This week Battlestate Games has been running several special events in Tarkov. Killa on Factory, free Labs (with Glukhar), all the bosses on Reserve at the same time, 100K USD for successful PMC+Scav extractions, fog, no more secure containers, and now raiders on every map. I've been jealously following these developments, but unable to get the time to join in. I did run one scav run on Reserve (before the 100K extract bonus), but it was surprisingly quiet.
Back in real life, another event has occurred: there is a heat wave where I am. Temperatures soaring, we've been stuck in the house today, and that gave me the opportunity to play some Escape from Tarkov again.
Raid 119 - The Bunker and the Bosses
The goal I set a month ago, right before I stopped raiding, was to garner the military tech needed for acquiring a beta container. But with the no-secure-containers development, that seems rather pointless. So I decided instead to just get back to questing. The quests are a simple way of giving raids focus, which always seems to help - wandering around with no particular objective is a good way to die.
Destination: Reserve
Goals: Complete 2 quests: the Bunker part 2 and the new "The Bosses" quest (wherein I merely have to Survive and extract).
Progress: Quests Completed!
Loadout: Ghzel Class 5 Armor. AK-104 with canted dot sight and Monstrum 2x scope. One 75 round magazine of BP, another of PS. Meds, grenades, energy drink. Armasight NVG kit. Also, my "love letter" Interchange map (I'll explain later).
I spawned into one of the garage buildings, the one just next to the manhole extract. Is this a late spawn?, because there was immediate weapon fire not far from my location. I turned on the firing laser, and stepped out the side door toward manhole. There were three scavs out in the yard, all firing. One turned toward me. I fired, but I had forgotten to switch to single fire - I hit the scav, but sent the rest of the volley into the sky. I retreated back the way I came. Switched to single fire. Went out the other garage door. Forward to the wood pile, leaned out, brought down the scav. Weapon fire was all around, but no sign of the other two scavs (or raiders?) I had seen moments before. I booked it to King and entered via the garage.
Weapon fire was still flying through the air and pinging the ground. Normally I like to loot the garage for military tech, but a) that's no longer a goal and b) I don't need to be sniped through a window. So I went out the back. Hmm - someone has opened the door already. Probably whoever spawned here. Be careful. I proceeded to the computer rooms - no one. But didn't hang around to loot. The gate that leads to the stairwell was closed. That's a good sign. I went through it closed it behind me, and put on my NVGs.
The rest of the raid was calm. I hit all 5 bunker entrances and didn't see a soul. I was expecting raiders but nothing. I went to the marked room and realized I didn't have a key - no secure container. I popped a pain, turned on D2 power and nothing spawned. Really? Made my way out the D2 exit.
Time In Raid: 11 minutes, 6 seconds
Exp: 1417
Killed: Dimon Svetloozerskiy
Ammo Used: 32, Hits: 17, Accuracy: 0.38, Damage to Body: 671, Damage to Armor: 187
Mistakes
- didn't loot much. But given that it's pre-wipe, not sure how important a goal that really is.
Successes
- completed both quests
- followed the plan
- survived
Raid 120 - Farming Part 4
Destination: Customs
Goal: go to the Tarcone Directors office and retrieve package for Mechanic
Loadout: Identical as before, but with Director office key, and left the NVG kit behind.
Spawned inside the wall that runs between Dorms and the power tower. This is one of the new closest-to-dorms spawns. Raining lightly. I prepared my weapon, but kept the firing laser off, as it might give away my position in rain or fog. I worked my way down to the bus depot. Quiet. Crossed the road. Heard signs of combat at Stronghold. Moved along the wall, listening and keeping an eye peeled in all directions, but quiet. The area where the bridge meets the road was quiet. Snuck through the wall into the little skeleton area. Quiet there too. I was really expecting scavs or raiders. Worked my way down toward RUAF. I paused in some bushes when I heard a magazine reload on the other side of the wall. I stepped through the gap in the wall and fired fired fired my AK-104 and brought down a PMC. Red arm band - shit - gotta clear the area. I hopped away, circled, and made my way all the way to RUAF. No sign of anyone. Where are the raiders or scavs?
For some reason, I just sort of forgot about the player I had just killed. Instead I started thinking about the best way to cross the river and I did that instead. I crossed the river and took shelter in the overturned train car before I remembered I hadn't looted the body. Damnit. Oh well, too late now.
I entered the customs yard. Someone was crouched under the platform. I fired a couple shots. I think I landed them, but the adversary disappeared. Need to flank. I scooted under the platform, no sign of him. I ran across the yard and aimed back in his direction. No sign. Hmm. If he's where I think he is I will be walking into a trap if I try to approach. For some reason the simple idea of using a grenade to flush him out did not cross my mind. Instead, I decided to go up to the office and see if I could spot him from there. Went to the director's office. No sign of him through the windows. Got the doc case. Came out - quiet. Made my way to extract.
Time In Raid: 12 minutes, 22 seconds
Exp: 1108
Kills: Bear (level 10-30) and Serega Instagramshick (scav)
Ammo Used: 12, Hits: 5, Accuracy: 0.25
Mistakes
- not looting PMC kill - I really wanted his dog tag
- not remembering grenade for second encounter.
Successes
- I killed the second adversary after all. Who knew?
- I killed a PMC!!
