Duoing on Lighthouse and Customs - Raids 62-66 - Level 17

I have a friend Om3ga who I met through this blog. We don't play together very often mostly due to schedules and time zones.  But we were able to get things aligned this weekend and ran some raids, it was a lot of fun.

Raid 62 - Solo on Customs - Chemical Part 1

I ran this quiet raid earlier in the week by myself. The quest completion pushed me to Level 17.

Raid 63 - Duo on Lighthouse - Corporate Secrets

Being Level 17 opens up several things, including the Corporate Secrets quest, which is the first quest on Lighthouse. I've never done a real raid on Lighthouse yet - though I've run it many many times offline and couple times as a scav.  Om3ga is higher level and has several pending Lighthouse quests, including this one. 

Loadout: 5.56 Scar-L, suppressed, with FMJ (though my mags have a few rounds of M855A1 at the top).  Class 4 armor, meds, ears, etc. I forgot to pack snacks and to change my scope - it's still the Monstrum 2x I was using on Customs.

We spawned in the mountains to the east of water treatment plant. Neither of us were keen to move too quickly since we don't have a sense of the flow of this map - it could be dangerous to put ourselves in front of other players and get sandwiched against the rogues.  We waited a minute then descended. 

We went through the abandoned scav village - we were chit chatting distractedly about something when I saw a scav to my left - I fumbled with my weapon but managed to turn and shoot him in the head. 

"Whoa!! who's firing?"  

"That's me  - sorry I should have said something. There was a scav - he might have been a player scav"

"Too early for a player scav."

"I think he might have been trying to wiggle at me. I feel bad."

We discussed the ethical ins and outs of wiggling and I got some counseling to help deal with the remorse so that I could continue to function unimpaired.

We moved along the southern edge of the water treatment. The two emplaced weapon positions down here were empty.  But suddenly Om3ga was firing behind me - one of the south corner rogues had been taking a cigarette break. Om3ga killed him and scored a class 5 armor set for his troubles.

We crossed the road to the hill alongside building 1 but there was no one on the machine gun. Building 1 was quiet, and from there I could see that building 2 had no one manning its weapons, and the same for building 3. Did someone snipe all these positions already? Or are we here alone?

We got the docs from building 1, and moved over to building 2. I was expecting to have to fight the four rogues there, but it was empty. No rogues, no bodies.  I think we are alone.

We got the next docs, Om3ga got more loot and marked a vehicle. I, for some reason, completely forgot about getting loot - I think it's because when I play this map offline I never loot it. 

We tried to get to the car extract, but there was no car. There was, however, the loose rogue who roams around the roof of building 3.  Om3ga got shot up a bit before getting behind cover. I couldn't get eyes on the rogue - I moved closer and still couldn't. Fortunately Om3ga had an angle and took him.

Hoofed it to path to shoreline and extracted. We both completed the quest and Om3ga killed two rogues and me a player scav.  

Time In Raid: 34 minutes, 10 seconds
Exp: 958
Shots fired: 3, Hits: 1, Accuracy: 0.33, Damage to body: 35
Kills: Yurec Predvoditel (Player Scav).  Sorry friend about the killing. Good luck in your future raids.

Mistakes

• I should have been more careful about the south position rogues. I know full well that they don't always stay at their emplaced weapons, but was careless. Om3ga killed that one, but that mistake could have been more costly
• Didn't loot much: an esmarch from the scav and a CPU fan. I had every opportunity to get more.

Raid 64 - Lighthouse Takes Revenge

We ate and drank, repacked mags. This time I packed a proper lunch and switched to a 4x scope.  We caught another spawn in the hills above the water treatment. We descended on the same path. Once again, the southern emplaced weapon positions were empty. As we went along the southern edge of the water treatment I saw someone ahead of us on the road, tentatively looking into the compound. I aimed and headshot him from 120 meters. It was a player scav.  I looted him and moved a few steps further down the road, at the next corner was a figure in a boonie hat, who was waiting for me. I was killed instantly.

"It's a scav - right where my body fell, he's there!"

