Rainlyte
u/Rainlyte
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Mods
After a new version release like we just got, what are the highest priority mods you look to have running again ASAP for a new playthrough? Especially lighter mods that tend to work immediately between versions, or mods that usually get updated right after a release.
Haven't played in a minute but super excited for a fresh run and want to hear what your must haves are these days!
Traders
Every time you go to a trader and click the sell tab quickly, the UI in the middle remains blank unless you waited a while before clicking. Control clicking items to add still works, but you end up having to click back and forth between buy and sell tabs to get the UI to load properly. You also have to remove and re-add at least one item when this happens or the ‘deal’ button remains greyed out.
Extremely common problem and 100% reproducible. Surprised this hasn’t been fixed yet.
Thank you for the feedback! I'll address each point below:
Barrels: When the barrel is set below 60% in the wizard, the extraction technique is the one of three sourcing options that are suggested, and swapping/replacing it are both also addressed. It notes specifically that one can be extracted (with details on how and that it destroys the weapon upon disassembly in the ** referenced notes below), and then how to re-insert with the kit. So this information should already be there; if you're not seeing it on your end with this barrel setting there may be a bug involved so please let me know if so.
Parts irreparable: This is an artifact from earlier when I thought the universal kit could repair individual parts 20% or over, which is why I used a different nomenclature from the higher category. In both cases the part itself is technically irreparable as far as I know, and in both cases the wizard immediately explains how to replace it, which indirectly repairs the gun, not the part. So this really is worded correctly and shouldn't be all too confusing. That said, I appreciate the perspective and it's also a great reminder that I should homogenize the terms either way, especially if some people do find it confusing.
Gun condition: I don't know that I agree that gun condition is meaningless, and not sure if they can always be fixed the way you're describing from 1%. Using cleaning kits to maintain parts does indeed incrementally raise gun condition (and this is something I should emphasize in the instructions where that's what the player is doing, but still may or may not be enough to clean it all the way depending on the gun and components' starting conditions), however inserting parts through the workbench UI attempting to also raise gun condition is a much more inconsistent beast.
I was told a couple weeks back that swapping parts through the workbench gives a gun condition boost this way, and after trying that at the time it actually worked a few times. However in the recent times (and on new patches) when I tried that again, it has not worked for me (and still doesn't). So I suspect this is either outdated behavior or was unintended behavior due to bugs, or was perhaps intended the way it was before and is now bugged. Either way it's too inconsistent for me to recommend at the moment. With all of this said, I think it would be good to move the gun condition to the third position after the barrel and other parts are maintained, so that the player has a chance to get some free gun condition from using a cleaning kit on the other parts before topping it off with gun oil if needed.
Thank you again for the feedback, and I hope this addresses each point.
Anomaly
Hi everyone! I've made a simple Google Sheets-based tool designed to teach GAMMA total beginners how to completely repair their guns from any condition status:
I was inspired to develop this after learning to play GAMMA myself recently, and realizing that weapon maintenance was one of the most critical skills to learn (due to GAMMA's scrappy economy), while simultaneously being the most complex to learn (because of its intricacies, varied methods, and rule exclusions). After digesting several text and video guides and even direct explanations and finally getting to grips with it, I realized that a tool with some basic logic could take any scenario you throw at it and give the player immediate guidance for how to repair their platform based on that status. Many players may learn faster by getting hands-on experience this way instead of reading a lengthy guide.
So if you're a new player and want to learn about weapon repair, or have friends that need to learn and you don't feel like explaining it for the Nth time: feel free to use this tool! Make sure to follow the instructions at the top of the document (you need to create your own copy to use the drop-downs).
And as this is the first public version I've released, it's entirely possible that there are errors I've missed or room for improvement. If you have any corrections or feedback (positive or negative), please don't hesitate to get in touch here or via the contact details at the bottom of the spreadsheet.
See ya in The Zone, Stalkers.
In the early economy when there's not enough people willing to buy gear for gold, I feel there's a real missed opportunity here for people to barter (trade gear for other gear) instead. I would absolutely love to trade a few greens I have for someone else's class for a few greens they have for my class, for example.
But the in-game trade channels are not well set up for this. I've tried in various class channels and almost all the people I've approached with such offers seem confused or averse to it. Really need a community of people mentally prepared to barter until if/when there are chat channels dedicated to that, or a better system entirely, in-game.
So do any of you know of communities out there for organizing some barters? I very much want to avoid any shady RMT groups so please don't link that. Just gear for gear.
As far as I can tell you seem to get these items back (I recall specifically testing it once or twice and also have many dozens of the starter rifle which must have come from this for example). If you want to be extra safe you can send soldiers to Reserve and click "remove unnecessary equipment" to strip as much as you can off before running them through the Academy though!
Appreciate the kind words! I definitely poured a lot of hours into it. The initial publishing of this post was autoblocked; the mods were cool and did help when I contacted them about it, but unfortunately by the time it was viewable I suspect it suffered from a lack of visibility so not sure if many will find it now.
