Thinking of getting into pic related series

Alright Sup Forums, I'm looking to get into the STALKER series. Which is the best to start with, and are there any which aren't worth getting?

the first one
none

Shadow of Chernobyl is my favourite. They're all pretty good (they're starting to get a bit old, but their atmosphere is still excellent)

play all three of them in release order, don't skip anything
don't install any overhaul mods on your first run
there are some mods that fix bugs and that's it, though I forgot their names, someone will probably post them here.

inb4 someone recommends complete

Consult this Starting Guide,
then see the /vg/'s huge Stalker General for more tips and links: Play in the release order. Start with no mods - only latest patch, OR get the full "Starter Pack" first; these contain bug-fixers and light visual mods that can help performance as well.
Leave big overhauls for later playthrougs. Avoid the "Complete" -mods. Always play on MASTER difficulty for best realism and atmosphere, and disable crosshair.

Don't give up in the beginning! The starting gear sucks ass and first area can be a bit boring.

SoC -> CoP -> CS, because CS is the worst in the series

Get ZRP mod, it fixes stuff

Stay away from Complete mod

And this

First one, have the best atmosphere and storry.
Third one is open world, with better side quests, and is great with mods.
Clear sky, is glitchy, and unoptimalizated mess, but if you liked SoC and CoP, it's possible to enjoy it.

Also, the less you know about any game, the more fun you will get.

>Don't give up in the beginning!
I don't get why people do, to me the hobo phase is always the most satisfying and fun one.

There's pretty much to learn, it's difficult when you don't know anything and offers no rewards. But it becomes challenging and rewarding once you learn the hud and gameplay and start to finally progress.

For example my first playthrough was getting out of the Bunker, getting the first quest, running North and dying in an anomaly. Took me 20 mins and I haven't saved so I quit, but later came back and started again and learned from my mistakes

-Pirate the games, the original devs won't get any money and Steam has additional DRM hassle
-Play SoC first, then CoP, then CS
-Play vanilla or get ZRP
-PLAY ON MASTER, no exceptions
-Don't use crosshair
-Learn the HUD and UI
-Use bolts
-Starting gear and guns are shit, it gets better
-Remember to save often, but don't savescum
-Take your time in fights, don't rush, plan ahead

because I would imagine they go try and fight the military outpost at cordon and get raped by like 10 dudes with aks and body armor. Personally I always fight them since it evolves into a giant firefight between the rookies and military.

Clear Sky is shit, other 2 are masterpieces.

came to post this, gj im out

Clear Sky is worth it for the Bridge at Limansk and the final hospital shoot out. Literally god like.

Impatient casual generation at work, bro.
Xbox kiddies are not used to having to start with gear comparable to DooM's pistol + fists, or just being thrown into a radioactive wasteland without any tutorials and exposition.
Not to mention games that do NOT use hit-scan guns, and thus aren't 100% laser accurate, even if you ADS.

In short: STALKER provides a neat learning curve, that's often missing in modern games.

Either in release order, or possibly chronological (2,1,3)
Generally 2 is considered the worst and most skippable, but I'd still recommend playing it.

When people say only play on Master, they mean it. Don't mistake this for some kind of "git gud" internet bragging shit. Lower difficulties have fucked up mechanics that turn enemies into sponges and the AI is worse. Since damage scales both ways with difficulty, the hardest difficulty isn't really any harder than the others, but the game plays much better.

Personally I'd also recommend turning the crosshair off. It isn't necessary at ranges where hipfiring is worthwhile. I think it is more immersive less cluttered, plus it will help you get into the habit of aiming down the sight, which is very important. However, this is something people sometimes disagree on. Nobody disagrees with the assertion that Master is the best difficulty, even for new players. So don't ignore that shit.

>Pirate the games, the original devs won't get any money and Steam has additional DRM hassle
That's not true. GSC is still alive and kicking, and if Cossacks 3 made them enough money hopefully there will be a STALKER 2.

The hardest difficulty is in fact the easiest

>-Remember to save often, but don't savescum
what does this even mean

Pretty much seconding this. The series' difficulty system is a total antithesis towards the typical difficulty modes you see in most games nowadays, with higher modes really improving the feel and atmosphere of the game.

And yes, the crosshair is just in your way in the end. If you can't see your target's eyeballs, then aim thru' sights. If you need to be accurate, do the Low-Crouch.

Save often because it's buggy as shit but don't use it as an insta-respawn feature I guess.

how else you want to respawn then?
By starting new game?

>Bridge at limansk
Best part of the game.
It also has some of that SoC atmosphere seeping through in some of the early parts. Creeping through the swamp with a hunting rifle was always amazing too.

The CS has many good places. I don't understand hate towards it, besides bugs.

It was easily the buggiest game on release, and shit like factions were never really fixed. I definitely prefer it to CoP though.
Just not instantly. Especially since if you take cover, and quicksave, in the middle of a firefight, the AI can't cope with it, and it makes the fight far easier.

>flashback to when I would take snipes at the cordon
>they had enough of stalker shit, waged war on the camp
>didn't even realize it at first because I was so far away, heard lot of gunfire
>run over the hill, camp is being slaughtered
>MY STALKER BROS NEED ME
>go full night haunter on them, skulking behind their positions and taking them down one at a time with a sawn off at point blank before running away to do it again
>finally kill them all
>go into camp
>bodies... everywhere
>my buddies who gave me advice when I first started out
>that dude I gave the medpack to in the beginning
>the 3 guys that were always playing the guitar at the drum fire
>so many dead, and I am to blame
>drinking vodka to dull the pain, dragging the bodies behind the camp to a makeshift graveyard
>19 in all
>almost crying in real life
>one of the survivors starts playing "He Was A Good Stalker"
>take the walk of shame out of the camp

So, just got the game.
Is there weapons that aren't worth time at all?