S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Lore & Theories #2 - Monolith Brainwashing & Zombies (Monolith Faction Lore)

Hello stalkers, in this video we will talk about the Monolith faction and the way they recruit new members. How does the C-consciousness brainwashes stalkers ? How are monolithians different from zombies and marked agents ? Let's see what the lore tells us about those questions and let's try to formulate some theories in place of answers.
All Lore & Theories videos:
• S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Lore &...
00:00 Intro
00:41 History of the Monolith Faction
04:39 Information on Brainwashing
06:55 Zombie / Monolith / Agent Comparison
12:06 Zombification & Brain Scorching
15:59 Brain Scorcher Operating Modes
18:01 Conversion to Monolith
19:00 Wrap up and Outro

[@tezwoacz]

the lore of where monolith gets their equipment is also interesting. Apparently this equipment was stored in some laboratory in chernobyl, so that means that monolith was planned even before the disaster that created the zone, infact its very possible that "trying to achieve world piece" as told by c-con was an attempt to zombifie the entire world, which fortunately backfired on them.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yeah there is a real mystery behind the Monolith's equipment. You can find monolith armors in lab X18, but some dialogs in Clear Sky suggest that the faction had these uniforms before even before being brainwashed. I guess we'll never now the truth.

[@____.__._.._]

Monolith tend to use NATO eq which is imported to Ukraine. The first Stalkers might be actually governement groups or something

[@tezwoacz]

@@____.__._.._ military groups, ukraine, nato and mercs certainly made it to the npp first so if they were "original" monolith it makes sense that their equipment is western made.

[@tezwoacz]

@@____.__._.._ hmmm in that case they might really have some western "sponsor"

[@blazephamous7425]

I think the faction existed0 before that nuclear disaster, it was prbably a millitary one seeing how unique their equipment and camo on their clothing looks like.

[@YuriYoshiosan]

11:03 in Clear Sky, after the laboratory X-16's cooling is stabilized, the zombified stalkers in the area will turn normal, yet still hostile. They move like a normal human after the psy-emission is gone.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yes, you are absolutely right!

[@o-hogameplay185]

dont the zombies have permanent brain damage, like they say their brain is "melted"?

[@meatropellountren1886]

@@o-hogameplay185 look closely the comment, they are hostile because its permanent damage but its not advanced to the point to screw their movement

[@VaNDaIUKR]

Scorcher's operating modes theory is so cool. It explains a lot, it doesn't contradict anything and it make so much sense, Awesome idea and great video.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thanks, I think that it's a pretty great theory as well !

[@lucien7045]

The one about the agent wanting to carry out his task at all costs is very interesting for the player's first playthrough in shadow of chernobyl, let me explain You've probably never played this game before, And so when you get to know that your main objective is to kill strelok, you either don't pay too much attention to it or over time you start thinking when will you get to kill that strelok guy? Whenever it will be offered to you you will most likely try to get intel on who or what strelok is, until you realize you're strelok. You basically become an agent IRL.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yeah and it explains why the Marked One accepts so many difficult and dangerous missions without much care, he is ready to do anything to find any piece of information about Strelok.

[@_cyber_cookie_]

i love this channel, i hope it grows and gets all the attention it deserves

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thank you stalker.

[@barkasz6066]

I don't think you need to make the Brain Scorcher very complex. Sometimes it broadcasts more strongly, other times more weakly depending on circumstances in the zone / electricity. Some people are stronger willed, others less so, so that could be a factor in becoming either zombified or monolith. If a large group approaches, the Brain Scorcher has to interact with more people at once, thus the field becomes weaker, so they end up being brainwashed rather than zombified.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yeah maybe that's true.

[@streylok439]

You sure are making a name for yourself in the stalker community, every time on Reddit posts asking what the best stalker content creator is, you always are on those lists! You’re doing good! Interesting video too.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Wait really ? That's interesting. Thank you stalker !

[@342Rodry]

I love how this theories helps to enrich the stalker lore.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

That's perfect then.

[@robinstheles]

I just wanna say that I really appreciate what you do because I just recently began playing the Stalker games and after my first shadow of chernobyl playthrough I was so surprised how much stuff I actually missed.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thanks, I know right, there is so much stuff hidden in the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. that it will take you several playthroughs to get everything. And even after thousands of hours playing the games, there are still many mysteries and things you just don't understand that will remain stuck in your head. Anyway, good luck in the Zone stalker !

[@fishyfish6050]

The monolith soldiers that you said looked like zombies makes me believe that these were perhaps stalkers who had an unadjusted psy helmet meaning that perhaps a little bit of their brains were damaged by either yantar, anomalies or controllers before but they managed to survive. Some stalkers that you talk to talk about that they have nightmares about seeing controllers after fighting them and having hallucinations. and then sometime after that they went to the center of the zone and became brainwashed by the brain schorcher

[@shitpostingsandwhich]

I always thought that the brain scorcher was used to convert Stalkers to Monolith, but the process often failed making zombies if their brains get fully fired.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yes, that makes sense.

[@serhiy-serhiiv]

I would propose a slightly different theory to the operation mods: in his dialogue, Strider mentions that he was a part of the initial monolith push past the brain scorcher towards the center of the zone. So, what i think is the case, is that the brain scorcher can still recruit monolith fighters, but it does so much more crudely, half-zombifying them in the process. Whereas Strider and his gang were recruited via some other means, that were not quite as destructive.

