How to Play Guide for Escape from Tarkov

This page covers the basics of combat and survival in Escape from Tarkov.

Beta Warning

 * Escape from Tarkov is presently in a Beta state of development. Features will be added and removed, and the current state of the game is not representative of the final product. Battlestate Games, the developer of Escape from Tarkov, periodically wipes all progress when a major patch is set to launch. Major patches tend to be 4-6 months apart, but can happen sooner. (A side note to what the community refers to as a "Wipe" is that one to two weeks prior to such a "Wipe" is that the developers host pre-Wipe events. Such events in the past have included a massive lowering of the prices of weapon modifications, increased rare item drops, and unlocked trader levels.)
 * Many of the systems in the game are not yet finished and are in a placeholder state, so things may break or simply not function as intended.

Basics

 * Escape from Tarkov aims to emulate the modern combat experience in the vein of ARMA. It boasts an accurate ballistic model, an in-depth health system, and an outstanding weapon modification system with few parallels in modern gaming. Escape from Tarkov's full body awareness and movement systems similarly match that of ARMA's, with features such as leaning, adjustable posture and movement speed, and a far slower pace of combat tied to the shoot and scoot mindset.
 * The weapon modification system is a primary cornerstone of Escape From Tarkov, and allows for near complete customization of every firearm you're likely to come across. This depth of weapon customization enables the user to swap out everything from the barrel of the gun to alter the caliber of the weapon, to being able to place multiple optics on the same weapon.
 * The in-game economy is similarly unique, and relies heavily upon looting and scavenging from the surroundings. You must successfully extract to be able to keep what you've found. It requires a keen eye and a quick wit to know when to get out, or when to risk gambling what you've got for that extra bit of loot.

Default key bindings
It's recommended to not change any buttons because that tends to break certain functions completely.

Movement
Movement in Escape From Tarkov is more than simply sprinting or walking. It is handled differently than most other first person shooters, with the movement model trying to mimic the actual performance of a soldier encumbered with gear and weapons. It allows you to move at varying speeds, from a snail's pace which generates the least amount of audible noise, to a normal walking pace.

The way you move through a level is just as important as your ability to gun down a target in a single shot. When moving through the terrain of a map, stepping on broken glass and tile, stepping on a pile of metal debris, or walking through a bush, everything generates a different sound cue which your opposition can use to narrow down your position. Slow, steady, and thoughtful movement should be your mainstays. Be it something as simple as moving across an abandoned street, or as complex as repositioning in a firefight to flank your unsuspecting foe. How you move, how you're postured, and when you move are all vital aspects of consideration.
 * Movement Speed can be broken down into three types: Sprinting, walking, and slow walking.
 * Walking requires no change or key press, it is by default your main movement speed. It is limited only by the various pieces of body armor you're wearing.
 * Sprinting can be performed by pressing    and depletes your stamina bar. Knowing how far you can travel with one stamina bar's worth of sprinting can be the difference between an engagement being lost or won. It's important to keep in mind that steadying your aim also depletes your stamina bar, so it's better to always leave yourself some wiggle room either to engage a target, or run to a different bit of cover. Sprinting also generates the highest amount of noise compared to the other methods of moving.
 * Slow Walking can be performed by pressing the   or by manually lowering your walk speed to it's lowest, by simply scrolling    To return to a higher movement speed if you've used the mousewheel, you must use   to maximize the movement bar in the bottom left portion of the UI. Slow Walking is the bread and butter of survival in Tarkov.  It generates the least amount of noise, prevents you from making noise whilst moving through foliage, and negates the effects of walking on different materials such as glass or metal. The power of moving with this method cannot be overstated, and should never be underestimated.


 * Be warned, Com-Tacs amplify your footsteps in clear, crisp, HD surround sound. They are a powerful tool against even the power of slow walking, and can render even the stealthiest players flatfooted when an errant footstep is heard through them.

Stance
Just as important as Movement in Escape From Tarkov, how you stand can make a world of difference to you overall survivability. Knowing when to duck is just as vital as knowing when to move. The ability to vary your stance, combined with the movement options that the game provides, permits a huge amount of flexibility in terms of tactical agility and how you can engage an opponent.

