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Settlements and Landmarks

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St. Lawrence Island didn’t freeze over when the Bering Strait locked solid in ice — and that’s exactly why, in the middle of a dead nuclear winter, life still flickers here. On this strip of land, fortress-towns, fishing villages, a surviving vault, and the ruins of the old world all coexist. Here’s where you’ll end up.

New Gambell — the fortress-town

The main stronghold of the island’s survivors. It was hastily rebuilt in 2022 out of the bled-dry town of Gambell, using equipment evacuated from the civilian airport. From its earliest years, the town fought off large-scale raids again and again — from local gangs and roaming bands out of the Corridor, the mainland ice passage the caravans travel. The self-defense force, drawn from everyone who could hold a weapon, gradually hardened into a battle-tested outfit.

In the game, New Gambell is a territorial faction with its own town guard and trade hub. On the maps you’ll be greeted by:

  • the checkpoint — the control post at the entrance to the town;
  • the central market and residential sections with bunk quarters;
  • the town center, where the faction’s leader — Aygas — sits.

Order on the streets is kept by the guards — the “Lawmen.” Living here too are traders, a shaman-healer, and quest-givers like Stevens and Kostya.

Nipait — the town’s hunters

Important: Nipait is not a separate settlement, but New Gambell’s hunting society. Their search parties formed in 2022 to scour the frozen wastes and underground ruins for materials and parts. The Nipait became the backbone of the independent town, and sometimes hire on as guides for visiting traders, leading them along the island’s safest routes. In the game you’ll meet hunters like Naptak, Shane, and Four.

Old Gambell and the airport

What’s left of the original town is ruins, bunkers, and tunnels around the civilian airport. This is where all of New Gambell’s early gear came from: the fighters made do with whatever they could scavenge around the airport, and during the town’s construction its warehouses yielded a sizable stock of radios, which were later restored and handed out to the guards. On the maps these places appear as the Gambell ruins, bunkers, underground passages, and the runway.

Savoonga — the rival settlement

Savoonga is New Gambell’s long-standing rival. At the start of the war the settlement armed its outposts and seized the island’s military and civilian bunkers along with their caches, pushing back its neighbors, Gambell included. In the canon it’s a large settlement with markets, camps, and taverns — a mandatory stop for caravans crossing the Corridor.

In the game, Savoonga is a territorial village-faction with its own self-government, mutual aid, and hunting stores. It’s led by the Elder of Savoonga; nearby, local field hunters stand watch.

Vault ED-17

A commercial vault of the Karma Industries corporation, which survived the bombing because the island was never struck. It’s from ED-17 that the narrators’ records — the basis of the local history — are kept. In the game it’s a whole chain of level-maps you’ll pass through over the course of quests. Notable interior points:

  • the medbay with a recreator (a restoration pod) — here you’re greeted by Dr. Walder;
  • the workshops, where the technician Dmitry Lavrentyev repairs tools, cables, and disks;
  • the barracks with the senior guard Terry and other residents;
  • the airlock and the exit to the surface.

Notable points on the island

Beyond the settlements, the island is dotted with places worth seeing — and often these are faction lairs:

  • “The Bar” — in the canon the largest establishment in the region, founded by the Battalion to look respectable and build trade ties; guests are guaranteed safety.
  • The Weather Station — the base and headquarters of the Battalion raiders.
  • The Radar Station — the nest of the “Radio Rats,” interceptors of the airwaves.
  • The Antenna — the den of the “Bounty Hunters.”
  • The Trading Post — the spot of the free Traders.
  • Ruins and sites scattered across the island: a bomber crash site, a seaside hotel, a warehouse, hidden shelters, and other underground places.

Every such place is either someone else’s territory or a dangerous dungeon. Before you head out, weigh who you’ll run into there: a friendly trade bloc (New Gambell, Savoonga, the Traders, ED-17) or raiders who are hostile by default.