The Tarkov Shooter Guide - Updated for Version 0.12.10

 This guide was written by my fiance, whose Battlestate username is Thunderhawk_.  An older version of this guide was published in June of 2020, but is now out-of-date due to changes to the game.  Thunderhawk regularly streams Tarkov at ThunderhawkTwitch.  Please ask there if you have any questions or would like a demonstration of any specific locations or other tips discussed.

General Tips

• Scavs spawn in waves at various points during the raid.  Be ware of this when holding position near scav spawns.
• Extracting is not necessary and runs that result in death may still complete the quest for you.  However, surviving as long as you can will increase your knowledge of the map which will be helpful for future attempts at these or any other quests.
• This guide will largely concentrate on Shoreline and Woods based on Scav spawn locations.  The Wiki has maps of each level and the relevant scav spawns.
• My recommended weapon is the Molot VPO-215 with .366 AP rounds. It is ridiculously cheap for the power it provides. The only downside is a slower muzzle velocity than it’s bolt-action counterparts. This translates to more drop over longer distances and if this is something you find difficult to account for then switching to another bolt-action rifle is no problem providing you still follow the advice regarding modifications and positioning.

Part One

Kill 8 Scavs over 40 metres away with bolt-action rifle without scope.

Equip the VPO, which is sold by Jaegar at loyalty level 1. Do not equip any scopes except iron sights. Use the Shoreline map and head for either the Gas Station or the Power Substation, whichever is closest. Each side has a ridge providing good vantage with the required distance and the Scav spawns are reliable with at least three at each location.

Part Two

Make 3 hits in the legs from more than 60 metres away with a bolt-action rifle.
Make 2 headshots from more than 60 metres away with a bolt-action rifle.

Head back to Shoreline’s Gas Station and Power Substation. This quest may be completed with just two Scavs, since they have two heads and four legs between them.  Aim for their legs first, then try for a headshot.  Avoid hitting the same leg twice as the first shot may have destroyed the limb.  Further damage is considered true damage, likely resulting in death.

Part Three

Kill 4 PMC operatives with a bolt-action rifle at close range, less than 25 metres away.

I recommend iron sights but a scope is discretionary based on your budget and preferences.  I avoid adding scopes as this hurts the ergonomic value of the weapon, which makes a big difference in close quarters.  

The main strategy here is to play Factory and react to your spawn. If you spawn close to forklifts then play for the potential of two players spawning in close proximity, such as glass corridor. Should you spawn anywhere else then make a break for the top floor corridor and catch players making their way to offices.  The callouts here can be found in the Wiki map. Remember that the ammunition of the VPO has high penetration and high damage so aim for high centre mass as well as the head.  Players with low armour will likely die in one hit.

Part Four

Level up the Sniper Rifles skill to 4.

Progression is gained through landing sniper hits on enemies with sniper rifles or reloading sniper rifles. You may rinse and repeat any of the strategies used in the previous parts or you can find a hiding spot in any level and repeatedly reload a mosin to increase the sniper skill. As the Mosin is bolt-action it will drop a round on the floor during reloading, allowing you to repeatedly reload and increase the skill indefinitely.  However, I recommend taking plenty of rounds and not taking the trouble to pick up the ones you drop in the interest of time. The increase in skill may vary from patch to patch but you can determine the increase by loading an offline raid and measuring the amount of increase to determine the rate and then calculate how many rounds you require to hit level 4 from that.

Part Five

Kill 10 Scavs at Customs with a bolt-action rifle between 21:00 and 5:00.

Your choice of scope can be important, depending on the operational range of the night-vision equipment you decide to take.

Head to customs and note the Scav spawn locations, Big Red Warehouse and Old Gas Station are quite consistent for Scav spawns.  From this you may either travel between each location to find Scavs or, the more recommended option, camp a Scav spawn location and wait for them to arrive. The latter has less chance of drawing attention from other PMC’s who may have better night-raid equipment and will cut your run short. I also recommend a headset given the stealthier nature of PMC’s during night raids.

