➤ Escape from Tarkov: tips for getting started 🕹

Escape from Tarkov is undoubtedly one of the most totalizing and at the same time punitive first-person experiences of recent years. The game requires a strong dedication, "forcing" you to enter the game often in order not to lose your hand with the complex dynamics of gameplay and shooting. The realistic and simulative footprint, in fact, makes you an extremely succulent prey for loyal players who spend their days honing their fighting techniques in the game developed by Battlestate Games. Do not be disheartened if, upon entering your first game, a bullet hits you instantly in the head, causing you to lose all the equipment you have not had the opportunity to use. It will happen to you very often, and we stress "a lot". However, there will come a time when the bullet will hit your opponent's head, while a faint streak of smoke will come out of the mouth of your firearm. Then you will most likely be hit by a stray grenade soon after, but you can't expect success without first suffering a little (indeed, quite a lot) of pain.
However, we can lightly "oil" the gears of the steep progression of Escape from Tarkov, providing you with small and simple indications that you may already know, use and, perhaps, have promptly replaced. So, here it is, new players, a guide with some tips to start Escape from Tarkov.

Before starting

Escape from Tarkov it's not one of those games that instructs us on how it works from the first game, forcing us to swallow hundreds of gameplay information that, in all likelihood, we would forget in no time. Far from it. The game does the exact opposite and does not help the player in any way. It is up to the latter to discover every single key, mechanics and function present in the game.
For this, the first thing to do as soon as you start the title is, without a shadow of a doubt, go to check the game controls. You will discover with (perhaps now attenuated) surprise the extreme complexity of the game's movement, shooting and interaction system. Let's see in detail some "peculiar" commands that you will struggle to find in other games.

The art of movement

First of all you will discover, through the command menu, different ways of making your character move within the game world. In addition to the traditional W, A, S, D, which allow you to move around the battlefield, there are also different key combinations useful for tilting sideways in moderation (LAlt + A / D) or shooting (Q / E). In the first case, you will be able to choose how much to tilt the avatar, depending on how long you hold down the key combination. You can also choose to crouch with the C or, keeping it pressed, scroll the mouse wheel to adjust the height of your posture to your liking. Finally, with X, you can lie down on the ground.
Not only. It is also possible increase or decrease the speed of your walking scrolling only the mouse wheel, in addition to obviously being able to run with the LShift key. In short, the variety is great and it's up to you to experience the best ways to move on the battlefields of Tarkov. Of course, you can reassign the commands to suit your preferences or needs.

Inventory is the core of your success

After checking the controls you will think you can enter the game. Well, quiet the willing souls. First there is still a few steps to take. First, you need to manage your inventory. You certainly don't want to go against the enemy armed only with your fists and your good intentions.
To modify your equipment, go to the section Character ("Character") in the main menu. Your inventory page should automatically open here. On the left you can see the slots where you can place the objects with which you want to enter the game, while on the right you will find everything you own and which is in your "private locker".
Let's start from a premise: occupy only the extremely necessary slots. This is because, during the various games, your task is to collect loot and bring it to the extraction point to recover it permanently and be able to use it in the future. If you've brought ten medkits, twenty bandages and four bottles of water with you, you'll find it hard to pick up more than a can of tuna from the discount store and a pair of sunglasses (even those, most likely, from the same discount store).
Our advice is, therefore, to fill only the slots of the weapons, equip a tactical vest where to insert only and exclusively the magazines (obviously of the weapons you brought with you) and one, maximum two grenades, and, finally, a backpack. , to be filled exclusively with a bottle of water, one "piece" for each medical instrument among those available (medkit, bandage, etc.).
Don't bring too many items with you, as you will most likely lose them. It pays to travel light and leave room for what you will grab on the battlefield.

