For context I have over 70 labs runs and am new to the game this wipe so all of this information will be recent. I almost exclusively run labs. when I go solo I run a 10k gun with very cheap ammo, along with a 30 round mag and two 20 round mags that fit in my pockets. I also take in a F1 grenade and a scav BP. This setup added to the price of a keycard equals about 140k as of right now. This is obviously not the only way to run labs solo but is what i'm experienced with so it is what I will base the keycard worth off of.
#1 The Green Keycard – I cannot recommend this keycard enough, it is the best keycard for your buck. It has several very close spawns so if it is the only keycard you have it is quite easy to get to first safely. As for loot, almost every time I run it I profit, with the chance of a ledx spawn you can easily pay for the green keycard itself, along with the 2 Secure Documents spawns, and the 2 Defibrillator spawns. At least every other run I come across either a defib or two, or a secure document. If you run a docs case you can store the secure document inside of it using 0 space for the rest of your gamma. If you dont get either spawns, the abundant med sticks, ophthalmoscopes, and grizzlys should make up for it. In my experience the gun room to the right of the door is nothing to right home about. I have not once gotten the SMG spawn even after a few ledxs and the gun parts are ok. I would recoment this keycard to people who run it every now and then, and those who plan to. If you arnt hard for cash this is also a good starting keycard to pair with the black one. Experienced runners can also get good value out of this card.
#2 The Black Keycard – This keycard is located right underneath the green keycard and just down the hall from the blue one. It is a great cheap option to hit up after either of those rooms. It wont pay for itself after as little runs as the green, but it is a viable option for some quick medsticks. The glass looking into it is also bulletproof so it works as a good bunker to hide in if you need to retreat from a close gunfight. I would recomend this keycard for anyone who wants to run any amount of labs.
#3 The Blue Keycard – Being directly under a extract and next to green and blue keycards, it has a great location. Walking into the unlocked part of the room there is a green keycard spawn to help pay off the card. Once you are in the room there are a good amount of medstick spawns along with a ledx spawn. This room grew on me over time as I get ophthalmoscopes from it frequently. The medsticks and ledx also are nice for cash. I would not recommend this keycard for someone who doesn't run labs often.
#4 The Red Keycard – At the current price its hard to say if its worth it. But from the experience of someone who got it at 21mil I can say this is a great room. Its next to a lot of spawns and the room before it is relatively safe. There is a green keycard spawn just outside of it, along with its ability to act as a bunker. The red room's door re-locks after it has been closed, making it an extremely safe room to stay in. It is also just above an extract making it easy to run straight to the elevator and extract from the raid. For loot it is super great. I often get semi-built M4s and good parts from the part tables. I have gotten a lot of thermals from the room as well. There is a secure document spawn as well on the desk that spawns frequently. I personally don't bother with the ammo but there are some good spawns (1k+ per bullet). Inside the locked cage has a lot of treasure spawns that can easily net 150k+ every loot, along with Pro Kills and ophthalmoscopes. There are also often medsticks laying on the shelves. It would take a lot of runs to pay off but if you want to stop running it you can always sell back the keycard. I always profit going in there even if I die so I recommend looting it whenever you get the chance. When it was priced at 20-25 mil it would have been easier to place this card higher on the list, but with the recent jump in price up to 38 mil+ I can only recommend it to wealthier players who run labs at least semi-often.
#5 The Yellow Keycard – While severely lacking in loot its worth bringing into every labs raid. It is extremely cheap and is kind of useful. If you are in a pinch you can use it to trigger the garage opening without sounding the alarms and alerting raiders. I have personally never used the card because of just how situational it is. The only reason it isn't last is because the violet is just garbage. I wouldn't recommend this card to anyone running labs if you are looking for loot, if you like to be prepared for anything then you might as well buy one.
#6 The Violet Keycard – While this keycard has some okay loot and is in a convenient spot being right next to red, and thus sharing it's position benefits. This card severely lacks the loot it would need to make up for the cost. At almost 10mil it is extremely hard to justify the purchase of one of these cards. I don't have any experience with this room as I only got the card today and haven't had a chance to loot the room. I wouldn't recommend this room unless you are loaded on cash, or are clinically insane.
Hope this guide helped some people with their choices of labs keycards. I would also like to recomend the TerraGroup Labs access keycard as an honorable mention, as I have used it in every single one of my labs runs. Spent 40 mins making this, gonna go to bed now 🙂
