So the main thing with these two difficulty settings is that they're pretty different in terms of how tough they make your survival experience. Interloper is honestly brutal - you wont find any guns lying around and youll need to craft basic stuff like knives and hatchets yourself. The weather is super harsh and resources are really scarce, which makes every match and piece of clothing super precious. I've learned that wildlife gets pretty sparse over time too, though the animals you do meet are still pretty dangerous.

Stalker mode is a bit more forgiving, though still no walk in the park. You can actually find guns and tools around the world, and theres definitely more stuff to loot in general. The weather isnt quite as harsh as interloper, but dont let that fool you - the wolves are super aggressive and youll run into them way more often. One nice thing is that your gear doesnt fall apart as quickly, and you can usually repair things like mittens and boots.

If youre trying to decide between them, heres something interesting - interloper really needs you to know the map well and get crafting stuff immediately, while stalker gives you a bit more room to breathe even though the wildlife can be pretty intense. If neither sounds quite right, you might want to check out the custom settings where you can mix and match different elements to find your sweet spot.