Bandits (Gopniks?)

Bandits are members of the criminal underworld who came to the Zone for different reasons; to make money by selling artifacts, hide from the law or to trade in weapons. The Zone is full of Bandits, ranging from common thugs to serious criminals, most of whom are members of one gang or another. Although the Zone gangs frequently fight amongst themselves, the criminal element still poses a serious problem for normal Stalkers.

Bandits are ruthless and generally hostile to anyone not in their gang.



Moral Alignment: Chaotic Neutral


   Rank: Rookie
   Armor: Bandit Jacket (sometimes with gas mask)
   Weapons: PMm pistol, Sawed-Off shotgun

Tyro Bandits are the Bandit equivalent of the Loner faction's normal Stalkers; inexperienced rookies who are the weakest Stalkers in the zone. These Bandits wear black anoraks and ski masks and are equipped with low-level weapons, namely the PMm pistol and sawed-off shotgun. They are quite weak and can be brought down with several torso shots from the pistol or submachine gun, or a single headshot.



   Rank: Experienced
   Armor: Bandit Jacket (with gas mask)
   Weapons: Sawed-Off shotgun, Viper-5 Submachine gun, AKM-74U assault rifle

Skilled Bandits are similar to Tyro Bandits, but are equipped with better weaponry such as the Viper-5 submachine gun or AKM-74U compact assault rifle. Although their weapons are on the low end of the assault rifle class, they pose a reasonable threat to players wearing low-level armor. Like Tyro Bandits, Skilled Bandits can be brought down with several bullets from low-level weapons. Most Bandit encounters consist of a mix of Tyro and Skilled Bandits.


   Rank: Veteran
   Armor: Bandit Jacket with gas mask or brown / black Trenchcoat
   Weapons: IL 85 assault rifle, AKM-74U assault rifle, AK-74/2 assault rifle

Veteran Master Bandits can be distinguished by their black or brown longcoats. They are typically armed with AKM-74U or AK-74/2 assault rifles, although they can also be found with IL 85 assault rifles as well. Master Bandits typically start appearing in the deeper areas of the Zone, such as the Wild Territory, with 1 to 3 of them leading a group of Tyro and Skilled Bandits. Although their combat skills and weaponry are better, they can't seem to survive more damage than regular Bandits.



   Rank: Expert
   Armor: Brown or Black Trenchcoat
   Weapons: AKM-74U assault rifle, AK-74/2 assault rifle

The highest ranking Bandits, Pro Bandits are pretty much identical to Master Bandits. Like Master Bandits, they can be distinguished by their black or brown longcoats and AK-class assault rifles, and are usually found leading a group of lesser Tyro or Skilled Bandits.

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Friendly
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Mercenaries

Neutral
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Freedom

Enemies
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Loners
Duty
Ecologists
Military
Monolith