[@gabrielinostroza4989]

The "Agent' behavior seems very close to the idea of a Manchurian candidate aka a sleeper agent, it'd be really cool to find out Monolith agents have been performing tasks outside the zone all along.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yeah maybe we'll learn more about agents other than Marked One in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, who knows ?

[@gabrielinostroza4989]

@@anomalousdugout9557 I find it specially interesting because the implications of the Monolith having the ability to brainwash someone so effectively as to make them perform missions without them being aware of it are huge, it could be why the zone is locked down the way it is, what if a big part of the Ukrainian government has been brainwashed by the Monolith? There's a lot of world building opportunities.

[@panzershock441]

Another guess I might make about the brain scorcher is maybe in some parts of its region of influence, its signal could be disrupted by the local environment. Hills, mountains, large rock rock formations, central pripyat itself might all be able to interfere and mitigate the strength of the brain scorchers signal. In the situations where a stalker has managed to move into a less potent area, maybe they could avoid enough of the brain damage to not become zombified, however they could have enough damage to make them immediately susceptible to the C-con's influence, turning them into monolith fighters with relative ease. Also, only the most skilled stalkers would be able to make it as far as pripyat without having their brain utterly melted, making them a prime candidate for Monolith.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yes, that's probably right. Thanks for sharing this idea.

[@coolsceegaming6178]

That would make sense. Proof you’re physically and mentally powerful, and you clearly got great gear. No reason not to have you aboard.

[@bigboi7817]

I like the theory of the brain scorcher having different modes but it makes sense to have it the other way around. 1 or 2 stalkers would be easy to convert to monolith compared to large groups. Catch out loners or small squads with the lower frequency control waves and for any serious massed threat crank it up to 11 and watch their minds dribble out their ears.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yeah that also makes sense.

[@IxodesPersulcatus]

From what I gathered, it seems that those who survive the psi-fields in body but not in mind become zombified, those who retain some of their skills but not personality are recruited as cannon fodder, those who maintain a high degree of intelligence become officers, and those who in addition to that manage to keep much of their personality - thus being able to seamlessly blend in - are given a task as agents, perhaps as a trial until they are recruited into the very heart of Monolith - both as an asset and to minimize the risk of defection. One of such agents was even invited into the C-Consciousness program, though it was under... special circumstances.

[@RazorsharpLT]

You forgot to mention the legend... the mystery The guy who took out that one antenna in the brain scorcher with an RPG, without psy protection. Who was he? From what i remember in the entry - he just literally climbed up the tower and shot the RPG. What a madlad He's the reason the brain scorcher is not so deadly anymore, as in clear sky - if you try to enter the red forest - you die almost instantly.

[@Nibtarr]

The Brain Scorcher could be operating as a phased array. Phased arrays allows you to change the magnitude and frequency in specific areas. A full-blast from a brain scorcher would likely have unpredictable field patterns where in some areas would be safe and others would melt your brain instantly, however overall the main body of the field would simply "scorch" your brain, zombifying you. If a phased array was intricately tuned and given variable power and frequencies, it would allow for more predictable effects and field patterns. Meaning it could shut off entire areas completely or have a more subtle effect on the mind (brainwashing). Great videos man, you have the deepest lore theories about STALKER on youtube!

[@divideby4billion]

I love Stalker as a game. But never payed too much attention to the lore. Your videos help provide a wealth of information about a game I already adore. But now that I listen to its lore along with your amazing visualization. I appreciate this game so much more. Thank you very so much for this!

[@anomalousdugout9557]

I'm glad to read that, thanks!

[@veteranloner9892]

Wish granter:what Will you wish? Monolith:i want all my fallen brother rise again Everybody in Cordon:ah Blyat here we go again

[@anomalousdugout9557]

That would be a problem, imagine a thousand if not more monolithians getting back from the dead !

[@tezwoacz]

@@anomalousdugout9557 except wishgranter doesent actually grants wishes but fries your brain.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

@@tezwoacz Yes, that's right.

[@declanedmison5442]

@@tezwoacz Well, it can grant wishes... kinda. Like, it can blind you, can turn you into stone, etc.

[@guy323]

Wish granter would probably rise them as literal zombies killing the monolith themselves

[@masterzoroark6664]

My thinking is that zombies are either failed Monolith or Monolith that spent too long as Monolith. Like- they decay the longer they go on in regards to Monolith and those who get turned into zombies stright away are people who "didn't make the cut". And for the difference between Psy Emission and Scorcher is that Scorcher is the accurate tool (as you said) and Psy Emissions are basically wild occurence, like a storm. You can make a campfire with a lightning strike but it's far easier to do it with a lighter, ya know.

[@CM-bk8lo]

Nice thanks for the lore knowledge sir!sometime in the future could you do a lore video on who is the tattoo artist marking the agents? Is there a monolith tattoo parlour an the CNPP? 😀

[@anomalousdugout9557]

You are welcome ! Oh I never though about that but I guess they do have a tattoo artist, or maybe it's a machine that does it ? Who knows...

[@Milkjiest]

ooOO hell yeah finally lore creator in english!!! my russian is too piss poor to understand the other lore videos, thank you for your work man!

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yes, it was one of the reasons why this channel was created. Welcome stalker!

[@Larper00]

I enjoy your vids so much , hope your channel will get to 100k

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thanks, we will never get there but thanks !