Certainly an intriguing idea; might be more suitable for edited YouTube videos but in terms of game changes that could assist in making this type of content: it would help to include more camera controls and maybe even an external slot for someone else to control the camera like another person suggested above.
Discussion
Despite some flaws, I'm a big fan of MW5 so far; with a solid core gameplay loop and satisfying mech action, I think we have the foundation to a great game here that can last a good while with the addition of content and systems over time.
But today I want to talk about the streamer and viewer perspective. Why do we care about this (even if you're not interested in streams)? Because games with healthy streaming communities provide a passive flow of new game owners and better retention, and can do so at a fraction of the cost/risk of traditional marketing. In other words: by supporting a healthy streaming community around the game, MW5 can grow in popularity which would incentivize more content being developed for it.
My question to you, as a viewer, is: what features would help you enjoy watching MW5 streams more, and what are some fun ways that you'd like to engage with the streamer through the game?
My question to those of you who stream the game: what features in MW5 would help you engage with your viewers effectively and make broadcasting the game more sustainable in the long run?
While big ideas can be good, it would be better to start with simple, low-risk, easily implementable ones as they are more likely to see the light of day; more ambitious plans can be saved for the future if early ones work. Ideas should also preferably not disrupt gameplay for non-streamer players (although if they would, they can always be hidden behind a "streamer mode" setting).
To get the conversation started, a super simple addition that would help is to more prominently show custom mech names in more places. Pro-tip for those that don't know: you can change your mech name in the "paint" menu. However when you do this, the name only shows up in work orders and if you choose to "select another mech" in the deployment screen. This makes it unsatisfying for viewers to engage with the streamer by "naming a mech" since the name is only seen in a couple of situational menus instead of prominent ones (like in the mech bay and front page of deployment).
It would also be great if we could customize pilots with a very basic menu allowing to change the name, portrait, and voice. I've had several viewers ask me for this and was surprised when I couldn't find the option to. This is the sort of thing that could be made optional in settings for those that feel it's un-immersive to be able to change the aesthetic of a pilot.
Thinking a bit bigger, there's a lot of potential in deeper engagement by affecting contracts that are available, contract negotiation, and maybe even dynamic events during a deployment. But I open the floor to you all: what do you think?
Very surprised and disappointed with this change. I rarely see shotguns being used, which makes sense since the SMGs have far better sustained damage with rapid target switching ideal for assaulting. And packing a shotgun means either giving up SMG entirely or giving up the backpack slot (and having a backpack is pretty much always a better call). I’ve been using the shotgun as a secondary for fun to try it out, but ultimately it was just that: fun. Having double ammo on the SMG would be better almost always.
There’s a very specific, closeish range where the shotgun performs well, beyond that it doesn’t reliably down enemies, and if they’re any closer you get punished by the frequent reloads. In combo with the flamethrower change it feels like they’ve nerfed the two least used weapon classes making them even less useful which doesn’t make much sense.
Feedback
I recently completed the Moscow Campaign as the Soviets and am enjoying this game much more than expected. That said, there are quite a few critical problems with the game that are really beginning to ruin the experience for me and many others I've spoken to in my community or read from elsewhere online. I hope we can get resolutions to a lot of these problems sooner rather than later before more people are driven away. Here is a summary of many of these issues, compiled in no particular order:
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Engineer relay spawn immunity needs reworking: if you choose to spawn into a dangerous area, you should also be risking a quick demise. The relay system is great as it reduces time taken to get back into the action while allowing for tactical maneuvers and interesting flanks, but the long immunity means they can gun down anyone pushing the relay or even just in the middle of the battlefield with impunity, which is unacceptable. The immunity should certainly drop if you start shooting, but it should also be aggressively shortened if not removed so that invincible troops aren't standing around in the middle of the battlefield.
Picking up firearms: attempting to pick up guns from fallen soldiers is infuriating due to a tiny and inconsistent hitbox for getting the contextual interaction. Make the hitbox bigger so we can always pick up guns quickly.
Artillery spam: currently a single radio operator can call in artillery every 30 seconds due to the 8x frequency perk. This is an absurd rate of fire and results in nearly ceaseless explosions/ear ringing/screen shaking during many matches, especially on smaller maps or on focused objectives. A reduction to about 3x frequency would be much more appropriate; if artillery needs buffing elsewhere, make it hit slightly harder instead so that it's formidable when applied, but not constantly raining down.
Vaulting/Ladder climbing: the motion for vaulting and climbing ladders is incredibly inconsistent. Vaulting frequently shoves you off to the side instead of pulling you over the edge, or executes the animation twice and almost gets you stuck in the roof. Ladders sometimes let go arbitrarily. They're also far too difficult to mount when looking to go down rather than up. These are core movement features of the game and really need to be cleaned up quickly.
