• After all these years, the game still has bugs and errors anomalies. Sometimes achievements won’t unlock because of them. Additionally, future updates from GSC could potentially break achievement unlocks. Please be aware of this.
  
• Use manual saves. It may help you to roll back in case of issues with the game, or if you decide to unlock missed achievements.
  
• The S.T.A.L.K.E.R. community is exceptional! If you find some parts of this guide not being up to date, the solution may already be in the comments section!
  
• After you disable the Brain Scorcher, you will reach a point of no return. Hence, before proceeding with the main story, it may be a good idea to save your game and unlock missed achievements.

Check S.U.R.V.I.V.E.D. achievement.

Check S.U.R.V.I.V.E.D. achievement.

You could play the entire game on Master difficulty. In the end, Sidorovich's apprentice and In the Zone! achievements will unlock.

OR

You can play the entire game on the Novice difficulty. Bсefore the Wish Granter, change the difficulty to Veteran or Master. After making your wish you will earn the achievement.
Finish the game on one of the 5 Wish Granter endings, because for the C-Conscience endings it is unclear when to switch the difficulty for the achievement to trigger.

Start the playthrough.

Lore-related achievement, cannot be skipped.
Reach the Strelok hideout.

Escort Kruglov or Semenov to the Scientist Bunker after the completing the measurements.

REMEMBER: DO NOT JOIN FREEDOM BEFORE HELPING EKOLOGISTS!

For some reason, Ekologists are hostile to Freedom (feature, not a bug).

The best option would be to help Kruglov reach Yantar in order to additionally complete the achievement Explore and protect (Check Secondary achievements part of the guide)

Give X-16 documents to the Barkeep and head to the Cordon.
You can find the Guide in the house where you helped the stalker Fox at the beginning of the game.

Doctor will be waiting for you at Strelok's hideout after you receive the information from the Guide (stalker named Fox). (check Get out of here, Stalker achievement)

Take the decoder from the Polissya hotel in Pripyat after obtaining the key from Doctor in Strelok's hideout.

Reach the Wish Granter and make a wish.

After shutting down the Brain Scorcher and reaching Pripyat, obtain the decoder. In the Sarcophagus, instead of heading to the Wish Granter, go to the same floor where you climb the stairs. Turn right and follow the hallway. When you see a room with a rotating light on the left, enter it and climb the ladder. Use the decoder to open the door (you don’t need to fight the Monolith soldiers — you can simply wait them out). The achievement should unlock as soon as the door is open.

In the end of the conversation with representative of O-Consciousness, go with any of two choices.
If you refuse to join O-Consciousness, you still need to pass through the teleporter sequence, after which you will unlock the achievement.
Could be сombined with I'm all but certain it was... achievement.
(check the achievement below)

During the conversation with representative of С-Consciousness, make sure to REFUSE joining the C-Consciousness.
You will then be dropped at the rear side of the CNPP. Follow teleports, one will eventually briefly take you to Sidorovich and then back to the CNPP at which point you should get the achievement.

Finish the game.

Bread is often found on the bodies of dead stalkers, most commonly in the Cordon or Garbage.
Save your game, eat the bread, reload the save, repeat.

The easiest way to unclock it is to go to the Dark Valley. At the Bandit Base, on the way to the captive Duty member, there is a room with 2 crates of vodka containing around 30 bottles of Cossacks vodka.

Cumulative across the playtrough.

Rip and Tear, until it is done!

Cumulative across the playtrough.

There are plenty of blind dogs in Cordon or Garbage. Collect at least five, then save your game and sell them to any random stalker. Repeat this process until unlocked.