[@Larper00]

@@anomalousdugout9557 hopefully one day we will

[@lecisteim_1945]

@@anomalousdugout9557 maybe after S.T.A.L.K.E.R 2

[@hojoproductions3242]

This channel is so unique! I really enjoy the informative content for one of my favourite games of all time. I always look forward to watching these videos before bed on a rainy night, after a day at work especially the campfire stories. Keep up the great work Anomalous Dugout!

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thank you, glad you like the videos. I will keep up the work !

[@valdetk]

I love this channel, I thank you for this information and keep up the good work!

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thank you stalker, I will !

[@user-qc6mb8wt6s]

I just completed my third playthrough of all three games in chronological order. I noticed a few things. -Monolith in Clear Sky are the original members, and may therefore be the strongest by the timeline of Shadow of Chernobyl -It can be assumed most of the Clear Sky faction presence at the Power Plant did NOT die during the emission at the end of the game; they instead either as you stated became zombified recruits, or brainwashed straight into the lower ranks of the Monolith soldiers -The C-Conciousness MAY STILL EXIST. Strelok MAY have indeed killed the bodies "attached" to C-Conciousness, but nonetheless there could very well be more administrative members in (or nearby to) the Zone. Monolith soldiers chanting "Oh Monolith, we do not hear you" has to do with the "Wish Granter" and the Wish Granter ALONE; lack of Monolith hearing the Monolith could be due to Space Bubbles, they may have weakened Psi-receptiveness, or other causes

[@gabrielmansano]

I really appreciate the effort and time you put on making these videos, I know how difficult and time consuming making videos it might be since I used to upload videos to my channel, and on top of that you make S.T.A.L.K.E.R. videos (I've also made a video about why SoC is my favourite game of all time, although in Portuguese... And it wasn't easy to explain just a little bit of just the tip of the iceberg of the S.T.A.K.E.R. lore without making the listener lost, overwhelmed or giving spoilers) So thank you very much for contributing to the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. community the way you're doing :D

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thank you, I have to admit, making such videos is not easy. Sometimes I have to rewrite the script several times and I'm never sure it is going to be enough, hopefully people seem to like it ! I also wish I had more time to make more videos, but I value quality over quantity so I'm limited to 1 video every week despite having countless other ideas. So thanks again for your support, I appreaciate it and it really helps :)

[@googoobarman]

I am likening the videos you are producing about stalker. Keep up the good work man.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thanks, I will !

[@abba3642]

Listen one monolit stalker 2..

[@vreditel8]

I loves these kinds of videos! Keep up the good work!

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thanks, I will !

[@creeperkid09]

I like the modes theory, but another possibility could be that its based off the individual stalkers ability to survive the process. This would mean the emitters could be operating at a constant output, and it would be on a stalker by stalker basis whether they get zombified, or if their minds are intact enough to become monolith.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yeah it's definitely possible, who knows ?

[@cynfaelalek-walker7003]

I think kill the strelok was originally scar's mission but ended up on strelok perhaps scar did that in a last ditch attempt to tell strelok that the treasure in the centre of the zone is a lie and that all stalkers were wrong.

[@abankson0346]

That's one possibility. Besides there's no one who will tend to hunt down Strelok and his men except Scar.

[@neemiasguedes8803]

that was a method from the brain scorcher to protect itself, either that pda was from someone or the simple method for it was sending him to kill himself

[@billy6979]

Absolutely great video man, your channel is very underrated and you make some very high quality stalker content

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thank you stalker.

[@k_balu-8104]

Zombification is a side effect in the case of the Brain Scorcher, the BS never meant to Zombifie Stalkers, but as we seen the damage to the BS antennas, its possible that the power output got unstable and vary between who gets Zombified or Monolithians. Emissions are more of a happend unintentional thing, it was the effect of the scaring of the noosphere, the C-cons tried to contain it, they did, but not fully, they could weaken and make it more rare, but ultimately it'll happen eventually, and when the C-cons died, the Emissions got out hand and become a daily thing.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yes, that's probably what is going on. You are definitely right about the emissions.

[@adamcichon6957]

I think that Agents are solely responsible for keeping Monolith at strenght. They doing their little missions without knowing, they bringing all the supplys for future Monolith troops. Some Agents bringing parts of uniforms, others some specific piece of gear, "hot" guns, ammo. Maybe Bandit chieftains are also Agents. Some gear deliveries must be organised by Agents, and Monolith just snatch them. Without anybody knowing, it's organised by C-consciousness.

Good and interesting video, keep 'em coming!

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thanks, I will.

[@therogueserafim271]

The real question is who makes the monolith suits Seriously, though, your channel has so much good stuff. Thank you for the work you're doing.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

They probably craft their suits themselves like many other factions. However there are two bits of info that contradict each other: you can find monolith suits in lab X18 implying that the armors were made before the second disaster, but dialogs in Clear Sky make it clear that the Monolith faction already had the same suits before being brainwashed. That's another mystery of the Zone. Oh and thank you !

[@lydlanski]

@@anomalousdugout9557 Costumes in X-18 are a trace of unrealized ideas of devs. According to the original idea, the Monoliths were supposed to guard the entrance to this laboratory, and this would explain why this suit is there. But this idea was abandoned, the Monoliths were removed from there, and the suit was forgotten to be delete. The same story with the Dead City: it did not make it into the final version of the game, but in SoC there is a sign on the road that points the way there. And in the entire trilogy, the Dead City itself is not mentioned, and in CS, Red Forest was added instead.

