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I believe that Noon has its own way. Its own future. And we will earn it with the sweat of our brow.
Strider
Strider [N 1] (Ru./Ua. Бродяга) is a former Monolithian appearing in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat, and the leader of Noontide in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
Background
In Call of Pripyat, Strider leads a squad of fellow ex-Monolith fighters comprised of himself, Armor, Foma, Meeker, Sickle, and Walrus. They have somehow lost their connection to the Monolith (as a result of Strelok's actions against the C-Consciousness) and wish to find shelter before Bandits or Loners kill them due to their Monolith uniforms.
In Heart of Chornobyl, Strider returns as the founder and leader of Noontide, a faction of former Monolithians. He is often in ideological combat with Faust over the future of Noontide. He believes that Noontide can move on from its Monolith past and redeem itself for all the people they killed.
The description of his unique SVUmk-2 in Heart of Chornobyl calls him the finest Monolith sniper.
Appearances
Call of Pripyat
Sitting near a bridge between the container warehouses and the Volkhov AA complex in Yanov, Strider contacts the player requesting his assistance in bringing his men to safety. Depending on the player's standing with the two factions, he can speak to either Freedom or Duty on their behalf and have them recruit Strider's squad in their faction - a substantial boost in the player's standings with that faction (though it requires good standing in order for the leaders to be open to recruiting Strider). Despite what Strider says about his team, the squad is perfectly capable of defending themselves and they will take cover under the bridge near the campsite during an emission. Once Strider has been recruited, the rest of his squad begin taking part in faction patrols and occasionally battles. Strider himself will remain inside the station; if recruited into Freedom, he will be at Loki's doorstep if Kremen has moved to the main hall or the Duty warehouse or, if recruited into Duty, at Shulga's doorstep if Gavrilenko is not there, or behind Grizzly.
When looking for a squad for the Jupiter Underground mission, the player can talk Strider into joining. He will quickly agree to return to Pripyat because he is unsure of his current role as a faction member and would like to directly investigate what happened to him and his men. He wears a Scientific Monolith suit for the journey. His choice of an SVUmk-2 sniper rifle makes him not too useful during the early tunnel segments, as his weapon is poorly suited for close-quarter combat in the tunnels, although if he gets a good shot off, anything in the way of the barrel won’t be a problem anymore. However, he is one of the more useful NPCs in the larger tunnel sections, and especially during the Monolith sniper attack. During the first encounter with the Monolith, when the snipers ambush the rest of the group, Strider simply claims “they’re mine,” and he picks off the large group of snipers attacking his friends with ease. Most of the time he will hang back and pick off enemies during encounters with his rifle. If the player wants him to survive, it is highly encouraged that the player run ahead with a shotgun and clear out as many Rodents and Snorks as possible, as he is better suited for human combat.
During the mission, if Strider dies, Zulu and Sokolov will not comment on his death. Vano often will, seemingly distressed at his comrade's fate. Likewise, Strider seems to care only when Vano goes down, and shows little emotion even when he acknowledges the others dying.
After arriving in Pripyat, Strider will remain inside the Laundromat for some time. He will eventually disappear.
Related missions
- Monolith survivors: The player must convince either Duty or Freedom to recruit Strider and his team.
- Pripyat 1: After completing the above mission, Strider may join the player for the trip through the Jupiter Underground.
Endings
- Main article: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat Endings#Strider
Strider has two possible endings depending on his fate through the events of the game.
- If Strider is recruited into either Duty or Freedom and survives, the ending reveals that he formed a new group with the rest of his team, although their objectives are unknown.
- If Strider is killed at any point during the game, the ending simply mentions that his death went mostly unnoticed.
Heart of Chornobyl
Strider is first encountered by the player on Wild Island during the quest, Hot on the Trail. He is the leader of the Noontide faction, having led the the former Monolithians to seek shelter at their base. His primary concern is the safety of his faction, who are under threat from outsiders who remember their actions as members of Monolith. Strider believes that through good deeds, such as laboring at the toxic waste processing station, the reformed Noontiders can be redeemed. These beliefs put him in ideological conflict with another Noontider, Faust, who desires to rebuild the Monolith faction, seeing the it as noble cause.
At the end of Wishful Thinking, the Monolith brainwashing signal is reactivated in Lab X-11 with the help of his old friend Foma, and Strider succumbs once more to the mind control. As this happens, he attempts to commit suicide with his rifle, but is unable to pull the trigger due to the influence of the Monolith, but he tries his hardest to stop himself from turning. Immediately after being turned back into a Monolith soldier, he takes the Alpha Artifact and disappears from the lab.
The next time Strider is seen is during the quest Dark Times. He is on a mission to kill Doctor; after passing through the Red Forest, Strider was shot twice by a mercenary named Jarl and as a result collapsed near the Mirage. The pacifist Doctor tends to his wounds, and asks Skif to retrieve a regenerator from the Monolith Infirmary to help heal Strider. When Skif's returns with the device, Strider has already recovered and is found attacking the Doctor, easily overpowering him without a gun and about to kill him before Skif steps in. Skif intervenes, but he is no match for the huge Strider, who easily overpowers Skif, who tries everything, using the environment, weapons, but can’t kill Strider. Just as Strider is about to kill Skif, Doctor sneaks behind him and stabs him in the neck with a scalpel.
