come upon a game called Stalcraft. And if you’ve wondered “Huh, what is Stalcraft?; then this article is for you.

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Ursine Warrior

What is Stalcraft?

You have Stalker and you have Minecraft, so, what is Stalcraft then? Well, in short, it’s an amalgamation of the two. Stalcraft takes the aesthetics of Minecraft and the mechanics of the Stalker games and combines them into a single project.

The result? One of the most exhilarating hardcore survival shooters on the market currently. What’s more, it’s completely free! It can’t get any better than that. 

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Key Takeaways for What is Stalcraft?

  • Stalcraft is a game that combines elements from Minecraft and the Stalker series of games
  • It uses a “soft-hardcore” system. This means that, upon death, you’ll only lose expendable items, while still retaining your more significant gear. 
  • The game allows you to choose between two sides, Stalkers and Bandits. This choice will determine the outcome of your story later on. 

The World of Stalcraft

What is Stalcraft?

The world of Stalcraft is inspired by the Stalker games, more precisely, Stalker Anomaly. However, it also takes the blocky aesthetics of Minecraft as its basis. The result? A hardcore survival shooter that many people pass off as “just another children’s game”. The truth is quite the opposite in fact.

Don’t be misled that this is a children’s game, it definitely isn’t. The game is designed to punish you if you don’t take it seriously, especially if you play recklessly. Nothing will get you killed faster in Stalcraft than having total disregard for the situation at hand, as there is danger around every corner! 

Bandits or Stalkers?

Bandits or Stalkers

When you first get into the game you’ll have to create a character. Unlike other games, Stalker’s character creation process is rather limited, as it doesn’t even allow you to customize your character’s features.

However, after passing the tutorial, you’ll have the choice of choosing which faction you want to play as, Stalkers or Bandits. This is probably the most important choice in the game, as it will determine how your character’s story will play out. 

What’s more, it will also determine which side of the map will be “safe” for you. Safe being a relative term here, as the safe zones are the only spot on the map where you’ll be safe. Speaking about safe zones.

The World of Stalcraft is Split Right Down the Middle

Stalcraft's Map

The World of Stalcraft is, for all intents and purposes, split right down the middle. One half belongs to the Bandits, the other half belongs to the Stalkers. You’re not prohibited from going into the other’s territory, it’s just that it’s an exceedingly arduous endeavor to do so. 

When you first get into the game, regardless if you’ve chosen to be a Bandit or a Stalker, you’ll be put in the Swamp. This is the de-facto “tutorial zone” of the game, it’s here where you’ll learn the ropes of the game. 

After that, you’ll move on to Cordon. Here’s where the game finally opens up to you. Cordon is divided into two parts, the North-Western part is for the Bandits, while the South-Eastern part is for the Stalkers. To the north of Cordon, you have The Dump. This is the PvP zone for the starting region.

To the sides of Cordon, you have the resource-gathering areas. Agroprom is reserved for the Bandits, while The Dark Valley is reserved for Stalkers. You aren’t prohibited from visiting either area, regardless of which faction you choose, just know that it’s heavily fortified and patrolled by the opposing side’s forces. 

The Mechanics of Stalcraft

Stalcraft Mechanics

Stalcraft is a hardcore survival shooter. This means that you’ll spend most of your time scavenging for resources and upgrading your gear so that you’re able to enter the more dangerous zones later on. 

Thankfully, the game uses a “soft-hardcore” model. This means that, when you die, you only lose your ammunition and supplies, as well as any resources you might have gathered up to that point. Don’t worry, you still get to keep your hard-earned weapons and armor.  The game is brutal, but it isn’t totally unforgiving.