Raids 21-23, Two Quests Achieved, Level 8

It's been nearly two weeks since I last played. I have done a bit of offline practice, but haven't run any real raids or even scav raids. 

With the new wipe I reset my graphic settings to the defaults. This gave me a noticeable performance boost, for which I am grateful. Now I have frames (plural) per second, instead of a frame (singular) per second. Sweet!  But the colors seem darker, more muted and I've been having trouble seeing enemies even at medium ranges. I tried a post FX filter, which worked surprisingly well, but the performance loss was too great - I can't aim properly with the post FX.  So I dropped that and am trying a different strategy: using a scope instead of a collimator.

My favorite scope in these situations is the Monstrum 2X scope - it provides just enough magnification to get shots on target but without being disorienting or too zoomed in. Unfortunately, I'm only Level 7 and don't have access to the flea market and I haven't encountered one of those in the paltry twenty raids I've run so far.  So I'm using the 4x Pilad scope that Jaeger sells.  It is not the best scope - it's slow, has too much eye relief. But the cross-hair is clean and unobtrusive.  And after some offline practice I can say that it's working - I'm getting shots on target, getting headshots. I put a laser on my AK-47 (aka AKM) to help with shorter ranges.

Raid 21 - BP Depot

Destination: Customs

Goal: Mark the tanker trucks at New Gas and at Crossroads. Kill as much as possible. Survive.

Loadout: AKM with 7.62x39 PS rounds and 4x Pilad scope, laser, foregrip and butt pad. Ears, meds, Class 4 armor that is nearly Class 3 now. Pompon hat for later, one grenade.

I spawned next to the wall between dorms and the train.  This is one of the closest to dorms spawns, but despite my increasing confidence with combat, I still find dorms scary. Plus, that's not on todays menu. I followed the tracks towards New Gas, crossing before I reached it.  There is a med spawn up on Power Tower and I still have not found a single salewa, should I go there?  Hmmm. No, that location gets traffic early raid and I don't like fighting up there.  I'll stay on task.

I walked the wall that separates New Gas from the hill. There are some cheeky angles through the gaps and offline I've been able to snag some great kills through them, but I caught nothing today. Plus, they are in exposed locations and I don't want my back to anyone prowling the hill. So I checked them, but only quickly.  I circumnavigated all of New Gas, approached it and marked the tanker truck. No sign of anyone.

I began crossing the map. Had a quick battle with scav in the road, but I killed him with a headshot, using that scope at 13 meters - that's too close for the scope, but it worked.  I continued and tried to enter Construction but started taking sniper fire so I went around via the road.  I killed two more scavs at longer distances ( 60 and 100 meters) at the bridge. Checked out construction. Empty, quiet. RUAF was similarly quiet. Crossed to the customs house, storage sheds. All quiet.  Marked the tanker and exited.  

Time In Raid: 22 minutes, 10 seconds
Exp: 1492  
Ammo Used: 24, Hits: 14, Accuracy: 0.42, Damage to Body: 623, Damage to Armor: 18
Kills (all AI scavs): Petro Tihiy, Armen Tamada, Yarik Kutofey

Mistakes

• forgot to check last two scavs for white armor
• too quiet - maybe I should have hunted down the sniper?
• not much loot

Successes

• finished the quest and achieved Level 8
• survived

Raid 22 - Death Foretold

Quest: Bad Rep Evidence (pick up package from bunkhouse shack on Customs)

Identical loadout to last raid. Spawned on Power Tower hill, near train.  I need to get to construction, but maybe what I'll do is go to one of the rear corners of the map, loop around and then make my way there.  I started out and remembered there is a small med spawn on top of the Power Tower hill. I've never got anything but splints and bandages there, but maybe I could get a salewa today, or a syringe. So I headed up. Again, not keen on this location early raid, because it's often traversed, but I'm closest (I think). So I went up there, looted. I was inside the shack looting the med case (bandages and splints) when I thought I heard something down the hill. Did I hear anyone? I listened, but nothing more. I stepped toward the door - my footsteps echoing on wood. Hmm.  I stepped out, walked away from the hill side and went behind the shack. A blast of autofire took me down.  

Time In Raid: 3 minutes, 54 seconds

Exp: 96

Killed By: Chryse   with 7.62x39mm PS rounds.  AKM?    Congrats on the kill Chryse. Please don't take my butt pad, that's worth more to me than the rest of my loadout.

Mistakes

• Maybe I should have run out that door, instead of walking and stalking?
• I knew that Power Tower is dangerous at the beginning of the raid and yet went there blithely anyway.
• Died

Successes

• did not die to a scav

Raid 23 - Bad Rep Evidence

Loadout: Class 4 armor that is bordering on Class 3.  AK-74N with laser and that same 4x Pilad hunting scope I've been using lately. Meds, Ears. 

Spawned behind Old Gas.  My exfil is at Crossroads.  I looted the stash and the med bag, but the Giving Tree wasn't giving. Scoped Old Gas, but it was quiet.  Went the other direction, towards Stronghold.  I crossed the area between Stronghold and Crackhouse.  I killed a sniper scav on the way. When I reached the far side, directly behind big skeleton, I saw a scav in Stronghold. I aimed, centered the reticle and fired. Bam Boom.  My shot rang out, as did someone elses.  Someone else tried to put a shot on him just a half second after me.  Where are they? On big skeleton I presume? I took concealment and listened. No sound. I crept out and carefully surveyed the situation - no sign of anyone. I crossed below big skeleton and scampered to the bunkhouse. Opened it, entered and closed the door. Got the doc case.  It was weirdly dark in there - I forgot there is a weapons case (or grenade case?) in there and I couldn't see it. I missed it.  Heard some footsteps stomping round - but they exited to the road and headed away. That was a missed opportunity.

Made my way to RUAF.  Heard footsteps there, crept through concealment, spotted someone through leaves and blasted them with autofire. Killed another scav, no white armor.  Other than him, RUAF was quiet. Crossed the river. Customs house was quiet. Entered storage - took a corner and there was a scav.  I didn't use cover well but I was quick on the trigger and started putting shots in him.  I think he was trying to wiggle.  My bullets wiggled there way through his body and he went down. No white armor either, but he had a VPO-136 which I can make into an AKM. Took that. Extracted.

Time In Raid: 23 minutes, 56 seconds

Exp: 2215
Kills (all scavs): Foma Znahar, Vitek Semyora, Zheka Yuvelir, Zaur Hryash (player scav?)

Ammo used: 30, Hits: 18, Accuracy: 0.43, Damage to Body: 671, Damage to Armor: 2

Mistakes

• didn't check the two sniper scav bodies for white armor (debatable mistake)
• missed opportunity of whatever was stomping outside bunkhouse cabin
• more loot than last time, but still could have gotten more
• why did I skip crackhouse?  Could have gotten med supplies or action
• even though I prevailed, I should have used cover with that last scav encounter

Successes

• survived
• finished quest
• the AK-74N felt pretty good this raid.  But I have crappy ammo (mostly 5.45 PS, some BP and a few rounds of BS)