[@N0rbertas9]

7:54 i THINK monolith soldiers actually flinch less than most stalkers, as they believe in the monolith so much that theyre able to ignore pain and only flinch when seriously injured (so its more of a leftover survival instinct than pain flinch). Im not 100% sure if thats true, but that would be a neat little detail if it is. STALKER's lore is really cool and quite a rabbit hole. I rememeber i bought the game when i was a kid because i thought it was a "haha, mutants in chernobyl go brrr" type of game, which... is kinda true, but the lore goes deep. Great video!

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yeah it's definitely possible, I just wanted to clear the fact that they can still feel some pain because I've seen people claiming it was not the case despite the obvious evidence. S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Lore is quite deep indeed, hopefully I won't lose myself in it making more of those videos, thanks !

[@censoredduetowrongthink]

It'd make sense. They can suppress pain induced reactions but still get physically flinched because lead smacking you at high speeds has a habit of pushing you around, especially when absorbed by armor.

[@1gutsman]

my theory is the monolith stalkers are one who "survived" being zombified. maybe they had a natural resistance, maybe their helmet was just good enough to save them. the face out monolith could be zombies that have been partially healed through experimental brain surgery.

[@throwinshapesnolan1879]

Subscribed man great videos 👌🏼 can't wait to see what you do when stalker 2 comes out the videos are gonna be class 👍🏼

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thanks, well I can't say anything about this for now, we'll see when the time is right.

[@binhannguyen400]

nice theory, ya earned a new subscriber man. Keep up the good work

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thanks!

[@josephanton3770]

i think all your ponts have sense, probably another way to being a monolith is going near to those brainwashing artifacts, maybe they are hidden in order to cover possible blank points to the CNPP i also wanted to say that you put a lot of effort in these videos and i appreciate that, i love your videos a lot and i think you are one of the best channels out there about S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Keep the good work man

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thank you stalker, it is true that I work hard on those videos, and I will keep doing that !

[@ThisiswhyWecanthavenicethings]

Thanks for the lore as always!

[@anomalousdugout9557]

You are welcome, and keep in mind that many of the things said were just theories.

[@ThisiswhyWecanthavenicethings]

@@anomalousdugout9557 I know but it’s the best thing stalker fans have to go on considering this is like the best channel for stalker info your doing great man

[@ugurbegovic]

its a great explanation, friend. thanks for it

[@anomalousdugout9557]

No problem stalker.

[@robyyy978]

Nice video :) I'm starting to like this channel

[@chongli8409]

That's like one of the most true stalker videos done for the western audience. Supperb job!

[@Siga31880]

Good video ! I always though the Cconsciousness decide what you'll become You are a poor stalker or rookie, you become a zombie but if you are a skilled warrior you'll be come a monolith soldier but the brainwash will transform you in zombie at long term as we saw monolith zombies in the Zone sometimes

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thanks ! Well maybe it sometimes happen like that, be there are some Exoskelton zombies so I don't think that's really the case.

[@Siga31880]

@@anomalousdugout9557 you got me here !

[@Kuro-UWU]

09:20, few months ago i found the same device in STALKER CoP in the Jupiter Complex Facility, near the platform for going in the Jupiter Undergrounds, inside a container there's a box, if you break that box you will find the same exact item, but it seems deactivated. Funny the fact that i play since 2008 and i never discovered it.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yes, I know about that one. Trust me, when I will get to talk about the Jupiter factory in a future video, this detail will not be missed.

[@Kuro-UWU]

@@anomalousdugout9557 Surely in STALKER there are details we might still not know even after all these years, that's what makes this game awesome, i have always loved the effort in putting these details in map design, i hope the same will be in STALKER 2

[@anomalousdugout9557]

@@Kuro-UWU Yes, that's right, I definitely agree!

[@boonamai8926]

So glad I found this channel, just got into Stalker Anomaly having never played any Stalker game before and the Zone is just so interesting I want to know much more :)

[@anomalousdugout9557]

I suggest you play the original games before Anomaly. That way you will discover the real lore of the Zone.

[@boonamai8926]

@@anomalousdugout9557 By "just got into Anomaly" I mean like 80 hours in, I just love highly moddable games ^^ I will propably play the original games, are there mods that add modern gun models and animations? That's pretty important to me, the rest of the graphics are good anyways

[@anomalousdugout9557]

@@boonamai8926 Alright. I'm sure there are such mods, but I never used any, so I don't have anything to recommend. I think you should be able to find what you're looking for on Moddb.

[@IW3X]

@@boonamai8926 go play cod already or eft if you want modern guns lol

[@boonamai8926]

@@IW3X I didn't say modern guns. I said "modern models", I still run around with my Aks74u. CoD is crap and I already play EFT. I play CoP Gunslinger and Anomaly right now, pretty much exactly what I want....

[@mephistopheles8220]

Man, I hope you can get the Stalker 2 early and makes more of these video, subscribing now!

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thanks, but let's be real, it won't happen.

[@mephistopheles8220]

@@anomalousdugout9557 Well I'll pray for you to have it, man. There's a few people that cared for this game, and I want you to be on what people expected on the upcoming game.

