Welcome to Tarkov

I wanted to write up a a few things to remember when diving into the grind. I see many posts about people struggling and wondering if they are doing something wrong, if this is the game for them, wondering when the "fun" begins. Well Im here to tell you that most of Tarkov's fun is in your mindset.

Rule#1: You are not entitled to anything. Not loot, quest completion, kills, Kappa, or otherwise

Tarkov's main premise is that you are a simple operator in a world of impossible challenges. You have little resources and no command structure. You have to fight and scavenge to survive and everything is trying to stop you. So when you do die, just remember, that is the point. Unlike most shooters, death is the primary focus in EFT. You are not going to have a high survival rate, or a high K/D ratio. The objective is not to succeed, but to enjoy trying. Try to enjoy the adrenaline rush, the panic, the fear and dont have a fit because you lost one kit. You will lose many more. Learn to enjoy the immersion and have fun just being in Tarkov and enjoy the challenges. Stop rushing for payday and enjoy your trade.

Rule#2: Taking a break is not defeat: it is necessary

Many people in the EFT community, especially people who main the game or stream it, run into burnout due to Rule #1. Playing a game that punishes you over and over again can get exhausting. So if you feel bad, if your in a negative headspace, if you cant focus on the current raid cause your reliving the past death, take a break. Get up, take a shower, eat something, whatever. The game will still be here when you get back, and you are not losing out on anything by taking time off. There is a false belief that after a few days, "everyone is fully kitted", which is an outright fallacy. 2 days ago people were running hatchets and pistols with no armor. I guarantee if you take a few hours or a day to cool off, you will perform much better.

Rule#3: There is no shame in any playstyle

With the whole rat vs chad thing everyone has gotten very catty about how people are supposed to play. Spoilers: there is no "proper" way to play. Its however you have the most fun. Wanna sit in a corner smoking with a heart rate of 300bpm waiting for a sound? Enjoy it. Wanna bull rush every motherfucker and hold the hammer down? Go for it, Rambo. Wanna do something mixed and crab into a situation only to swing hard in medium armor? You can do that too. You can drink vodka at Scav Lands and RP for all I care. Just dont tell people they are "playing the wrong game" or dont know what theyre doing. This is an RPG at the end of the day. This isnt Valorant or CS, its a roleplaying game where the goal is to have a good time and create your own story. Dont sweat the stats and the dick measuring contest unless thats what gets you going, and even then, realize not everyone wants to go there with you.

Rule#4: The only god is RNG.

Ran into a group of kitted aggro gamers? Found no loot? One tapped by AI? AP ricochet off a Shattered? Just the way she goes, bud. No matter how hard or unfair or unfun a situation may be, remember that it is thousands of dice rolls that are all random. You probably wont ever be in that situation ever again. Just get back in there, and you might find yourself with a bag full of loot and a breezy walk to exit. Some matches are going to be impossible, and some are going to be so easy its laughable. Its just the nature of a high-RNG designed game.

Rule#5: Its all in how you process it

Too many players jump to negative conclusions when playing EFT. So its important to try to positively reinforce your mindset to stay in a good headspace so you can succeed. Give credit where credit is due, remember to reward yourself and acknowledge what youve done. When you die, think about what you could have done differently, how you could improve, record and watch back your gameplay and look at the death screen. You hit him 7 times for 341 damage? Its not hitreg, or hacks, or desync, its your aim: limbs are non-essential and yes, he will walk it off. Getting head, eyes by a white name isnt a guilty sentence, you do it to people all the time, too. Try to remember the amazing shots youve seen from yourself, your team mates, streamers, whoever. And also remember that not every death is either skill or cheats, a lot of the time its simple luck. How many amazing 1-tap clips on EFT_WTF are followed by the shooter saying "NO WAY I JUST DID THAT, OMG, I CANT BELIEVE IT". Its because they expected it even less than you did.

Rule#6: Just shoot.

On that last point of luck, you miss every shot you dont take. "Pre-fire" is a saying thrown around a lot but not many people realize just how important it is in this game. Enemy down a hall but not sure how hes holding it? Blindfire or do one quick shot. Know the enemy is in a room, and think he doesnt know your there? Swing on his ass. Rounding a corner and got ratted here before? Put rounds into the corner before you even know if anyone is there. To succeed in any gunfight you have to be the decider. That means making decisions and acting on them before the enemy can react. It doesnt mean flying around full SHIFT+W all the time (unless you have the aim and reaction time to compensate for your lack of stealth), but when you have the info, even partial info, do something about it. Dont let the enemy get control of the situation.

Hopefully thats helpful. Ive been playing since 0.4 and Im not amazing at the game myself. But I know enough to have fun, and thats why were all here. So hopefully these few pointers can help being people out of the muck of punishment and see the exhilarating fun that EFT offers.