Black-list a map: let us choose a map we'd rather not play. And because I know people will complain that this will affect matchmaking times (I seriously doubt it will given that current matchmaking times are practically instant), it doesn't have to be a guarantee that you'll never see it, just make it much less likely to see it. If you're worried about a lot of people black-listing a certain map, maybe that's not a very good map and we shouldn't be forced to play it.
Game mode selection: let us choose game mode(s) we want to play. Matchmaking times, if affected at all, would almost exclusively be felt in the less popular mode(s). The majority should not have to suffer because a minority of players want to play the less popular mode as this drives people away. This is also useful for analytics. As an interesting aside, some maps that aren't popular would be much more fun if they instead featured the game mode everyone likes.
Reserve equipment stripping option: there should be a toggle option so that whenever you move soldiers to reserve, their equipment is stripped automatically. When you get to the point that you have to start training lots of 1-2 star troops, you swap them in and out all the time and having to select and manually click "remove unnecessary equipment" on every single one every time is a hassle.
Improve auto-equip: currently auto-equip gives you a random rifle, and also an axe if have one. This doesn't make any sense. Instead it should equip the best possible weapon that suits that class, a grenade (preferring 'explosion packs' if available), and a med kit. If they have specialty gear like radio equipment, mortar, etc then just equip the best option for that slot. It's not complicated.
Optimize reserve soldier screen: when you start getting a large amount of soldiers in reserve, the menu where you drag them in and out of squads begins to lag a lot which wastes a lot of time when you're trying to train all your 1 star recruits (and you will go through a lot of them).
View tasks during match: let us view our battle tasks and their progress during the match so we don't have to remember exactly what tasks we're working on and guesstimate how many kills counted for which of them.
Player awards for objectives: make more player awards (similar to 'first place in team' or 'best vehicle squad') but make one for most capture points, another for most capture defense points, etc. Capturing and capture defense should be more granular and reward more XP/points in general since they're actually focusing on the objective instead of milling about.
Fighter aircraft squad XP needs boosting: fighters ground strike capabilities are (understandably) weak, but there are rarely enough air targets to engage and you waste tons of time flying around not accomplishing much. This makes progressing through the upgrade tree way too slow and is a problem for using the academy in the late game. Give us (way) more xp toward upgrading the fighter squads when we take out aircraft, and make sure we get credit for enemies that suicide too.
Attackers/Bombers should not be allowed to bomb at match start: consider restricting aircraft spawning during the first minute of a match or provide some other solution, but they shouldn't be allowed to delete half of the team due to metagaming. If they need more squad upgrade XP gain to compensate, I'm sure that's a compromise everyone would be happy with if it means less match-start bombing.
Make footsteps more prominent: footsteps are often too quiet and inconsistent. Sometimes someone will be sprinting close to me and making little to no noise. The separate audio sliders in the game are great and it would be good to see one for footsteps as well. Dying from random sources you can't hear/see are a huge source of irritation in large scale battle games like this, so reducing the amount of unknowns like this would help tremendously.
Squad mates should not stand in front of you: the AI needs tons of work of course but that is likely going to be a long-term challenge. A quick fix I would love to see is to at least ensure that they do not stand in front of the active soldier you're using, blocking your shots.
EDIT
I was reminded by viewers and from comments to include that all of your magazines should refill when you pick up ammo from an ammo crate. You shouldn't have to shoot to empty all your partial mags first. Also some sort of UI element to give information on magazines would be great as the hidden magazine mechanics aren't obvious to new players and many people think there are reload bugs.
And regarding relay spawn protection: respectfully if you're not running into the problem much it's probably because you're not investigating and pushing enemy relays. I encounter issues with this every session. It's frustrating because you get severely punished trying to remobilize into cover when these invulnerable troops materialize on the battlefield and gun you down, and there's no counter. I'd be willing to settle for a (much) shorter immunity duration so you have a moment to orient yourself when you spawn in at least, but something does need to be done about the current very long immunity timer. Original entry reworded slightly.
Lastly, I appreciate all the feedback and comments! I'm incredibly busy at the moment so can't respond to everyone, but glad we can communally have a discussion about this and it's good to see we agree on most of these topics.
Anyone having issues registering an account or know of any fixes to this? Myself and several friends are completely unable to make new accounts and have been for the last couple days. I've been trying to get a few people on board given the recent sale and coupon code but on chrome after putting in the register information I see this error
"This page isn’t working
signup.ddo.com is currently unable to handle this request.
HTTP ERROR 500"
and on Firefox I just see a blank page after submitting with no email confirmation in either case or anything to continue. Time is pretty critical now since the coupon is expiring. Anyone know if there are any fixes/workarounds for this or if they're just having website troubles and we're all out of luck?
This doesn't seem to be fixed for everyone; myself and several friends are completely unable to make new accounts and have been for the last couple days. I've been trying to get a few people on board given the recent sale and coupon code but on chrome after putting in the register information I see this error
"This page isn’t working
signup.ddo.com is currently unable to handle this request.