"A scav?" Om3ga sounded dubious.

"Wait!  It was a rogue."

"Yeah, I know - I killed him."

I opened up the flea market and began to look for a replacement Scar-L while Om3ga told me what was going on.  

"There are mines across the road"

"Yes.  ... Umm, are you asking me or telling me?"

"I am telling you - I hit a mine across the road."

"I'm sorry. You'll need to be careful because..."

"I was just killed by a machine gun."

Time In Raid: 10 minutes, 12 seconds
Exp: 434
Ammo Used: 6, Hits: 1, Accuracy: 0.17, Damage to body: 35
Kills: Tair Malchik (player scav).  Better luck on the next raid! (I hope that's not the same player scav from the previous raid)

Mistakes

• not being careful about those southern position rogues. 
• maybe this route isn't ideal - when playing offline I usually start tackling the roads from the construction area across the bridge.  I need to figure out some new routes
• our coms are the best coms

Successes

• Om3ga was able to mark that tanker, I believe.

Raid 65 - The Death Trap

Once again we spawned in the hills above the water treatment plant. We descended (again) to the abandoned scav village and cut along the southern edge of the facility. There was weapon fire ahead. I scoped the way forward, but couldn't see anyone. But as I came along the wall I saw a rogue - I blasted him with autofire and walked it up to his head and down he went. 

"I got him!!"

"Nice"

Footsteps. 

"Where are you? Are you moving?"

"Yes - I'm right near you, moving towards you now."

I leaned out, there was someone moving towards me, but I didn't recognize the hat. I fired and dropped him.

"What is going on?"

"Did I just kill you?"

"No I'm fine."

"There was another."

It turned out my first kill was a PMC and my second a rogue.  The rogue had a Scar-L too, which I took. And he had magazines of M855A1, which I definitely took.  There were other bodies. Maybe another rogue? 

We wanted to take the same route we had on the first try - up to the little hill west of building 1. But getting there would entail running across a bit of the firing path of the machine gunner in building 1. There is a sneaky shot you can get on him through the little square loophole windows, but it's risky for BEARs.

I ran across the rode and dove into a grassy depression. Om3ga made it to cover as well, but was trapped by the machine gunner. 

"I'll kill him from the side - hold on."

I circled up to the side of building 1.

"Don't bother for me - I am dead". Apparently someone came up on Om3ga's position from behind forcing him to displace, but then the machine gunner got him.

"I'm going to kill this machine gunner, and then I'll just head back to path to shoreline and extract. Hold on."

I got into position and aimed down sight - just as I put the reticle on his face he suddenly slumped and fell backwards to the ground. Someone else killed him - probably whoever was firing on Om3ga earlier. Does that guy know I'm here?

I snuck around and right leaned the view to the road - there was the guy. I fired and fired. Why isn't this guy dropping? I was using the dot sight instead of the scope, that was a mistake - but still, he should be dead. He turned and fired, I backed away - my arm nearly blown off.  I healed. 

I'll flank wide. I headed in the direction of the water and went through that little coral tunnel.  I right leaned out to check the view - there he was - he had backed up as well thinking to catch me. I aimed down sight and fired and fired. Made the same mistake of using the dot sight. Why isn't he dead?

Footsteps close by - oh shit - there are two of them.  I disengaged and waded into the water. When he hears my footsteps - he'll expect me over there. I turned around, dropped my backpack and reapproached the opening again. A grenade, maybe two. I turned and ran, getting caught on the rocks slightly, another grenade - this one landing in front of me. 

Time In Raid: 14 minutes, 5 second
Exp: 1291
Ammo used: 76, Hits: 14, Accuracy: 0.12, Damage to armor: 87, Damage to Body: 472 
Kills: MistaPrauuu (Level 18 USEC), Frenzy (Rogue).   Good luck on your next raid MistaPrauuu - sorry to third party your party.
Killed by: NeuuMan .  GG NeuuMan - that was a lot of fun. Hope you and your buddy had a good raid.

