Scav Raiders

"A shady group of armed people who, according to rumors, consist of former PMC operators and local residents. They possess great combat and tactical skills."

- In game description

 are a faction of Scavs in Escape from Tarkov.

Location
Scav Raiders naturally spawn throughout the the Lab location, as well as having a chance to spawn upon activating any of the extraction switches, roaming towards the activation location. They can also be encountered on Reserve, in the command area of the underground tunnel system at the start of a raid, and additional ones may appear after the "D-2" extraction power switch has been activated. The arrival of the train may also spawn them at the train yard. Additionally, pulling the "Bunker hermetic door" extraction lever may spawn them at the train yard.

Behavior
Scav Raiders are advanced Scavs that are considerably stronger and more tactical than everyday Scavs. They fight in groups, often patrolling the Lab and Reserve in squads of 2-4 members. Raiders employ multiple different weapons and tactics, not afraid to flank, rush, and pin down intruding PMCs. Extreme discretion is required when facing Raiders, as unprepared players will often be shot down almost instantly. Raiders often say voice lines while patrolling or fighting and are easily distinguished from Scavs when speaking English. Scav Raiders start out neutral to other Scavs (including player Scavs), but will get irritated and shout warnings when they get too close. If the warning is ignored, they will open fire. If some other Scav has alerted a raider, it becomes hostile to all other non-raider Scavs; it is safer to always assume that they are hostile.

Strategy
Because Raiders are able to have Class 5/6 Body Armor or Armored Rigs, it is best to bring high penetration ammo. Without AP rounds, aiming for the face is vital, as the hitboxes for the Eyes and Jaws will be protected by, at most, Class 3 face shields; however, other head hitboxes won't have any armor class higher than 4. Also, peeking the same angle twice is highly discouraged as Raiders will watch an angle if you peek it once so it is best to regularly change your position. It is also best to engage Raiders in close range or in enclosed spaces as there is more cover and it is much easier to land headshots in close range, plus there are places to retreat to, as Raiders are able to use grenades, making any room with one exit a death sentence. It is also useful to use grenades for your own advantage, grenades are very useful at flushing Raiders out, forcing them out of any cover they may have, which will put them out in the open where they can be dispatched. If attempting to fight Raiders as a Scav on Reserve most of your fights will be in the open area in between Rook/Train Station and the K Buildings, as most of the time the ones in the tunnels beneath the helicopter will already have been killed. If engaging outside of Rook Raiders will usually attempt to find cover once being shot instead of instantly shooting back. This is not an excuse to push further, as rushing their cover will result in your immediate death. Raiders generally run to cover if you are far enough away, within a short range they will often shoot you on the spot. Because of this behavior what you should do next depends on your weapon. If you have a sniper (such as a Mosin Rifle, SV-98, or other Bolt Action Rifle) it is best to take position on top of Rook/Train Station and shoot them from there and simply wait for them to peek you because after enough time they will often come out of cover if they reach it, especially if another Scav has aggravated them. If you have a shotgun it is best to shoot them from mid range and duck to cover such as inside Rook/Train Station or K Buildings to force them to push you, then just aim for the face, with enough skill (and/or luck) you can dispatch them (Bottleneck and Blitzkrieg). If you have an Assault Rifle either push towards them and get close and aim for face or use the shotgun's strategy. If attempting to fight raiders in the tunnels, using a Bolt-Action is discouraged, although Shotguns have proved very useful. Attempt to engage them in the main area and then rotate using the side tunnels to flank and get closer. Don't get greedy and try to kill more than one at a time, if it seems like a room has 2 raiders in it, use grenades to flush them out and rush. Remember to aim at head level.

Equipment
Weapons= Note that raiders rarely have armors above class 4 Raiders can spawn with a range of different weapon mods, headwear and armor vests in their backpacks.
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Trivia

 * The gloves the Scav Raiders use are modeled after the Mechanix M-PACT Fingerless Covert.


 * Below you can find a list of Scav Raider names collected by the community. It may not be complete due to new names being added regularly. If you encountered a new name, please let us know on our Discord or note it here. Most of them are the names of carnivorous animals in Russian.