01 · The Raid Loop

Drop, gather, fight, extract. Lose everything if you die.

• PMC raids: full risk Bring custom kits; lose everything in your bag and on your body if you die. The standard mode and the only one that progresses traders and quests at full speed.
• Scav raids: safer entry Spawn with a randomized kit. Loot freely; extract or die with less to lose. Scav raids are the EFT economy’s lifeline.
• PvE mode: separate progression Same maps, no other players. Mandatory wipe at 1.0 launch; separate stash and traders from PvP. For players who want the simulation without the PvP stress.
• Raid duration: 20–50 minutes Map-dependent. Watch the timer; extractions stay open only during specific windows on most maps.
• Conditional extractions Many extracts are conditional — specific time of day, with a specific item, or after a specific task. Memorize which extracts work for your kit.
• Death drops everything Bag, rig, weapon, armor, all gone. Insurance through Therapist or Prapor recovers gear that other players did not take.
• Multi-currency economy Roubles, Dollars, and Euros all exist in-game. Convert between them via traders; each currency favors different vendors.

02 · Map Reference

Ten maps as of 1.0. Each rewards a different style.

Map	Size	Style
Customs	Medium	The default learning map. Mixed combat distances, military base, gas station. Heavy PvP and quest-dense.
Woods	Large	Open forest with Sniper Rock and lumberyards. Long sightlines; the sniper map.
Shoreline	Large	Resort and beach. Long distances, dynamic events at the Health Resort. Cultist activity at night.
Interchange	Medium	Indoor mall with parking lots. CQB-heavy; the close-range classroom.
Reserve	Medium	Soviet-era military base with bunkers, tunnels, and Raiders (AI hostiles). High-value loot.
The Lab	Small	TerraGroup research facility. High loot, high PvP, no insurance. Demands the best gear.
Lighthouse	Large	Coastal map with the Rogues faction. Dense PvP near the lighthouse and Water Treatment Plant.
Streets of Tarkov	Large	Urban downtown. Dense buildings, complex vertical play, the most performance-heavy map.
Ground Zero	Small	TerraGroup HQ. Designed as a starter map for low-level PMCs (up to level 20).
Terminal	Large	Cargo logistics hub added in 1.0. Endgame quest location; the climactic story map.

03 · Weapons by Class

Caliber matters more than weapon model in EFT.

Class	Effective Range	Best For
Pistol	0–30m	Backup and emergency. Some (Glock, M9, FN 5-7) are surprisingly competent at close range.
SMG	0–50m	Indoor and tight spaces. 9mm and .45 ACP common. Faster fire rate at the cost of penetration.
Shotgun	0–25m	One-shot kills inside 15m with the right ammo. Slug rounds extend the range to 50m+.
Assault Rifle	25–200m	The standard. 5.56, 5.45, and 7.62 calibers cover most engagement ranges.
Battle Rifle	50–300m	Heavy-caliber semi or full-auto rifles (M1A, SR-25, AKM variants). High recoil, high penetration.
Marksman Rifle	100–400m	Mid-to-long range. Mosin, SVD, M14. Bolt-action and semi-auto options.
Sniper Rifle	200m+	Long-range work. AXMC and similar high-caliber rifles. One-shot kill territory at most distances.
Light Machine Gun	50–200m	High mag capacity, sustained fire. Rare in standard rotation; expensive to feed.

04 · Ammunition & Armor

The most important system in the game.

• Ammo over gun The same weapon with different ammunition has wildly different effectiveness. Choose ammo first; the weapon is secondary.
• Armor classes 1–6 (and beyond) Higher class absorbs more rounds. Same class with more durability points absorbs longer. Both matter; durability degrades during fights.
• Penetration ratings per round Pen 50+ defeats Class 4 armor; Pen 60+ defeats Class 6. Match your ammo to the armor you expect the enemy to wear.
• Armor covers hitbox zones Thorax, stomach, legs, and arms each have separate health pools. Most armor covers thorax and stomach; helmets cover specific head zones.
• Helmet zones differ Specific helmet zones (nape, ears, jaws) may not be covered by every helmet. A face shield closes more gaps at the cost of visibility.
• Flesh damage versus penetration A round that penetrates armor with low flesh damage takes more shots than one that penetrates with high flesh damage. Both metrics matter.
• Ammo cost scales with effectiveness The best ammo is the most expensive. Budget kits use mid-tier ammo; meta kits invest in top-pen rounds.

05 · Loadout Strategy

Match the kit to the raid you are willing to lose.

• The Big Three: weapon, ammo, armor Get these right; everything else is incremental. A great weapon with bad ammo is a worse loadout than a budget weapon with great ammo.
• Helmet plus face shield Blocks more headshot zones at the cost of visibility. Worth it on high-stakes raids; skippable on Scav runs.
• Backpack vs no-backpack Large backpacks let you loot more but make you slower and a bigger target. Match the bag to the raid plan.
• Medical: IFAK plus tourniquets At least one IFAK or CMS, tourniquets, painkillers, splints. Dying to a leg break in raid is entirely preventable.
• Throwables F-1 frags clear corners; smoke grenades break line of sight. Flashbangs disorient at close range. Carry at least one of each on serious raids.
• Secondary weapon slot A small SMG or pistol fits in a holster. Useful in tight spaces or when the primary is empty.
• Insurance everything worth insuring Therapist or Prapor returns lost gear that other players did not take. Insure good kits; skip insurance on throwaway Scav loot.

06 · The Hideout & Crafting

Your offline base, your long-term economy.

