How to play as a beginner

You are new to Escape from Tarkov or there is a wipe and you will start from zero? Here’s what you should do and don’t.

Level up as fast as you can. High character levels are needed to unlock better ammunition and item trades at the traders.

• Focus on missions rather than looting. Missions give you huge boosts in XP which in return is needed for higher trader reputation.
• Focus on the map customs as a start. Most beginner missions are done there.
• Focus on these traders:
  • Therapist level 2: you get med kits that stop bleeding, so you don’t need the bandages anymore.
  • Prapor level 2: you can buy the AK-74 and the PSO scope with 4x agnification for the OP-SKS
  • Skier level 2: You can buy the OP-SKS and the Vepr-136
    
• Trade as much as you can on the flea market. This allows you to open more trades in parallel.
• Trade cheap at the flea market. In total you get a higher turn over if you sell stuff in 60 seconds instead of 20% higher price but it takes 1 hour. Higher turn over means you get the more parallel trades in the flea market faster.

Don’ts:

• Don’t play the AKS-U. It’s useful only for very short range (max 10 meters). On this distance shotfuns are more effective, on longer ranges (even a hallway in the map Labs) all other rifles are more effective than the AKS-U.
• Don’t play as a SCAV. You will not gain any skills for your PMC (main) character. But bulding skills is cirtical to run longer, run faster, jump higher, less bleeding and many more usefull skills.
• Never start a raid without a backpack. Small backpacks cost very little money and you will epxerience from time to time, that you have to leave good loot behind, if you start without any backpack.
• Don’t place stuff overpriced in the flea market. If items don’t sell in time or you have to take it back, you lose market reputation. High market reputation is needed to get more parallel trades in the flea market.