Mutants of the Zone:

• Blind dog (could be found on any location)
  
• Pseudodog (could be found in Cordon, Agroprom, Rostok, Wild Territory)
  
• Flesh (could be found on any location)
  
• Boar (could be found on any location)
  
• Bloodsucker (could be found in Bloodsucker village or in X-16)
  
• Snork (could be found in almost every X laboratory or Jantar lake)
  
• Pseudogiant (could be found in X-18, in the sewers after leaving X-16)
  
• Controller (could be found in Agroprom Undergroundin or X-16)
  
• Poltergeist (could be found in X-16 and X-18)
  
• Rodent (could be found in X-16 and X-18 or Wild Territory)

After the start of the game, follow the road out of the rookie village. Turn left, and you will eventually come across a train car with a yellow dot on the map. This is Tolik. After you talk to him, shoot him to get the achievement.

Save before murdering him, so you can later reload and help him instead, which will unlock A decent start achievement

Poor guy didn't see it coming.

Same as The worst stalker in the Zone achievement, but give medkit to Tolik instead of murdering him.

Save the stalker Yurik, who is being frisked by bandits when you first arrive in the Garbage. Save your game before attempting the rescue, as one of the bandits almost always kills Yurik once the shootout starts.

Rock, paper, scissors, gun.

After saving Yurik, he leads you to the Bes group. Talk to Bes and agree to repel the bandit attack.

In Agroprom, in North West corner is a swamp. Save the game. Beware of high radiation.
There is a train cart. Inside is a friendly soldier. Just talk to him.

Players report issues with unlocking this achievement. Please be aware of that.

After completing the story mission in the Dark Valley, to the right of the point of transition to the Cordon, there will be a farm. Go there, one of the NPCs will offer to buy a weapon from him for 800 rubles. You have to agree.

Just enter the small room with the photo of the game developers on the wall. The room is located in X-18, where you meet Pseudogiant during the main story quest.

Rescue Professor Kruglov in the Wild Territory from a group of Wolfhound. After that, escort him to the transition point in Yantar. There you have to conduct measurements together with Kruglov, and then safely escort him alive to the Scientist Bunker.

At some point when you return to Rookie Village, Wolf will be relaced with Fanatic.
He will ask you to help with eliminating Mercenary forces (6) camping where Tolik was - just North -East from the Rookie Village. When you kill them, return to Fanatic and you'll unlock the achievement.
Do it is just after collecting documents in X-18. Sidorovich will lead you out of Dark Valley and ask you to come by and show him the documents.

Complete all stages of the Arena in the Bar. The stages unlock as you increase your rank (checked your PDA).
Rounds 4, 5, 6 are for rank level 400 and above. Rounds 7 and 8 are for rank level 600 and abouve. You could get these ranks quicker by killing as many enemies, mutants as possible, and completing quests.
Most likely, you unlock the last stages after visiting X-16.

After collecting documents from X-16, you need to complete one of the quest chains for any faction, although joining the faction is not mandatory:

For Duty: Complete Voronin's quest chain at the Bulldog-6 and obtain the unique sniper rifle TRS-301. After that, you will be accepted into the faction.
Alternatively, you can help the Skull group destroy the Freedom Base at the Army Warehouses.

For Freedom: Upon your first visit to the Army Warehouses, tell about the Duty attack squad to Lukash, then find the informant (approach the meeting discreetly to avoid quest failure). After this, help defend the Barrier from Monolith squads. Following these actions, you will be accepted into Freedom.

Alternatively:

• Kill as many Duty members as possible
  
• Kill as many Freedom members as possible

At the Radar, at the crossroads of roads leading to the Brain Scorcher and Pripyat, is a hole in the fence where the bodies of dead scientists could be found. Next to the bodies, behind the fence, is a staircase leading to a small platform with a door that you have to open. The code for is 1287975.

Just equip 5 artifacts. Could be the same ones.

You just need to die from 5 different anomalies. Death from radiation also counts. You could achieve this in the Garbage or Agroprom.

This achievement isn’t immediately obvious..
You need to find and equip artifacts whose names are related to the beach. These are:

• Jellyfish
  Locations:
  
  • Cordon, in the pit behind the rookie village.
    
