The ultimate Escape From Tarkov beginner’s guide

Are you looking to get proper tips in order to become a better player in EFT? Here you will find the best Escape From Tarkov guide

The ultimate Escape from Tarkov guide and everything you need to know in order to survive and thrive in Tarkov today!

Escape from Tarkov was a runaway hit almost from day one and today is one of the most popular games on the planet.
Essentially dropping you naked and alone in a war-torn, openly hostile, unfamiliar city called Tarkov, there’s no other game on market quite like this one.

You have to scavenge for absolutely EVERYTHING you have, all while trying to avoid AI and human players that want nothing more than to end your digital existence, loot your body, and send you back to the main screen to rinse and repeat the process over and over again.
But it’s a hard-core nature of Tarkov that makes it such a runaway success! You won’t have your handheld. You want going to go through a “trainer mission”. You aren’t going to find any tooltips or helpful hints to get you through this game, either.

You start just like every other player, with low tier gear, and have to hunt through the city to pick off enemies, loot their bodies, and then extract in order to keep everything that you have on you. Hitting the ground running can be a bit of an uphill battle, though – especially since the game doesn’t help you at all. That’s where our Escape to Tarkov Guide comes into play!

 

Start with Offline to Build a Solid Foundation

The very first thing you’re going to want to do when firing up Tarkov is jump into an off-line raid ASAP. A lot of people ignore off-line raids because the gear they get in this mode isn’t transferable to the “player stash”, but there’s no better way to learn the map, to learn the game, and to learn the mechanics than this.

You might not get rewarded with items and loot with this approach. But you’re not going to risk any of your hard-won items and loot while you learn the ropes of this game, either. Take this opportunity to learn the map, learn how to fight different scavs, and figure out where your main extraction points are going to be. Off-line raids are a game changer!

 

Make sure to Scav Raids first

The next thing you want to do (after getting a feel for things) is to start running scav raids. When you hit the world of Tarkov as a member of your faction, every item you bring with you is lootable – and that means everything you bring with you can be taken from another player that kills you.

If you choose to drop into the game as a friendly scav, though, you have an opportunity to basically get “free gear”. You won’t be attacked by AI scavs when you run these kinds of raids (though players can drop you like a bad habit anytime they want).

It’s a great chance to scurry through the map, load up on loot you might not have been able to reach without fighting scav after scav every step of the way, and get out with less risk of losing everything you’ve worked so hard to pull out in the first place.

 

Spring for Insurance right away!

Insurance gets pretty pricey in Tarkov (though Prapor offers lower prices and slower return speeds), but it’s never a bad idea to spring for this – especially on items you don’t want to lose permanently.

You don’t have to ensure absolutely everything in your load out. But if you have something really nice you’d like returned you if you die insurance is the only way to give you that extra peace of mind.

 

You’ll live and die based on access to the Map

Map knowledge is what separates the best Tarkov players from everyone else, and certainly what separates newbie players from established veterans. Get lost in the world of Tarkov and you’re going to die, a lot.

If at all possible, fire up a second screen, a tablet, or a phone (or even a printout of the map) so that you can track your progress, chart your path, and plan out your extractions.

There are a lot of community driven maps out there with loot spots, scav hotspots and popular extraction pathways. Get your hands on some of those maps and study up the first chance you get.

 

Memorize the Extraction Points and always have a backup plan

Every single game of Tarkov is going to have a handful of extraction points that are randomized every round. Sometimes you’re going to have what feels like an almost unlimited amount of opportunities to escape with loot. Other times you’re going to feel really pigeonholed and forced through a digital death funnel to get out with your loot.

It’s important that you know exactly where all your potential extractions are and that you preplan for your escape before you jump right in. Recognize that certain extractions (like the Smugglers Boat) are only available at specific times, and that others are cash or item/time sensitive. This is the knowledge that will make or break your Tarkov experience.

 

The quests are important key factor

Quests (when available) are a fantastic opportunity to load up on new items, new loot, and different trading opportunities in Escape from Tarkov.

All of the quests are going to require you to do something different, something unique, and something randomized. But most all quests have guides broken down online to help you run them more efficiently – just know that there are inevitably going to be surprises along the way matter what.

