3 Things to Keep in Mind if You're New to Tarkov

Tarkov is a completely different beast for those of us who are relatively new to the game. And even if you aren’t, only this game can take the wind out of your sails and make you question everything you know about the game, and yourself. With so many aspects, mechanics, angles and nuance, Tarkov tries to deliver an experience that is uniquely its own; succeeding most of the time, and completely failing some of the time. We’ll never get the perfect Tarkov video game, but in the meantime, as we slowly approach a potential 1.0 release, it’s important to try and enjoy what we have right in front of us. And for those who might be having some difficulty in that regard, it’s not all doom and gloom. A lot of it simply boils down to a mentality shift with how you play and engage with Tarkov. Here are three things to keep in mind while playing Tarkov, whether you are new to the game. And even I have to remind myself of these sometimes because I can get so bogged down in the trenches that I forget the real reasons why I play and enjoy this game. So, if you enjoy this or any video I have made in the past, be sure to subscribe to see when new ones go live.

Tarkov ultimately boils down to why are you going into a raid. There should be a reason you have decided to load onto a specific map. Do you need to complete some quests? Do you want to farm loot and try to make some money? Do you want to just engage in as much PvP as possible? Whatever your reason is, at the very least there should be one each time you play on your PMC. Your scav is a little less “intense” is the word I would use and could simply be to just walk around if you so desire or cool off after an unfortunate death on your PMC. But if you’re serious about Tarkov, and are intent on leveling up your character, the traders, and getting access to the better gear and equipment in the game, you need to raid with purpose. Even if it’s just to kill a single scav and extract, that is better than going in with no gameplan. Obviously, if you are already at endgame, and have basically everything you need, then it becomes a different story. But for those of us who still have tons of progress to make, each raid on your PMC should come with a goal(s). And trying to get risky and tackle multiple quests at once will usually provide big time regarding how fast you level up. Sometimes, it isn’t worth the risk, especially if you need to go to a specific area on a map and hear it popping off with activity. In those moments, it just makes sense to leave with what you have accomplished and simply run it back. This game handles a lot of its quest progression in arcs, and depending on where you are in the game, it might be best to try and blow through one of those arcs. Each map requires a different amount of playtime, and requiring it at different points in the wipe cycle, but you will need to visit each and every map at some point, so it’s best to accept that fact early on, and do what you can using the offline raid functionality in Tarkov to try and learn the basics of each map, where the high traffic locations are located, and where the extractions are. Seriously, if you’re new or are just unfamiliar with a map, play it in offline mode. You can choose if there are scavs, bosses, the type of weather, and you have full access to the map knowing you’ll be the only PMC on it. The only thing to know is that while you will not lose your gear should you die, you also don’t keep anything you happen to find. But still, offline is a feature in the game many don’t take advantage of. So don’t be afraid to use it should you want to experiment with any new weapons, maps, or features.

One thing that any Tarkov player will say, myself included, is that you are going to die in this game. A lot. Very similar to something like Dark Souls, death is inevitable; an inescapable fate that will cross your path many times throughout your travels. So as early on as you can, just remember that death doesn’t have to be a loss of your gear and any quest items you may have had. You need to take each death as they come; learning experiences that will hopefully sharpen your skills for the next raid so that it doesn’t happen again. Whether it’s simply whiffing your shots, not knowing when to play aggressive or when to slow down and listen, these moments can be reflected on and refined each time they happen so that when it inevitably pops up again, you have both the knowledge and experience to make the right calls and win those fights. And to make this even easier, if you have purchased Tarkov’s parent Arena Mode, you can practice your combat skills there with no current penalty to your normal Tarkov character, stash, or money. It’s certainly not necessary, and the situations will be different and not exactly a 1:1 comparison, but any time being able to shoot your gun at other players is a welcome one. Death comes for all of us, eventually, and it’s important not to get frustrated at yourself when you make a mistake. The game is out to get you, and I mean that in the most literal sense. Bugs, glitches, crashes, errors; you are going to encounter plenty of these, so you just have to remember that this game isn’t done, and for how amazing it can be, on the same token it can be one of the most frustrating experiences to try and play. But if you can get over that, even when you die, you will have some incredible experiences that you can only get in Tarkov.

Assuming you follow at least one Tarkov creator online, if you go over to their livestreams, you’ll notice many of them are higher than average levels. Especially with how quickly they can level up right after a wipe. This is something that should be taken with a grain of salt. These people make their living playing the game. Streaming anywhere from 8-16 hours a day, 4-6 days a week. It makes sense why they are so high level. Don’t let their progression and how swift it may seem deter you from your own experience. They are not the norm. You are right on time with how fast you are leveling up. Even if you are two weeks or hell, two months late for the wipe, there is really never a bad time to jump into the game. Will it be marginally harder if you come into it later? Yes, that is an unfortunate side effect, as people will have better guns, ammo, armor; things that will make it harder to kill them and easier to kill you. But the beauty of the game is that all it takes is a single bullet in the right place, especially now with how armor works (or doesn’t work), and you can put the thickest PMCs down for good. This gigantic preamble is just to remind you this game is a marathon, not a sprint. If you try to go hard at it, you run the risk of getting either beyond frustrated with it, or burning out on it unable to enjoy and appreciate all the new Tarkov has to offer. Take your time with the grind, enjoy the game and all its new features. We’re going to be in patch 0.14 for probably something close to six months, which means you have more than enough time to take it in stride and get as far into it as you like. Obviously, the higher your level, the better gear you acquire for purchase and the harder the tasks become, but that just means you might be reaching content you’ve never played before. I’m going through this right now. Because the new Punisher – Part 4 is so difficult being on Lighthouse now (watch the previous video if you want to see that experience), I have played a decent number of raids on Streets. And man, that map is fun. Doesn’t run perfect on my PC, but besides that, the map is just fun, while being an appropriate level of challenge and difficulty. Regardless, I plan on doing as much as I can, getting to at least max traders, and then just doing what I normally do after that which is building cool looking guns and trying to have successful raids with them. It’s always been my post level 42 plan, and it doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon.

While I know these three points aren’t exactly tricks, tips, or guides in the more traditional sense, Tarkov is very much a mental game as it is a regular one. You have to be in the right mood and mindset to play the game effectively, and it’s important to reflect on these larger scale ideas as well as focusing on your macro and micro game. Making sure you have a reason to go into raids, are willing to learn and reflect on your own deaths and playing the game at the right pace for you will set you up for success in the game. I hope these ideas and mentalities help you in your time across Tarkov. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your day to watch this vid0eo. Let me know in the comments how your wipe has been going so far, if these helped in any way and be sure to subscribe for more videos about higher level thinking with a game that can and will try to beat you into the ground, if you let it. Thank you for reading.