The Bunker Part 2. Twice. Raids 37 and 38. Level 12

My offline practice against raiders has been going well lately.  Need to return to the Bunker for Prapor and not avoid action.

Raid 37 - Too Fast

Loadout: Suppressed AKMS with Valday scope, beat-down Class 4 armor, meds, ears, one grenade.

I spawned at the entrance to the hermetic door.  Crossing the train-yard can be dicey, I decided to go under.  In retrospect maybe I should have ducked into the cleavage and went along the back fences.  No matter.   I went underneath, hoping to get some quick scav kills, but there was no one there. Crossed up to the stairs next to the train loading docks, close to the truck repair bays.  This is still a quite dangerous area - Glukhar and his guards could spawn in any of the three closest buildings.  

I ran over to the hole in the fence, crossed the road and started running towards black knight.  Someone barked out "кепка!" and began firing. I know that voice, that's Glukhar's guards.  I zig-zagged, taking hits, but got on the far side of black knight, alive but wounded and armor undoubtedly zeroed.   Running footsteps pursuing. Fuck. I sprinted into King, cut through a door, and ran to the gate next to the stairs. I opened and closed it behind me. Stepped into the stairwell, caught my breath, turned on my flashlight.  No sound of pursuit. But best not hang out too long - those guards can smell a PMC fart from two hundred meters.

I descended into the bunker.  I killed a scav and hit the five entrances. Pulled the D2 switch. One more scav spawned, and I killed him too. Where is everyone? There was a patch update today, for some reason that often means fewer players.  And when there are too few players, then there aren't raiders (or good loot).

I looted a little and then decided to head out. As I made my way to D2 I heard running footsteps. Are they approaching? Would the guard follow me down here? Didn't seem likely, but just in case I pressed on to D2. I closed every door behind me and didn't linger. Hopefully I'll hear the doors opening and know if there is pursuit.  I stepped into the last big arched chamber before the D2 descent and there was a player, crouched, aiming down sight at me. I stopped in surprise. He did not hesitate at all.

Time In Raid: 10 minutes, 18 seconds
Exp: 315
Kills (scavs): Pahomiy Slepoy, Vityok Bazay.  Godspeed gentlemen
Ammo Used: 71, Hit: 15, Accuracy: 0.14, Damage to Body: 557, Damage to Armor: 155
Killed By: Ev4.  Good Game Ev4.  You and I might have been the only two PMC on the map.

Mistakes

• moving too fast. I should have peeked that corner instead of just stepping into the open.
• died
• quest can't be finished in two parts.  All 5 bunker entrances AND extract alive in the same raid.
• I hope that suppressed AKM comes back on insurance. I really like that. 

Successes

• evaded Glukhar's guard.

Raid 38 - Shadows

Loadout: AKM with Trijicon dot sight and a heavy duty flashlight I scrounged up somewhere. Half exhausted class 4 armor. Ears, meds. 

I spawned in front of one of the outdoor bunkers. Checked the skyline - this is the one behind black pawn.  I hustled over to black pawn and descended into the bunker, flashlight on. From here I can descend the ramp further in and then go to the white pawn stairs, or I can follow this hall toward the black bishop entrance. I did the latter.  

I was walking along the hall when I heard footsteps - near the other black pawn stairs. I turned off my flashlight and stopped.  The other footsteps stopped as well.  I'm in this long hallway, just before the intersection. Did I really hear a player or was that just one my footstep echoes? I waited. The other footsteps shuffled. Ok, there is a player.  I bet he saw my light and heard my footsteps. He's waiting for me, I'm waiting for him. What should I do?  Should I rush him?

Crash! Crash!  The glass down in the control room was being broken. Followed by assault weapon autofire and the lights came on. Fun down in the bunker.  Whoever was in the bunker was moving around, for a second it seemed like he would join our party, but just before he climbed the stairs his footsteps went back, towards the ramp behind me.

My shadow friend moved. Not towards me, but along his hallway - also headed to the ramp. I think I'll move too. I went back along my hallway toward the ramp, to the little bump out halfway and took shelter there.   The two parties started fighting at the end of the hall.  My shadow friend was employing a shotgun (is that for some quest? was he a player scav? or does he just like shotguns?). His adversary was employing an actual weapon.  And here I made my first mistake. I should have third partied this fight.  But as it is, I didn't move - I didn't even peek a glance at what was going on down the hall.  

Still, the show was impressive. There was a long exchange of fire, flashlights, grenades. I heard it all, and saw flickers on the walls around me.  Finally it got quiet.  But not for long. Footsteps approaching down my hallway. That's my cue! Showtime!  Just as the PMC came into view I hit him with my flashlight and laid into him with autofire.  He had an Altyn helmet on, and some beefy armor. I fired on his head and his chest. Dumped my entire magazine of PS ammo into him. For his part, he was having trouble - he crossed in front of me, turning, but wasn't able to discharge a single shot before he fell to the ground dead.  I reloaded.

More footsteps approaching. Another? Fuck. Here I made my second and final mistake. I should have aimed down sight and peeked him for a second or even pushed. But instead I waited for him to come into view.  He did, already firing on my location known by my flashlight and I was cut down by 7.62x39mm BP. Probably fired from one of those MK-47 Mutants I have never seen but covet. 

Time In Raid: 5 minutes, 28 seconds
Exp: 200  (only 200, despite killing a much higher level PMC?)
Kills: Unknown USEC, Level 31-50.
Ammo Used: 30, Hit: 11, Accuracy: 0.3  Damage to Body: 245  Damage to Armor: 247
Killed By: ICECAVEMAN01TTV .  Good game ICECAVEMAN01TTV  ! He has a twitch stream, but it doesn't seem active. I was hoping to post the clip of myself getting cut down. 

Mistakes

• Frozen in inaction, in standoff, when facing my shadow PMC.  I guess the fancy thing is to jump the hall while looking sideways then come back aiming at that spot? I really did not know what to do. And I must confess I still don't. 
• Why did I cower in the bump-out instead of third partying that fight?  That was a golden opportunity missed. 
• Should have turned off the flashlight after killing the first PMC (and maybe turned it on again when facing the second).
• Should have peeked or pushed ICECAVEMAN01TTV instead of waiting.
• Died
• Did not complete quest

Successes

• Killed a geared player.
• Great use of the flashlight. 

PostScript

I wanted to run another raid, but I have no gear. My stash is overflowing, but not with gear I actually use. Instead it's full of future quest items and wires and tubes for the hideout. 

I did a scav raid after. Excepting the machinery key scav run, this was one of my best scav runs ever. I got tons of sugar, vodka, actually usable weapon attachments, a Vityaz, and a nice NVG setup. My bag was overflowing with treasures.  On my run to extract some other player scav killed me from behind.  I escaped his first volley and made it to cover, but he had blacked my arm and a leg and I had bleeds, vision going red. When he came in for the kill I got some good rounds on him but between the arm and the coughing up blood, couldn't steady my weapon enough to kill him. Damn.  So it goes in Tarkov. 

Post PostScript

I read on reddit that the reason the raids are so empty after an update is the cheat sellers have their own updates (or maybe publish an "all clear" message?). So after BSG releases an update, all the players that employ cheats lay low until they know it's safe to play without risking a ban.  

If true, I'm not sure what that means. That a majority of players are cheating? But I've definitely observed the "update day means empty raids" phenomenon.  I've commented on it at least twice on this blog.