Chimera

Chimera
General Characteristics
Type	Unknown
Statistics
Health	High
Attacks	Claws
Abilities	Long leaps Fast movement
Body parts	None
Locations	Call of Pripyat Zaton (Rare) Yanov (Rare) Pripyat (Rare)

A Chimera is a mutant featured only in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat. One of the strongest enemies in the game, Chimeras are hard to spot and even harder to escape from.

Overview

Chimera is a hairless cat/dog-like creature, close to the size of an adult lion, with 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. A Chimera also uses some Hit and Run attacks especially during night, trying to get behind the player's back and pounce on him and then run off to a distance, to repeat this attack again.

Appearances

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Pripyat - Mutants!

Video demonstrating the abilities of a Chimera.

Chimeras were removed from Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky, but appears as trophies on walls in places such as Yoga's trailer or the Freedom main building in the Army Warehouses. The Chimera removed from the former do not attack players but moves in the same way as they do in Call of Pripyat.

Some fan-made modifications for Shadow of Chernobyl and Clear Sky restores the Chimera, but they functioned more like upgraded pseudodogs than the final incarnation seen in Call of Pripyat.

Call of Pripyat

• The first scripted encounter occurs in Zaton, when hunting the wounded chimera with Gonta and Garmata.
• The second one will likely occur as part of the Night Hunt quest given by Trapper.
• Rarely or maybe a bug in version 1.0, after finishing "Kill the swamp bloodsucker", a Trapper's quest, Chimeras start spawning near Skadovsk and Dock Crane.
• After obtaining the Mutant Hunter achievement, Chimeras will randomly spawn in Yanov and Zaton.
• Regularly spawns in the hospital courtyard in Pripyat after the player has acquired the Gauss gun from the Monolith Preacher. Specifically, it is scripted to appear during the Evacuation mission, and will likely kill at least one soldier if the player doesn't focus on it.

Combat Tips

STALKER Call of Pripyat - Pseudogiant rampage

A Pseudogiant and Chimera duking it out at the Volkhov AA Complex. The Chimera loses this battle, its body can be seen about halfway through the video.

• Chimeras move extremely fast, even outpacing smaller, more agile mutants like Pseudodogs. Although, once the Chimera takes heavy-enough damage, it will start to limp and move at a highly reduced speed and more susceptible to running away than continuing to fight, making it easier to deliver the final blow, although note that the distance of the Chimera's pounce attack is unaffected by its wounded state, so still exercise caution.
• 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 in 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.
• Some people prefer to fight Chimera at point blank on Master as it allows you to put huge amounts of damage per second onto it, and its attacks are incredibly easy to dodge, even when wearing an exoskeleton without the sprint upgrade.
• 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 at close range with either one of the underbarrel grenade launchers can kill the beast in one shot.
• Though somewhat useful in dispatching the Chimera, the Bulldog 6 is not a particularly effective weapon to use against it, since its sluggish reloading animation can prove fatal to the player (especially when all six grenades have been expended) as the Chimera is extremely fast and sudden in its attacks, giving the player no time to recover. Although, the Bulldog 6 is best used when one has the element of surprise and distance on a Chimera, as a bombardment of 6 grenade shells would be useful for softening up a Chimera for close combat.

Behind the scenes

Remains of GSC notes from Shadow of Chernobyl indicate that the Chimera is the result of genetic experiments on animals within the Zone. As a result, it is faster, smarter, and stronger than the majority of other mutants in the Zone, be they created through Scientific methods or natural mutation. Most of its internal organs have duplicated, meaning it can take damage to some without being impeded significantly. It has few natural enemies, and the only creatures which posed a threat to it are the Pseudogiant and the Chernobyl Dog.

Trivia

• The PDA considers the Chimera as 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 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. universe appears to be somewhat composed of different animals: The body and posture of a lion, the claws of a bear, and one face that somewhat bears a visage of a human head with the other one, a cat-like creature.

Gallery

Call of Pripyat

A Chimera.

A closer look at the Chimera.

A Chimera and a Pseudogiant.

A Chimera mid-flight.

Chimera's face.

Chimera leaping at Major Deg in the "area around Jupiter".

Shadow of Chernobyl

Re-enabled by using modifications.

Chimera in Shadow of Chernobyl, put back with Atlas Spawn Menu Mod.