Stalcraft Infection Guide 2025

Infection is one of the main dangers of the Stalcraft world, which players have to deal with from the first minutes of the game until the end. The mechanics of contamination are not obvious, so it can make life very difficult for newcomers. We tell you how contamination works, what types there are, and how to avoid damage and unpleasant debuffs and make your life easier.

How Infection Works in Stalcraft

Infection is a hostile environment that can cause damage to a character or impose debuffs on health, stamina or other characteristics.

Contamination usually covers an area around the source. For example, thermal contamination comes from lava rivers or thermal anomalies like the Incendiary. Sometimes, the contamination zone covers the entire location, but this is only found in the highest-level locations, such as the Labyrinth.

Infection zones are divided into four intensity levels, except for psi infection, which has five levels. The higher the level of infection, the faster it accumulates in the game character.

Protection from contamination in Stalcraft is given by armor. Different suits of armor protect against different types of infections. For example, scientific armor protects against psi radiation and biological contamination, while heavy and super-heavy suits always have a high rate of resistance to heat and radiation.

Artifacts are another reliable way to raise your resistance to contamination in Stalcraft. On the output and resistance to each type of contamination, the game has its own set of artifacts. You can also protect yourself from contamination in Stalcraft by spending on consumables.

Types of Infection

There are four main types of infection in Stalcraft and two additional types. Let’s discuss each of them in detail.

Thermal Infection

Here, everything is simple: if you get too close to an open fire, thermal anomaly, or lava, the player will catch fire. Burning causes damage but no debuffs. After leaving the danger zone, the character quickly extinguishes. You can cool down faster by jumping into wthe ater.

Biocontamination

Dangerous bacteria that infect the character. Widespread near biological anomalies and in swamps. A green glow can identify the area of biological contamination. With insufficient protection, bio-infection accumulates quickly and takes a long time to remove.

At high levels of contamination, stamina regeneration slows down and fatigue from any action increases. Stalcraft biohazard defense consumables are scientific and individual first aid kits.

Psy-infection

Rays of unknown nature that affect the character’s mind. Sources of psi radiation are not tied to any objects and are scattered randomly in the zone. Nothing in the game signals that the player is receiving psi contamination, so it’s easy to miss when the contamination reaches a critical level.

Radiation

The most common type of radiation is found everywhere. The accumulation of radiation in small amounts is not threatening, and players often do not pay attention to radiation levels. However, a high dose is extremely dangerous. After a high dose of radiation, the character is bleeding, which causes damage, and damage from all other sources is also increased.

Intoxication and Cold

Additional types of intoxication. Cold is only found in seasonal events like Abnormal Winter. Intoxication occurs if the character has used too many health kits. Intoxication slows down HP and stamina regeneration.

Areas of Infection

We tell you what types of infection are prevalent in different locations to help you prepare for farming and battles.

For each location, we attach a map of infections, on which each type is marked with a different color:

• Red – radiation
• Purple – psi radiation
• Green – biological contamination
• Orange – high temperatures

The numbers within each zone indicate the level of contamination in that area.

Zaton Contamination

The entire location is infected with level 2 psi radiation. Going into the Quiet Zavod without minimal protection from psychic damage is suicide.

The central part of the location is covered by swamps with third—and fourth-level biological contamination. At the edges of the Zaton, scattered areas of radiation and psi radiation of levels 3 and 4 are found. Thermal contamination is almost never found here, so you can sacrifice protection from heat in the build.

Stalcraft Zaton Infections Map

Infections of the North

Although the North is a high-level location, there are few contamination zones here. In the central part, around the Puck, there is a third-level psi zone, and the same zones block the roads leading to Forge-11 from four sides.

The Reflections are to the west and east of the northern location. These are two identical locations, covered with third-level thermal contamination and fourth-level biological contamination. The Reflections yield many valuable minerals, pulp, and high-level artifacts.

Map of Northern Infections in Stalcraft

Limansk Infections

The safest high-level location in terms of infections. Limansk is covered with level one psi contamination, which almost any suit can protect you from. Also, the water here is exposed to radiation of the second or third level, but there are few water obstacles in Limansk, and radioactive water does not pose a serious threat.

Only a few small zones of biological, radioactive, and thermal contamination of the second level pose a threat, in addition to psi radiation and radioactive water.

Limansk Infections Map in Stalcraft

Labyrinth Infections

The highest-leveled location for farming is Stalcraft. The Labyrinth is rich in valuable resources, but their extraction is complicated by the abundance of high-level monsters and other players.

In terms of infections, the location is also one of the toughest. The entire Labyrinth is under the influence of level four psi radiation, and the areas with the highest resource density are covered with a unique level five psi contamination. Without one of the best science suits – Peresvet or Saturn and an Ilyich bulb in a container, there is nothing to do here.

Stalcraft Labyrinth Infection Map

Artifact contamination

Artifacts in Stalcraft have not only positive effects but also negative effects. Negative effects can include infection of one or more types. If the suit’s defenses or other artifacts do not compensate for contamination, it will accumulate and result in a debuff or damage.

Even artifacts in your backpack are contaminated, so it is best to carry only fully discharged artifacts.

Conclusion

Infection is a complex and, in some places, non-obvious mechanics, an understanding of which will greatly facilitate the life of a novice stalker. In the guide, we tried to tell you about all the nuances of infection in Stalcraft. The attached maps will help you instantly know what to prepare to go to this or that location.