- survived
- completed quest
Raid 121 - Room 114 Pharmacist Quest
I have no idea where Dorms Room 114 is, so I first ran this offline. It was an epic raid - with the raiders there was combat in and around dorms, around the bus terminal, and I finally died to grenades thrown over the wall into road. Cool. But the actual raid was much tamer.
Destination: Customs
Goals: Get carbon case for Pharmacist
Loadout: Identical but with key for Room 114 and 7001 rubles for extract
Spawned above railroad tracks. Crossed them, made my way to dorms. Just as I approached the two level dorm building I began to catch fire from somewhere behind. I swung around the dorms building and entered it. Quiet. Made my way down to room 114. Got the case, looted the safe. I left the way I came and scooted over toward the car extract. Paid and hid. Combat broke out on the far side of the dorms building, but I was gone before anything made itself my way.
Time In Raid: 4 minutes 28 seconds. Surprisingly, was NOT a run through (??)
Exp: 924
No shots fired.
Mistakes
- wipe is coming, I should make these raids more adventurous.
- was hoping for combat with raiders
Successes
Raid 122 - Hunted. Betrayal.
My next quest is to get some doc case from a Woods cabin for Pharmacist. But Skier has made me an offer and I can't really refuse him - I've only completed one or two Skier quests and despite being level 19, still only have unlocked Skier Level 1. So the double cross is on. Also, I have the Shooter Born In Heaven quest now (can you believe it?). So maybe if I get lucky I'll bag a 100m kill.
Destination: Woods
Loadout: Same (Ghzel Class 5 armor and AK-104 with BP) with 3001 rubles for extract
The AK-104 is not a great weapon for Woods, but it's been very good to me, so I'm sticking with it. Spawned at the extreme north end of the map, north of the USEC camp. Damn. Made my way south across the map. Fortunately it's gray and rainy and hopefully that's enough to keep any potential snipers at bay. Kept hearing the sounds of battle coming from the direction of the sawmill as I crossed the map. When I finally arrived at the sawmill, everything was quiet. I cut to the west before descending into the sawmill area, but discovered I had cut too much and had to backtrack east to make the cabins. Bam! A shot rang out from somewhere west and behind me. Fortunately I wasn't stam drained. I ran forward across a small building site, and then dropped into some tall grass prone. This is dangerous, but I need to heal my leg before I continue. The tall grass might fool a PMC, but it won't likely protect me from a scav or raider. I healed my leg and continued. Made it to the first portable cabin. Entered it. Where is the damn case? I scanned and scanned. I finally saw the white dot, but I couldn't get the "Take" icon to appear. Footsteps outside approaching. Come on!!! Finally, the Take icon appeared. I grabbed the case, turned on the firing laser and stepped out taking the corner hard. No one. More footsteps - I realize they were on the small lip right above me. I scooted around the cabin to take a place between two of them. A black figure appeared above - I fired fired fired that AK-104 - the figure retreated. Should I push? No - I'll come up over that lip head first and he'll kill me dead. Instead I scrambled and ran. Turned the corner on the sawmill structure - no one. Made my way down. Started running again - heading away and bearing towards the water. But despite countless raids on Woods, I somehow got turned around - I ran across the marked circle - shit - I'm not bearing the right direction. Someone fired on me. I cut south again, I was exposed and tiring. I took shelter at the scope shack wood pile. I drank my energy drink. (Yes!). I headed south again. As I approached the water I rested for a moment in a bush - just then I heard a voice gasping in pain - my adversary from before is following me! I hooked down closer to the water, scooted and came up again on a small hillock taking cover with a tree. I toggled my sight to the Monstrum Scope. I aimed down sight and leaned out - there he was. I fired. Tough range for this scope especially against a moving target. I fired a few more shots and finally - down he went. Shit - there is another behind him in the fog. I started firing, but that guy wasn't moving...because that guy was a tree stump. I'm outta here. I turned, and made my way to Outskirts and extracted.
Time In Raid: 18 minutes, 21 seconds
Exp: 1369
Kills: Irbis (raider) at 90 meters
Ammo Used: 28, Hits: 12, Accuracy: 0.25, Damage to Body: 543, Damage to Armor: 28
Mistakes
- was fleeing that first combat encounter the right call? It worked out in the end, but perhaps I should have pursued that differently
Successes
- used the energy drink in the way intended
- completed
quest betrayal, unlocking Skier Level 2 - survived
Postscript
It has been a lot of fun playing today, and I am enjoying the special events this week. I tried three times to go to Reserve as a Scav and maybe get that $100,000 reward, and have waited 11 minutes each time before giving up. But I had four raids as a PMC, survived every one, and completed five quests. I also reached level 20 sometime today. Awesome. However, if I get the chance to raid again, I think I may just try to focus on combat, because supposedly the wipe is coming and this quest progress won't transfer.
Post Postscript - the Love Letter
If you buy a map from a Trader, you can put markers down on it and name them. And if you give another player that map, they can read those markers (and add their own). It's a way of communicating with others, though very slow. I play solo and never had any use for this. But for these raids, I started carrying around a map of Interchange that has markers that say "Tarkov is pain". "Good luck on your raid, friend" and "Please don't take my AK-104". Maybe if someone killed me they would read the map and leave me my gun. Maybe. But I didn't die today, so my letter went unloved.
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