Hey, this is just a quick list that I decided to write up about improving at Tarkov since I’m bored. This obviously isn’t exhaustive, and I wasn't gonna post it, but maybe someone will learn something from it. Taking any and all suggestions, I hope you all have a great day.
There is a lot of overlap between all these points, and many of them require a certain amount of another skill. Experimentation is key to improving. Try holding spots you haven’t seen before, flanking from a different angle, etc. Watching better players and watching your own deaths can be very constructive too. Don’t take streamers/youtubers as the gold standard, they do make mistakes, and they do things that you couldn’t do even if you tried, sometimes winning anyway because of their skill (e.g ego swinging a squad and head-tapping them all)
Your Opponent:
Is he a Scav or PMC? Am I against a solo or a squad? Does he have a holo or a Valday? What gun is he running? Does he have nades?
Game Mechanics:
Jump distance, stamina, reloads, food/water, raid timer, grizzly canceling, leaning & peeking, sights/optics, etc
Psychological Games:
Most prevalent is not peeking the same angle twice. Psychological games include flanking, VOIP, and squad maneuvers (squeezing, distracting) among others.
Timings:
How long will his reload take? How long do I have when he pulls the nade pin where he can’t shoot? If he’s flanking, how long will it take him? This ties in heavily with game mechanics and map knowledge.
Gear Fear:
This is something usually discarded to some extent after you’ve played enough of the game, or lost enough in the game. Something that helped me was reminding myself that 1.) This is a game, I’m here to have fun, and 2.) Nikitia will wipe my stash at some point anyway, along with everyone else's
Avoiding Tilt:
This ties in heavily with gear fear, if you feel you’ve nothing to lose then you won’t tilt particularly often. The most useful tool I can recommend here is breathing exercises/ meditation, as well as reminding yourself that this is just one raid of one wipe of one video game.
Settings/PC:
If you want to improve competency at the game, eliminate your setup as a problem, to the best of your ability. Lower settings for FPS if needed. Enable XMP. Close other programs if you need, upgrade your computer if you need to.
Here’s the best settings guide I’ve found:
Posture:
Find a posture that suits you. There are plenty of videos on the internet already about posture, and they will serve as a better guide than I can. Link to a relevant channel at the bottom of this post.
Communication:
Efficient communication between teammates is essential when playing in a squad. Synergy is also very important, though this is a mix of luck and experience with each other. Callouts, quick concise callouts and knowing when to let your teammate(s) listen are paramount.
Additional Info:
Ron Rambo Kim on youtube has great videos on posture, mindset, and IRL mechanics
I’d recommend skimming through this series of posts about a seasoned Korean LoL player who was, debatably, considered the best in his class for a number of years. Skim over the League of Legends stuff if you won’t understand it.
Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/EscapefromTarkov/comments/s1avjc/mediocre_outline_of_improving_at_tarkov/
