Tips from a Noobish Player

I got the game a month ago. Struggled like everyone else. I'm far from a great player, but not too bad. Thought I'd add a short list of noob advice to veteran advice floating around.

Gear Fear. Just sell it if you are afraid to use it. Buy something you feel comfortable with. Hoarding will take a lot of time up with trying to tetris everything in stash.

Healing. Always keep a CMS or Surgical kit and splint in your secure container. They heal blacked out parts. Then you can heal with a salewa/IFAK/Car. I don't suggest a grizzly because that takes up a lot of space.

Spawning in. I've killed a lot of you new people right off the start because you take off sprinting as soon as you get in. Until you get some gear, I suggest finding a bush as soon as you start. Take 30 seconds to a minute to just chill and listen. Sometimes you can spawn near someone. Which brings me to my next point.

SLLS. Term used in military. Pronounced *Seals*. Stop, Look, Listen, Smell(irrelevant in games). Sound is probably the best way to get info on other players in game. Know when to sprint and when to sneak. This game takes a lot of patience. Sometimes you will sit for several minutes at a time.

Ammo/Gear. Not gonna beat this dead horse. Don't buy cheap ammo. Look up a chart for ammo. Helmets like the tanker hat and another( can't remember name) that provide little protection and cover your ears are almost useless. Muffles sound with little protections.

You just killed a guy. Now what? Well, don't run in and start looting. Hold for a minute. He may have friends. You also just shot someone and everyone on the map heard it. I've watched some streamers do it. My friend STILL does it and he got the game a month ago with me. Most of the time they end up dead because they are in the inventory looting and can't react to the 3rd party coming in.

Maps. Don't buy the in game maps. Tarkov Wiki has better maps. Pull it up on another monitor or find somewhere safe and tab out(at your own risk). Learn quick references for teaming up. Customs for example. Woods are North. The main road runs east to west. Factory area is South. "In front, Left, Right or Back" is usable too as long as your team is aware of this….Use your direction of travel as a reference. If you turn right to scan that area, don't say in front. Say Right.

Vendor or Flea Market. Preference I guess. I personally sold everything to vendors to level them up unless it was an extremely high value item. You get some good stuff from higher level vendors.

Headsets. Always wear one(in game and out). They amplify sound and cut down the wind noise. Some are better than others.

There is a phone app that I highly suggest called Battle Buddy by Veritas that lists armor/ammo/guns/medical/melee/throwables stats.

Also, join a Tarkov community. Discord is an easy one. There is an official discord that has a Clans channel. Find one you like. Join it. Group up. Help each other. Learn.

Lastly..You are gonna die…. A LOT. Don't get discouraged. Tarkov is unforgiving, but it makes success that much better. Even the veterans die a lot. Suck it up and keep going. Glory is right around the corner.

Edit: Insure your stuff. People can only carry so much and they probably don't want your crap gear that you start with. Some people (myself included) dump your gear in a bush if you are low level so you can get it back if it's insured.