Survival guide
STALZONE extraction guide — what you risk, what you keep and how to get loot home
STALZONE keeps your character and gear but puts found loot at risk. Plan trips, bank often and handle strangers so a bad fight costs a trip, not your progress.
STALZONE's official rule is short: you keep your gear and long-term progress, but the loot you find is at risk until you bring it back alive. Plan every trip around that line. Short trips with a clear exit beat long runs with a full bag.
What persists
- Your character and progression. There are no wipes; the current development stage has run since December 2020 without one.
- Your equipment, reputation and faction ties, according to EXBO's own description.
What is at risk
The artefacts, materials and items you pick up during a trip. Until you reach safety with them, another player can take them. That is where the extraction tension comes from.
Loot rules after a fight
Since June 2026, instant access to a defeated enemy's loot requires you to have dealt at least 30% of the damage. Damage from anomalies, mutants and other external sources does not count. Players who damaged a target while it was critically wounded are also added to the list of loot claimants. In group fights, make sure the person meant to collect actually contributes damage.
Plan the trip
- Set a limit. Decide what bag value makes you turn back.
- Know the exit. Pick the safe zone you will return to before you leave.
- Check the hazards. Anomalies, radiation and mutants get more dangerous to the north. Bring the right consumables.
- Go back early. A second short trip is safer than one long trip.
Handle other players
Proximity voice and a 60-metre radius chat mean you hear people before you see them. Many encounters are negotiations, deceptions or standoffs rather than instant fights. If you talk, be brief and keep moving. If someone asks you to trade, drop gear or "prove" trust, assume it could be a trap.
Trading safely
EXBO warns about common scams: fake item guarantors, artefact "rerolls" that ask for deposits pegged to inflated auction prices, and sellers of rare promo codes. Check real market prices, never hand over items first, and remember that public promo codes are always free.
When you lose a fight
You lose the trip, not the character. Review what went wrong — the route, the bag limit or the conversation — and go again with a shorter plan.
Related guides
Faction guide
STALZONE factions guide — Stalkers, Bandits and the four northern factions
How the starting sides lead to Rise, Frontier, the Mercenaries or Covenant, what the renames changed, and how to choose the faction you will live with.
Beginner guide
STALZONE beginner guide — your first days in the Zone
Pick your region carefully, finish the training for the starter kit, follow the story north, and treat everything you pick up as at risk until you reach a safe zone.
Setup guide
STALZONE regions and servers — choose once, and choose well
STALZONE separates characters and purchases by region. Learn which regions exist, why the choice matters and what to do before your first purchase.