HTTP ERROR 500"
and on Firefox I just see a blank page after submitting with no email confirmation in either case or anything to continue. Time is pretty critical now since the coupon is expiring. Anyone know if there are any fixes/workarounds for this or if they're just having website troubles and we're all out of luck?
It did not, I tried several different ways including manually dragging every single tag to the open stash, then manually dragging every single tag onto the barter field one at a time (it only accepts them if they meet the requirements so this was also a good way to check that I had counted correctly and indeed had all of them of the correct types). I still got the exact same error. Pretty sure the entire barter is bugged unfortunately.
Meant to report back but forgot, thanks for the reminder!
I got this error when trying as well (autofill reported I had all the tags needed but it didn't process the barter). After manually sorting through all the tags I realized I was missing a few of the LVL 10+ USEC ones after securing the LVL 39+ USEC/BEAR tags, so my theory was that autofill was trying to use the same tag more than once in the initial fill perhaps. I need another few tags to test manually when I have all that are needed, but if you've already done this manually then I'm really not sure. Maybe the entire barter deal is broken?
This guide has you covered if you want to learn all these fundamental mechanics you'll stumble over as a new player (including ammo and armor penetration basics). Welcome to Tarkov!
Thanks for the detailed answers! I know it’s a very quiet category for a reason, although my community is used to slower paced games, sims, grand strategy, etc. it’s more about mature community and so on for us vs constant high octane gameplay if that makes sense. I hope there are a few passionate viewers around even if not much room for growth, I’ve noticed some of that in other small categories as well. Thanks for the other tips too!
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What 2 game starts are your favorite and/or would be your top recommendations for a new player? I was eyeing Young Gun as a simple and humble start, but not sure if there are any story chains to it. I loved X3 back in the day and know the campaigns in this franchise can be rough around the edges and that it's mostly a sandbox game, but it is nice having something to latch on to (if it's not totally broken)!
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What do you think is the best way to learn the game? Just do the tutorials and learn by error? Any video guides you strongly recommend?
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For those that watch X4 on Twitch, what sort of playthrough/content do you enjoy watching the most? I've wanted to try my first blind playthrough live on stream for a long time but was wary of the low traffic category. Now with the 3.0 update and Split Vendetta DLC it seems like the best possible time to jump in so I'm going to pull the trigger on that today, but I want to make sure it's a style that viewers are looking for.
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What are your top 3 most important mods to use, if any? Ideally no major overhauls or additions, just important QOL stuff.
Can't wait to try this out! Thank you for taking the time to read.
EDIT: Thank you for the suggestions everyone! Going to give it a spin now as I think it might be a good fit for my community and I'm very excited to try it.
I actually found the “10 things you should know” video really inspiring; it’s what sold me on it when I started almost a year ago in fact. It shows that the game is accessible but has depth if you want it, and the music and editing did a great job of evoking emotion/wonder.
I wouldn’t say it taught me everything I wanted to know but it was very effective at catching my interest enough to go investigate more myself.
That said I’m very curious what other videos people will suggest as I’d also like to be able to entice more friends in :)
I had to make a lot of tough calls on what to leave out of the guide so that it doesn't become too bloated. It's already too long in my opinion, and I would like to get it under 50 pages in future revisions if possible. Ultimately it's only intended to give brand new players enough foundation of knowledge to begin learning on their own since this is a very complicated game.
Given that raiders are only found on a couple of the more advanced maps (which are only summarized in passing so that players are aware of them) I think leaving heuristics about them out is a good judgment call even in hindsight; that said I do plan on making intermediate mini-guides on various topics and this type of information would fit very well into one of those instead.
Hope this gives some insight and thank you very much for the feedback!
The cheapest armors and helmets will cost about as much as the SKS itself so will quickly double and triple the cost of your loadout and will mostly only stop pistol rounds and buckshot. Can still be worth it if you're not on a budget, but if you want to stay lean and skip those costs, I would still suggest investing in the cheap GSSh-01 active headset. Hearing others before they hear you is incredibly important.
Good tip! I will include it with the next revision.
Edit: I was a bit confused when I first saw this comment because I thought I had already included this; turns out I had included it later in the guide when suggesting loadouts to bring into actual raids, including budget weapons like SKS. I almost prefer this position for the advice because it doesn't front-load too much nuanced advice before getting the player into raid, but I can also see people missing the info when using the guide as a reference. I'll have to think about where to put the tip.
I've written a total beginner's guide that would be perfect for you. There's going to be an update for it soon as well! Feel free to PM me if you need more specific help as well :)
The first sections in my total beginner’s guide has a game overview that goes over exactly what the game is about and what the core gameplay loop is.
If you find that helpful the rest of the guide gives detailed descriptions for how to get started with literally no knowledge of the game. Feel free to DM me if you have other Tarkov questions as well, I’m always happy to help!
