Have Some Trigger Discipline in Tarkov

With Tarkov getting very interesting recoil changes over the last couple of weeks, it has been feeling better and better to use a larger variety of weapons in the game. There was a long period that unfortunately, it felt as though there were only a handful of weapons that were actually viable to fight other players and bosses with. The RD-704, Mutant, AKM (but only with a .308 suppressor on it), and maybe a min/maxed M4. SMGs were basically a joke (they still kind of are regarding ammo), and then of course there are niche weapons that are always usable but not mainstream, like bolt-actions. But to keep it simple, for a while, five weapons could consistently kill players. Luckily, all these gun and camera recoil changes are really bringing other weapons into the fray. On top of that, more build variety is being seen on these weapons, which I’d argue is more important, because with something like an AK or M4, yes, they are common weapons, but if they can be built a dozen ways, instead of one or two, that’s also really beneficial for what you see in the game. Hell, you might even get inspired by a gun you pick up and go ‘I want to build that’. However, one aspect to Tarkov that I feel as though people still kind of sleep on, is using their gun in single fire. I would say burst fire for those guns that can use it, but burst is fundamentally broken so it will never work as intended (with one exception). But, for the rest of the guns in the game, single fire feels better to use the more I mentally make the adjustment in my head that I am tap shooting. And I would highly suggest others give it a try as well.

Single fire allows for so much more control over how your weapon behaves in your hands. Whenever you have full auto ready to go, sure, you feel more confident that in tight quarters you can easily dispatch one or multiple foes in rapid succession, but there is a limit to how far this will work, and it varies for every gun, and varies even further based on how modded the weapon actually is. However, single fire allows for one thing that can make or break a gunfight in Tarkov: control. You have much more of this when you tap shoot with your weapon. Sure, your lethality feels like it’s much lower because your output of bullets is lower. But remember; this is Tarkov. It only takes a single, well-placed round to put someone down for good. So, your mindset whenever you are in single fire, should be accuracy over sheer volume of fire. Now, I'm not saying you need to be in dorms with single fire on. If you want to challenge yourself, go for it. It’s actually a great way of getting better at fighting other players, whilst limiting yourself to how much lead you can spew. But this is mainly talking about being outside, in short to medium range engagements. Distances where having a flashlight or laser on might make the difference between killing another player or dying yourself.

In regard to using weapons strictly in single fire, the weapon(s) you ultimately decide to use has even more impact on your performance. A tried-and-true stalwart of this game, the ADAR, is a superb weapon for practicing your single fire prowess in Tarkov. But to be honest, that’s kind of a cheap answer. Because in this instance, I am more so referring to weapons that can be fully automatic but are being used specifically in single fire. Something more along the lines of an AK, Mutant, or SCAR as just some examples. And while the gun certainly has an effect, the ammo you fill the mags is probably the biggest deciding factor as to how well you do running a gun in single. I mean, this is common knowledge, but the better ammo you use, the higher probability you have of surviving your raids. As you level up your vendors, you should always be trying to use the ammo that is most effective that is available to you. 56A1, BT, M80; whatever you can get your hands on. Remember; you’re shooting less than the average person, so every shot that comes out of your gun needs to have more impact than theirs. This also means that your weapon build doesn’t have too always be the juiciest it can possibly be. Because recoil is much less of a factor because you have much more of a say in how fast the weapon fires. This allows for more budget options for guns, whilst still maintaining a similar level of lethality against someone who might be using full auto.

Now, whilst this idea is certainly effective for rifles, it doesn’t hold as much water as for SMGs. Unfortunately, due to their smaller rounds, the penetration power of these calibers doesn’t hold up nearly as well, with a few exceptions that might be able to hold their own. 9mm is still kind of a joke, and with how quickly a lot of the weapons in the SMG category fire, that’s why you use them; they have some of the best hail of bullets on offer. MP9, MP7, P90, SR-2, and both Vectors have rates of fire over 900. These weapons are particularly potent for hosing bullets towards people, with any level of reckless abandon. But to use these weapons in single fire, unless you are just trying to take out a scav or two, is very much a bad idea. Their ammos lack the horsepower needed to punch through higher levels or armor. There is an argument for the MP7 with AP SX, and I would say the 45 Vector. The reason for the MP7 is simple; AP SX has 53 pen, which puts it up there with ammos like M995, and BS. In an SMG; that’s kind of wild. Now, it’s very difficult to get your hands on this ammo, but you only need one or two bullets and they’re going down. Now, for the 45 Vector. The reason I would say this gun can be used with a tap shooting style in mind, is because it’s the only gun with good ammo, 38 pen, and that has burst fire functionality that works. Its unique 2-round burst makes it particularly interesting in trying to manage both ammo consumption as well as recoil. Granted, this Vector doesn’t have that much recoil to start (way more horizontal than vertical), but this burst system helps tame whatever recoil is left. And you can fire all 15 bursts relatively quickly before needing to reload. So, if you really want to spice up your game, get your hands on a .45 Vector and some AP ammo, and use it in burst. You might be surprised by its performance.

For a while not I have been actively trying to get better at not only keeping my guns in single fire more often, but also taking fights against players while being in single. It really is a skillset that I should've learned a long time ago, but now it is better than never. Being able to easily dispatch someone without having to use your entire magazine to do so, feels incredible. I hope that in the future, that maybe some more elements get added into the game that maybe don’t nerf full auto, but really incentivize the player base to consider staying in single for more fights. Better recoil, weapon handling; I’m not exactly sure what the benefit would be. But there should be something in place so more choices can be made. All I am advocating for is to have people give single fire a chance. But I’m curious, what are your thoughts about single fire and whether it can be consistently viable in Tarkov now. Let me know in the comments down below and be sure to subscribe for more videos about different ways that guns can be used to lay waste to other players. I hope to see you in future ones.