Part Six

Kill 7 Scav snipers with a bolt-action rifle.

This quest is where the low price of the VPO is a major benefit. The small cost allows you to run the required class of weapon as a secondary whilst you run your raid.

Head to Shoreline.  Whilst there are more potentially more spawns in Customs it is worth noting that the other PMCs are in closer proximity.  This makes it difficult to get the kill without revealing your location. Note the sniper Scav locations and head directly to the sniper’s location. The sniper at the Power Substation spawns 100% of the time and may be difficult to hit or appear missing if they are on the other side of the building’s roof. Meanwhile, the Rock Passage sniper has a high-frequency spawn but is not guaranteed, so if you do not see them you might decide to head for extract. Just be wary of potential players camping the Rock Passage extract.

Part Seven

Kill 5 PMC operatives with a suppressed bolt-action rifle at least 55 metres away.

Though the suppressor for the VPO is significantly cheaper, its obstruction of the iron sights does make an optic of some kind necessary. A 1x is great as there is little delay in aiming down sights but a 2x or higher may be preferred by players with lower resolutions/screen size.

I recommend either Customs for its isolated loot spots, such as Dorms and Gas Station, that you may bait, or Woods as the valley in which the Saw Mill is located allows for plenty of vantage on players challenging Shturman or trying to collect his stash.

Part Eight

Kill 3 PMC operatives with a bolt-action rifle over one raid in the Woods.

I recommend the VPO with a variable scope or the Bravo or Hammer scopes with compact sights fitted.

From here the strategy has two parts: an early kill and a good position. For step one, study the PMC spawns of Woods.  You want to circle back from your own spawn and drop on a nearby PMC, preferably one that places you further from the centre of the map so as to avoid attracting other PMCs. For step two, there are two options for your last two kills.  You could head into the centre of the map or you could continue along the spawns and track the other PMCs.  Note that PMCs may also be approaching your position at this point so be wary of drawing unnecessary attention to yourself.  Avoid looting until you are sure you are clear. Patience is crucial. 

I hope this guide helps.

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.

“The Tarkov Shooter” Guide

This guide was written by my fiance, whose Battlestate name is Thunderhawk__.   Thunderhawk regularly streams Tarkov at ThunderhawkTwitch.

This guide is out-of-date.  A new version, updated for Version 0.12.10 is available here.  It is current as of April 2021.

I want to preface this guide with some words of caution regarding your personal progression and the concept of play conditioning developed by HBomberguy. Play conditioning acknowledges the effect the introduction of game mechanics has on the player. His video essay on the subject can be found here.  I mention this because in writing this guide I am robbing Escape From Tarkov’s only chance to teach these lessons itself, much like you can only be introduced to the masterpiece that is The Witcher 3 once. So I will be including what I believe to be the intended lesson and hopefully that will translate to other quests of similar intensity. That said, I also understand people’s frustration in completing this questline and Jaeger can go fuck himself.

What I believe to be the intended lesson of each quest will be in white. Highlighting to reveal.

General Tips

• There are two types of Mosin and their trade-offs will become apparent within the guide. Mainly, one allows for the Kochetov Mount and the other does not.

• Insure every Mosin. Kind of goes without saying as a general tip, but this guide will have you switch between the two variants of Mosin so by the time you require the other Mosin it should have returned should you die in your attempt.
• Scavs spawn in waves at various points during the raid, take note when holding position near scav spawns.
• Any amount of additional map knowledge can make a huge difference in Tarkov. This guide will largely concentrate on Shoreline and Woods based on Scav spawn locations.  The Wiki has maps of each level and the relevant scav spawns.
• This guide will make little recommendations towards what armour to equip before your raid. Though I will suggest that if you find one quest particularly difficult you should take it into consideration.
• Extracting is not necessary and runs that result in death may still complete the quest for you
• Types of Ammunition: for Scav based objectives the LPZ Gzh is suitable but for PMC based objectives you may want to switch to ammunition with higher penetration, I prefer the 7BT1. You may have noticed that most kills with the Mosin are one-shot. This is because most of its ammunition deals enough damage to destroy an area of the body and those shots on to the head or the thorax result in instant death so always aim high centre mass or for the head to kill. I use this table as reference: https://odealo.com/articles/escape-from-tarkov-ammo-chart

Part One

Kill 8 Scavs over 40 metres away with Mosin rifle without scope.

