stalker
PDA icon.

PDA icon.

The Personal Digital Assistant, or "PDA," is a pocket-sized electronic device meant to encompass the basic and most vital functions of a computer. In the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games, almost every single character carries a PDA, including the player. It is explained that stalkers use PDAs to keep track of each other, communicate, and store data.

Overview

Player

The player's PDA functions as the main in-game screen and holds everything except the inventory. Missions, maps, player status, and archived dialogues can all be found within the PDA.

Shadow of Chernobyl

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, the PDA includes a rather extensive Zone encyclopedia and a scanner that lists all nearby contacts' names and general info.

Clear Sky

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky, there are several functions pertaining to the different factions and the faction wars. The PDA's map also shows the location of almost every mutant and stalker in the zone; the most notable exceptions are the bloodsuckers in the Red Forest.

Call of Pripyat

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, the PDA will show the names of certain locations, anomaly fields in an area, Achievements, your favorite weapon, and the most powerful mutant you've killed (measured by the PDA). If you've placed Professor Hermann's Anomalous Activity Scanners in the anomaly fields, the PDA will also show the artifacts that have spawned in these fields.

Heart of Chornobyl

In S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl, the PDA now lacks the encyclopedia, achievements, and statistics from the previous games (though this has been shown to be cut from the game, based on the game's files, as the Archive (potentially encyclopedia) and Statistics buttons can be seen on NPCs' PDA models), but it retains the anomaly fields and location names. It now also contains the user's coupons, making the PDA even more essential in the Zone. The player cannot loot coupons from a PDA.

NPCs

In Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky, when searching bodies, if their PDA holds stash coordinates, it will be automatically uploaded to the player's PDA (although the PDA won't be shown in the body content). In Call of Pripyat and Heart of Chornobyl, the coordinates will not be uploaded to the player's PDA until the player takes the PDA from the body.

Shadow of Chernobyl

Unused inv. icon.

Unused inv. icon.

PDAs cannot be picked up, only data from certain quest-related PDAs will be uploaded into your own PDA. The following is a list of entries uploaded to the player's own PDA from other PDAs:

Clear Sky

Inv. icon.

Inv. icon.

PDAs can only be picked up during certain quests. When picked up, most PDAs will broadcast the owner's last message.

List of all the PDAs [1]:

Call of Pripyat

Inv. icon.

Inv. icon.

PDAs play a more important role in Call of Pripyat and can be picked up as a separate item from certain quest-related characters. A blank PDA can also sometimes be bought from the leading member of a stalker squad after the squad survives a battle. Similar to Clear Sky, upon being picked up, the PDA will broadcast the owner's last recorded message as well as display it on the screen. PDAs can be sold to Owl or other interested parties and are necessary to gain the Trafficker of Information achievement.

List of all the PDAs:

References

  1. ↑ Taken from: <cs_dir>\patches\xpatch_10.db\configs\text\eng\st_items_quest.xml
  2. ↑ Taken from: <cs_dir>\localization\xenglish.db\configs\text\eng\st_quests_marsh.xml

Trivia