Knockout quests at every opportunity and you’ll see that your trading reputation increases significantly. Prices drop and you’ll be able to unlock even better gear from traders, too.

 

Learn to love the secure container

Every player gets a secure container during PMC raids that give you a chance to keep items you discovered even if you end up dying.

Different additions of Escape from Tarkov offer different sizes (the smallest is a 2 x 2 with the largest being a 3 x 3), but you can upgrade these as you progress through the game. It might be a while until you can bump up the storage space (this is real late game kind of content) but it’s always worth the investment.

If you come across something real expensive looking, a marked key, or other game changing piece of loot dump it in that secure container ASAP.

 

Going raiding? bring only what you can afford to lose

A lot of people recognize that Escape from Tarkov is a really difficult, really hardcore shooter and survival game but are still surprised to discover that they can lose absolutely EVERYTHING they bring with them on PMC raids.

If you don’t want to learn this lesson the hard way it’s important that you only take what you’re willing to lose in a worst-case scenario with you whenever you drop in.

Sure, insurance will protect some of your more valuable items. And your secure container will help you all out important pieces of loot no matter what. But everything else you bring with you can be picked up off of your dead body if you lose a firefight – to players or AI scavs.

Think about things before you drop in with your “Sunday best”.

 

Check your health just like a Rearview Mirror

Medical supplies (especially when you have a little bit of extra cash on hand) can help you extend your time in Tarkov, but you still need to get in the habit of checking on your health levels like a rearview mirror.

Glance at your health every few moments, just making sure that you are bleeding, you aren’t losing health, and that your heels actually worked and worked ignored, overridden, or insufficient.

By making a habit to glance at your health every few seconds you’ll never be caught unaware. You’ll always be able to triage your situation (provided you have supplies on hand).

 

Don’t get caught in the cold when the Timer runs down

Map timers let you know how much time you have to spend wandering around Tarkov before the “lights go out”, so to speak. The moment that you drop into the map you’ll want to double tap the “zero” key to see what kind of countdown you are looking at. You’ll also be able to spot your extracts for that particular round.

Make sure that you frequently double tap that zero key to bring up this information, especially if you come across halfway decent loot. You don’t want the raid to and before you hit an extraction point and lose all of your hard-won items just because you weren’t keeping pace with the time.

 

Meds supplies need to be added in your Hotbar as we speak

Weapons are automatically added to your hot bar in Escape from Tarkov, but your medical supplies do not get the same treatment. Change that bad habit right away.

The last thing you want to do when you have been shot in the stomach during a digital firefight is fumble around in your inventory trying to get the right meds up to stem the bleeding, stop the damage, and start healing yourself. Get your most important meds on your hot bar right away.

 

Look for (and practice) the Tarkov Wiggle

If you’ve been playing Tarkov for any amount of time you’ve probably noticed other players sort of “wiggle” at you, letting you know that they are first a real player and not AI and second that they are friendly and do not want a confrontation.

Sometimes this is a bait and switch kind of trap, but more often than not the Tarkov Wiggle is a great way to identify yourself – and other players – as friendly and to steer clear of one another. Master the wiggle yourself (and use it legitimately or as bait as you see fit).

 

Don’t run Bosses until you’re ready to Rock and Roll

Bosses in Tarkov aren’t like bosses in other games. These ones are almost impossible to beat alone, especially since they are guarded by small armies of AI scavs and are absolutely armed to the teeth. We are talking total arsenals, here.

Soloing a Tarkov boss is no joke. Only going to these fights when you are 100% ready, are bringing some of your best gear with you, and are prepared to lose all of it if things go sideways. Make sure you are really ready to rock and roll before you jump headfirst into the fray.

Just know that the loot is ALWAYS worth taking one of these bosses down.

 

Spend more time in your Hideout

The hideout used to be thought of as a sort of throwaway addition to Tarkov, but now folks are starting to make use of it a lot more.

Being able to upgrade through the Workbench, being able to rest and recover faster from raids, and being able to cash in on the “Bitcoin Farm” all help you dominate the competition and survive a lot longer in this incredibly harsh survival shooter.

Spend a little more time familiarizing yourself with the Hideout. You might be surprised at just how much of an advantage it gives you in game.