I just had this bug but it seems to have an even worse effect if you're scav.
TLDR: it resets all your inventory progress to the scav loadout you started with.
Long version: Went in as scav, got 5 NPC scav kills and most of the loot from them plus some misc loot from exploring. After extracting it showed 2 PMCs in my kill list instead, and worst of all it deleted all of the loot I picked up. I was only given the initial scav loadout (a mosin, scav vest, some rounds).
New to Tarkov and have a bunch of new player questions or don’t even know where to start? Read this guide !
I’ve written this total beginner’s guide that sounds like it would be perfect for you. It’s pretty comprehensive when you’re just starting out, it’s up to date, and I’ll be updating it to the .12 changes after we’ve all had time to settle into the new patch (vast majority will be the same but I’ll add a section on the hideout, load outs, and out of raid health).
I’ve written this comprehensive new player’s guide that can help you out. Much of it is very basic and intended for players just getting started, but you can use the table of contents to link jump to later sections.
No definite date other than that it could happen basically any day now (a lot of people were expecting it to drop this week but that looks unlikely now). If you keep an eye on this subreddit the sticky posts will definitely blow up with pertinent updates including when it goes live.
Also since it sounds like you’re new to the game, I’ve written this polished and extensive beginner’s guide that you would probably find very useful. It’s a great time to read it now while waiting for the wipe anyway. Have a great weekend!
Things are a bit crazy now being very late in a very long wipe cycle plus the prepatch events so don’t let that throw you off. Cheap way to deal with heavy armor is VEPR Hunter with M62 rounds (performs well against all but the very strongest armors) or M61 if you want to penetrate it all. Mosin with SNB rounds is also a good cheap option if you’re accurate enough for a bolt action.
Sorry about that; this seems pretty rare but I've heard it happen once before. You can try different browsers and/or different devices, or alternatively feel free to jump in my stream community discord and I'd be happy to upload it directly for you there: https://discord.gg/tZTB5vp
This guide for total beginners should be perfect for you. Goes over everything you need to know when starting out including lots of tips, and you can jump to later sections with the linked table of contents if the early parts are too basic.
Welcome and happy raiding!
PS: Things are a bit weird right now with pre .12 wipe events so don’t let that throw you off.
Since you’re totally new, this guide is made for you. It goes over all of the details you’ll want to know.
I would say focus on tasks (good to give you some direction and progression) and also focus on learning locations and extracts as fourbyonehundred noted. I would definitely do the scav runs whenever they're off cooldown to supplement your gear and try out new guns and get more experience without risking your own resources.
Deeper answers to this and everything else you'll want to know in this total beginner's guide that I think would be perfect for you.
I’ve often thought it would be a cool system for throwing misc objects for noise distractions. Thrown knives/hatchet would be great as a last ditch (and silent) attack as well, but appropriately tricky to land the headshot with a wind up and slow arcing projectile.
That said I have no idea if any of this will ever be implemented. Seems doubtful any time soon, but am open to being pleasantly surprised.
Cool idea that could work well as long as the system is re-balanced correctly. It helps channel more decision making into the stamina/endurance system in streamlined yet believable way. Could also help incentivize lighter armors indirectly.
I will say the rare fights where both you and your opponent unexpectedly run low on stamina are some of the scrappiest, most fun engagements that really force you to start thinking about time-management every split second. That's when things get really spicy.
On the bright side, if the sale comes along and one is cheaper then you'll either have an easy choice by letting the fates decide, or you may realize which module you really wanted all along. At the end of the day the time you're going to put into learning and flying the plane is far more valuable than +/- 20 bucks or whatever the difference ends up being.
Can't speak for the Dassault Rafale, but you have a couple of very different candidates which makes things easier. If you want another multirole jet that will have different capabilities and feel from your current selection, then the Mirage sounds like a great choice. On the other hand if you want a completely new playstyle from what you've got then the Viggen offers interdictor missions where you're flying super low behind enemy lines and hitting a pre-planned target, as well as anti-ship capabilities. Will be a great change of pace if that's what you want, or alternatively a waste of time if you don't like the sound of that playstyle; it all depends on your preferences.
As a metagaming side note, the Mirage is undergoing a bit of an overhaul with some professional consultation (not sure when that's expected to be finished, someone else might know), and the Viggen is slated for full release with a campaign and several fixes and improvements by the end of the year, so there is good stuff to look forward to with both modules.
I've written this total beginner's guide that you can add to your list if you'd like. It has a general overview of the game, hundreds of details that newcomers need to learn (and frequently ask here), and a linked table of contents to jump to the section of your choice. I plan to update it after .12 drops and will link that in the reddit post when it's finished.
The max player count should be PMCs, so not including player scavs. PMCs are meant to deploy at raid start, but sometimes get pushed in late (if you don't get the count down to match start screen you're deploying late) presumably because slow loading and/or matchmaking issues. Player scavs spawn in at all sorts of times (always at least a little late) so it's usually wise to check the "O" clock to see how ripe your raid is.
