Forbidden Forest - Raids 25, 26, 27 - Level 9

Need to kill scavs on Woods for the Shootout Picnic quest, and loot everything for various quests and the hideout.

Raid 25

Loadout: Class 4 armor, AKMS with 4x Pilad scope, meds, ears.

Spawned not far from wall behind scav house. This might be the same as my last raid.  Made my way towards the ZB-14 bunker and scav house. Circled the scav house, cover to cover, keeping an eye and ear out for scavs. There is a lot of tall tall grass behind the house making it hard to see.  Killed a scav - he was hard to make out.  I didn't approach his body immediately, don't want other unseen scavs behind me. I continued to circle the house.  Hung out for a bit, looking for more scavs to kill, but it was quiet.  I should go to Emercom camp. There is good loot there and more plentiful scavs.  So I headed to the water. Looted the scav body by the waterside, got an MPX and a spark plug.  Nice.  I scoped the shoreline ahead of me, it seemed clear. I stepped out and started proceeding when ZING some sharp sounding shot hit me. I turned and started running. ZING. My leg was hit, I was slowing. I took a painkiller and just made it over a hump to safety. Healed.  Now what?  I have no clear idea where that sniper is, I can't tackle him - I'll just go around the long way.  

I circled back to the rocks that overlook scav house.  I took cover behind a tree and started scoping the area - it seemed clear, but there is a lot of obscuring grass down there.  Just then I heard running foot falls to my right, on my side of the road. I turned, there was a PMC who had spotted me, he was bringing his weapon up. I fled behind the rock as he started firing.  I circled, ducked low, and crouched into a bush. He advanced up to where I had been previously - we were circling the rock. This particular bush line is big, I slowed down and quietly crept through the bush line. Autofire broke out, but not on me. I think he's lighting up a bush where he thinks I am. I moved forward - I'll take him from behind.

Just then a scav across the road shouted and started firing on me. Are you kidding? I am not covered from that angle.  I dropped to a knee and aimed down sight - I need to finish him fast. I put the reticle on his head and ZING - I was dead.  Killed by a player.  I think it was the sniper I avoided earlier.

Time in Raid: 16 minutes, 6 seconds
Exp: 313
Killed: Sashok Maloy (scav). Godspeed Sashok
Killed By: furrydestroyer9 with a 5.56x45mm M856A1.   Good shot furrydestroy9
Ammo Used: 4, Hit: 2, Accuracy: 0.5, Damage to Body: 54

Mistakes

• I was slow responding to the running footsteps. Had I been quicker I could have rotated around the tree and been aiming down sight at him. 
• Combat didn't feel smooth.
• Died

Successes

• killed a scav
• escaped the first encounter with the sniper

Raid 26 - More Scav House

Once again spawned near the wall behind scav house.  Made my way towards scav house on the far side of the wall. I heard footsteps stomping on the other side. I tried using the fancy alt-lean controls on several of the holes in the wall hoping to get eyes on a target, but couldn't see anyone.  The footsteps started running along the wall heading toward scav house - I did the same on the other side, ahead.

I aimed down sight, leaned and swung around the wall. The 4x scope is a little to much magnification for this range - but I got a shot on the scav on the other side. He turned and ran and disappeared into some bushes. Should I chase? I decided not to, I haven't cleared the scav house area yet and I don't want it behind me. He'll probably return to the house or the yard in front of it, I can get him then.

I circled the house, approached it, peeked inside and checked the area. No sign of any other scavs. The scav I shot wasn't re-appearing.  I'll cross the road and overlook from some height - and then move on to Emercom.  

I crossed the road, took up a position using a big rock for cover.  There was an audio glitch in my game, some distortion.  What was that? Is that the return of the "scav spawning" sound? Or was that sniper fire? My scav friend ran across the yard, but I don't have a good angle on him. I stepped down a bit closer, using a tree for cover and brought up my scope.  ZIP - dead to a sniper.

Time In Raid: 13 minutes, 9 seconds
Exp: 47
Killed By: Tempest14 with 5.56x45mm M856A1.  Congrats on the shot, Tempest14

Ammo Used: 3, Hits: 1, Accuracy: 0.33  Damage to Body: 57

Mistakes

• maybe I should have assumed that was a sniper fire sound. If I had, I mightn't have repositioned.
• died
• perhaps I should have pursued the scav?  I wasn't that close to scav house - probably would have been ok.  

Successes

• meh

Raid 27 - The Threat You Can't See

One of my scav runs was blessed with a big can of beef stew. I was able to finish my first Jaeger task. Now I have the "Kill 5 Scavs with no armor on Woods" quest.  I also need to deliver food and drink to the Woods bunkers.  I can do three quests at the same time!

Spawned near the village early morning, in the tall tall grass of the garden. I was confused at first as to where I was, but I figured it out.  I started circling the village from the outside, looking and listening for scavs.  I entered one of the fenced yards, and approached the street. There was a scav running down the street. I leaned out from cover and started firing on him. He continued running, but shifted his run a bit to be behind a fence. I fired off more rounds, but between his movement and the fence, I couldn't land any shots. He escaped. For now.

I continued along the outside edge of the village, approaching the river.  Footsteps were running directly towards me from the wooded area below the village. I don't have cover - but maybe I can catch whoever this is with their weapon down. I kneeled and aimed down sight directly at the source of the footsteps.  Suddenly a scav shouted and started firing on me. But where is he?  I'm looking directly at where the sounds originate and I don't see a scav nor any weapon fire flash. I dropped the scope, maybe I'm not looking at the right place? He fired again - no flash. Where is he?  That last shot was a hit. I need to move to cover - there are some big cable spools behind me, I'll run to them. I turned and ran but the spools were further away than I thought. A last shot cut me down.

Time in Raid: 4 minutes, 54 seconds
Exp: 0
Killed By: Damirka Taksist
Ammo Used: 4.  No hits

Mistakes

• obviously the combat against Damirka was very poorly handled.  
• I should have run laterally to some other cover, rather than straight away. I swear, scavs aim better when your back is turned to them
• frustrating to not see anything. Was he maybe shooting through a bush? Or is there tall tall grass there?
• died
• died to a scav
• did not plant any food or drink for the Jaeger. He will have to go hungry.

Successes

• kept the raid short

PostScript

To my mind there are three types of grass in EFT: grass, tall grass and tall tall grass.  If you down someone in tall grass, it's hard to find their body. It's also handy to drop prone into, as you become invisible, though you can't see much.   The tall tall grass is a problem. The scavs can see through it, but I cannot. I feel like more tall tall grass was added to Woods. I know it's always been alongside the river outside the abandoned village, and in the garden area of the main village, but now it seems like there is a bunch surrounding scav house and maybe more around the main village. I've had four Woods raids and haven't survived a single one.  I've only killed two scavs, and I've twice died to a scav.  This is not good. It's hard enough with all the damn snipers.

I ran an offline raid and had no problem bagging 15 scavs in one raid without wearing armor.  But, the few times I nearly died were all because of scavs in tall tall grass.