A Horrific Existence | Beta Stalkers | FULL Half-Life Lore 

Which Stalker do you prefer? Beta or HL2? I've had a bunch of comments stating I'm pronouncing "beta" wrong. I'm British and that's how it's pronounced here. The US pronounce it "bey-ta".

My personal head cannon to why they’re still called stalkers: In half life 2 Alyx gives some exposition on the stalkers, before saying to one “God, I hope you don’t remember who you were.” I think that sometimes stalkers will retain some of there memories and “Stalk” people that they can still recognize

The Stalkers were really the first body horror type thing that really scared me as a child. Such a great concept. The only part that does not really work is the moral dilemma for me. Being a Stalker is definetly a fate worse then death, which is why I think the only moral choice is to kill them anyway. A mercy killing.

Beta looks like a "The Suffering" enemy. The HL2 ones look more like a actual withered body and the broken/blank expression really sells that there is not an ounce of the person left after the transformation.

I think the most uncomfortable thing about the beta stalker, for me at least, isn't that spinal column but instead the lower arms. They didn't just remove the hand at the wrist, they outright cut the radius and ulna in half. It's just horrific to me to see half of the lower arm. And the way it looks to me also makes it seem like they then adjusted them to make more space between the two bones, allowing them to attach equipment directly to the radius bone. I wouldn't even be surprised if they just bolt the tools on, with the stalker feeling it as the metal goes straight through their weakened bone.

Remember how the manhacks were originally going to be controlled by children who thought they were playing an arcade game? Beta HL2 was absolutely brutal...

I love how you’re covering the beta lore. It’s really interesting thinking about what could have been.

I think that the biggest advantage that beta Stalker has over the one that we got is how much more uncanny they were. Obviously both feed upon body horror and the idea of twisting human form, but Stalkers that we got still look human. They look miserable, sure, but you could imagine someone evil enough doing something like this in the real world. But the beta Stalkers? They look like they should not function anymore, but they still do, and that pushes that uncanny feeling even further. Unnaturally thin spines, dirty skin, animal mask; it doesn't even look like they used good materials to stiches them up. Both look tragic and horrifying, but the beta Stalker looks just more degraded and humiliated, which puts into perspective just how little the guys at the top care about humanity: or, worse yet, how much joy they take out of actively inflicting misery upon sapient life.

I think the stalkers in the final release are far creepier because they look somewhat like they could exist in real life unlike the beta stalkers.

Why are they called stalkers still? Because every now and then combine personnel would get the feeling of being watched and followed. They couldn't say for sure but they were sure it was these beings, No matter the task they would fulfill it quietly, efficiently, but it always seemed like they were staring at you the entire time as if the only true freewill they had was the ability to look and observe as others lived a life they were denied, the only defiance against their torturers left to them.

I got this game for Xmas 2004 from my Dad. The game was awesome...but when I saw the production lines with these guys in em, and kinda figured out what they were...I legit cried in my bedroom as a young teen thinking about it. I'm not sure, but I don't think a lot of players fully ignored them, even though they could

I'm glad they didn't turn Stalkers into jump scare enemies. The Fast Zombies were more than enough to scare the you-know-what out of me for the entire game. 😬

The original stalker is too unrealistic to accept that they could even be alive, the retail stalker is actually easily plausible that the human body could survive like that.

HL2, the beta model looks like it lacks the flesh required to move in a meaningful manner, and the HL2 model demonstrates a more real kind of body horror that leaves the beta model looking like an exaggeration

I prefer the HL2 stalkers. The design is more believable to me with the abdomen still attached but without the stomach. Also with the little amount of muscle mass and lack of legs, they wouldn't realistically serve any fighting function. I think keeping them in the citedal only is more realistic too. It's like they are myths/rumours/ghost stories of how horrible the Combine are. I think if the stalkers were known or openly public to the world, it would work against the Combines long game strategy against humanity.