However, whilst the three standard stances are available, you are able to shift between a slew of different postures. By pressing the following keys:   +  /   Doing such enables you to peek over cover that would otherwise be impossible to see or fire over.
 * You have three standard stances to choose from: Standing, Crouching, and Prone, each with a different application, and maximum movement speed.
 * Standing allows you to move the fastest, but also makes you more visible at range and causes you to generate the most noise.
 * Crouching balances a low profile and reasonable movement speed and is excellent for taking advantage of most cover, whilst generating the lowest amount of sound.
 * Prone makes you almost immobile, but gives you excellent accuracy and greatly reduced silhouette. Paradoxically, whilst being prone, you cannot lower the amount of noise you make by moving slowly. So in most situations, being crouched is far superior to laying prone. (A very important side warning to being prone, if you reload your firearm whilst prone, you cannot move and are physically immobile until you have finished reloading your weapon. This is caused by a bug related to how Escape From Tarkov handles queuing of actions.)
 * Beyond the stances you have access to, there is also leaning to take into account. Leaning and peeking should become second nature, around every corner, every edge, every bit of cover. Exposing only a portion of yourself is far less dangerous than moving wholly out of cover. The advantages of doing so should not need to be stated.
 * The primary method of leaning is done with the   and    keys. Doing so requires holding down either key, and puts you out at a maximum lean.
 * The secondary method is to hold  +   /    This secondary method is a variable lean, and doesn't need to be held down when you release the keys. To reset your stance, press either    or

Spotting

 * As player and character names are not displayed, nor is there any other indicator that you have an enemy nearby, you need to rely on your hearing and sight. A good surround set up or set of headphones helps in paying attention to what goes on around you. You can hear your enemy and locate him, more or less, based purely on sound cues they generate: Their footsteps most importantly.
 * Flashlights are a dead giveaway, primarily for Scavs. Use them to pin-point their location and wait for them to emerge. Of course, if you have a flashlight, it's a dead giveaway. Toggle it off with T.
 * Similarly, observation is the key to surviving in Norvinsk. Scope out an area you want to enter before hand, with your weapon's scope. The generous time limit allows you to take it slow.

Firefights

 * Fast and brutal, just like they are in real life. Each of the six body parts has its own life bar and status effects, with damage depending on the kind of weapon used and the location hit.
 * While headshots are incredibly effective at putting down the targets, your best bet of stopping unarmored enemies is to shoot for centre of mass. That means, the torso. If your opponent has armor, and you don't have a high powered sniper rifle such as the RSASS, the only reliable way to kill them is by shooting their legs. The reason for this is; 1.you can effectively kill a player with only leg shots 2.the legs are completely unprotected by armor. In the time you line up the shot (especially with the delay it takes to bring up your weapon and line it up with the target), the other operator can - and will - shoot you several times.
 * Semi-automatic fire, while sometimes effective, highlights the idiosyncrasies of Tarkov's recoil system; single-taps and the first few shots of automatic fire both recoil more sharply than sustained automatic fire. For this reason (as well as the overwhelmingly increased potential for damage output, particularly against armored opponents), most high-level players rely heavily on full auto.
 * Whenever you have a spare moment, remove your magazine to inventory, unload a mag in your tactical rig, and top up the main one. Useful way to stay with a full mag.

Loadouts

 * Choosing the load out is mission specific. For maps with largely confined spaces, short assault rifles and carbines work particularly well. In most situations, however, a standard assault rifle (preferably silenced and with a high-capacity magazine) is the best choice. Bolt-action rifles, pistols, and especially shotguns should be considered weapons best fit for desperate situations.
 * Make sure to fill your rig with spare magazines and bring a couple for your sidearm in your pockets. You don't want to be left without ammunition.
 * Most importantly, while the modification system allows you to go total gun nut and make yourself a mall ninja's dream, an M4 with enough bells and whistles to become a one-man orchestra, don't. Remember, less is more, and most of the time, a holographic sight, foregrip, and lightweight stock are enough to make you lethal. That and you'll be laughed at by the guy who plugs you in the head with a Tokarev while you fiddle with all the laser sights, flashlights, and optics you slapped on it.
 * Consider mounting a flash hider or silencer. As mentioned above, being loud gets people killed. Especially in Tarkov.

Raids

 * The only game mode currently available, raids pit you against enemy players (online) and scavengers (online and offline with PvE enabled). These time-limited excursions into the currently available maps allow you to gather loot to exchange for money and face-off with other players.
 * Coordinating with other players helps contain the scavengers. Of course, if it's a casual hookup, you're best served by shooting other players in the face. Since there's no leaderboards, keep track of the kill count. Eliminating every other player gives you the ability to loot the area at your leisure.
 * Disconnecting from a raid will leave your character stranded and you will lose everything you brought in and looted