Escape From Tarkov Quick Combat Guide for New Players

by Masontic

Hi, while I wait for matching to do its thing I thought writing a pvp/pve guide will help a lot of new players continue to die but NOT lose all their dosh . It is a sad reality that as a new player you will die 99/100 of the time for the next few weeks/months but learning from it is the only way to get better .

KNOWLEDGE is the most important thing to learn in this game (Spawns/hotzones/routes/high traffic areas etc etc etc). Ammo is secondary and guns/attachments play a minimal role.

Some important websites:
https://escapefromtarkov.gamepedia.com/Quests has all you need to know about quest and how to complete them. These nerds data mine the game so everything should be the latest version from ammo stats to gear and barter information.

https://i.redd.it/9yhj1lqzy6541.png visualization on ammo stats. General rule is every 10pen = 1 armour class so a 30pen bullet can pen class 3 armour etc.

https://eft-loot.com/ so you know what to put up yo ass.

Key bindings that should eventually be muscle memory:

· Q or E for quick leaning

· L.alt + Q or E for stepout

· L.alt + W or S for blind firings overhead and right corner (no left corner sadly). You can also blind fire grenades

· L.alt + A or D will permanently lean then you can use Q or E to snap back to your upright position

· Double tap R for drop mag quick reload

· R + mouse wheel scroll to choose which mag you wana use

There are a lot more keybinds that you should check and change in the settings.
NOTE: shift + T to check if a bullet is chambered. I’ve had multiple instances of my gun not firing because of this.

Priority for reload/grenades is left to right from pockets to vest so I often leave my left pocket empty if I need to change grenade/ammo type.

AI-2 is the only med that doesn’t bandage so either use a car med or bring bandages. You can also pre-pain killer/Vaseline before a fight. Invest in Alu splints.

DO QUEST TO GET AT LEAST LEVEL 2 TRADERS. Flea market price can often be more expensive depending on its availability in the world+trader locks. Quest also give tons of rewards later, so it is worth doing them to also give you purpose in each raid.

Loadouts:

· Kedr/klin with 20rnd mags – Use high flesh damage rounds (PSV) and spray the legs.

· Mp-153/Saiga 12ga – 12×70 magnum buckshots and aim for the legs or 12/70 flechette and aim anywhere.

· Pp-19 – PSO rounds and spray the legs.

· Hunter – m80 but keep a m61 mag if you see a thick boi. Aim for chest or head or even the legs if they are in the open so your follow up shot is easier (make them limp)

· Mosin/SVD – lps but keep some SNB for the thick bois. For the mosin you can put the SNB in your left pocket then reload it.

All these guns have a high change for insurance + mags so don’t be afraid to R+R.
For rifle rounds you are looking for fragmentation. You can shoot a hatchet boi with SNB but most likely have 4+ rnds go through him doing minimum damage.

There are many other guns such as sks/adar/vss but the most important thing to know is which ammo to use and if you are willing to spend the extra dosh for high tier bullets. THE BULLET IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE GUN. But silencers can keep the enemy guessing while muzzle brakes dramatically reduce recoil for cheap so its up to you which you use. Sights and scopes also help if ironsights cover too much of your screen. Please remember that they are calibrated by zeroing so if you point blank aim at someone’s head with a red dot you would hit them in the chest etc .

Armour:

· 6B3TM-01M is a T4 armour rig that is very good for price and repair but locked behind L2 ragman. Try to use class 4 armour at the very least so you have a chance against other players.

· SSh-68 is cheapest high ricochet helmet but 6B47 protects a bit more of your head.

I suggest using any armour you find of scavs or even buying a PACA or UNTAR as you will always get it back from insurance. You only want some armour to protect you from pistols/shotguns. UNTAR can even tank a bunch of PS rounds.

COMTACS IS A MUST for solo players. Sound in this game is broken but using comtacs to hear further and spinning around slowly to echo locate yo prey will save you most of the time more than armour.

Use a scav backpack minimum as you can then hold most guns.

All this stuff has a high chance to return from insurance.

Firefight tips:

· Never run until you lose all your stamina. Getting shot lowers it and the worst is when you can’t sprint into cover or ADS accurately

· Crouch/prone for better accuracy but proning leaves you exposed.

· Never repeak the same corner. The only exception to this is if you are confident in killing the dude

· Use keybindings to minimize your body exposure when firing

· Reposition as much as you can. This can even be a full half the map flank

· USE ZARYAS. These are very powerful even against raiders/scav boss. This also helps in levelling strength skill

· PRE-FIRE before you round a corner. If they are holding it then chances you will just dome them before they do anything.

· Point-firing is very accurate compared to most other games and using a laser means its better to not ADS in CQB.

· Flashlight then prone will fuck with someones brain. It can be difficult to hit someones head when you are blinded with a flashlight. 5X flashlights to be jesus.

YOUR GOAL IS TO LEARN THE MAPS, LOOT ROUTES AND WHAT TO DO IN COMBAT SITUATIONS WITHOUT PANICING. So, you will eventually create your own style for playing a map.

Or you can just be me last patch and TT only. Kill a scav and use his gear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_SZ-tjtJyOA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geDbJ2uVlb8

Cheeki money making tips:

· There are 4 tech spots in interchange for easy loot

· Custom marked room always gives more than what you paid for in keys

· Reserve maybe camped by thermal nerds but you can often find high value loot underground

· Shoreline is a treasure trove if you have the keys

· Look up hidden stashes on each map

· Complete Therapist “Private Clinic” quest for a THICC item case that sells for 15M with only a 4M investment.

That’s all I got for a quick guide and I am still matching….