[@Ming1975]

I don't think the zombiefied roam randomly. I have seen them fight along side monolith troops. Pretty sure they are deployed as meat shields that shoots.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

It's possible, for the zombies at the Brain Scorcher at least. The same idea can be said for the controllers, who use zombies to protect themselves.

[@singedeguerre3028]

This video is very very interesting I always thought that zombies were stalkers who were already dead but whose brains were not totally damaged and then reanimated by external means such as a controller or emmision

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Well it could also be that in certain cases, but from what we see in Call of Pripyat with the controller's scene it is obvious that people are turned into zombies without dying first. But again, it is possible that it does not always happen like that, we just don't know.

[@singedeguerre3028]

@@anomalousdugout9557 I see

[@grzyb11]

19:05 some monolithians in soc and cop sound like clear sky members

[@gabork5055]

All those cuts about the Wish Granter, which i think wasn't covered on this channel before. Arguably one of the most interesting things in the Stalker games and the movie, along with the C-Consciousness. I wonder if there's any cut content or similar regarding that all the lore channels and game magazines might have missed when the games came out. The movie was also based on a novel? as i remember reading about it, so there's quite a bit of potential for that. But then again it used to appear a lot more mysterious back then, before seeing the endings and the Wish Granter turning out to be a scam. I don't remember the movie version of the Wish Granter as such or the C-Consciousness zombifying people though.

[@JaLoK1N]

GOOD GAME , GOOD CHANNEL !

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thanks !

[@robertramos1297]

I like your accent friend there are not a lot of lore channels about stalker

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thanks, yeah that's why I created mine in the first place.

[@ASlickNamedPimpback]

At 17:35 you said that the C-Consciousness used the Brain Scorcher to brainwash the original Monolith, when according to Strider (who was a member of the original Monolith), they actually got all the way to CNPP

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yes, that is correct. However, this does not mean that the Brain Scorcher can't turn people into Monolith members. Strider's memory seems to be inaccurate, and even if they did reach the CNPP it is possible that other devices than the Brain Scorcher exist. The C-Consciousness representative himself stated that the Brain Scorcher was only one of the fields from their network. The truth is, we simply don't know...

[@ASlickNamedPimpback]

@@anomalousdugout9557 good points. Hope Stalker 2 relieves the biggest anomaly of all: inconsistencies

[@samuelebianchi6969]

Great! But what about a video about the minors charatchers? Like Noah beard, Sultan , borov , the death of Wolf? And other? Thanks and great video again

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thanks, well I'm not sure if there is enough to be said about minor characters to make an interesting video. Also, Wolf does not always die. But maybe I'll do something in a future video, we'll see.

[@huntclanhunt9697]

Obviously Strelok was exposed to more than just a blowout/brain scorcher device (as seen with the flashing TVs). My assumption is that Agents are harder to make, Zombies are just people exposed to the scorcher, and Monolith are the same as the agents, but designed for the purpose of grunt work.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yeah, that's probably the case.

[@latewizard301]

""supposedly" destroyed the C Consciousness" nice, seeing as i theorize they might keep the original plot of CoP Strelok being a clone. Great video tho, you always make great content IMO ;)

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yeah you never know, I prefer to take my precautions. Thanks !

[@mongke7858]

"the original plot of CoP Strelok being a clone." what?

[@anomalousdugout9557]

@@mongke7858 Following some leaks from the old version of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 from 2010, theories have appeared reguarding the ending of Shadow of Chernobyl. According to these theories, Strelok never destroyed the C-Consciousness, it was all just an illusion, and the Strelok you meet in Call of Pripyat was just a clone, an agent sent by the C-Consciousness.

[@latewizard301]

@@mongke7858 the devs released the plot for Stalker 2 in 2012 (thinking it would never release) it said that the plot twist would be the C-C never got destroyed, it was just a cover up

[@mongke7858]

@@anomalousdugout9557 Interesting. Can I get a link to look at the leaks if they are still around?

[@ClearWhiteWater]

I always thought monoliths were people who fell in love with artifacts

[@anomalousdugout9557]

You could say they fell in love with a big shiny rock.

[@moody1320]

Technically the monolith is a huge artifact so you aint wrong

[@the100radsstalker93]

Ever wondered what's behind that inaccessible blast door below the Brain scorcher control switch.. There are so many closed doors in Stalker that leaves me scratching my head.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

I think this door was supposed to lead to the Pripyat underground which appeared in old cancelled versions of the game. The player had to take the tunnels to go to Pripyat, but not much more is known about it.

[@denominagainatedableus13ye5]

@@anomalousdugout9557 The game developers really love underground mission huh?

[@anomalousdugout9557]

@@denominagainatedableus13ye5 Yeah they do, the Zone is full of undergrounds everywhere, we actually visit only a small fraction of them in the games.

[@S.T.A.L.K.E.R_fan]

As a monolith soldier, i can confirm that i activated a grenade when people going to execute me

[@Wenceslas_Krantz]

How canon are the books based on the games? In Alekszej Kalugin's Deadly Dreams (I don't know if that is the correct original name, backtranslated from the Hungarian version it is Deadly Dreams however) the brain scorcher actually have infinite modes. Or at least so many in different variations that it's impossible to count them all. From the most extreme like the zombification it's also capable of more simple emotions like emulating a hallucination state or just being drunk. In the book the scorcher makes different waves during the day but it's impossible to predict how deadly the next will be, or when will be or how long the current will last.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

As far as I know, none of the books are canon. But that's interesting nonetheless.

