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Update: Raids 36 and 37 .

Low on funds, I have been doing scav runs lately. Also, when reviewing my outstanding tasks, I noticed that I have not encountered any salewa's lately.  That's odd. I used to encounter them semi-regularly. How is it that since I accepted that task 15 raids ago that I have only found one salewa?   So I made a mental note to try and hit USEC Camp and/or the Enercom base to look for those.   And, I've died four raids in a row, so I really really need to survive.  

Destination: Woods

Goals

  • Survive
  • Kill the last scav needed to complete Shootout Picnic Quest and end my Woods purgatory
  • Find Salewas 
Progress: Would be funny if it weren't so sad.

Raid 36

Loadout: AK-105 with three 30-round magazines of 5.45x39mm. Maybe 8 rounds of PS in first magazine, PRS for the rest (thanks Prapor).  Rig, T-Bag backpack, meds, sip of water, one grenade. 3001K Rubles for extract. Car med-kit in Pouch. 
Insurance: 22K

Spawned in near USEC Camp, raining heavily.  Made my way to the camp and looted. Med supplies were just splints and bandages - no salewas. Damn.  Got food, which I need, but otherwise mostly just stuff to sell. Found Sherrif's Badge, which I'm guessing I'll need later. 

And then I made my first major mistake. The obvious play to get that scav kill I need so badly is to go up to the Scav Radio outpost nearby, and then, if necessary, abandoned village and village.  Maybe it's the scav runs I've been doing, or maybe thinking of the salewas, but whatever it was, I lost focus and turned south, heading to Emercom camp. Dumb. I'm still kicking myself for this mistake.

I realized my mistake as I crossed that new ridge between the old and new maps. I changed my course to bear more towards the USEC Checkpoint outside the mill - maybe there will be scavs there.  I arrived and studied the Checkpoint. No sign of scavs. Whizz - Thwack!  Someone was firing on me. Couldn't hear a clear retort, so maybe suppressed? Or far away?  I ran south, deeper into the woods. Whizz -  Whizz - Thwack - Thwack . The bullets were following me deep into the woods as I ran.  I finally ran out of stamina and dropped into a trench. Whizz - Thwack.   Still?   Is he using InfraRed? Is he following me?  I didn't hear signs of pursuit - but I had to move.  I walked, keeping tree trunks to the north of me.  The last missed bullet landed just before I went over the incline down to the water.  

I skirted the mill water side, ate and drank, and went to Emercom Camp. No scavs there. No bodies either, but it was fairly well looted. Hit the three med loot spawns, but empty.  Got some other loot, but just junk to sell. Made my way to extract empty handed - no scav kills, no salewas. However, I survived, and that's not bad.

Time In Raid: 23 minutes, 3 seconds
Exp: 780

Mistakes

  • Losing track of goal #1 - killing scavs.  Unforgivable.

Successes

  • Survived - breaking chain of deaths.
  • Remembered to eat and drink.

Raid 37

Loadout: As before
Insurance: 0k (previously insured)

Spawned at lake next to Abandoned Village.  Yes!!  Hopefully there will be some scavs.  Started going from tree to tree, as I entered the village, went fully around first two buildings to clear any lurking scavs.  Suddenly I started receiving fire from up on the hill - had to be a player. I ran, plunging through some bushes, crossed road, sought cover behind one of the buildings.  Safe!  

But he might follow me. I need to set up on him.  Hard cover in the lee of this building would be ideal - I could take cover and he won't see me prepare. But there was just a lawn and one lonely birch tree - just half as wide as a me.  Well, it's a start. I hustled to the tree and crouched.  Hmmm - not good. Not only does this tree not provide much cover, but the way the ground slopes, if he approaches by the grassy side of the house, he may see me before I can see him.  

What if he doesn't come? What's the plan?  I didn't go far down that line of thinking when he came running full tilt through the tall grass. Damn that grass is tall.  I stood up and fired...and I hadn't switched my weapon to auto-fire.  Well, I didn't shoot 14 scavs with SKS and VPO-136  for nothing. I can deal with that.  My adversary had already made a serious mistake - he ran right up to me. We should have used melee weapons. He fired, but his enormously long gun (which seemed to have a suppressor on it) was too long and we were too close. I pressed into him and fired repeatedly - we circled, but I kept turning and staying close. Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-(die scum!!)-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-(die!!)-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-(why isn't he dead yet?)-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-(please die)-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-(is this thing loaded?)-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-CLICK. Reload, put away magazine, switch to autofire, resume Tat!- BOOM.  

While I shot him repeatedly, Ahov switched weapons to a shotgun and killed me with a single shot of buckshot (several pellets in thorax).

Time In Raid: 3 minutes 54 seconds
Exp: 0   ( DISAGREE!! - it was quite the experience )

This death does not sit well with me.  In my battle with Capo_de_capei (Raid 5, https://itarkovpoorly.blogspot.com/2020/12/update-level-3.html ) I shot wildly and barely landed any shots.  But this one, despite the super awkward noob-groping that was occurring - I was keeping my reticle on his body and firing as well as can be expected. The post-screen stats bear this out:

Damage to Body: 288
Damage to Armor: 260
Ammo Used: 31   
Hits: 14
Accuracy: 0.32

Firstly, 14 hits out of 31 is 0.45, not 0.32.  So I need to understand that Accuracy number better.  The ammo was a little PS and mostly PRS, which is trash, I know. But 14 hits? 288 Damage to Body? And no kill? Not even a trade?


Mistakes

  • Not sure I made the right decision when setting up behind that tree.  I might have done better by simply running into the tall grass and lying down. 
  • Should I have switched to melee? I only have the base knife. 

Successes

  • Though not optimal, I'm proud that I was composed enough to set-up behind that tree.  Perhaps it wasn't the optimal decision, but it was a decision and I acted with composure - not frozen with panic.

PostScript

Furious from the last raid, I quickly re-equipped (forgetting extract money!) and went back to Woods. Only to wait 20 minutes (and counting) to join a game. It was already late, and starting twenty or thirty minutes later is not viable. Clicked the "Back" button, game unjoined, and left.  

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