So?... You, err... feel free to bring me all your broken shooters, suits full of holes and whatnot... I ain't half as good when I'm sober, but I'll give it a shot...
Cardan
Cardan (Ru. Кардан) is an experienced stalker technician who appears in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat. He is mentioned in S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl.
Background[]
Before the Zone formed, Cardan worked as a contractor in the Jupiter plant for the development of Item 62 on behalf of the Group. He was namely involved in the design and manufacturing of the weapon's reels. The project was eventually terminated in 2004, due to the project's engineers failing to design an energy source compact enough for the weapon.[quote. 1]
After the second disaster, Cardan eventually returned to the Zone, befriending two stalkers named Barge and Joker, with whom he traveled to Zaton. However, the three men eventually went their separate ways after a drunken argument over where the group would go next.[quote. 2] Cardan never saw his friends again, and feeling regretful for pushing them away, became alcoholic. He eventually set up a workshop in the Skadovsk, with Nimble's help.[quote. 3]
Appearances[]
Call of Pripyat[]
Cardan resides in the upper levels of the Skadovsk, acting as Zaton's only technician. As with Nitro, he provides a quest to fetch him toolkits. He also provides a quest to investigate the fate of his former friends.
His upgrade tree is dependent on his vodka consumption in tandem with the tools he currently has: one bottle will unlock most of the first tier of upgrades, two bottles will unlock the second and third tiers. However, if given a third bottle, he will become too intoxicated to work; he will simply slump in his seat and mutter garbled phrases when conversation is attempted, forcing the player to wait an entire day for Cardan to become sober again. Due to the fact that the third-tier upgrades are only unlocked after Pripyat is explored, there should not be any practical reason to give him a third bottle. However, his skills are not entirely dependent on vodka as he can still repair equipment while sober.
His dependency on vodka can be cured if the player shows him the unidentified weapon retrieved from the Monolith faction in Pripyat. Cardan will immediately recognize the weapon but the shock causes him to effectively faint. When he wakes up the next day, he swears off alcohol, properly identifies the weapon as the Gauss rifle, and gives the player a massive discount on any future upgrades and repairs without the need for vodka. He also provides the player his keycard to access the workshop in which the weapon was being manufactured.
After receiving the schematics for the Gauss rifle, he can provide the player with a fully functional Gauss rifle and also starts selling Homemade batteries – six charges for 2000 RU. These batteries, while still just as accurate and powerful as the factory-made cells, are heavier. Upon receiving the Calibration tools, he becomes the only technician capable of fully upgrading an Exoskeleton's servomotors, allowing its user to sprint.
Pricing[]
Cardan's rate depends on his state of inebriation or the status of his keycard. The player's stance towards the Loners and Bandits in the area has no effect, neither does turning in Joker's and Barge's PDAs.
- 10% discount and tier 1 upgrades are available with one vodka – lasting about four in game hours.
- 20% discount and tier 2 and tier 3 upgrades available with two vodkas.
- 35% discount after giving the player his old keycard halfway through the mission Unidentified weapon. He will also offer all possible upgrades without vodka.
Related missions[]
- Tools: Cardan asks the player to bring him additional Tools to extend his upgrading abilities. Upon successful completion of this mission, the achievement Weapon Systems Expert.
- Three Comrades: Cardan asks the player to inquire about Joker and Barge's whereabouts and pass his apologies to them.
- Unreachable Stash: Cardan can be asked to pry open the Steel box, which he will do for 500 RU.
- Unidentified weapon: Cardan can be shown the unidentified weapon acquired from the Preacher, which he will immediately recognize: he will give the player the Old magnetic keycard necessary to gain access to the Testing Workshop. After the Documents concerning item 62 have been retrieved, the player can give him the unidentified weapon for repairs.
Heart of Chornobyl[]
Related missions[]
Endings[]
- Main article: S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat Endings#Cardan''
Cardan has two possible endings depending on whether he has been given Joker and Barge's respective PDAs or not.
- If Cardan has been given Joker's PDA and Barge's PDA, then the ending slide reveals that he left the Skadovsk for Yanov station where he partnered up with the local technician, Nitro, to design and build a vehicle that could be operated in the Zone's harsh environment.
- If the player did not give him the PDAs, then the ending slide reveals that he left the Skadovsk on his own to search for his friends and eventually returned several days later suffering from injuries and radiation poisoning. After recovering, he eventually left the Zone for good.
Heart of Chornobyl[]
Cardan is mentioned in an audio log with Professor Dvupalov. Cardan is awoken by the Professor at 3 A.M. to make a device that blocks the the Project Leash signals. Cardan responds by deflecting and returning to sleep, telling the professor to tell him about it in the morning.
Dialogue[]
| Quote | Condition |
|---|---|
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Upon seeing the Gauss rifle |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Cardan's appearance is based on Konstantin Stupivtsev, the designer who created Call of Pripyat's HUD and UI.
References[]
- ↑
Cardan: "Back then I used to do contract work for the Jupiter plant. I designed weapons, if memory serves, "based on the principle of projectile acceleration via an electromagnetic field." See those reels? I made those... Too bad they shut down the project in 2004. We never did find a compact enough energy source."
- ↑ Cardan: "We were hanging out one night, drinking, and started arguing over what to do next - should we go on or stay, and if we go, where to. Everyone's sticking to his guns, standing pat. Things got pretty heated and when the argument was over, we all went our own way, me included. I told them they ain't seen life yet... and some other unpleasant things."
- ↑ Cardan: "When I was building my workshop it was none other than Nimble who helped me. Didn't charge me a penny, either..."
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