If everything stays exactly as it is now then you're probably right. The fact that Labs is so overplayed is indicative that there's a problem of the relative draw of each map though, and I'd be surprised if access to it remains the same way it is now. I doubt it will in the long run.
It would make some quests more of a pain, but it would make others easier such as the ones that have a time restriction but not a location restriction. That said many of the most restricted quests don't seem very popular and the balancing of them certainly seems to be in flux over time.
There are pros and cons to this, pros being encouraging nighttime raids and less splintering of queue pools, cons being less player choice. I think if something like this ever does get implemented, a potential compromise would be to stagger them so that every map has a single time slot that is different from other locations (e.g. if at Customs it's 23:17, Shoreline could be 02:17, Woods is 05:17, etc).
That way you still get most of the pros while minimizing the con; it would always be a time you want somewhere, and if you really want to do the one map that's off hours you can feel it out at dusk or midnight for a change. Would also encourage queuing at lesser used locations.
I wrote this comprehensive total beginner's guide which sounds like just what you're looking for. You can skip past some of the earliest parts if you're comfortable with the menus already.
Edit: Wow, that's my first silver. Thank you kindly, and hope the guide helps you :)
The UI would have to know which container shift clicked items are supposed to be sent to though.
I think what we really need is the ability to drag a window over groups of objects to select them, then be able to drag move all of them at the same time. Would be incredibly versatile and save a ton of time for inventory management.
This beginner’s guide has a lot of strategies and tips alongside the more tutorial-like explanations. May help you out!
You should keep narrating your content directly after asking a viewer anything, and you can come back to that conversation if/when they respond again.
Don’t wait for them to respond because they won’t always want to or be able to (many are often partially busy while watching or listening in). This way you avoid any awkwardness.
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My super budget advice: get a standard SKS with internal magazine (about 20k on flea market) and a stack of 7.62 BP rounds plus a cheap bag (keep an eye on the market for duffles, army bags, t-bags, MBSS). You don't even need a vest, but scav vests basically never get looted so little risk in bringing if you want some extra space. For meds use Car/Salewa/IFAK and analgin painkillers. Don't use bandages and AI2 because they have poor value for the durability you get. Put your meds and most of your ammo in secure container and you should only be risking about 30k per raid, but can still one tap almost anyone to the head with accuracy (just watch out for Altyn helmets) and quick refire makes it somewhat forgiving (but remember reloading is glacial so you have to make your shots count). You can step this up to a VEPR Hunter if you're willing to spend 40k on the gun and get some magazines and better ammunition.
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This is a bit too broad of a question to answer here -- aside from just gaining more experience I have written a beginner's guide that has a section on combat that talks about pacing and soundscapes which you might find useful. Much of the early parts of the guide will be too fundamental if you've gotten well into the game, but there's probably still a lot of tips in there that could also help you, and you can use the table of contents to jump to different sections.
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If you're strapped for cash, sell the non-meta guns on flea market when able, and I would suggest doing the same with armor if you're going super budget as per above. Much better to get the cash and get a gun that performs well for you instead. You can always dabble more with the less popular guns when you've got more cash, and/or during the scav runs you should be doing whenever they're off cooldown.
Awesome, glad you found the game! It may well come out to Steam eventually but that doesn't seem to be even on the horizon at the moment so likely a long way out if so. If you're really interested, I would say this game is unique enough that having its own launcher isn't a big deal even though I know what you mean about keeping your library consolidated.
With the .12 patch coming out soon, it's a great time to get into the game as there will be a big wipe that will level the playing field, and you don't even have to wait for that if you want to experiment in the current patch so you're a bit more prepared when the wipe does hit.
There's a section in this beginner's guide about which edition to pick up so the early parts are a good read even if you haven't bought the game yet. There will be some mechanical changes to how stashes are handled and can be upgraded, but aside from that the entire guide is good for teaching you the game now and will be just as useful for the .12 patch as well.
PS: Happy cake day!
PPS: Feel free to come by my stream (same name on Twitch as here) if you have questions about the game. I'm always happy to answer Tarkov questions even if I'm live with something else. I do variety but will be focusing much more on Tarkov post-wipe, and even recently I've been doing a fun custom game mode I designed that involves permadeath and making use of equipment found in raid.
Here's a total beginner's guide to consider for you new players as well; it covers all the fundamentals you'll need when just getting started and has a linked table of contents to jump to different chapters if the earliest sections are too basic for you.
Good of you to try to help new players; points 3-7 need more clarity and explanation but are otherwise sound advice. I disagree with points 1 and 2 though:
Factory is useful to learn combat and pinpointing locations after learning a map
It is useful for those things, but I still wouldn't recommend it to new players because it's very enclosed and PVP is so dense that they will likely be too heavily punished before learning much. Performing tasks on Customs for progression and scav runs on Interchange for loot and a change of pace is a good starting combo IMO.