[@vix6276]

Sorry to be posting on your videos so much! But I had a theory as well , although it might sound dumb. what if the c-consciousness "Chooses" who it wants to have as a monolithian fighter, and who to be a zombie? I'm not sure how they would, but maybe they judge them by willpower or something like that? Also, what if zombies were supposed to be monolithian fighters, but didn't properly get "converted", leaving them how they are in game. Just a thought, I hope it made some sense!

[@anomalousdugout9557]

No problem, it's nice to read your thoughts. These theories make sense, maybe that's what is going on, who knows?

[@trannellp8707]

Very interesting

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yes.

[@unhappyattendantughh2469]

Wow, took a year to get to 1000 subs, now you gained 620 in a month !

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Almost yeah, more like in 2 months. I guess the KZbin algorithm has blessed me.

[@skullgaming5405]

Ah yes. More monolith gaming

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Indeed.

[@specnaz_commander]

Great video. I have question. What do you think happened to major Khaletskiy after he escaped from loners base ?

[@anomalousdugout9557]

We don't even know for sure if he actually escaped, so I see a lot of possible scenarios. If he did not escape, most likely the loners killed him. If he did escape, and rejoined the military, then he would be held responsible for the loss of many men and control over the Cordon, so maybe he would face important charges in a military court. Because of this, I think perhaps if he was to escape, the best he could do was to become a deserter and remain in the Zone, maybe as a bandit or mercenary. He seemed to have a lot knowledge as well as connexions in the Zone, so it could work out for him.

[@noanswer1864]

Hear me out here, but what if these three units could be moved between the three phases described, and not just between fanatic and stalker-type? Or at least such a thing could happen while the C-Consciousness was running the show. Zombies are more resistant to the environment, and arouse no suspicion. They can wander through the zone in clumps, called in a particular direction as they march without care for their physical bodies in happy dreams of their families that they will soon see again. Once the units that survive the crossing to where ever it is they are gathering, they begin to shift into fanatic mode. There they guard their muster point, rearm, and heal in preparation for doing whatever they were gathering to do. There are artifacts out there that can heal a body from an extremely near-death state to just dandy in a few hours (assuming proper radiation protection). People have dissected zombies to see how truly messed up their brains and other internal organs are, but has the same been done to the fanatics and the fully functioning Stalker type to compare?

[@retroplayer56]

There was one time where I injured a monolith soldier without killing him. While I was walking towers him to see what I could do, I heard the distinct sound of a grenade pin being pulled. They are truly financial.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

They only do that in mods, in vanilla games they don't suicide like that as far as I know.

[@TheRama2299]

I remember very recently, I was replaying Call of Pripyat, and decided for once to investigate the Jupiter factory a bit more in depth and found one of those devices in a box like the one in 9:08. It was pretty well hidden inside some crates and in between some debris. The device itself seemed to be active as it was lit but no emissions of any type were being irradiated by it. Shooting it also seemed to break it as the light went off when I shot it. I kinda wonder if it was to serve another purpose but was ultimately scrapped

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yeah I know this one, I guess it's a small secret hinting at the fact that such devices were maybe manufactured in the factory. Maybe we'll learn more about this device in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2, who knows ?

[@spontanapa]

I noticed one strange zombie in my recent playthrough. Upon entering the room with the psy-emitter I went up the first stairs and then I had to retreat back. The gate from which I came was closed and new zombies had spawned there. Two of them were normal but one of them moved like a normal stalker. He did not have the mouthwrap and he aimed properly. I killed him and saw that, when searching his body, his group was "zombified" but unlike the other zombies, who don't have names other than "Zombified stalker", this one's name was "Artyom Scythe". I have no idea if this is a bug or an easteregg and I couldn't find any info on it. Note: his body armor was a Guardian of Freedom Suite and he had a uniqe PDA profile icon that I've never seen before.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yes I know about this, the zombie you saw is called a "fresh" zombie. It is supposed to show what a human who just very recently became a zombie looks like. Exactly like Topol and his squad in Call of Pripyat if you let the Controller take over them. The one you saw is from Freedom because Lukash sent some of his men to try to recover the special healing military suit which is located in the factory above X16. If I remember correctly, two of these zombies spawn when you take the job to find the suit, one in the factory and one in the lab.

[@spontanapa]

@@anomalousdugout9557 Oh that's really cool

[@WaveysGamingAdventure]

Лови враг монолита Hahahaha very interesting video. Stalker has always been mysterious. Very fun to explore the lore, and very well organized and edited!!

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thank you very much, yeah I love exploring the lore and making theories about it !

[@mysteryman4915]

I think Monolith uses the scorcher as a filter. Yes, they need troops, but they have different uses for bodies. Dumb stalkers killed by the scorcher are used as sentries and drones by being low cost zombies. They don’t need to invest resources into them as they have their own. Proper monolith soldiers are made from stringer emissions closer to the CNPP, as to get there, a stalker needs to be smart, resourceful, and well equipped, making better soldiers to invest resources into.

[@edgeofoctober]

I like to imagine that if you are out during an emission, you are zombied. Psi-storms are the zones way of turning zombies into Monolith agents.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

I made 2 complete videos about emissions, and found out that blowouts simply kill you. Besides, psy-storms only exist in mods.

