- Faction Armor Penetration (Update 0.8.0): Human enemies now wear armor (ballistic / slash): Gunners 45% / 40% (Health 70 → 50), Mechanists and Palatines 20% / 20%, Vultures 15% / 15%, Bandits 10% / 10%, and Rada 10% / 20%. AP rounds subtract up to 50% armor, making caliber selection vital.
- Journal Map NPC Pins (Update 0.8.0): NPCs appear as pins on your Journal Map once you get close to them or talk to them. Zoom in and hover over a pin to inspect their name.
- Dogface NPC & Fast Travel (Update 0.8.0): Introduces Dogface and his quest "On the Road", unlocking the Dogface Rides transit network across 6 wasteland stops (Arcadia, the Mire, Sontse Station, Microrayon, North Pier, Quarry Settlement).
- 11 Named Traders & Rank Payouts: Zhivan, Vesna, Nadja, Grigory, Volodymyr, Bogdan, Petar, Yefim, Alexei, Anatoly, and Raisa. Traders pay an additional 5% sell value per Trader Rank (Update 0.7.0). Volodymyr maintains ZERO reputation requirement on all goods.
- Raisa Reconciliation: If standing drops below -300 Rep, visit diplomat Raisa at the Neutral Chapel. Under Hotfix 0.7.2, Raisa can offer follow-up jobs immediately without waiting for current jobs to finish.
6 Confirmed Act I Factions
These organizations control Zalesye's central outposts, contracts, and resource trade in Early Access:
Rada Council (Rada)
The bureaucratic and military remnant of the pre-Mist regional council. They control key infrastructure, central checkpoints, and state ammunition stocks.
The Commonfolk Union (Commonfolk)
Decentralized mutual-defense collective formed by everyday survivors, farmers, scavengers, and mechanics trying to subsist away from faction wars.
The Mist Acolytes (Acolytes)
A secretive quasi-religious cult obsessed with the radioactive green fog. They view the Mist as a purifying evolutionary event rather than a disaster.
Mechanists Guild (Mechanists)
Pragmatic engineers, machinists, and gunsmiths who hoard machine tools, welding equipment, and technical schematics from abandoned factories.
Palatines Executive Security (Palatines)
Corporate and oligarchic private security contractors deployed before the collapse. Highly disciplined, ruthlessly pragmatic, and equipped with Western gear.
Gunners Syndicate (Gunners)
Hardened mercenary syndicate that operates on a strictly transactional basis. If you have rubles or rare ammo, they are your best friends; if not, you are prey.
The Named Settlement Traders
The official 0.6.0 patch notes name eleven traders operating across the settlements and describe how each specialises. Below are their trading niches, stock peculiarities, and critical player buying decisions:
For exact trader buy/sell multipliers (such as Zhivan's 140% for common junk or Bogdan's +40% on mutant parts), Volodymyr's zero-reputation Crossroads annex location, and the 50,000 Ruble village stash expansion, explore our dedicated guide.
| TRADER | LOCATION | PRIMARY INVENTORY | CRITICAL STOCK NOTES | REP GATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Volodymyr The Unrestricted Trader | Crossroads Safehouse Annex |
| CRITICAL VALUE: 100% of Volodymyr’s inventory has ZERO Rank/Reputation requirement. Essential refuge for early progression or players with ruined faction standing. | NO RANK REQ |
| Nadja Hardware & Machine Parts Purveyor | Mechanists Railway Workshop |
| BUILD 0.6.3 UPDATE: Developers significantly boosted Nadja’s screw (Screws) inventory to ease safehouse workbench construction bottlenecks. | Rep Gated |
| Bogdan Mutant Parts Buyer | Settlement traders |
| CRITICAL NOTE: the official 0.6.0 notes state that Bogdan pays 40% more for Mutant Parts, with the bonus reflected directly in the displayed price, and that Bogdan no longer sells the Knife. Trader stock and location rotate between patches, so confirm in-game before making a dedicated trip. | NO RANK REQ |
| Raisa Faction Diplomatic Intermediary | Neutral Chapel Outpost |
| CORE MECHANIC: If you become hostile with Rada, Gunners, or Acolytes, visit Raisa to purchase reconciliation courier missions to restore neutral standing. In Hotfix 0.7.2, Raisa can offer follow-up jobs without waiting for the current one to finish, alongside a rebalancing of Raisa jobs. | NO RANK REQ |
| Grigory General Provisioner | Commonfolk Settlement Center |
| Primary day-one restock hub. If your hunger or radiation spikes after an extraction, Grigory is your most affordable medical refuel. | NO RANK REQ |
| Petar Weaponsmith | Market stall (relocated by 0.6.0) |
| OFFICIAL 0.6.0: Petar now sells Mechanical Components and the WG-40, the WG-40 is cheaper, and his stall has been moved. Which stall he stands at changes between patches, so confirm in-game before travelling. | NO RANK REQ |
| Zhivan Common Goods Buyer | Settlement traders |
| OFFICIAL 0.6.0: Zhivan now pays 140% value for Common items, the best documented outlet for ordinary scavenged junk. Stock and location rotate between patches; confirm in-game first. | NO RANK REQ |
| Vesna Common Goods Buyer | Settlement traders |
| OFFICIAL 0.6.0: Vesna pays 75% for Common items, and her Fetch Jobs now reward slightly more money and more Reputation than before. | NO RANK REQ |
| Anatoly Covert Black Market Broker | Secret Bunker 04 Drainage Exit |
| Only appears between 22:00 and 04:00 night hours in Zalesye. Demands pristine anomaly artifacts for top-tier military gear. | Rep Gated |
Raisa Diplomatic Reconciliation System
In Scavland, taking bounty contracts against one faction will inevitably lower your reputation with them. If your standing reaches Hostile (< -300 Rep), their patrols will snipe you on sight.
How to Clear Hostile Standing with Factions:
- Travel to the Neutral Chapel Outpost and speak with Raisa.
- Select the aggrieved faction (e.g. Rada, Gunners, or Mechanists).
- Pay a diplomatic bond in rubles or accept a Reconciliation Courier Job (delivering medical supplies or industrial parts to an outpost without firing your weapon).
- Upon completion, your reputation resets back to Neutral (0 Rep), lifting highway checkpoint shoot-on-sight orders.
4 Roadmap Factions (Act II & Act III)
The following organizations exist in the game’s lore and official roadmap, and will unlock as the Zalesye map expands northward in upcoming Early Access phases:
Subterranean Wardens
Subterranean isolationist soldiers sealed inside deep nuclear silos since the first outbreak. Known only through intercepted radio broadcasts.
Northern Marauder Clans
Feral raider factions roaming the uncharted northern perimeters beyond the current river boundary.
State Ecological Expedition
Government-funded scientific survey units sent to chart the biological progression of the Mist phenomenon.
Outland Smuggler Ring
Cross-border contraband syndicate capable of smuggling foreign high-tech hardware into the exclusion zone.