For someone who wants to play only one STALKER game QOL modded, which one do you recommend?
When I've looked up this question in the past, the answers are always split equally between Call of Pripyat, Shadow of Chernobyl and the Anomaly mod. The fanbase seemingly doesn't agree at all on a consensus best game.
Yeah we do, and it's simple. I have been a huge S.T.A.L.K.E.R. fan for almost 15 years now.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl is the best one to start with because it's the most atmospheric and the one that flawlessly eases you into the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. It's essential for first time players. You can play it either with
ZRP (huge bug fix patch with optional QoL features) if you want to play it vanilla, or with
Xpresstuning's Remaster Edition for a graphical overhaul.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat is more polished, but not nearly as atmospheric. It feels a little scripted here and there and it also just throws you into the world with little to no lore or additional information. I never liked this one, to be honest, and there's .. really no point in playing it because you can just jump straight into S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Anomaly.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Anomaly is the absolute best S.T.A.L.K.E.R. experience you can possibly have. It is an incredibly polished sandbox which merges all the maps and locations of the entire trilogy into a cohesive experience, also introducing a shit ton of additional layers of mechanics and quests. There are also mods upon mods for it to make it fucking amazing beyond what it currently offers. But, Anomaly is end-game, something to play after you are accustomed to the world of S.T.A.L.K.E.R because it is haaard as fuck.
So i think the best way is to finish S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl, treat it like a sort of tutorial and introduction to the Zone, and then jump straight into S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Anomaly.