4Game

First of all, I feel really bad for new players who only started playing in the last few weeks.

If the game feels frustratingly difficult, just take a break, wait for the wipe, and you can start from new (like all of us), and you won't struggle as much as you do now.

Here is a run-down of my personal experience playing during pre-wipe events, more from the perspective of a veteran:

Armour/Gear

There is no shortage of armour/helmets/comtacs/rigs IMO, because Raiders have it all, it's so easy to find one with a Tactec, repair this & run only Tactec (level.4 armour), or get a headshot on a raider wearing Gen4 Assault.

Ammo

This is a bit tricky, because while you can find good ammo off Raiders, it's all ok getting shot by one with RIP or Luger CCI if you're wearing even the basics of armour, but a raider firing Igolnik..hurts (to say the least). Still the usual techniques to farm raiders can be done..so if this were to be long term, I'd expect M995 to run out, BS to be a rarity, and BP (but especially BT) to be the new norm, along with Igolnik, in terms of supply on the Flea Market.

Along with loads of your high-flesh damage ammo types, or course.

Weapon Mods/Attachments

This is the most interesting part of it all..and I must admit..for someone who had prepared as best I could, I soon realised there were many basic things I didn't stock (or couldn't stock as much of because of Trader limits).

However I have found a few ways around them.

There is no shortage (in my eyes) of Valdays, x400s, reddots, etc.

Where the perceived shortages are, are in places like buffer tubes, MOE stocks, and that goddam little pad that attaches on there.

Luckily you can get the MOE stock with the little pad that goes on it from a reliable source.

RK-2 grips, however, I have yet to find these in raid, and I assume they only really spawn (more often) in places like KIBA gunstore or red room/weapons testing on labs.

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No shortage of meds, nades, etc.

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CONCLUSION (food for thought):

At first, I must admit, it came as quite a shock to the system, seeing everything go.

Even with all the things I had stocked up beforehand, the fact I couldn't buy that 1 thing (or it cost an exorbitant amount on the Flea Market), made me really think hard, when it came to my Tarkov 'looting' knowledge..where I might find certain items to build the exact type of weapon I wanted.

Within a few raids, certain items I once ignored, became extremely valuable, all-in-all, I felt like I was playing the real Tarkov again.

Places like KIBA, had a much higher value now that it held precious/rarer items than in common military crates.

Defeating Killa, then realising his gun didn't have a reddot or a handgrip, only to equip one of each with goodies I had found in weapon crates along the way…I really felt like I was playing the real Tarkov.

Now while it is true, that I am in no shortage of ANY round-type at the moment, I genuinely fear the day I will run out of certain things, and then have to make do..and I had contemplated not even bothering to play if I ever reach that point, and just wait for the wipe.

However I started to wonder, why do I get that feeling of dread/struggle..of losing the stacks of items that I do have..and then it hit me.

A sense of progression is what keeps players going..and a sense of regression is a real off-putter.

(and no, it isn't gear fear, I'm still going fully kitted every raid, sparing no expense..this was something else)

Now whether or not BSG's plan is to keep a sense of slower progression at all times?

Or keep it in waves, and what I mean by that is: 'loot abundance' and then, at some point, cut the flow of loot from traders or on the maps, and watch as the economy & players' stashes slowly go into regression.

If it's the former, then players will reach the end game eventually, running around with best gear & an arena is the only thing I can think of that would keep those players coming back.

However if it's the latter, where the economy cycles in waves of abundance, with periods of shortages (global depleting economy), I genuinely do not know if players will want to experience this, without there being some other incentive to keep them going (if anyone has any ideas..or if they came to a similar conclusion as I did, that the whole point is to struggle in Tarkov..then by all means, please share your thoughts).

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Anyways, I thought I'd give my 2 cents on what I am thinking is the 'bigger picture', or 'grand vision' that awaits us all, upon release.

For all of our sakes, let's hope I'm wrong.

Stay safe in Tarkov.