Preacher — stalker

We thank you, oh Monolith, for revealing the cunning plans of your enemies to us.
May your light shine down on the souls of the brave soldiers who gave their lives in service to your will.
Onward warriors of the Monolith, avenge your fallen brothers, blessed as they are in their eternal union with the Monolith.
Bring death to those who spurned the holy power of the Monolith

The preacher as the ambush begins

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The Preacher is a character in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat.

Description

The commander of a large Monolith squad that ambushed the military at the hospital in Pripyat. A true fanatic without a cause, he continues to follow the Monolith's teachings, even after the C-Consciousness is destroyed. He usually sends his minions to do the ground work, while he preaches from above and provides fire support with his Gauss rifle.

Appearances

Call of Pripyat

The first main quest in Pripyat involves luring him out so that the team can secure his Gauss rifle. This is the only chance the player has to acquire one. Although he is initially nowhere to be seen, he immediately appears on a rooftop to the north of the Hospital's central courtyard after the player ambushes the first Monolith team in sight and searches their bodies, sniping Morozov and killing him on the spot before dozens of fighters ambush the player and their squadmates. He must be killed and his weapon retrieved to complete the mission.

The Monolith Preacher can be heard broadcasting propaganda and prayers over the radio to support his men, while simultaneously attacking the Military team.

Related missions

Unidentified weapon: The player must secure the preacher's weapon to determine if it was used to shoot down the army helicopters.

Trivia

The Preacher's name is a randomized stalker name in-game; the name "Preacher" comes from his designation in the game files.
He is eerily accurate - he will always kill the Military's sniper with his first shot, and proceed to systemically cut down the remaining Military with the next three shots. If he didn't pause to preach between each kill, he could kill the entire strike team in under a minute. He's also invulnerable until after he kills the sniper, so even if the player sees him approaching they can not prevent him from killing him.
- One way to avoid this is if the player exposes themselves to the Preacher - he will immediately fire at them. This is extremely risky as, unlike Shadow of Chernobyl, no amount of armor will keep the player safe - a single scratch with the Gauss gun will take at least 90% of the player's health and induce critical bleeding. Alternatively, it is recommended to immediately open fire on him, preferably with a sniper rifle, when preaching, as he will not attack while doing so - he will immediately proceed to attack once he finished broadcasting.
His death animation is scripted to have him fall forward so that his body can drop into an accessible area, allowing the playing to secure his weapon.