  • In a lot of places in Agroprom.
    
• Sparkler - Born in electro-anomalies only from 00:00 to 04:59.
  Locations:
  
  • Could be found on the Cordon in the tunnel or in Agroprom underground.
    
• Urchin
  Locations:
  
  • The Agroprom Underground, where first encounter of bloodsuckers happen.
    
• Goldfish
  Locations:
  
  • Yantar. Just before entering X-16, go up couple of floors up. You may find the artifact on the stairs.
    
• Night Star
  Locations:
  
  • Monolith Base in the Palace of Culture Energetik, in containers near the Monolith Antenna.
    
  • There is a very small chance of spawning in Agroprom (check Hiker achievement).
    
  • Other spawn locations are in Pripyat and at the CNPP.
    
  • You could also obtain it from the quest of the stalker Baldy (he is in the Bar 100 rads) by killing the stalker Umnik in the Army Warehouses or Dark Valley (he could migrate) or by following a lead to the Stash of Smoked in X-18).
    
• Shell:
  Locations:
  
  • One in the Garbage, on top of a highly irradiated hill near the Duty checkpoint. One is in the Army Warehouses close to the Backpack with equipment stash near the Mercenary Camp.
    
  • One in the Garbage, on top of a highly irradiated hill near the Duty checkpoint.
    
  • One is in the Army Warehouses close to the Backpack with equipment stash near the Mercenary Camp.
    
  • A third Shell is located a couple of meters away from the Battery in the Red Forest. It is well camouflaged, spends most of its cycle under the leaves and only pokes out above for about one-third of its cycle. While under the leaves the proximity detector will not indicate its presence. There is also a Spring close-by performing a similar cyclical behaviour. Best located in afternoon/early evening hours. In order to get the artifact, the player must run towards it and pick it up very fast, as it will sink into the ground once approached.
    
  • One stash in the boarded up house in the Wild Territory contains this artifact.
    Another stash is in Yantar, just outside Sakharov's lab.
    
  • One may also be found in a rare stash in Pripyat, the stash is on the second floor of the rear Kindergarten.
    Lukash gives this artifact as a reward for completing the mission Kill one of the Duty commanders.
    
• Moonlight
  Locations:
  
  • No guaranteed spawn location.
    
  • Could be found in the same anomalies as Sparkler and Flash.
    
  • Could be found in one of the stashes at the end of X-16, or obtained from the Barkeep' quest to kill the stalker named Sparrow.
    

You need to find 3 artifacts that boost Endurance and equip them. Each artifact only spawns between 00:00 and 04:59. These are:

• Sparkler - Born in electro-anomalies only from 00:00 to 04:59.
  Locations:
  
  • Could be found on the Cordon in the tunnel or in Agroprom underground.
    
• Flash
  Locations:
  
  • Could be found in the tunnel on the Cordon
    
  • Could be found in anomalies in the Agroprom Underground.
    
• Moonlight
  Locations:
  
  • No guaranteed spawn location.
    
  • Could be found in the same anomalies as Sparkler and Flash.
    
  • Could be found in one of the stashes at the end of X-16, or obtained from the Barkeep' quest to kill the stalker named Sparrow.
    

One of the most tedious achievements in the game. You need to find 14 out of 27 artifacts in total. These are:

• Slime
  Locations:
  
  • Spawns in chemical anomalies in the Wild Territory.
    
• Slug
  Locations:
  
  • Could be found in X-18 in the corner of the pool with a chemical anomaly, where snorks are jumping around.
    
• Jellyfish
  Locations:
  
  • Cordon, in the pit behind the rookie village.
    
  • In a lot of places in Agroprom.
    
• Stone Flower
  Locations:
  
  • Could be found at the Elevator in the Cordon, though it is difficult to grab it from there.
    
  • In the rash heaps in the Garbage.
    
• Sparkler - Born in electro-anomalies only from 00:00 to 04:59.
  Locations:
  
  • Could be found on the Cordon in the tunnel or in Agroprom underground.
    