Beta HL2 just had a way of being so uncomfortably dark in a great way

I think the name in retail comes more from their physical appearance and haunting demeanor than the act of stalking itself. They slowly roam around the halls of Combine controlled areas like zombies with their thin, rigid, stalk-like limbs. It isn't hard to imagine why your average person seeing this would give them such a spooky name. When it comes to if I prefer retail or beta, definitely retail. While the beta stalkers are horrifying, they're just *way* to over the top for me.

Man I love Skyrionn’s content. It’s very amazing and has a lot of live put into it

I love HL and all its iterations, beta content, books, comics, and everything. It is bar none my favorite series of any media, and I consider myself to be an expert on the topic and its lore. You continually impress me with both how engrossing you are able to make content I already know inside and out, and manage to sprinkle in tidbits from interviews that even I had no idea about. Tenouttaten, glad to be subbed!

My dream was always that many assets and ideas for the beta would be used to tell a story around Adrian Shepard in a US city as it's mini citadel tower loses power at the time of the end of HL2.

I think Valve moving away from it being as grimdark as possible during development was better I feel but the beta stalkers were fascinating A video about the Air Exchange or the Wasteland Depot and how they eventually functionally evolved into Nova Prospekt would be interesting

Lore I've never heard of? You took it up a notch my friend

I love coming back to old games and then still see a very much alive and active community. Keep on with all this amazing content!

Holy shit the original HL2 really was going to be an endlessly depressing nightmare of a game in terms of atmosphere and lore. I like the ideas of the beta a lot in general but all in all I sort of prefer the final version due to it not being quite as dire and pessimistic.

I would like to see a video on all the cut enemies and what they might have been used for out of universe, and maybe even some speculation on what lore there might have been in universe, like the cremator or the Combine Assassin

Ravenholm is my favorite level in HL2 I wish we had more levels like that but with Stalkers at night in city 17. I wish valve released some sort of directors which included that type of cut content.

I never think of half life when i think of sci-fi and alien creatures, because youre just on earth most of the time and most alien creatures you may come across have been modified by the combine so much they just resemble machines instead. But these concepts the game has especially with its body horror aspect makes for some really awesome designs, i think taking half-life into other universes and seeing more of the combine would be amazing.

As far as Im aware, the stalkers in the cannon have essentially the same story. I wish they were explored much more perhaps destroying a smaller facility like Nova Prospekt where its far more apparent whats going on and perhaps with stalker variations. For example, the ones we have now are essentially technicians but maybe theres ones with blades on their arms and stuffed with various exploding things like poisonous gas or just explosives. Perhaps the visor would be closed until theyre needed. Thisd give the combine something to drop from drop pods like the headcrabs but more vicious and demoralizing. Maybe called suiciders or, for a slightly lighter term, berserkers. Theyd definitely fit a setting where the Combine are losing their grip on humanity and need to use slave soldiers instead of willing volunteers. Im thinking theyd run up to you and leap onto you like the fast zombies.

It’s very amazing to know that us humans only require very few things to survive, but it’s terrifying to think how other beings can take advantage of that.

I feel like the moral dilemma part was added into the Headcrab Zombies. Sure, they seem mindless, but they used to be human, and are implied to still be conscious. Considering the pain they're probably in, I usually just put them out of their mercy. Some might not, though.

I love seeing stuff like this talking about beta/cut content. Really intriguing ideas.

Been loving these lore videos lately! Really hoping we get some sort of continuation of the HL/Portal story following the success of Alyx.

Would enjoy videos on other cut beta combine forces, like the super soldier, assassin, etc.

In an infinite universe, such as ours, the Combine actually exists…

Hey bro, thanks for the video! Half life is one of my all time favorites and it's a tragedy that we never got episode 3 or even a third stand alone installment. Keep up the good work!! The video is on point, as always!

The combine wouldn't call them stalkers, but it is likely the resistance could've coined the name. Owing to the staggering gait they have, they move as though they're stalking.