Strider is seen once more when Skif enters the pod in Lab X-15 during the Subtle Matter quest. He appears in the form of Subtle Matter as his former, non-brainwashed self, having no memory of what happened after the events in Lab X-11. He asks Skif what’s going on, and Skif responds shakily that Strider is dead. Strider pauses for a moment, looking shocked, before feeling the back of his neck. He looks at his hands, saying “Then… I am no more.” Strider asks what happened with the Experiment, asking Skif to tell him he made it in time, and can be told multiple different things. Skif can tell Strider that he didn’t want things to happen the way they did, and when asked about Strider’s men, Skif can simply say that he’s sorry. Strider will turn away, briefly appearing enraged, but will quickly calm down, walking over to the steps and sitting down, crying silently. He will get back up, turning towards Skif. He will comment on how Skif asked about his good luck charm. How it’s an empty shell, nothing special. He will blink, and his eyes, which were normal moments ago, will open, appearing possessed and lizard-like. He will say the shell is a reminder from the day that the psi-fields went off. We will see a flashback to May 2012, during Shadow of Chernobyl. The flashback shows Operation Monolith from the perspective of Strider. The military is storming the CNPP, Lun and Sova teams are in his sector. His primary target to eliminate is Quartet. He sets up his sniper, and the Monolith begins giving him Quartet’s coordinates. He takes out multiple soldiers, and eventually sees Quartet, fighting the Monolith. He shoots Quartet, and the flashback ends. Suddenly, the voice of the Monolith was gone. As Strider speaks, his eyes return to normal. Strider opened his eyes. as if awakening after a long coma. And through his scope, he saw Quartet fall. But he did not recognize Quartet, or know who he was, or why he had been shot. He says Quartet was not his enemy, and he hopes Quartet has survived and forgiven the Monolithians. Strider bids Skif farewell, and asks Skif to forgive them for what they did… and must do again. He tries to hand Skif his lucky charm, but as he drops it into Skif’s hand, it phases right through, clattering to the ground. Strider looks at Skif for a moment, inhales, and turns around, walking into the fog as Skif’s vision goes white.
If Skif says he was dealing with his own problems, and couldn’t let Strider get in the way, Strider’s priorities will not change. He will ask what happened to his men. Skif will say that he lost, and the Monolith is once again controlling them all. Strider will close his eyes, attempting to inhale calmly, but he falters, and he shifts his face to the ground. His expression contorts into one of pure rage as he breathes heavily, and he suddenly looks up at Skif, raising his arm to punch as his expression does not waver. He lets out a loud scream as he attempts to punch Skif… but cannot bring himself to do it. He lowers his fist to his side in a quick motion, his scream continuing for a moment before he stops, staring at the ground, his face still filled with anger. He will slowly turn around, crying. He walks over to the stairs, sitting down with his head in his hands as he weeps loudly. He takes his boot off and throws it behind him, doing the same with his other. After a moment, he slowly stands back up, approaching Skif. The good luck charm and flashback scene play as normally. However, after shooting Quartet and saying that he saw the unknown soldier fall, his dialogue will change. He will say the empty shell reminded him of when they used to be puppets. Only Strider did not choose that path. He will pause for a moment, before looking at Skif and saying “unlike you.” He will, once again, attempt to drop the charm into Skif’s hand, but it will fall through once more. He turns and walks away quickly, as Skif’s vision goes white.
If Skif says Strider’s men did make it, Skif will say that everyone made it. Strider seems suspicious, backing away and asking if that’s really true, but follows up by saying that it’s good. He asks if any of his men were hurt, with a very grave tone. Skif responds with a slight stutter, saying no, just him. Strider is relieved, saying that they protected their new life, and that’s all that matters. The good luck charm scene and flashback play out as normal. However, after saying that he saw the body of an unknown soldier fall, Strider’s dialogue changes. He says that the charm is the empty case from the cartridge that hit Quartet. It reminded him of what it meant to not be in charge of your own life, but follows it up, tucking the cartridge into his suit, smiling with his arms extended, saying that now, we are free, masters of our own destiny. Strider thanks Skif sincerely, saying Noontide will remember what he has done, proudly pointing at Skif with his index finger. He turns and walks away as Skif’s vision goes white.
If Skif says that they were too late, Strider will simply ask what happened to his men. Skif will say they’re under the control of the Monolith. Strider will scoff, and then chuckle, and then burst into laughter as his eyes get that possessed look again. Skif will say that he’s sorry, but Strider will wave his hand in dismissal as his laughter comes to an end. The flashback scene plays, and the good luck charm scene is skipped. After saying he saw the body of an unknown soldier fall, he will once again say that the man was not his enemy, and that he hopes Quartet has forgiven them. Now, Strider will bring up Skif asking about the good luck charm. He will explain the empty cartridge casing, a reminder of that day. With anger in his voice, Strider says that he genuinely believed he would never be a puppet again, but starts to laugh as he comes near the end of the sentence. He will continue laughing after finishing the sentence, before his face turns solemn, and he turns towards no one. He yells out, trying to continue smiling at first, but he is unable, “I am sorry brothers. We have failed. Forgive me. And forgive me for everything you must do now.” As he finishes the sentence, his face turns even more grim, as his head turns towards the ground. He will redirect his attention to Skif. He tells Skif it was a worthy try. He thanks Skif, telling him to stay strong, as he holds the charm up high and turns around, laughing maniacally as he walks away and throws the charm to the ground. Skif’s vision goes white.
Strider is never seen again.
Related missions
- Hot on the Trail
- Chasing Ghosts
- Dead Frequency
- Wishful Thinking
- Dark Times
- An Act of Mercy
- Subtle Matter
Southern Comfort
Strider plays a prominent role in the English spin-off book S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Southern Comfort where he is introduced as a mysterious figure initially known only as Renegade. During the novel, he assists the protagonist, Major Tarasov, from the shadows and will often come in contact with him under a different call sign.
Gallery
Notes
- ↑ Also known as Rogue or Renegade in some translations.
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