2. Ammunition is everything
As far as I know - PS is the best AK round M995 is the best 5.56 round M80 > M60
Ammo choice is definitely important, but what's best depends on the current meta. Right now we're late in wipe and there are many heavily armored targets around, so max or close to max armor piercing rounds are typically the best choice. M995 is indeed a good 5.56 option. For AKs: BP is good for 7.62x39 and BS (or Igolnik if you want max AP) is good for 5.45x39 AKs. For the 7.62x51 rounds you mention, M62 has fantastic pen with more flesh damage and tracers, M61 has max pen and no tracer, but M80 while decent would not be as reliable against AC5 armor, which is common.
As for a tip of our own to add: use middle mouse button to examine unknown items! Also for any new players I've written a beginner's guide that has tons of tips (starts off very basic since it's for total newcomers, but has more intermediate strategies in it as well). You can check it out here.
Learning pacing is important; you can move fast between points of interest but should slow down and listen more frequently the closer you get to a POI.
For CQB, improving your point firing, knowing when to quick reload, using tactical devices for blinding and accuracy, and sometimes being the aggressor and pre-firing corners all can help. Don’t make the mistake of slowly poking around corners when the enemy knows you’re there or you will almost always die.
I’ve written a comprehensive beginner’s guide — most of it will be too fundamental for you but there’s a section on combat and some intermediate heuristics throughout that would probably be helpful for you, and there’s a linked table of contents so you can jump to different parts of the guide easily. Feel free to check it out.
Post wipe I would recommend focusing on dealer tasks (most of which will be on Customs early on) so you can progress and unlock higher level dealers. For your scav runs, you can run Interchange if you want to make cash on lots of loose loot. There will be a new location so you'll have to wait to hear if that's a good fit too.
That said I have more extensive answers to this question, as well as your question about general solo advice in terms of the fundamentals of combat, looting, and hundreds of little gameplay details in a total beginner's guide I've written. It sounds like it would be an appropriate level for you, so you may find it helpful: https://www.reddit.com/r/EscapefromTarkov/comments/bn33y9/oc_beginners_guide_to_eft_new_to_tarkov_start_here/
Glad to hear it helped and that you ended up getting the game! There are a lot of pitfalls and little details that are hard to know as a new player which is exactly why I made the guide. I'm probably going to update it and make a video version for youtube when the upcoming wipe happens. I'll just need some time to experience the player stash overhaul since there are going to be big mechanical changes.
If you need more help or just want to chat about Tarkov I'm always happy to answer questions during live streams or on Discord. Feel free to send me a direct message if you need invite links.
It is definitely still being actively developed; they release huge content patches several times a year and smaller technical updates several times per month. Popularity ebbs and flows with wipe cycles (less people online late into a wipe cycle), but the overall trend does seem to be going up (not stagnating or going down). I'm always impressed with just how popular it is given that it's fairly niche and hardcore milsim game.
Main deterrents as I see it:
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If you only like games that you can pick up and play without doing some learning, this game may feel inaccessible or at least punishing for you.
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Every few months when there's a big patch they tend to wipe everyone's cash, inventory, etc. This may sound unpleasant but there are many upsides (leveling the playing field for new players such as yourself, giving old players a fresh start so you can enjoy better paced progress, bringing everyone back to earlier game gear which leads to scrappier and IMO more fun engagements). Think of it a bit like seasons from Diablo. There is another wipe that should be incoming with the next big patch that's dropping some time "soon". When the game is complete, the wipes may stop, and hopefully the economy will be well balanced for that.
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Being an in-development title, there are some bugs/underdeveloped features. Occasional microstutters, issues with the sound engine, etc come to mind as the more talked about issues. All in all I think it's a very fun and playable game as-is and think the issues don't make it any worse than your average 'full release' title which is never flawless anyway.
Lastly, since you're totally new and considering getting the game, I've written a total beginner's guide for people in your exact position. Lots of people found it useful and maybe you will too: https://www.reddit.com/r/EscapefromTarkov/comments/bn33y9/oc_beginners_guide_to_eft_new_to_tarkov_start_here/
Doing your scav runs when they're available is useful for supplemental income (especially early on) and also for learning the ropes without risking your own gear. If you feel you have plenty of cash/gear and you're eager to do PMC stuff instead, feel free to ignore scav mode until it becomes relevant again. Focusing on PMC raids does have the benefit of letting you advance through tasks which is important for progression.