While I like the "body horror" aesthetic of the beta stalkers (they are utterly horrifying for sure), I feel as if the retail stalkers are more realistic and lore-accurate. The beta stalkers, although creepy, look so frail and corpse-like, it is a bit hard to imagine how they are able to live, fight or do anything at all. The retail stalkers feel more like what an actual "mutilated slave husk" might look like.

I enjoy so much this HL2 videos, since I replayed all the games these weeks.

I think they changed the stalkers to sort of mirror the final stage of the headcrab zombies that you find in ravenholm, two paths to dominate humans, to make them mindless beasts, first by Xen's standards, then by the Combine. Either way, its horrible to look at.

found you from the portal halflife lore video respect and props to you man and i think ill be sticking around :D

I like the fact that instead of being used to stalk and hunt down their former allies in the resistance, they become an integral part of the overall functioning of the combine that's hunting down their former allies in the resistance. It's just as dark, but in a more disconnected and subtle way.

Hey @Skyrionn! Will you be doing more Half Life 2 beta creatures, weapons, and concepts? I think it would be interesting for you to give out the planned behaviors of npcs, how they would attack, and also even what they sounded like.

being a stalker is the worst existence ever... Warhammer 40K: *hold my bolter*

thanks for the video!! that beta half life looked soooo cool honestly with that total dystopian theme, I'd LOVE to see some content that delves deeper!!

Stalkers in beta are definitely a really cool design, but the much more subtle final design makes for a more believable piece of body horror imo. Even down to the way that the final design doesn't twitch like the beta but instead does a tiny swing from side to side that personally looks inhuman in such a way that it gets under my skin and creeps me out, but also again sells their believe-ability and the fact that they've truly become a husk of a human.

I like the retail ones. They look more realistic, like a gaunt holocaust survivor. The beta ones look like they should be dead and far too skeletal, which makes it kinda hard to imagine yourself as them, since they come off a bit "generic" imo.

Great video as always! Very sad and traumatic the Stalkers. Are you going to do a video on the story of the beta?

I love half life's early concepts and cut content its always very cool getting a behind the scenes of your favorite media

Always loved the design of the stalkers, Both the Beta and the Release version That said perhaps we will see a shift towards the darker tone going forwards in the next installment of the series, HLA already had some slight hints towards that with certain story elements. As for content I would love to see you cover, I would love to see a video on the beta versions of the various combine creatures that got completly removed from the game.

I think the design of the retail Stalkers fits better into Half-Life, but the function of the beta Stalkers does seem like it would have been a lot more fun.

Dudeeee your storytelling is amazing as always

I hope you make more beta videos about characters and how areas used to be like during the beta!

13:02 - 13:15 You know how when Gordon enters Nova Prospekt by disabling the external defenses and it easily gets overrun by antlions due to said defenses (the thumpers) being offline. Well I thought maybe since you can hear the Overwatch voice saying sectors are overrun or containment breaches are happening left and right that perhaps the antlions could have breached an area where stalkers are kept and the stalkers wake up without orders or something and as a result have nothing to do except aimlessly wander Nova Prospekt and Gordon randomly encounters them during the level. That could possibly be an explanation plot-wise that could make your idea of encountering them in other levels work.

I think they behavior as enemies eventually carried out to the fast headcrab zombies The stalker name still doesn't fit but i still like their presence and lore in the game, still find them extremely disturbing, it's tamer than the beta but still very dark and disturbing

I think what makes your channel special is the little set pieces you make, those camera angles. It is inspiring stuff.

As soon as he said "beeta" instead of "beta" I knew I was in for an experience

Would be insane to implement but I reckon the first few times we encountered them have the stalkers "recognized" certain npcs and have them try and interact with them before reverting to their mental conditioning and become wild again and leave them relatively ambiguous. Had they not chose to kill Eli have him "go missing" and then Gordon and alyx bump into some and a vaguely "Eli" stalker tries to recognize alyx and then when the pieces fall into place have some emotional story come from that. That way Ted's personal and emotional dilemma he wanted the stalkers to emmit can come true while keeping the visual story telling aspect of hl:2 alive

11:18 the retail stalker still has abdominal muscles to hold up its upper half. They might've erred on the side of realism for anatomy.