Mistakes

• I think one of the reasons I fired and fired and didn't drop my adversary is that in the second instance I was firing on a different PMC. 
• using the dot sight when I should have used the scope.  Rookie mistake
• should I have anticipated that the little coral tunnel would be a death trap? 
• dropping my backpack was smart - but dumb in this case - it gave a noise clue and my backpack was mostly empty. I should have dropped the second weapon I had picked up - that was heavier than my backpack

Successes

• killed a PMC and a rogue
• did a lot of damage to someones
• Om3ga didn't have to wait long for me to get out of the raid

Raid 66 - Bookend

After that death we both needed to reequip. For some reason we were discussing the RFB and so we became the RFB gang. To be honest, I've barely used it. I remember getting it once as a scav but it didn't have a sight  - it was unusable.  But it's cheap(ish) and fires M80. Seems fun.  I was hoping to buy a suppressor, but that costs more than the weapon itself (by a lot).  Going loud.

Destination: Customs

Goals: Kill scavs and visit Dorm 220 to pick up two things for skier.

We spawned into the little go-between in the industrial section of Customs, sometime in the early evening.  Looted some buildings and ended up in the building with the green screen. Om3ga looted the upstairs south side while I stayed guard downstairs, and then I looted the north while he guarded.  The RFB won't take a flashlight or other tactical device. This was irking me in the places in the building where it was dark.  At one point I heard a scav moving around outside - I moved out and killed him - and OMG I suck at this game. I killed the scav, and he didn't hurt me or anything. But it took me a half magazine to even get a shot on him. The recoil on this thing is formidable. 

While upstairs Om3ga had also taken the opportunity to kill some of the scavs at the military checkpoint. And when we exited the building there were two or three more at the gap in the wall. Om3ga killed them all while I fumbled with the weapon.  One of the scavs had a pistol with an attached flashlight - I grabbed that, seemed like it might be useful. 

We circled behind New Gas. I came down the hill to the wall and started peeking the gaps in the wall. The scavs there began firing at us, hitting Om3ga. I aimed through the wall and killed both of them. Way to go RFB! I can see the attraction.

Om3ga was still up on the hill in a bush healing when he gave me a warning

"There is a player circling us behind the railroad tracks - be careful. He has something with a big scope"

I tucked low. There were footsteps moving in New Gas.

"I think there is a player in New Gas. Should we try to push him?"

Om3ga was not keen on this plan - with a sniper possibly above us and PMC below, things could get ugly. There was some weapon fire - the PMC maybe killing a scav?  And then more footsteps - there were two PMC in the New Gas area.  We decided the best course was to leave.   I ran to the railroad berm, and then to the "dorms wall" that splits the map and was safe.

Om3ga made the same run. We went to Dorms, the light on the pistol was very handy as it was getting dark - I made it to room 220 and started collecting Skiers stuff. Someone must have seen the flashlight, because they started firing across at me through the window. But I stayed low, turned off the light and then finished getting both things for Skier. 

After that we crossed the map to crossroad in the dark and extracted.

Time In Raid: 31 minutes, 52 seconds
Exp: 2107
Shots: 20, Hits: 8, Accuracy: 0.3, Damage to Body: 466
Kills (AI Scavs): Stanislav Sumrak, Denchik Siska, Kostyl Muzila.  Godspeed gentlemen.

Mistakes

• Fumbling with the RFB

Successes

• survived
• completed quest

PostScript

I started the day with just over 900K rubles, and ended it with just over 300K.  I'm not even sure what I spent the money on. A couple weapons and food and meds? Insurance probably. But I would totally do it again - playing with someone is GREAT - highly recommended. It is much more relaxed - idly discussing minutiae one second and then dying unexpectedly the next - that may sound awful, but in truth it's an utterly enjoyable experience.  Whereas the deaths that are constantly visited upon me solo are dreadful. 

When playing with a buddy there are different stressors - not wanting to let them get killed and sentenced to playing stash tetris while you try to finish a raid. Not wanting to be killed and leaving them to fend for themselves alone. Not wanting to be alone.  That's interesting - the thing we fear when playing with a group is the thing we seek out and do when playing solo: being alone.