The Problem with Cases in Tarkov

One of the most vital parts of any players stash in Tarkov is cases. These items allow for increased storage space for a large variety of items depending on which case you are trying to get your hands on. There are a bunch of different cases, ranging from dog tag cases, all the way to the premium, and aptly named T H I C C items cases. Each one has a purpose, and while some are certainly better and more sought after than others, if you offered a free case to anyone, no matter which one it was, most people would gladly accept the extra stash space. And this goes double for people who aren’t playing on EOD accounts. That standard account stash size is tiny compared to the other versions. So, for them, cases are non-negotiable to be both successful in the game, and so that you can have more than one kits worth of gear safely stored away. However, one of the biggest issues when it comes to cases in Tarkov is just getting your hands on them. Some are much easier to obtain than others. But in general, the cases that people actually want are a rare luxury that could maybe be toned down to facilitate better use of stash base across the board.

Some very easy to find ones are things like wallets; while not technically a case, it behaves like one, allowing four slots for money, which if you’re a hoarder like me, those four slots will come in handy. The pistol case is kind of an odd one, but still very handy for your sidearms, magazines, and even ammo. So, it could be treated as a pseudo ammo case for the time being.

Cases like the dog tag, for example case can simply be purchased from the vendors. In the case of the dog tag case, it’s around 344k rubles, which sounds like a lot, and considering it’s purchasable from Therapist level 1, it is. But because of the interior size of the dog tag case, you’d be surprised how quickly it makes that money back and then some. 100 slots for tags are a lot, and depending on where we are in the wipe, the number of tags needed goes down to make a profit with the case. So again, some are easier to obtain than others. The lucky scab junkbox can also just be bought with money. More expensive, at 1.1 million rubles, but again, the 196 slots for your junk and barter items can make that money back in spades.

Some of the more sought-after cases that are I’d argue a tier above these are the money case, the documents case, the magazine case and the ammo case. Money cases are again a luxury, holding up to 24 million rubles in one location, and for the longest time, there was a chance to find them in marked rooms across Tarkov. To my knowledge, that is no longer how you can get them. The barter from level 4 Therapist of 5 gold chains, 2 rollers, and 2 gold skulls, isn’t impossible to find, but you will need to hit a lot of safes before you can make the exchange. It would be interesting to have this for a barter at level 3, and a raw purchase at level 4 for a couple million rubles, maybe after completing “decontamination service” or something. Like they say, you have to spend money, to make money. Document cases are probably the most balanced out of the storage items, because the barter that is used to acquire one, has been in the game for years now: a lion statue, cat statue, and four horse figures. Seems very reasonable for what it can hold. Sixteen slots for keys, money, and intel items such as folders and flash drives. Very respectable. And there are some quests that have docs cases as rewards, so this item I have the last issues with and is almost perfect. Magazine cases are awesome and really help get rid of the clutter that can come from having multiple weapons in your stash. You can still actually find these in raid, but only in the Reserve marked rooms, and can be purchased after completing the infamous quest a shooter born in heaven. And the best part is that for two blue fuel cans, some nuts/bolts, and some metal scissors, you can craft one; making another easily obtainable case compared to some of the more lucrative ones further down the list. Ammo cases are another one that honestly is fair for what it does. Holding 49 slots for ammo, and having quest rewards, barters, and raw purchase options means most people will have at least two during their time in a Tarkov wipe. So, this tier, if we want to categorize them, is probably the most bang for your buck in terms of how easily they can be obtained, how effective they are with storage, and how much potential money they can save.

The next level up I would say are the med case, the grenade case, and the fridge/thermal bag. The grenade is definitely the most niche option out of these because it does only one thing and that is hold grenades of any type, including under barrel grenades. It still can be very useful, but only for those who love to just chuck stuff at people. Luckily, there are both barter and craft options for players to take advantage of. The thermal bag/food case is very handy I personally feel later in a wipe when you might be either crafting or collecting more food and other items such as sugars for other crafts. The barter option to obtain one is reasonable too. A bunch of hot rods, “Tarcola”, cans of herring, and squash. These will be especially useful, again later in the wipe if you are someone who crafts a lot of “super waters” down the line. And the med case is of course invaluable if you want to hold any number of medical supplies. Luckily, this is a quest reward, can be simply purchases or be bartered for if need be. So all of these cases can be obtained if the player really wants to focus on getting their hands on one. They are all within reach and having multiple copies of any of these cases won’t break the game. But of course, this has all led up to the final group of cases; the ones where you might not see one in a wipe or ever depending on how dedicated you are to the game.

Item cases, weapon cases, and their bigger versions, the T H I C C cases, are some of the most sought-after containers in the entire game. Having the most amount of space available for your general items like weapons, armor, gear and anything else you might have laying around. And while these cases are incredibly useful for storage, getting your hands on any of them can be a real challenge. The easiest is technically the normal item case; having two different barters and a raw purchase for euros which is a little odd, but you can always convert your rubles to euros and buy one outright. Currently, they are sold for about 15 ½k Euros, which when converted to rubles, is around 2.3 million rubles. So, a steep price to pay for 64 extra slots, but a couple of these and you would be in a better place with storage, Same can be said for normal weapon case. 50 slots for weapons and attachment can be extremely useful if you are good about breaking down your weapons. And having 4 different barters and a couple quest rewards to acquire them is very handy to boot. But they certainly won’t be cheap. And the T H I C C versions are even better for storage, but the tradeoff is they are even harder to acquire. One of each is possible to earn from quests. Any others will have to be traded for, and again, while there are plenty of options for them, my biggest issue is how difficult they are to obtain even with the barters.

The cases in the game hurt no one; it just makes life in your stash that much easier. I wish they were a little easier to barter for or have some ridiculous raw purchases for tens of millions of rubles. I understand why they are so hard to get, but I suppose the main question is, do they need to be so hard to get? I wonder what everyone’s stash situation would be like if they had at least two of each case, especially the bigger ones. As someone who has problems with hoarding loot, not having my T H I C C item case right now is really hurting. Can’t get my hands on a FIR LEDX but maybe one day I will find one. Because crafting it is kind of out of the question now with lightkeeper being needed to get the book for the craft. Yes, there is the stupidly rare spawn chance on lighthouse, but I’m not about to farm for that thing; it should just be easier to obtain.

In immediate hindsight, a lot of the cases feel relatively easy to get now that I went through and laid everything out. But even still, I suppose the main argument of wanting better cases for items and weapons still holds true. I really do wish they would make them easier to get. They’re not gear; in the times where it matters, they don’t provide an advantage against other players. They just facilitate better stash storage. Which to me, doesn’t feel like it needs to be restricted as much. Especially late game, and when you are trying to upgrade your hideout. The amount of junk you will acquire is insane, and not having room for it is very frustrating and not conducive to good gameplay. But what are your thoughts on cases in Tarkov? Are they too strong? Should we be able to hoard them? Leave some feedback down in the comments and be sure to subscribe for more videos about slightly nuanced topics that may or may not affect direct gameplay moments. I hope to see you in future ones.