[@tomtk907]

Hey i Like your content but you can Go forward, you can use free KZbin Musik (Audio libary) for more atmo (or use the atmo Sounds ingame). Its hard but try Use the camera Tool to make an Close up ingame and then Cut it on a total, it feels more naturly and it is hide Cut, if you can use a Motion (move Hand Animation) to cut, Next use After effects take it for text in Screen or track it ingame. In my Work i learnd some Tricks, like dont use Off without Musik or atmo.. But im learning to.. and hoply we can help togehter 😊 ps sry For my broke Englisch thats what im not good in, write an Off in different languege 😁😅

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yes, I know that my video shooting and editing skills are quite bad, but that's not the most important aspect of my videos (which is the information it contains). I'm trying to improve as well, in some recent videos I've been experimenting with ambiance music. Anyway thanks for the comment!

[@yourlocalcyborg]

My personal theory on why some of the Monolith are zombified has to do with the faction reputation, if a brainwashed stalker strays too far from the path set by the Monolith and the former C-Consciousness, they'll be misinformed when the next blowout will happen, and subsequently become Zombified to better serve their nefarious plots

[@shiby1860]

i always wonder the most how they got their insane numbers, they must have at least 1-2k people, which is crazy considering the rest of the zone (free stalkers, bandits, duty, freedom&mercs) is maybe 300-1000, depending on the game&what time it's set in (as it does get more populated later, but also depopulated because of all the death i assume) think about it, they must've sent at least a hundred or two to the barrier by then (the attack in shadow of chernobyl already had 10s, and that wasn't the only of it's kind), you kill about 200-400 more of them in the rest of SoC, i'd say you kill at least 100-200 in clear sky and then at least another hundred in call of pripyat, though to be fair the monolith do seem a bit weaker, but more organized&smarter and less braindead in call of pripyat

[@LewisB3217]

Do you think we can get some stuff on the mercenaries? They are my favorite faction

[@anomalousdugout9557]

There will be some stuff about mercenaries, that's for sure. I can't tell you when it will happen though, there are a lot of other videos that need to be done. Please be patient !

[@jrjr9908]

Sometimes the monolithians would say something. I cant remember the exact words, but it goes something like this. Что..я..? Нет. Монолитт ..дождь..вчера..мне холодно

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yeah that's right, I don't know russian but I've seen this before.

[@NIL0S]

I don't think that the Brainscorcher is directly responsible for making Monolith converts. How I see it: Psy storms are a raw form of what the Brainscorcher does. In both cases, Stalkers get their brains fried, and they become zombies. Zombies are not hostile to Monolith. When they are created by a psy storm, they just wander the zone and deteriorate to the zombies we see all over. When the C-consciousness makes the brainscorcher do its thing, Monolith troops instead carry the victims away to be converted, some become Monoliths, other Agents, it depends on the brainwashing done. In all cases the procedure is likely incredibly invasive and results can vary. That's why people are never the same, even if they recover or deconvert. Agents are driven out of the center by death trucks to follow their individual missions, I suppose some of them may even leave the zone entirely to influence the outside world, or procure resources for the Monolith. I have a feeling the C-consciousness is probably rather hands off, they got the ball rolling with the wishgranter, the Monolith and the Agents, the rest is sort of like a running experiment, that's why the Monolith keep doing what they do even after the pods of the C-consciousness are destroyed by Strelok.

[@janbornowski1267]

Making a monolith troop is like cooking a steak You cant cook them too much or else they will be worse You cant cook them too shortly or else they will still be zombies

[@raz2493]

zombies feel less but still,they feel 😂 pray for zombies

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yeah, must be an horrible fate to be turned into one.

[@meatropellountren1886]

some stalkers captured a monolith fanatic and in a PDA we can know the monolith soldier didnt trust them and escaped after killing the stalkers that have captured him

[@blenky5516]

I absolutely find your accent so satisfying lmfaoo _Anaomalouss dauggh aott_

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Some people like it, others don't, but in the end that's just how I speak English.

[@christianchristiansen1471]

@@anomalousdugout9557 yes, amigo

[@iluvx360]

It's more likely that Mode 1 "Zombified" persons are the result of a failed Mode 2 "Monolithian" indoctrination. This would indicate that people have different dispositions to withstand psy-emissions or control. It means that Mode 1 individuals were too weak to withstand the full indoctrination that Mode 2 Monolithians undergo. Mode 3 "Zombo-monolithians" are probably a mixed result, meaning that their psy-resistance was not so weak that their "brain was scorched" but that they also were not resilient enough to survive a full indoctrination. It does make sense that Mode 1 would be a deterrence measure, but also we have to keep the original concept of the C-Consciousness. Their goal was to find a way to control humanity, in a sense, by removing negative emotions from the noosphere. Maybe these efforts that we see in Modes 1-3 are not necessarily deliberately different; maybe these are experiments by the C-Consciousness to fulfill their ultimate goal. P.S. I am a new S.T.A.L.K.E.R. player so there is a high chance that I am missing key information or plot points.

[@fracturedkarlik4743]

The modes of brainwashing do make sense although I think the half zombified and half monolith fighters are actually older monolith fighters whose minds and body are slowly deteriorating, this would explain why Strider and his group managed to break from control while the rest of the faction did not as they were probably recently recruited and their minds had not deteriorated to the point of no return. Things such as psi fields may be a key in recruiting monolith fighters as it doesn’t instantly fry your brain like an emission. this could explain how the monolith troops stumbled upon a loner who was in the process of “converting” due to him being caught in a psi field

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yes, that's definitely possible, but I think Strider says that they've been in the Monolith for a few years. If that's correct, I'm not sure if they really deteriorate.