• Flash
  Locations:
  
  • Could be found in the tunnel on the Cordon
    
  • Could be found in anomalies in the Agroprom Underground.
    
• Stone Blood
  Locations:
  
  • Could be found on the locomotive in the Cordon. Walk right along the railway to the end. Also
    
  • The trash heaps in the Garbage
    
• Meat Chunk
  Locations:
  
  • Could be found on top of the southern trash heap in the Garbage.
    
• Droplets
  Locations:
  
  • Could be found in the tunnel with Burners in the Wild Territory.
    
  • X-16.
    
• Fireball
  Locations:
  
  • Could be found in Strelok’s stash
    
  • The tunnel with Burners in the X-16.
    
• Thorn
  Locations:
  
  • Could only be found in some stashes or on stalker bodies starting from the Wild Territory. Does not physically spawn in the world.
    
• Crystal Thorn
  Locations:
  
  • Could only be found in some stashes or on stalker bodies starting from the Wild Territory. Does not physically spawn in the world.
    
• Wrenched
  Locations:
  
  • Could be found in the trash heaps in the Garbage.
    
• Gravi
  Locations:
  
  • Could be found in the trash heaps in the Garbage.
    
• Soul
  Locations:
  
  • Could be found near a Bandit camp in the Garbage.
    
  • Could be found in an highly radioactive hill past the Vehicle graveyard, near an alcove full of powerful Vortex/Whirligig anomalies.
    
  • Could be found spawn in the Dark Valley
    
  • Could be found in X-18
    
  • Could be found in Pripyat, in the monument near the Palace of Culture square.
    
  • Could be found in a secret stash located in Yantar.
    
  • Could be obtained from Barkeep as a reward for successful completion of the mission Kill the stalker.
    

You could find the pistol on the stalker Mole, who leads you to the entrance of the Agroprom Underground. If you enter the Underground, Mole disappera from the game. The easiest way is to save your game, kill Mole, take his pistol, and after unlocking the achievement, reload saved game to avoid ruining your relationship with Loners.

The shotgun drops from the bandit Poker, who moves along the following route: Dark Valley → Garbage → Agroprom → Agroprom Underground after Borov's death. The easiest way to kill him is in the Agroprom Underground when you go there to meet Doctor. You can also take a quest from Voronin to kill Poker.

First, you need to save Bullet’s Duty partner when you first arrive in the Dark Valley. After saving him, you can proceed the same way as with Mole a.k.a save, kill, pick up the gun, unlock the achievement, reload the save.
After being rescued, Bullet and his friend return to the Duty outpost in the Garbage.

Lore-related trophy. You could take the armor off the stalker Ghost right at the end of X-16, after the fight with the Controller.

Tedious trophy.
Sidorovich gives Tourist suit as a reward for the quest Bring the Night Star artifact.
The quest appears only after you bring the documents from X-18 to Sidorovich.
The Night Star artifact can only be guaranteed to find in Pripyat or obtained from the quest given by the stalker Baldy in the Bar to kill the stalker Smartass at the Army Warehouses. Alternatively, you could find it in a stash in X-18 following the lead for Stash of the Smoked achievement.
You can also try to find one in this area at Agroprom.
Don't forget that the Night Star will also be useful for Party on the beach achievement.

After exiting X-16, you will find a corpse in the tunnel ahead of you.
Before searching, save your game, as the lead doesn’t always spawn. Your goal is to obtain the lead for Fang’s goodies stash in Pripyat. Once you have it, save the game again and continue. In Pripyat, retrieve the armor from the stash to earn the trophy.

Alternatively, after finishing the X16 mission, a group of loners sometimes appears near the bus, the same group you take measurement. You can farm the stash from them. Just remember to save first in case it doesn’t drop.

After entering the Sarcophagus, kill the very first Monolithian and pick up the Gauss rifle.