You make some fantastic content! Thanks for the video :)

Dude videos like this remind me how much I love the world of Half life. Its to the point where I don't even care about a 3rd game anymore, I just want more of the world explored in more games. Like If valve released a Half life game that took place in a completely different city with new characters I would be ALL OVER that

More half life 2 beta videos would be awesome!

I like to think that the beta stalkers are still out there, Gordon and Alyx just haven't had the misfortune to encounter them. Maybe anyone who has hasn't lived to tell

Imagine having to put the video speed to 1.5 to make it sound like its normal speed, gotta love this time stretching to increase ad money.

My man doesn't miss with this content. Absolute banger as usual

beta content hype!! now that i know about these beta stalkers i gotta agree; their original concept sounds so much better! i also like well thought out scripted events, makes the world seem more alive.

The half life beta was Dark and gritty.

Killer video, great job man

The belts around the emaciated spine really gets to me. Super grim.

Please do more beta stuff, its something unique imo!

I think it's pretty clear that the Retail stalkers are much better designed, the retooling did a lot for them. The beta ones look way too "half-life 1" while the retail stalkers are actually more clearly "ruined humans"

Great vid! Stalkers were already a sad existence but this Beater variant manages to be even worst. So rusty and soulless husks. Creepy AF.

This is the type of videos i love to watch before sleep

I feel the retail stalkers are better overall, they look more human, and thus more disturbing. The beta ones look more like a robot than a person. The retail ones have more natural looking skin and the animations on the retail ones are way more fitting. No one in that state would have the energy to act like the beta ones.

I think Beta stalkers were too edgy, like some sort of BDSM-themed "spooky skeletons" with their hand-stitched bone-tight leather, taken straight from something like Hellraiser or Silent Hill. The stalkers we eventually got reflect the ruthlessly pragmatic nature of the Combine: Process the captured malcompliants with the minimum of effort and put them to work within what could be mere hours.

Beta always strikes me as a game that seems to from a completely different series than Half-Life. HL1 is a big departure from HL in style and presentation, with headcrabs and zombies being the main thing they have in common. But the Beta seems like something else entirely. Something that would still be really fascinating to see getting explored as a full game concept by someone.

Ted Backman designed a lot of half life's enemies he even made Mr.Friendly when he was only 15 years old

The beta ones are really too immersion breaking for me. That kind of body horror might scare kids, and it might have scared me pretty bad when I was a kid (similar to those Zelda zombies), but as an adult with a fairly decent understanding of the human body -- just look at those things. You sneeze on one and it'd fall down and die. It would be highly unlikely that they'd even have the muscle strength to move those arms with any kind of metal bolted onto them. And we're to believe they'd have the agility and endurance to "stalk" anything. I think that's why they put the new versions in the Citidal and just had them being passive. Someone probably looked at them, and did the WTF emote, how do these work? They should barely be able to stand, let alone recognize or attack people. Which is also probably why they got more fleshed out with a more realistic looking body, and not just skin down to the spine. Body horror can be an intense scare, but take it too far into the uncanny, and it becomes a joke. I remember being really annoyed with the way Outlast did some of their body horror too. So many burly and muscular dudes running around when no one is eating right or exercising in the way that bulks up the body like that. Body horror that's half-assed just feels insulting. And there's lots of games that do similar stuff. I think the biggest offenders is when they have withered, rotting, or outright crippled people, and have them behave like Olympian athletes in the games. Like any of ya ever see what the flu does to a person's energy level? And we're to believe that some half-withered dude living in a cave for 20 years has the strength to punch someone? He'd break every bone in his arm if he could apply any reasonable force to it. Usually the best way around these kinds of issues is when games do something like magical zombies, magic can do anything! Or you have some kind of alien/biological influence like the plant-based monsters in The Last of Us. Headcrab zombies are borderline. You can argue that a headcrab can "control" a human body, but that body is still limited to its physical attributes. And if the human host is dead, all of that muscle is essentially rotting and won't be very effective after a few days/weeks. I'm not sure if the headcrabs actually mutate the body and enhance it. I think they mutate claws and stuff, so maybe there's some more biological melding going on. ================== Another big point I just wanted to drop, is that if you actually had stalkers like the beta ones in the game roaming the road. Their immune system would be absolutely shot, and any kind of infection, allergies, or contaminated water/fluid getting into those stitches would basically be a death sentence. Overall, the video is pretty good. I like learning about new game things. And I think games should be creative and try new things. But pseudo realism requires more surgery than butchery to get it right.