• The Hideout is the offline base Upgrades unlock crafting, healing, and stash bonuses. Time spent on the Hideout compounds across every raid.
• Critical early upgrades Stash, Heating, Generator, Workbench, Medstation, Lavatory. These five gate most of the early-wipe economy.
• Crafting saves money Most crafted items cost less than vendor prices. Ammo, meds, food, and high-value items all become discounted to the Hideout owner.
• Bitcoin Farm: passive income Late-game farm that produces Physical Bitcoin (PB) on a timer. Requires GPU components and Generator levels. Long-term return on investment.
• Scav Case: item lottery Spend rubles or items on the Scav Case; receive randomized items on a timer. The most reliable late-wipe income engine.
• Quest-gated upgrades Most Hideout upgrades require trader loyalty levels and specific quest completion. Plan upgrades around what you actually need next.
• Stash space is the best upgrade For new players, larger stash = more options. Prioritize Stash levels early; the loot you keep is the loot you can use.

07 · Traders & Quests

NPCs gate the economy.

• Eight-plus traders Prapor, Therapist, Skier, Fence, Peacekeeper, Mechanic, Ragman, Jaeger, Lightkeeper. Each sells different gear at different loyalty levels.
• Trader loyalty unlocks gear Loyalty rises with spending, quests, and reputation. Higher loyalty = better gear available, often at lower prices.
• Quests drive progression Most rewards (loyalty, XP, gear, Hideout unlocks) come through quests. A quest-first approach outpaces a loot-first one at every level.
• Quest conditions vary Some are time-gated, location-gated, or kill-condition-gated. Read carefully before committing the raid.
• Flea Market unlocks at level 15 Player-to-player trading at market prices. The economy widens dramatically once you reach Flea access.
• Insurance returns gear Therapist (faster, more expensive) or Prapor (cheaper, slower). Always insure raids you bring kit to; the cost pays for itself over time.
• Fence is the trash-and-treasure vendor Sells PMC drops at low value; buys back at higher value than other traders. Useful for dumping low-tier loot fast.

08 · Movement & Stealth

Sound is information. Stealth wins raids.

• Walk gradient Hold C to crouch, hold Shift to walk. The speed slider is graded — walking quietly is faster than crouching but louder than full stop.
• Stamina governs everything Sprint, ADS hold, weapon handling, and certain medical actions all draw from stamina. Manage it like ammo.
• Audio is everything Footsteps, magazine checks, inventory rustles, and zipper sounds all carry across rooms. EFT players hear actions you do not realize you made.
• Lean Q and E Combined with high-ground positioning, lean is a top-tier mechanic. Master both directions.
• ADS sway and headbob are real Movement during aim reduces accuracy. Brace against cover for the cleanest shots.
• Doors broadcast position Open quietly when you need to be silent; close behind you when the cost is low. Audio cues from doors give away rooms.
• Night raids reward NVGs Day raids reward optics and visibility. Match your kit to the time of day; do not bring day-only gear into night raids.

09 · Combat & Engagement

Most fights end in one to three shots.

• Thorax first, head second Thorax shots are reliable; head shots are situational. Aim center mass, then transition to head if the first burst stuns.
• Pre-aim corners EFT rewards positioning more than reaction time. Most fights are won by the player who already had the gun pointed at the door.
• Bursts at distance, full-auto up close Recoil patterns demand discipline. Long-range engagement is two-round bursts; CQB is full-auto until the threat ends.
• Boss patterns are learnable Tagilla, Killa, Glukhar, Reshala — each has unique behavior. Learn the pattern before the engagement; bosses kill careless players.
• Trade kills with squad Solo pushes in EFT end the same way they do in any extraction shooter. Push for trades, not solo glory.
• CMS surgical kit is a reset Restores blacked limbs to functional. Not a heal; a reset. Use it when a limb is destroyed and you need to keep moving.
• Disengage when a third squad arrives A 1v1 turning into a 1v1v3 is not your fight. Break contact, reset position, pick the next engagement.

10 · Audio & Settings

EFT audio is the deepest in the genre.

• Headphones, not speakers EFT directional audio is among the most precise in any shooter. Stereo headphones beat any speaker setup for survival.
• In-game tactical headsets Compress dynamic range, suppress loud sounds, enhance footsteps. Some players prefer no headset for natural sound; others swear by ComTacs.
• Master volume around 50 percent Leaves headroom for distant footsteps and gunfire to register over local sounds. EFT’s dynamic range demands the volume buffer.
• Field of view 65–75 Lower than other shooters; immersive at the cost of peripheral vision. Most pros run 75; 65 is the realism choice.
• Disable post-processing Saves frames and improves clarity. Off in the video menu; competitive players run minimum cinematic effects.
• Custom keybinds for inspect and fire mode Inspect, switch fire mode, equipment slots, and quick-use slots all need bindings. Defaults are slow under pressure.
• Verify settings after every patch Battlestate ships updates that occasionally reset preferences. Five minutes of review beats one ranked raid of unfamiliar sensitivity.

11 · Pro Tips

Compound habits over the wipe cycle.

• Run Scav raids between PMC raids Risk-free loot fills the stash and keeps the economy moving. Most veterans run 2-3 Scav raids for every PMC raid.
• Quest first, loot second Quest XP outpaces loot XP at every level. The traders pay better than the floor.
• Bring an offline loadout Match the kit to the raid you are willing to lose. A bad kit with the right mindset beats a great kit with bad decisions.
• Insurance compounds Half the items you "lose" come back via insurance. Always insure raids you bring kit to; the math favors you over many raids.
• Daily Hideout time Ten minutes per day on Hideout upgrades compounds over a wipe. Crafting and Bitcoin Farm pay back many times their setup cost.
• Watch streamers Pestily, LVNDMARK, and others teach mechanics faster than experimentation. Two hours of footage saves twenty hours of trial and error.
• Take the L on bad raids Wipe progress is the long game; one bad raid is one bad raid. Reset, queue up, learn from the death cam.