A Shooter Born in Heaven: Guide

This guide was written by my fiance, whose Battlestate name is Thunderhawk__.  It was last updated on the 21st April 2021 for Version 0.12.10.  Thunderhawk regularly streams Tarkov at ThunderhawkTwitch.

Intro

This guide deals with the following tasks;

• Kill 3 PMC’s with headshots in the Woods from a distance of more than 100 metres
• Kill 3 PMC’s with headshots in the Interchange from a distance of more than 100 metres
• Kill 3 PMC’s with headshots in the Shoreline from a distance of more than 100 metres
• Kill 3 PMC’s with headshots in the Customs from a distance of more than 100 metres

When I described the requirements of this quest to my fiancée, she said it sounded like you just have to be ‘lucky’ to complete it, and she’s right.  This guide will help you capitalise on your luck when the right situation arises. This challenge is not necessarily difficult, but it does require patience and a measure of resilience.   For me, this took a solid week of playing for at least four hours a day while focussing solely on this quest.

General Tips

Weapon Choice

Long-range precision shots require a balance of two variables; projectile drop-off and time to target. These can both be solved with projectile speed.  A faster bullet has less time to fall, resulting in less drop-off.  This is particularly useful as less drop-off increases the chance that the shot will land where you are aiming and not drastically below.

For this quest, I would recommend a bolt-action or designated marksman rifle as a primary and a cheap sub-machine gun as secondary with one or two magazines of high-quality ammo.  I typically ran an MP5 with a foregrip and 7N37. To be more economical, I would have one magazine loaded in my SMG and the other in my secure container. As this quest heavily relies on opportunities, I used the VPO with .366 AP rounds and typically a 6x scope such as the Vudu or the Valday. The gun and ammunition are cheap but this is traded off against lower muzzle velocity.

My second choice, if I happened to be doing well or had found one on another player, would be to take a DMR. Whilst expensive they are more adaptable to situations and therefore don’t require a secondary. An SVDS has sufficient muzzle velocity that the drop over 100 metres is almost negligible.   If you are aiming at the top of the head, your shot will not deviate to the torso. 

Ammunition of decent penetration with high enough damage to destroy a PMC’s leg but not enough to destroy a PMC’s torso can be used to immobilise a target. For this, the SNB rounds are best.  They have a little less penetration than the 7N37 but the difference in projectile speed is worth it.

Gameplay

Other players will not willingly engage at longer ranges because they typically run close to medium range loadouts.  Establishing the distance from your target will be your responsibility. For this reason, I will describe the location I found optimal for each map.   This imgur album will help as a rough indicator of the in-game range.  I suggest quickly navigating from your spawn to the recommended spots to allow for more chances to get the required shots.

Wherever you decide to set up, firing one or two rounds into a surface to establish the drop-off of the round will help.  You may only get one chance to land your shot on your target when they arrive.  Don't do this every time as it will give away your position. You can leave backpacks or kill scavs as bait to lure a target and keep them still long enough for you to land your shot. Alternatively, you can try to leave scavs alive so PMC’s do not become suspicious of the situation. 

Painkillers of any kind can be useful to increase the sharpness of the game and make it easier to identify targets when not aiming down sights.  Whilst remaining prone makes you more vulnerable, it depletes your aiming stamina more slowly than being crouched or stood

The task will update immediately on your landing the shot.  This can be used to kill-confirm.

Woods

These positions centre around the three objectives that can be found along the coast and which you can easily get line-of-sight on from further along the waterline. From your spawn point, you want to circle back and flank the PMC spawns to let them get ahead of you.  Then get set up either near the van on the west or the marshes on the east.  The marshes are preferred as the van is involved in an objective.   Alternatively, the open space near the bunker and the scav house gives great line-of-sight.

Reserve

Reserve can be a little daunting given the level of gear players are known to take in, and the raiders are a force to be reckoned with. This makes the flow of Reserve more difficult to understand and that will be key to this sub-quest. 

Initially, learn spawns. These will help you line-up your shot before players have even arrived and dictate the flow of the map. Secondly, my tactic was to get to the nearest vantage point immediately. Doesn’t matter what it was, though it was usually the green sniper towers that line the perimeter of the map. Thirdly, you need to know what 100 metres looks like, so you don’t waste opportunities. Fourth, patience. After the initial player spawns the map will get quieter, which is when you need to decide whether to stick to your position or take a spot overlooking loot.

The location shown is on the cliffs of the radar tower and overlooks the motor pool. The lower location looks into the windows of rooms within White Queen and Black Bishop which spawn high enough tier loot to draw in players. I have purposely not included Radar.  I suggest avoiding it, given its vulnerability. It’s much like being in a house looking at a block of flats. You have one window looking into many that only have one to look at in return.

Interchange

This map allows for a great deal of adaptation.  The underground parking allows for many clear lines of sight, both inside and out, to achieve the required distance. Also, the larger window in the centre on the east side gives significant vantage over that side of the map. The containers at the top of the ramp near the Emercom extraction gives vantage over the west but you'll need to let the PMCs create the distance before you can take the shot.

Shoreline

The position overlooking the gas station allows for easy targeting of those taking the road to the pier with bushes to hide in whilst the other position gives vantage over players at the sub-station. The consistent scav spawns also give plenty of opportunities to provide lures to other players making for easier targets, but you must be wary of creating the 100m distance. Lastly, the circled area is Pestily’s ‘listening spot’, from here you can listen for player activity at either location. I have included it here as PMC’s on Shoreline tend to play for the Spa facility and so player activity could be low between the sub-station and the gas station.

Customs

This map provides a surprising number of locations. I have highlighted only the most consistent. The spot near the military railroad extract is in the rocks slightly to the west. This provides vantage to players opening the factory key shortcut into the industrial compound and those descending from the construction site. It is good for catching players spawning this side of the map. However, I found the most reliable spot to be near the road bridge that overlooks the two land bridges of the south. From here it is roughly 100m to the white fence across the river whilst the further land bridge easily meets the 100m criteria.

Good Hunting.