Equip the infantry Mosin, which is sold by Prapor at loyalty level 1. Do not equip any scopes except iron sights. Use the Shoreline map and head for either the Gas Station or the Power Substation, whichever is closest. Each side has a ridge providing good vantage with the required distance and the Scav spawns are reliable with at least three at each location.

Lesson: Map knowledge, the handling of the Mosin and possibly an awareness of the Scav’s terminator-like aim.  End.

Part Two

Make 3 hits in the legs from more than 60 metres away with a Mosin.
Make 2 headshots from more than 60 metres away with a Mosin.

Take the sniper variant of the Mosin to make use of the Kochetov Mount you were just rewarded and head back to Shoreline’s Gas Station and Power Substation. This quest may be completed with just two Scavs through aiming for their legs first followed by a headshot and if you hit both legs of one Scav. Be wary of hitting the same leg twice as the first shot may have destroyed the limb and further damage results is considered true damage, likely resulting in death.

Lesson: The effect of hitting limbs, notably that opponents cannot run away with destroyed legs making them easier targets, a likely issue if you missed any shots in completing the first quest. This is also likely the player's first experience at marksmanship and is the first instance of designing a loadout based on an objective.  End.

Part Three

Kill 4 PMC operatives with a Mosin at close range, less than 25 metres away.

Switch back to the infantry-style Mosin. Avoid adding scopes as this hurts the ergonomic value of the weapon, which makes a big difference.  I recommend iron sights and modifications such as the recoil pad, pistol grip or the Monte Carlo stock. These are discretionary based on your budget.

The main strategy here is to play Factory and react to your spawn. If you spawn close to forklifts then play for the potential of two players spawning in close proximity, such as glass corridor. Should you spawn anywhere else then make a break for the top floor corridor and catch players making their way to offices.  The callouts here can be found in the Wiki map. Remember that the ammunition of the Mosin has high penetration and high damage so aim for high centre mass as well as the head, players with low armour will likely die in one hit.

Lesson: Map knowledge and the difference in potential between the sniper and infantry variants of the Mosin. End.

Part Four

Level up the Sniper Rifles skill to 4.

Progression is gained through landing sniper hits on enemies with sniper rifles or reloading sniper rifles. You may rinse and repeat any of the strategies used in the previous parts or you can find a hiding spot in any level and repeatedly reload a mosin to increase the sniper skill. As the Mosin is bolt-action it will drop a round on the floor during reloading, allowing you to repeatedly reload and increase the skill indefinitely. Though I recommend taking plenty of rounds and not taking the trouble to pick up the ones you drop in the interest of time. The increase in skill may vary from patch to patch but you can determine the increase by loading an offline raid and measuring the amount of increase to determine the rate and then calculate how many rounds you require to hit level 4 from that.

Lesson: This quest is more about consistency, arguably a fundamental of EFT, and will likely make you a better shot in the process.  End.

Part Five

Kill 10 Scavs at Customs with a Mosin rifle between 21:00 and 5:00.

Either style of Mosin is acceptable provided you take into account their styles and use. Try only to use the sniper Mosin at range with a scope and the infantry Mosin at close range with iron sights and ergonomically benefitting modifications such as the pistol grip, recoil pad and the Monte Carlo stock. This choice will be important depending on the operational range of the night-vision equipment you decide to take.

Head to customs and note the Scav spawn locations.  From this you may either travel between each location to find Scavs or, the more recommended option, camp a Scav spawn location and wait for them to arrive. The latter has less chance of drawing attention from other PMC’s who may have better night-raid equipment and will cut your run short. I also recommend a headset given the stealthier nature of PMC’s during night raids.