Also since you just started, I've written a pretty extensive total beginner's guide that can help you out. Goes over the hundreds of little details you really want to know when diving into Tarkov. This is the laundry list of stuff I tell friends when they first get into the game: https://www.reddit.com/r/EscapefromTarkov/comments/bn33y9/oc_beginners_guide_to_eft_new_to_tarkov_start_here/
The wiki page for the location you're looking for will have several maps linked toward the bottom along with actual in-game pictures of the extracts -- here is a link for Customs for example: https://escapefromtarkov.gamepedia.com/Customs
Also since you're new to Tarkov in general, I've written a total beginner's guide which helps with the hundreds of little technical details you need to know when diving into the game, including answers to stuff like this. You can check it out here: https://www.reddit.com/r/EscapefromTarkov/comments/bn33y9/oc_beginners_guide_to_eft_new_to_tarkov_start_here/
PSA
Happy Independence Day! I wanted to do something special today, so I designed a simple custom mini-campaign. I'm going to give this a go myself live right now, and would love to hear your experiences with it as well. Have fun!
///
Freedom Isn't Free
Block A Weapon:
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P226 // 2) M870 // 3) MPX // X) MDR
Block A Location:
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Factory // 2) Customs // X) Labs
---
Block B Weapon:
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M4A1 // 2) M1A // 3) M700 // X) RSASS
Block B Location:
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Woods / 2) Shoreline / X) Interchange
Protocol:
A) Start by using a virtual dice website; any will do but they should let you choose 2 and 3 sided options. Alternatively just use a D6 and assign the results to appropriate ranges.
B) Roll a 3-sided die to choose a Block A weapon. If you roll one you've already completed, note a strike and roll again. If you roll three strikes in a row and you haven't already completed the weapon marked X, that is now your weapon.
C) Roll a 2-sided die to choose a Block A Map. If you rolled an X weapon in the previous step, you default to the X map as well. Maps can be repeated and should not be re-rolled.
D) Follow the rules below and then go into the raid.
E1) If you extracted or died before tallying any eagles (as explained below), repeat the same weapon but re-roll the map.
E2) If you've tallied any Eagles, go back to protocol step B, this time rolling the alternating Block's weapon and location. Keep repeating this cycle and alternating blocks, but stop the cycle and tally your Eagles once you've completed 3 weapons in each block. This marks playthrough victory!
Eagles:
Eagles are your victory points.
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Gain 1 Eagle for every player kill with your assigned weapon.
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Gain 1 Eagle for every 3 AI scav kills with your assigned weapon. No partial Eagles are scored nor carried over.
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Gain 1 Eagle for extracting if you've already gained Eagles that raid.
Equipment Rules:
But Wait; There's More!) Your weapon should include at least two non-stock mods.
Loud and Proud) No suppressors allowed.
There are Many Like It...) You may use other firearms only if they are found in raid, but they do not contribute Eagles.
Repeatable Challenges:
Home of the Brave) When engaging a squad, their observed squad number is "Y"
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Gain Y Eagles for a player kill of a member of that squad with your assigned weapon.
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Y is reduced as squad size dwindles. When Y = 1 it is no longer a squad.
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Gain Y Eagles if you die during combat with a squad (only if you've already gained Eagles during the same raid).
Baby, You're a Firework) You may only use M67s when using grenades.
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Gold, Gain 2 Eagles: Get a player kill with the grenade.
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Silver, Gain 1 Eagles: Get a player kill with the assigned weapon before the grenade you've already thrown explodes near the target.
I would say so, yes; it has the best recoil, second-best ergonomics, top rate of fire, and you get the dovetail option if you want to put a PSO or OKP sight on there. Welcome to Tarkov, and don't forget to check out the new player guide I made if you need help getting on your feet!
Thank you! I will definitely come up with a better solution for hosting it and will probably merge it with some other quick references in a PDF (either the aforementioned new player guide or in a separate intermediate reference guide) so that it's searchable and so on. This is more of a sneak peak to help people out for now.
Not sure if the people maintaining the wiki want this on there or what page would be appropriate for it, but if they want to use it that would be fine with me! May contact them after making more references.
Link to corrected post, sorry again for inconvenience! https://www.reddit.com/r/EscapefromTarkov/comments/boy9a6/ak_identification_and_quick_reference_table_fixed/
Link to corrected post, sorry again for inconvenience! https://www.reddit.com/r/EscapefromTarkov/comments/boy9a6/ak_identification_and_quick_reference_table_fixed/
Link to corrected post, sorry again for inconvenience! https://www.reddit.com/r/EscapefromTarkov/comments/boy9a6/ak_identification_and_quick_reference_table_fixed/
Last week I finished the first edition of a 42-page beginner's guide to Tarkov after two months of typing away at it. It was well received but it's hefty and very fundamental (aimed at complete newcomers). Recently I had a viewer new to Tarkov ask about differences between some of the AK models and I remembered how confusing all these different variants were when I was new.
So I've made this quick reference to hopefully help any other new/intermediate players that are still confused about what an AKS-74N is or just want to quickly be compare some of the base stats for each. I will probably compile this and any future quick references into the new player guide or a separate intermediate/heuristics guide. Let me know if this helps you, if you have corrections/feedback, or have any other questions/thoughts!
PSA