[@fracturedkarlik4743]

Anomalous Dugout ah ok if I that’s the case then I guess not

[@biohazarddetected792]

i really like this video but i think you got only one thing wrong marked one is strelok,and scar was to kill strelok so he may have gotten his pda instead of his own not sure if that is it or not but still,good video keep it up!

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Of course Marked One is Strelok, but that does not change anything. Scar was never tasked to kill Strelok, only to stop him. Besides, the design of their PDAs are clearly different, so I'm quite sure they're not the same.

[@biohazarddetected792]

@@anomalousdugout9557 oh,alright thanks for correcting me

[@czeekibreek8217]

Here, have my sub. Also, do you have any community discord?

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Thank you. No, I do not have Discord.

[@czeekibreek8217]

@@anomalousdugout9557 oh, thats a pity. Would like go discuss stalker more further with others. Anyways, have a nice day fellow stalker. Thank you for your dedication

[@anomalousdugout9557]

@@czeekibreek8217 Thanks, nice day to you.

[@sachimi_ggz]

I just finished SOC and I have a question. Why is it that the monolith members seem to be stupid? Is the AI flawed or they are programed to work out like that? A lot of times monolith members were right in front of me but they didnt shot me. Sometimes I could be really near but they did not detected me. Is this an error or is intended?

[@anomalousdugout9557]

I'm pretty sure this is a bug in their AI. Sometimes, the NPCs can be extremely smart, outflank you and kill you with pinpoint accuracy, and other times, they can be very dumb. It's one of the weird things in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. that players have to deal with.

[@Loner_Ken]

Dang, Dugout's voice was different 3 years ago.

[@Albanianman4558]

Hey anomalous question monolith preachers and the gauss/item 62 or whatever is it only like one thing? For example monolith preachers they use the gauss are there multiple gauss rifles or!

[@anomalousdugout9557]

There are dozens of Gauss rifles in Shadow of Chernobyl.

[@Inquisitor_Erebus]

*Looks at "Сталкер" tattoo on left arm* Hmm...guess that explains why my trip to the reactor is nothing but a blank space. I remember getting to CNPP and the next thing I know I'm back in Cordon lol.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Indeed.

[@Inquisitor_Erebus]

@@anomalousdugout9557 I honestly always felt like the cut zombies were the ultimate end of the monolithians. Like they start out as just being converted to monolithians or turned into agents, and over time their bodies just begin to degrade due to radiation, psy energy, and poor diets until they ultimately end up shambling around mumbling incoherently.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

@@Inquisitor_Erebus Yes, this could very well be the case. It's a bit sad that such zombies were cut, but to me it does not mean that they don't exist, only that we don't get to see them in game. Actually some of their corpses remain as props, so it kinda confirms that they still exist.

[@thorvidarr]

My theory is that most of it is because of machine instability, personally. If you remember in Clear Sky the miracle machine is incredibly unstable.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

That's right, maybe it is the case.

[@TankJockey38]

I wonder if death trucks are driven by monolith or other agents.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

In the beginning cutscene, the driver appears to be wearing a suit of the Duty faction. It's most likely an agent programmed to just drive and follow the road, but who knows...

[@slimjohn2090]

There is a spot before you get to the reactor to get a monolith suit. But you will die of radiation using it. To bad I never found a way to go backwards in the game with goodies. I need this game on android. Still have the pc version from 2007

[@nobodywins129]

basically, scorched zombie→sentient brain washed monolith→elite monolith(inside the nuclear power plant)

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Yeah, or the other way around.

[@monolith9613]

Question : if they disable the brain schorcer Do stalker still can become zombofied,and monoliths?

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Zombies can still be created by other psy-fields such as anomalies and controllers. But I think there are no more monolithians.

[@vasilzahariev5741]

My question is, how does the Brain Scorcher not turn Monolith fighters into zombified stalkers, when the more powerful mode is turned on? We never see zombified stalkers wearing Monolith uniforms, so clearly that doesn't happen.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

Right that's a good question, to which I don't have an answer. Most likely the monolith soldiers have some sort of protection against psi-emissions, but who knows ? Everythink I said was just a theory after all, so maybe the truth is something else.

[@tezwoacz]

@@anomalousdugout9557 I dont know if it was ripped from the original game or created by modders but in Anomaly mod for stalker you can find journal of monolith convert, and in that journal its told that first entries were poorly written and incoherent rambling and then later notes were better written and more coherent with final notes made with very precise writing. That makes it possible to assume that everyone always turns into zombies until slowly evolving into monolith/agents, maby those zombie looking monoliths were a 1st stage zombie-monolith conversion.

[@anomalousdugout9557]

@@tezwoacz I think this is made by the modders, but it is indeed possible that it happens like that. The "animal" state mentionned in the PDA entry at the end of the video could be that zombie stage, and it would also explain other stuff which we will take a look at in the next "Lore & Theories" video.

[@vinnie4609]

The interesting thing is that zombies attack everyone besides other zombies AND monolith, so they do have a connection between them!

[@Jack_Pepsi]

If the scorcher can use emissions to remove minds maybe it could also "install" a certain behavior to protect the monolith more effectively. Kinda like the programmed clone soldiers in F.E.A.R