Lab X-8 — stalker

	For the mission of the same name, see Laboratory X8 (mission).

Laboratory X8 is a location in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat.

Overview

Lab X8 is identified as the central laboratory, the headquarters of the Group's experiments before the emergence of the C-Consciousness. Located underneath what was formerly the Yubileiny Service Center in Pripyat, the lab has become a stronghold for Monolith forces on the surface, along with Zombified Stalkers lingering throughout the lower floors of the building.

Documentation found throughout the lab reveals that X8 was used to carry out and coordinate research for some of the Zone's most important experiments, such as the development of Item 62, the Brain Scorcher, experiments on the noosphere as well as coordinated research with laboratories X-18, X-16 and X-10. N. A. Lebedev, E. F. Kalancha, and V. I. Suslov, the founding members of Clear Sky, are prominently identified as key figures of the Group's research in the laboratory. It is unknown when X8 was abandoned, as one of the documents inside reveals that the Group's research on the noosphere had been relocated to another laboratory codenamed X7 as some point. By 2012, the laboratory has been long abandoned and is filled with anomalies and some of the Zone's most dangerous mutants.

Appearances

Call of Pripyat

It can be accessed by the player after obtaining the Yellow X8 keycard from the Testing Workshop as part of the mission Unidentified weapon. The player is sent to the laboratory in order to gather all possible information about the Zone's clandestine experiments.

This lab is a marked change from the testing workshop. It's divided into two sections, one above ground and one below ground. The player must first clear out the above ground area by taking on a horde of zombies and entrenched Monolith positions to start a generator. Then, the player must take an elevator down to the underground section. There they must put up with a limited menagerie of mutants while under constant telekinetic bombardment as they search for information on the projects studied and carried out by C-Consciousness, as well as the identities of their lead researchers.

Surprisingly, it is not a very difficult level - more an exercise in patience - but due to the number of enemies and the sheer resilience of the underground's most dangerous inhabitants, any player must bring plenty of ammunition and heavy-hitting weapons to survive.

The underground section is a small, but confusing maze. The player is in fact encouraged not to rely on their minimap because of how it is implemented. It's better to instead explore—carefully. Aside from mutants, several anomalies such as a single Tesla, some chemical anomalies and Springboards can be found inside the laboratory.

The area can be revisited after completion to find more materials, and the good news is that nothing respawns. Zombified Stalkers, Loners or Mercenaries may eventually repopulate the surface area, but at a meager fraction of their original numbers.

Enemies and mutants

Three Snorks are in the lab; two surprise the player by jumping from a lower level.
Many Rodents will attack the player; some are regular spawns, while others are set to attack when the player picks up certain documents or enters a certain area.
Four Burers are in the lab; one hidden in a restroom in the cafeteria that will try to trick the player by mimicking a voice of a crying child, three others guard two sets of documents on the "hidden" level accessible only by climbing the elevator shaft.
A Poltergeist is hidden in a secret room. The player, whether he is moving or not, can be bombarded at any location in the lab by the Poltergeist until it's killed. An RP-74 can be found in the room with the Poltergeist.
After obtaining all six documents, the main door will close and will remain closed until a freshly spawned Controller is killed. Note that he can actually spawn behind the door, which is a game-breaking bug. Save before picking up the last set of documents – otherwise the last save might have to be loaded. An alternative to reloading is to bring grenades (10-11 is a good number); if he glitches behind the door, throw the grenades at the door and eventually they will kill him. If one does not have grenades, try getting really close to the door and shooting the Gauss rifle through the door to kill it.

Loot

In this secret lab there is an abundance of loot of all kinds. There is a storage room in the entrance lobby, the door to which can only be unlocked by acquiring the Red X8 keycard from Serbin's body during the mission One Shot. The level also contains six sets of documents to be retrieved during the main story.

Documents

Storage Room

Other items

60 rounds of 9x39mm PAB-9 and a first-aid kit, in a locker in the hallway with the Tesla.
180 rounds of 5.56x45mm SS109 and 100 rounds of .45 ACP FMJ inside a locked cabinet to the left when entering the cafeteria. The doors are initially locked and must be shot at or stabbed for the player to open them and collect the ammunition inside.
Four cans of Tourist's Breakfast, two loaves of bread and an energy drink on tables in the cafeteria.
A RP-74 loaded with 27 7.62x54mm PP rounds inside the small room with the Poltergeist. Rodents will spawn on the floor below when entering this room.
A F1 grenade in a cabinet under the Poltergeist room.
20 rounds of 7.62x54mm 7N1 and six vodkas in a dimly lit corridor with rodents, accessed from a manhole under the stairs leading to the room with the Poltergeist.
100 rounds of 7.62x54mm PP, anabiotics and a first-aid kit on shelves around the boilers.
A Kora-919, antidote, first-aid kit, antirad and 180 rounds of 5.45x39mm FMJ on shelves in the room with the Brain Scorcher model.
First-aid kit and bandage on the ground near the elevator shafts above the boilers. Rodents will spawn from behind when approaching the lockers.
100 rounds of .45 ACP FMJ, two anabiotics, two scientific medkits, two bandages, a psy-block, two energy drinks and a vodka in the room with the three burers.

Gallery

Loading screens

Trivia

Most of the laboratory, including its layout, is based on a level named Monolith War Lab that was cut from the final version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl. The location can be visited in some pre-release builds, namely in Build 1935.
Despite being underground, the laboratory does not register as shelter in case of an emission. Thus, if the player enters the laboratory during an emission, the only way of survival short of returning to the surface and finding shelter (assuming there is enough time left) is through the use of anabiotics or having the achievement Marked by the Zone.
The burers in the laboratory have the ability to use their telekinetic attacks even when outside of the player's field of view, making them somehow similar to poltergeists.
- The three burers guarding the documents are also scripted to have a health regeneration effect while the player stands outside of the room they are found in.

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