S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Zone of the Chernobyl

The Red Forest is one of the Zone's most infamous and sinister locations—a dense woodland heavily saturated by extreme radiation, making it one of the deadliest places imaginable. Its name originates from the reddish-brown hue the trees acquired after absorbing massive amounts of radioactive fallout from the Chernobyl disaster. Today, this haunting landscape is a twisted nightmare, filled with grotesquely mutated wildlife, lurking anomalies hidden among dense vegetation, and fierce psychic disturbances. Navigation is difficult, visibility limited, and deadly threats constant. The trees themselves seem corrupted and sinister, their branches twisted into unnatural forms. Because of its intense radiation levels and severe anomalies, few stalkers dare to enter the Red Forest willingly. Those who do typically seek powerful, rare artifacts hidden deep within its deadly depths—or use the area as a dangerous shortcut to more remote regions of the Zone.