[Top 10] Escape From Tarkov Tips For New Players

Updated:

08 Feb 2023

10. Use the Online maps

When it comes to playing Escape from Tarkov for the first time, having a map alongside you is a necessity. You will not be able to survive raids without extracting, and with the use of maps, you will be able to know where you are, where you want to go, where to extract, what loot is present in the area, and so on.

The map above is an example of an online map that showcases exactly what you want to know and where those specific points of interest are. This includes, you guessed it, map extracts for both PMCs and Scavs.

You cannot win in this game without extracting and the game does not provide any method of gathering information to help in any way. Therefore, you must turn your query away from the game and towards the web.

If you have the ability to use two monitors simultaneously, then I insist that you play Escape from Tarkov while having the map of your choice on the other monitor. If you cannot use a map correctly, then you must learn.

Interactive maps: https://mapgenie.io/tarkov

9. Play some offline raids

You have the ability to enable offline raids by selecting the “Enable OFFLINE mode for this raid” option before initiating an actual raid. From there, you can set the settings for the AI enemies (scavs and bosses) on that map.

Use this feature to practice looting, gunfights, and learning maps to the point where you never think twice about where you are headed. These elements are crucial to becoming a successful player; you cannot and will not overlook these aspects of the game if you want to do well.

Many claim the difficulty level, regardless of what you set it as, is easier than the online difficulty. Furthermore, because it is all offline, whatever you bring into and take out of offline raids has no effect on your actual game.

Steps:

Prepare for raid with your chosen equipment
Select your PMC
Choose your map
Enable OFFLINE mode for this raid
Set raid time and bot difficulty level
Practice

8. Watch your raid duration

Maintain a level of attention towards your raid timer as if your life depends on it, because it does. The second that timer reaches zero and you are still in the raid, you will receive an “MIA” status, meaning you have become “Missing In Action.”

This counts as an instant death, resulting in you losing all your valuable loot and a decent sum of character experience. So keep those eyes peeled, please. From my experience, I have gone MIA about five times, and had become incredibly distraught shortly after because of how well my raids actually went. This brings us to the next tip that can be the main reason you go MIA.

Steps:

Be in a raid
Press the o key once or until your timer shows up on the top right of your screen

Hint: It is coloured bright green

7. Bring with you the right medical items to heal all kinds of injuries

To ensure you get out of a raid in time and do not bleed to death or limp into and out of combat, you must bring all the necessary healing components.

Your character can sustain a spectrum of injuries, from light bleeds to broken bones to black limbs. Each injury needs a specific medical item to fix it; medkits are the exception, with the majority being able to heal light and heavy bleeds along with the Grizzly medkit being able to heal anything but black limbs.

Black limbs can be fixed with CMS kits or survival kits; be sure to heal the injury afterwards to get your health back.

Steps:

Inspect your medical items to see their durability and what injuries they heal.
Put into your PMC inventory and use if you are injured during a raid.

6. Get rid of your gear fear

Tarkov gear fear essentially summarises the immense anxiety of losing your raiding equipment upon death. The only way to abolish this is to play a decent sum of raids.

I have to admit, sometimes I have a little gear fear at 600 hours of game time. This will be mainly towards rare armours than anything else. If you never put your best gear to use, what is the point in having such high quality gear? Why even craft or pick it up in the first place? Gear fear, get rid of it.

Steps:

Raid with equipment you are uncomfortable using
Repeat process until you have more confidence

5. Insure your equipment

Insuring your equipment is important, as it gives you a chance to get whatever gear has not been picked up by another player upon your death. This works on all maps except Labs and is a good way to save money by spending money.

The amount of money paid on insurance for gear depends on the quality and rarity of the item. The process of getting insurance is pretty simple.

Steps:

Gear up for a raid
Choose map and settings
Insurance tab will appear
Chooser insurer and what to insure. Then pay.

4. Make use of your scav runs

You can choose to go into your raid as a PMC (main character) or a scavenger. The purpose of a scavenger is to allow you to enter and loot in an ongoing online raid. Your job is to loot the items players have left behind and kill any players still in the raid.

Your scav has randomised ammo, gear, and inventory. I've played as a variety of scavs, some of which spawned with a Labs access keycard. If ever you are low on money, play as a scav and head into Woods or Interchange.

Steps:

Click Escape from Tarkov
Select scav
Select map and time
Enjoy your free raiding!

3. Identify what loot is worth looting

This tip revolves around your basic loot knowledge, knowing how much a specific item costs. This tip will help in managing your loot by prioritising your price per slot opportunity.

The price per slot refers to the general profit you will make per slot of inventory space. An example of this would be taking an item worth 30,000 rubles that occupies one slot rather than a 45,000 ruble item that occupies two. Your price per slot would be 22,500 rubles for the item that occupies two slots, since 45,000 divided by 2 is 22,500.

For new players, this knowledge will be hard to have with such little play time, so get out there and grind.

2. Understand audio queues

Specific materials will make specific sounds; running over metal sheets or through a bush, for example, has its own very loud audio queue. This gives away your position if any enemies are in the vicinity.

Being able to utilise your knowledge of the map and what materials make what sounds will give you the upper hand against enemy combatants.

Again, this comes with playtime and learning maps. Gunshots are also another audio queue that is very easy to track, because they come straight from the source. Unless your enemy is using a very good suppressor that disables your entire ability to track through gunfire.

1. Do your tasks! Please!

You must complete your tasks if you truly want to succeed. You will build a reputation with traders, level up, and get loot all at the same time by just doing some jobs.

The quests will unlock better trades and purchases with traders to keep you ahead of the competition; never underestimate your tasks. Some tasks are aggravating and can cause mental breakdowns, but once completed, they are completed... until the next wipe.

Eventually, you will reach the point where you know how to do the tasks and where to do the tasks. I recommend you watch tutorials for each task, which will all be on YouTube from an assortment of Youtubers and content creators.