Changes: Chimera

Revision as of 00:41, 18 April 2011

A Chimera is a mutant featured only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat.

Characteristics

Chimera is a cerberus-like dog with no fur, large body, two heads and a broad tail. Chimeras are extremely strong and they're able to turn a car over alone. They are the most deadly mutant encountered, jumping incredible distances and doing extreme damage. Though physically weaker than the Pseudogiant, the Chimera is considered deadlier due to its extremely fast speeds and aggressiveness.

Attacks

Their attacks are fairly limited, to a leaping pounce, and a vicious - but very short-ranged - melee attack. The pounce itself isn't too dangerous compared to its melee, but it temporarily stuns the player, reducing them to a walking pace for a moment. The melee can make quick work of nearly any other mutant in the game - killing them with such force that it tosses the corpses into the air, which is an excellent warning sign that one is about. A player can take anywhere from 25-50% damage from a single slash, meaning heavy armor of some kind is nearly a necessity for surviving an encounter - and Exoskeleton users in particular need to be wary of the Chimera pouncing and combo-attacking them while they're reduced to a crawl.

Appearances

thumb|right|250px|Video demonstrating the abilities of a Chimera.

Call of Pripyat

After completing Gonta and Trapper's quest chains, Chimeras spawn regularly in Yanov and in Zaton.
One may also make its presence felt in the Evacuation finale.
During free play, Chimeras may spawn in :
- Pripyat, near the hospital
- Yanov, near the Concrete Bath anomaly
- Zaton, sometimes near Skadovsk

Previous games

Chimeras appear in Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky as trophies on walls, in places such as Yoga's trailer, or the Freedom main building in the Army Warehouses.
The Chimeras removed from the original Shadow of Chernobyl did not attack players. Their movement style was similar to how they appear in Call of Pripyat. These original Chimeras were removed from Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky. The reappearance of the Chimera in Call of Pripyat changed it's look and movement/attack style to what is seen present in the CoP game.

Combat Tips

If the player has time to prepare for a Chimera attack, packing explosive or sniper weaponry is effective for quick elimination at long range.
Engaging a Chimera is close quarters combat with a shotgun or assault rifle is possible with quick footwork, plenty of ammunition, and medical equipment. The biggest challenge is not losing sight of the beast when side stepping its massive leaps.
On Easy or Normal difficulty, a stab to the face has a chance of killing the beast outright, but is much too rare and difficult to be of practical use.
One headshot from a Gauss Rifle can kill a Chimera.
On Master difficulty, close combat with a Chimera is extremely dangerous and never advantageous. A Chimera can kill an armored character in two leaps. If the player is spotted by the beast, the best advice is to flee if an RPG-7 is not immediately at hand. A successful hit from an RPG will kill a Chimera even on Master.
Clever players can lure the Chimera into Stalker squads to help whittle down its health if the battle becomes too much to handle alone. Chimeras are often found fighting these squads to begin with. Chimeras also battle with other mutants at times.
Silenced weaponry fired at Chimeras over long ranges will often confuse the beast, giving the player more time to sink bullets into it before it can react properly. Disappointingly, the Chimera may flee the silenced fire in any direction it pleases, making the player give chase.
Dodging the Chimera's leap attack is a good way to get close enough to it without it hurting you as it will take a few seconds to collect itself after landing.
On Veteran difficulty and lower, a direct hit to the head with either one of the underbarrel grenade launchers can kill the beast in one shot.

Behind the Scenes

Some modifications enabled them in Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky, where they functioned more like upgraded pseudodog mutants then the final incarnation seen in Call of Pripyat.

Notes

The PDA considers them the most powerful mutant in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat. On Master difficulty, this honor is given to the Pseudogiant.

In mythology, a Chimera is a fierce creature that has a body composed of multiple animals: the body of a lioness, a snake for a tail, and the head of a goat in the middle of it's body.

Quite interestingly, the chimera featured in the STALKER series is somewhat composed of different animals: The body and posture of a lion, the roar of a bear, and one face that somewhat bears a visage of a human head with the other one, a cat creature.

@@ Line 44: / Line 44: @@
 * Silenced weaponry fired at Chimeras over long ranges will often confuse the beast, giving the player more time to sink bullets into it before it can react properly. Disappointingly, the Chimera may flee the silenced fire in any direction it pleases, making the player give chase.
 * Dodging the Chimera's leap attack is a good way to get close enough to it without it hurting you as it will take a few seconds to collect itself after landing.
-* On Veteran difficulty, a direct hit to the face with a VOG-25 Gernade fired from a Storm Rife at near point blank as it leaps towards you can kill a Chimera.
+* On Veteran difficulty and lower, a direct hit to the head with either one of the underbarrel grenade launchers can kill the beast in one shot.
 == Behind the Scenes ==