30 Tips and Tricks for Escape from Tarkov
I've been playing Escape from Tarkov (EFT) for many years now and want to share the top 30 tips and tricks I've learned to help new and experienced players improve their skills. These tips cover general gameplay, inventory management, combat, health/meds, and advice for new players.
Introduction
EFT has a steep learning curve but is incredibly rewarding once you get the hang of things. The gameplay loop consists of loading into raid sessions to loot, kill AI scavs and players, and extract safely. The following tips aim to help you survive more raids, extract with better loot, improve combat skills, and manage your inventory/traders more efficiently.
Whether you just bought EFT or have hundreds of hours logged, hopefully you pick up something useful here! Let's get into the top 50 tips:
General Gameplay Tips
1. Don't trust insurance if you drop items in water
I tested this extensively - if you throw insured items into water, you will not get them back from insurance. Always use caution around water!
2. Bind weapon inspection and malfunction fix
Bind one key to "Inspect Weapon" and another to "Fix Malfunction." Hold the inspect key until animation finishes, then release to instantly fix jams.
3. Cook grenades for more precise throwing
Pull the pin and hold left click to cook a grenade. You can then sprint around before releasing left click to throw precisely.
4. Reload and heal on the move
Right click meds/ammo in your inventory and hit "Install" or "Reload" without interrupting movement.
5. Escape loading issues with Alt+F4
If you get stuck matching for 5+ minutes, Alt+F4 to close the game safely without losing gear. Relog to avoid extra load times.
6. Flashbangs force boss reactions
Quickly locate bosses like Killa by throwing flashbangs and listening for unique audible reactions.
7. Trust those survival instincts
If you suspect you heard something, act like it's a confirmed enemy and reposition cautiously. Better safe than sorry!
8. Confirm raid objectives in quest menu
Unsure if you got a quest kill? Check your quest progress for confirmation before extracting.
9. Check your scopes and lasers
Get in the habit of inspecting optics, fire mode, and laser settings when you first spawn.
Managing Inventory and Traders
10. Use Map Genie for maps and loot
Map Genie has excellent EFT maps showing extractions, loot spawns, stashes, keys, and more.
11. Level Weapon Maintenance for repair bonuses
Repair guns with weapon repair kits to level up Weapon Maintenance and unlock reload/spread bonuses at higher levels.
12. Sell to the right traders
Sell weapons and attachments to Mechanic, armor to Ragman, meds to Therapist, etc to level up traders quickly.
13. Condense loot with Cases
Storing cases inside larger cases saves inventory room. I keep all my medical cases and ammo cases neatly stacked.
14. Only sell perfect condition guns on Flea
Weapons under 93% durability can't be sold on flea. Vendors take damaged weapons so sell to them first.
15. Increase flea rep to post more offers
Listing items on the flea market increases your reputation, unlocking more offer slots.
Combat Tips
16. Leg meta
If you're struggling to land kills, shoot legs! Much easier to hit and disables enemy movement.
17. Know your ammo types
Ammo is more important than aim in EFT. Look up ammo charts and use the best your trader levels allow.
18. Pre-painkill before engagement
Pop painkillers first when rushing high-traffic areas so you can keep moving fast if shot.
19. Don't be afraid to hip fire
Laser sights tighten hip fire dispersion - don't be afraid to hit fire, especially on close-medium range AR fights.
20. Skip face shields if possible
Small protection boost not worth limited visibility and slow ADS in my opinion. But can save you from lucky rounds.
Health and Meds
21. Augmentin provides painkiller effect
Don't forget Augmentin pills provide painkilling effect along with healing limbs.
22. Reset Ibuprofen and Golden Star
Alternate using these meds and reset to 1 use before crafting into 7 Propitols for profit.
23. Always carry hemostat syringes
Bring these into every raid to quickly stop heavy bleeds before they kill you.
24. SJ6 and 3BTG stims for speed
Pop an SJ6 and 3BTG for drastically increased sprint and search speed.
25. Mule stim prevents overweight penalties
Use Mule to carry overweight loot faster but it will inflict small damage over time.
New Player Tips
26. Play your way
Don't feel compelled to mimic streamer playstyles - figure out what works best for you!
27. Do stash runs if struggling with PvP
Load into Woods/Shoreline/Interchange and focus on hidden stashes to avoid PvP and make money.
28. Use Scav gear on PMC
If afraid to run PMC kits, take your Scav weapons and armor into PMC raids to get comfortable.
29. Play slow and passive when learning
No need to sprint everywhere if you're still learning maps. Take it slow and disengage from fights you can't win.
30. Pack a Paracord
Always bring Paracords when going into large maps like Reserve and Woods in case you need to extract.
Conclusion
That wraps up 30 tips and tricks for EFT! Let me know if you have any other useful tips in the discord! These should help new players learn the ropes and give veterans some new strategies to try. EFT has a steep learning curve but it's one of the most intense and rewarding shooters out there once you get the hang of it. Good luck out there in Tarkov!