I honestly prefer the look of the HL2 Stalkers. Sure they're not nearly as extreme, but the problem with the beta version is it's _so_ extreme it's hard to suspend your disbelief for them. It's horrible, but I couldn't imagine myself being turned into one because it wouldn't actually _work._ The HL2 ones are terrifying though, because they look like they could actually exist in real life. Their bodies look like real malnourished people, their skin looks like real illnesses. You can see more of their face and it looks human. When I look at them, I can imagine being turned into one. And that's _terrifying._ Not to mention, in this world where most things are trying to kill you, Stalkers don't. They just keep doing their job without caring about their surroundings. And you realise, when the Combine is defeated, the Stalkers won't become human again. They will keep doing their job until someone has the heart to put them down.

I love to add the beta stalkers to those places you mention I wonder if anyone can make a mod for that

I love your videos. You have an amazing talent in narration, I watch your videos nonstop. Also can you talk about half life 2 beta gman.

I think the retail version of the stalkers look more realistic in terms of implementation. The beta versions look more like skeleton monsters while in retail they retain an uncanny resemblance to humans, making it more disturbing to me

The beta stalkers remind me of the slayer from The suffering. In future half life games it would be cool if they bring back the beta stalker but rename it the predator stalker. As always good video skyrionn.

Half the video I was wondering why you were saying beater stalker but I realized it was beta stalker. Anyways a really great video.

4:33 that's actually a combine soldier without his kevlar.

🤓🤓🤓0:17 aaamm You see accrully thats a gun ship🤓🤓🤓

God you know this is a great design when it's genuinely uncomfortable just to look at (in a good way I should stress). Like even some necromorphs don't look this horrifying.

I think it'd be cool for you to make more beta videos. I agree with the creatures I like the original intention and look for them. There's a lot of stuff that I don't know that they got rid of because of the leak. Also where did you get the file for the beta stalker model; is it on Gmod?

Which mods did you use to record the beta footage? It seems like there is a plethora of beta mods but not many seem finished.

Beta stalkers? They made twitter users a real thing!

too dark, too gritty!

In my AU, The “Stalker”s plays a role as Guard Dogs for the Civil Protection. Not sure about their abilities, but they look almost similar to the Beta Variant of the Stalkers.

I can diffidently imagine or guess the beta stalkers that attacked the player evolved into the Fast Zombies we got in Ravenholm since thinking on it now eerily fits the description of the beta stalkers pretty closely, so maybe they were still planned into Half Life 2 but would've been more fitting as the zombies however seemingly going against what Ted wanted/visualized

I actually think the retail versions look a lot creepier. The ones in the beta are too cartoonish.

Third comment! Let's goooo

The stalkers in HL2 are dark and depressing. The stalkers in the beta are just an enemy because they barely even look human anymore and you barely really even get the chance to look at them before they attack you, so you kill them before you can even think about them.

7:54 There is no moral dilemma for me. Being a stalker is a fate worse than death, which means it's better to put them out of their misery.

half life 2 beta was better

I would like to think there are maybe different versions of the stalkers or different stages of their torture. Also a bit off topic but the beta stalkers remind me of something you'd see in TimeSplitters.

I always enjoy your lore deepdive!

1:19 Likely the basis for skellies from They Hunger.