Hubris

 In my last post I boasted how the "E" in PVE stands for "Easy".  Tarkov is showing me the error of my ways. I've been dying left, right and center since making that post. 

Punisher Part 1

I want to finish the Punisher quest line. It's something I've never done, and I've always wanted the larger secure container than my little four slot alpha.  First up: kill 15 scavs on Shoreline with an AKM.  Shouldn't be too hard.

First raid goes well, moving around the map, killing scavs. In the last battle I run into a PMC, who messes me up a bit, but I prevail.  It's getting late, my meds are low, my food and drink are low. Let's call it. Plus, I have a daily to extract alive. In the post mortem I see that I got 8 of the 15 scavs.  Nice. Tomorrow I'll finish this out.

For the second raid I'm also trying to do Anaesthesia and Scrap Metal. So I have 6 markers on me, to mark tanks and Sanitars lurking spots. Best get to it. I move out, marking one tank and one spot on the west side of the map. But no scavs sighted. The remaining four locations to mark are all in a north south line through the map. How about I start at the Pier in the south end and work up? Approaching Pier I kill a scav. But at Pier things get weird.  A PMC or something storms up and starts shooting me up like crazy. I'm safe on the other side of a wall. He's just dumping mag after mag into the wall. What's the play here? Ideally I want a right hand peek. Suddenly his barrel pokes through the wall and I'm dead.  That wasn't an AI PMC, it was Partizan.  

Third raid, on my way to Pier, fighting a scav from cover. Some PMCs roll up flanking me. I should have changed my cover and just taken my chances with the scav, but instead I finish that fight and then they finish me.

Fourth raid goes smoothly. Killing scavs, laying down markers.  Put down my last marker, put my reticle on a scav head and kill him. "Subtask Complete" Awesome!. I head for the exit.  I see a scav ahead, but I don't fire - two of these quests require survival and I don't want to chance it. Extract only to discover I'm one scav short of my goal. That "Subtask Complete" sound was for the marker mission, not the head I popped. Damnit.

Fifth raid. I'm doing the "Eagle" mission as well, to get the hard drives from the drones. Map is empty and quiet, nobody anywhere. That first drone on the east side is where the map has changed. How unusual. There's a fence, I go around it. Are those buildings 100 meters up ahead part of the map? Am I still on the map? As I approach the drone, in the wide open field, I get hit. Is that the border sniper? What gives? I look for my assailant, I run back, I drop dead. Killed by an AI PMC sniping with .... .300 Blackout. ? Fine.

Sixth raid. I should maybe clear those buildings before I approach the drone. Learn part of the map too. Quiet, no scavs. I step into the compound.  Brrrr. Dead to some PMC somewhere. 

Seventh raid. Hit the drones, kill sniper scav ("Subtask complete") and head to the exit. Countdown timer starts - I see a Gas Analyzer just sitting on the box there - I've been looking everywhere for the last one. I run to it, but not quick enough. Extract without it.  

Punisher Part 2

I already have the half-masks. Turn those in. Just need to kill 12 scavs on Reserve with a suppressed weapon. I visit Reserve regularly, it's where I fill up on 5.45 BS, BP and BT ammo. Plus I've been doing "No Room for Renegades" for some time now, though I've yet to see a single raider.

First raid: Kill guards and scavs. Find an armor repair kit (worth 1 million on the flea) and a ton of BS ammo.  Stash them in the basement while I go to trip the D-2 switch. Get trapped in a hallway with a Gluhar guard on one side and scavs on the other. Scav comes around shooting right as I'm reloading.

Second raid: spawn in near manhole cover. There is a pack of Noodles. My first Jaeger quest has been blocked by this last elusive Noodles. I grab them. Hey, I can just extract right here with these and then come back. I do that...and it's a Run Through and the Noodles lose their FIR status. Mr. Jaeger won't accept my noodles or my excuses.  I guess I'll find them again in another 100 raids or so. 

Third raid: Kill some scavs. Two PMCs jump me from around a corner (why are they just hanging there dead quiet?) I manage to evade and kill them both, just as a scav spawns in behind me and shoots me in the back of the neck. I only get credit for one PMC kill. ( why? )

Fourth raid: Loot up some good ammo, kill some scavs. Heading to the basement to flip the switch. There are three raider in the basement!  Finally!  Kill one, flank around. Put a bunch of rounds on another, but it doesn't take him down. I accidentally hit the "R" key to start a reload just as a raider peeks and kills me. On the post mortem it says that I was killed by a scav, not a raider. Which is weird.

I still have three scavs to go for Punisher 2. Plus 4 more raiders. And a Gas Analyzer. And Noodles.