You enter the game ... more or less

Before trying a real online match against other players, we recommend that you practice in the offline mode with or without bots, where, if you die, you will not lose your equipment (and, of course, you will not recover anything you find during the game). This is a great way to get closer to the world of Tarkov and understand its main features.
To access offline mode, start a normal game by clicking on "Escape from Tarkov", select the map you prefer and check the box to play offline which will appear in one of the following screens. Now you will also have the possibility to choose between different factors, such as the random time or the difficulty of theIA. We advise you to start from the "bottom", but if you feel lucky or particularly confident in your abilities you can also immediately raise the level of your computerized opponents. Once you have gotten to grips with the combat system, the time has finally come for you to jump into the fray of Escape from Tarkov.

The tortoise has won over the hare

Once the first has started match online, you will find yourself in the game with many opponents far more capable than you (or at the same level as you, depending on luck). The rate at which you die will initially bring you close to exhaustion, but there are some tactics that may come in handy.
First of all, avoid charging. It is not the war of '15 -'18 and you are not heading towards certain death with the cry of "Savoy!". Stay lowered as much as possible. If you are in tight and closed places, aim your weapon often (since the virtual pointer is missing, as well as the entire HUD, but we'll get to that shortly). Advance slowly to avoid making noise. Look around every corner, as if there should be an enemy ready to shoot you past each of them, not even a commando hearth.
In short, do what you would do in any self-respecting tactical shooter, but with more caution and attention. By playing defensively you will have a better chance of success or, at the very least, you will survive longer.

The strategy of tension

Earlier we mentioned a complete absence of the HUD. This makes the experience, as well as more immersive and exciting, also extremely more complex. The number of bullets in the magazine will not be indicated on the screen, so every time you will have to check it yourself, extracting it with the combination T + LAlt.
If you have learned to "move" well (or have met a player as confused as you, or have just had shameless luck), you may have succeeded against an enemy, placing some well-aimed bullets in their body. Once the threat has been eliminated, always look around to avoid being caught by surprise by a "jackal" waiting to steal your loot. Once this is done, approach the lifeless body of the opponent e lie on the ground with X. It will be harder for enemies to identify you. Quickly pass the enemy's valuables in your inventory and leave the area. The shots may have alerted other players more "aggressive" than you, thirsty for blood and loot, fearless in the face of defeat, with the kalašnikov in their hands and the knife in their teeth.
Another advice we can give you is to explore the map without attracting too much attention. Let the opponents slaughter each other, and then come out in the final stages, when the danger will be less thanks to the initial skimming. But be careful, because whoever is left is undoubtedly the elite of the game, the one who will spot you from miles away, managing to place a bullet between your eyes with the same ease with which they will collect your belongings. So it's up to you to decide how much to expose yourself, how much to risk, how much to "get involved", depending on your skill, effectiveness, preparation and so on and so forth.

If you are hit during your raids and, by grace received, you survive the enemy raid, find a safe place immediately and heal yourself. To do this, open the inventory with Tab and go to the Health section. Study the situation of your organism as quickly as possible and treat the injured parts by dragging the appropriate object on the wound to be treated with the mouse and holding it over it for a few seconds. Hopefully, some or all of the energy in that particular area of the body should regenerate. Otherwise, click on the medkit and let it automatically heal the most injured parts of the body.
Tip: when you are in particularly dark places, turn on the flashlight (if you have one) with T. This, in addition to illuminating, will also blind the other players, who will have much more difficulty in aiming and, consequently, in hitting you. Obviously, if on the one hand it can help, on the other it can harm, since you will be more easily identifiable. Therefore, always turn off the flashlight near turns or corners, so as to avoid being spotted by some vagabond who, otherwise, would not have noticed you.
When you feel satisfied (or when the watch forces you to be satisfied) head to the nearest extraction point. Once in the area, however, there is no need to get comfortable. You must remain alert until the match results screen appears. It could happen at any moment, in fact, that an opponent notices you, ending up right on the end of time and making you lose everything you had with you (and even something more, but only out of the game, accompanied by some colorful expletives).
If you survived, congratulations. It won't happen again for several games. But even that, after all, means playing.