Lesson: An introduction to night raids, sighting range and Scav behaviour. End.

Part Six

Kill 7 Scav snipers with a Mosin.

Your preferred Mosin is acceptable as there is technically no range requirement, but bear in mind that whilst the sniper Mosin provides range allowing for easier shots on the Scavs, the infantry Mosin lends itself to better ergonomics with iron sights allowing for better odds in engagements with players.

Head to Shoreline.  Whilst there are more potentially more spawns in Customs it is worth noting that the other PMC’s are in closer proximity and make it difficult to get the kill without revealing your location. Note the sniper Scav locations and from your spawn head directly to the sniper’s location. The sniper at the Power Substation spawns 100% of the time and may be difficult to hit or appear missing if they are on the other side of the building’s roof. Meanwhile the Rock Passage sniper has a high frequency spawn but is not guaranteed, so if you do not see them you may head for extract. Just be wary of potential players camping the Rock Passage extract.

Lesson: Mostly map knowledge and weapon suitability. Throughout these challenges, the Mosin began to grow on me but it pales in comparison to semi-automatic and fully automatic counterparts.   You cannot expect to go toe-to-toe with this weapon unless you are very experienced.  Instead, you will need to get the drop on people.  This is why whilst Customs has better potential, it is less suitable given its liability for close range combat and the vulnerability of the snipers from other players.  End.

Part Seven

Kill 5 PMC operatives with a suppressed Mosin at least 55 metres away.

Once again, either Mosin is suitable provided you can hit your ranged shots with iron sights, but I recommend a scoped sniper Mosin. For this quest I also recommend Interchange. With limited extract locations it is possible to camp exits to secure kills and the size of the map allows for you to create distance between your target if needed. Bear in mind that your position will likely be compromised if you fail to land your shots.

Lesson: When sniping there are various factors to take into consideration. Bullet speed affects the drop of the round and can be affected with muzzle devices, like suppressors or the ammunition used. There is also a small lesson in weapon modding as the cheapest suppressor for the Mosin may require an adaptor. I also think there is a lesson of survival that strikes to the deeper element of Tarkov. In this instance you are given a weapon only preferably in limited scenarios and it is up to you to provide those scenarios to ensure you complete the quest.  End.

Part Eight

Kill 3 PMC operatives with a Mosin over one raid in the Woods.

I recommend the sniper Mosin with the Monte Carlo stock, the pistol grip, the recoil pad, iron sights and the Kochetov mount installed but no mount attached, instead placing the mount with a fitted scope of good range in your secure container.  If you are not familiar with the Woods map it is likely more experienced players will already have a lead on you if you attempt to go for the obvious sniper positions. Also, given the flatter plain of Woods, missed shots are more likely and you sacrifice your position for every missed shot.

From here the strategy has two parts, an early kill and good position. First, study the PMC spawns of Woods, you want to circle back from your own spawn and drop on a nearby PMC, preferably one that places you further from the centre of the map at to not attract other PMC’s. Secondly, you want to either continue along the spawns and track the other PMC’s, note they may be approaching your position given how the openness of the map allows for accessibly line of sight, or attach the scope from your secure container and snipe PMC’s securing loot near the Lumber Mill. Patience is critical. Also be wary of drawing unnecessary attention to yourself, some attention is good to attract players, but not when you are vulnerable yourself. Avoid looting until you are sure you are clear. Surviving the raid is paramount to the quest to grant you more map knowledge and whilst you may feel rushed to secure kills given the timer for the raid it is always possible another player is in the level with you.

Lesson: I believe this quest not only culminates all the previous quests but also requires you to develop the lessons further to complete it. From studying Scav spawns you now need to be aware of PMC spawns and how that affects how the raid plays out. The versatility of the sniper Mosin over the infantry Mosin become apparent, given one can attach a scope in raid. Woods is also a very open map making it easy for other players to seek you out when you give your position away in engagements, teaching you to be critical of your surroundings and the value of map knowledge. This quest also teaches you the most valuable quest for EFT, patience.  End.


I hope this guide helps.