Monolith forces

It's those damn fanatics, we need to deal with them!

Colonel Kovalsky

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Monolith forces is a mission in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat.

Description[]

This mission is obtained as a follow-up to Missing recon unit. Investigating notes found on the bodies of Captain Klimenko's squad reveals that the Monolith has established a garrison in the nearby Book Store. Kovalsky believes the garrison ambushed and killed Klimenko and his men, and wants the player to wipe it out. He sends two men to assist the player.

The player must rendezvous with the reinforcements near the Department Store. Vano and Sokolov will be the two men to show up by default; Lieutenant Skelya will replace the former if he was killed during the trip through the Pripyat 1 underpass, and Sergeant Merkulov replaces the latter if the same happened to him (or if he wasn't recruited for the trip). After a brief conversation, the raid begins and the two men start making their way towards the Book store.

Twelve Monolithians occupy the building; five in the entrance lobby, five in the backroom, and two in the corridors. The two Monolith fighters in the corridor will be waiting in ambush position, so it is best to check corners when progressing into the building to avoid damage, especially if the fighters spawn with shotguns. The escort progresses into the building after the entrance lobby is cleared.

Deep into the store is a pair of doors leading into a large room with a large makeshift prayer structure (similar to the one found in the Palace of Culture), with five Monolithians in prayer around it. It takes some time for them to react to the player's presence, so it is best to attack them as soon as the player breaches in. Alternatively, there is a staircase leading to a hallway overlooking the room through some small windows. It is possible for the player to attack the Monolithians through the windows, which makes it easier to quickly clear the room, and also prevents potential injuries to the player's escort.

Once all Monolithians have been eliminated, the player must investigate the prayer structure. Underneath the pile of garbage is an antenna, which leads Major Degtyarev and Kovalsky to believe someone is issuing orders to the Monolithians throughout Pripyat. The missions ends after the antenna is found.

Trivia[]

This mission can be skipped altogether if the player assaults and clears out the Book store on their own prior to investigating Captain Klimenko's squad. Upon finding the recon team's bodies, Major Degtyarev comments that the squad did not report unusual activity in the area, which leaves Kovalsky confused as to what could've resulted in the men's deaths.
In the very first room, on the shelves in the top right corner, there is a stash containing SGI-5k with some ammo which may prove to be useful if the player wishes to keep their main weapon in good condition for a bit longer.
Occasionally, the player's team will become hostile during the fight for the book store - this can be solved with a simple quickload, and is most often due to ricochets or friendly fire with shotguns or grenades.
There is no direct penalty for the player if their team dies. However, remember that, if he survives, Sokolov will be taking part in the final Evacuation, and every man counts for this difficult mission. As for Vano, he declares his loyalty at the start of the raid, so it's good sportsmanship not to let him die. If Skelya and/or Merkluov are sent instead, their death is of no importance whatsoever; they are anyway scripted to die later, during the Radio interference mission.
Because of their scripted deaths during a later mission, if Skelya or Merkulov die during the raid, their corpse will 'warp' to their final resting place near the Kindergarten once the Radio interference quest has begun. Skelya's 'warping' may occasionally create another corpse, leaving two Lt. Skelyas in the level.
There is a rare glitch, where Sokolov might not return to the Laundromat after the mission, however his appearance does not vanish from Pripyat, indicating he is wandering around the city aimlessly. What causes this glitch is uncertain, but it might be because of the player not following him back to the Laundromat after they are done at the Book Store.
If the player waits long enough after being given this mission before going to meet the team, mutants can spawn in the area and a swarm of them can be found attacking the two men. However, they appear to be immune to damage at this stage in the quest and just stand there calmly, although the player will have to kill the mutants before the quest will progress.