Escape from Tarkov Guides
The hardcore extraction shooter that turned gear fear into a genre — and went seasonal in 1.1.0.
Escape from Tarkov guides for the 1.1.0 seasonal era. We explain what changed when forced wipes became optional seasons, how the flea market tax and trader price shifts reshape your first 72 hours, how to juggle PvP, PvE, and seasonal progress, and which old guides are now quietly wrong. Built around the version-aware questions players actually ask.
Reference: check the Escape from Tarkov official site for patch notes and current season details. Numbers shift between updates, so treat in-game values as final.
Economy
Tarkov 1.1.0 Economy Changes: Old Guides Are Wrong
Patch 1.1.0.0 raised trader prices about 25%, cut buyback about 20% and lifted the flea fee from 3 to 5 percent. These hit every mode. The version trap.
5 min readTarkov Flea Fee at 5 Percent: What It Does to Your Margins
Patch 1.1.0.0 lifted the Tarkov flea fee from 3 to 5 percent. What that jump means for flipping and crafting, and why task rewards now matter more.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov Barter Items: Keep, Sell or Trade
Half the junk in your bag is a currency. Which barter items to keep for upgrades, which the flea market wants, and which are genuinely worthless.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Crafting: How the Hideout Makes Money
Crafting turns cheap components into items traders sell dear. Which production chains pay, and why the profit margin is smaller than the board shows.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Gear Fear: The Cost of Saving Your Kit
Keeping good gear in the stash is a losing strategy with a clear mechanism. How to break the habit without going broke.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov How Insurance Works
Insurance is the only way to soften a bad raid in Tarkov. How it returns your gear, which trader to use, and the mistakes that leave you with nothing.
6 min readEscape from Tarkov Keys: Which Ones to Keep
Keys are a limited-use currency, not a collection. How durability works, which keys repay their slot, and why the flea market decides.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Loot: Value per Slot, Not per Item
Roubles per slot decides what leaves the raid with you. Why the expensive-looking rifle is usually the worst thing in your backpack.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Money: Roubles per Hour, Not per Raid
The biggest raid is rarely the best raid. Why short runs with fast extracts beat one perfect loot run, and where the real income comes from.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Quest Items: Keep or Sell
Quest items are only valuable while the quest is open, and found-in-raid rules mean you cannot buy replacements. How to avoid both mistakes.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Scav Runs: The Free Income You Ignore
A Scav raid costs nothing, risks nothing, and pays for your PMC raids. How the cooldown, the karma system and Scav gear actually work.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov Scav Karma and Fence Reputation
Shooting scavs as a scav costs reputation that buys you better loadouts, cheaper cars and a truce. What raises it and what quietly ruins it.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Stash: Space Planning Before Upgrades
Stash pressure is really container pressure. Why buying cases beats upgrading the stash, and the three-organisation rules that stop the mess.
5 min readTarCoin and the Expansions Hub: What Survives a Wipe
How TarCoin and the Expansions Hub work in Tarkov, what you can buy with them, and why rouble purchases are restricted to the PvE zone.
3 min readEscape from Tarkov Trader Levels: Spend and Reputation
Loyalty levels need money spent, reputation earned and a player level. Why concentrating purchases beats spreading them, and who to sell what.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Traders Overview
Traders are your shop, your quest givers, and your reputation gate. Prapor, Therapist, Fence, and the rest each sell different things. A map of who sells what and why levels matter.
6 min readEscape from Tarkov How to Make Money (2026)
Scav runs are free, the Flea Market unlocks at level 15, and the Bitcoin Farm prints roubles offline. The three money engines that compound in Tarkov.
7 min readProgression
Tarkov First 72 Hours: Opening Priorities That Work
A fresh seasonal start is faster to progress and poorer to play. Priorities: Scav runs for Fence karma, level 15 for the flea, cheap kits in 1.1.0.
5 min readTarkov Kappa in 1.1.0: Fence Reputation Is the Gate
The Kappa Path can no longer be earned; Collector grants Dawn of a New Era, and holders keep it. The container needs Fence reputation from Scav karma.
4 min readTarkov Prestige Reset: The Voluntary Way to Start Over
Besides the seasonal character, Tarkov offers a voluntary Prestige reset that trades your character for account-wide rewards. When that trade is worth it.
3 min readTarkov Kord Breach Battle Pass: Free and Shared
Kord Breach launched a free Battle Pass shared across modes. Progression comes from TerraGroup documents in raids, missions or off Black Division kills.
4 min readTarkov EXFIL Brothers: The Recruit Window Most Players Miss
The EXFIL Brothers program pays Operators and Candidates for raiding together. Eligibility, rewards, and why the seven-day window matters.
3 min readEscape from Tarkov Hideout: The Upgrade Order That Pays
The hideout compounds, but only if the generator runs. Which modules pay first, which are traps early, and how crafting chains gate each other.
6 min readTarkov Leagues: The Weekly 50-Player Ladder Explained
Leagues rank every seasonal character inside a 50-player group by weekly XP. What promotes you, what demotes you, and why rank rewards never expire.
3 min readPvE Prestige in Tarkov: Six Levels, Nothing Lost
Update 1.2.0.0 added six PvE Prestige levels. What resets, what you keep, and why here the reset question flips compared with PvP Prestige.
3 min readEscape from Tarkov Quest Guide: Tasks Are Your Progression
Tasks are the only reliable XP and the gate on trader levels. The three requirements that stall players, and why found-in-raid matters so much.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov Quest Priorities
Quests in Tarkov unlock traders, gear, and the Kappa container. Doing them in the wrong order wastes raids. Which quests to prioritize, and why some are worth rushing.
7 min readEscape from Tarkov Skills: What Levels and What Does Not
Skills rise with use, decay over time, and cap how much you gain per raid. Which ones change a fight and which are a number that moves.
5 min readMechanic
Tarkov Squad-Shaped Tasks and Spectator Mode in 1.1.0
Patch 1.1.0.0 added group-shared progression for eligible task objectives and a spectator camera after death. What now counts, and what it shows.
3 min readTarkov Insurance in 1.1.0: Faster Returns, Off in Season
Patch 1.1.0.0 changed insurance on permanent profiles - Jaeger returns faster, loyalty cuts cost - but it is off in the seasonal realm. Here is the split.
4 min readTarkov Season Modifiers: Global, Personal and Points
Kord Breach modifiers shape a Seasonal Character at creation. Global ones hit everyone; personal ones use points where debuffs fund buffs. How it balances.
4 min readTarkov AI PMC Behavior After 1.2.0.0: What Stopped Working
Update 1.2.0.0 rewrote how AI PMCs pick fights, spawn and gear up. The habits that used to keep you alive now get you killed.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov Extracts: Every Rule That Blocks You
Green flares, car extracts, co-op exits and map transit each carry a condition. Why your extract is greyed out and what it costs to open it.
6 min readEscape from Tarkov Food and Water: The Stat Nobody Tracks
Energy and hydration decay in and out of raid, and hitting zero costs you health. What to carry, and why the hideout solves it permanently.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov Sound: What You Are Broadcasting
Tarkov audio tells other players where you are, which floor you are on, and what you are doing. How to make noise deliberately instead of accidentally.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov Weight: Why You Cannot Sprint
Weight drains stamina, slows you down and makes you loud. How to decide what a raid is actually for, and what to leave on the floor.
4 min readMode
Tarkov Kord Breach: What Season 1 Actually Changes in 2026
Kord Breach is Tarkov's first season, launched with patch 1.1.0.0 in August 2026. What seasons do, why forced wipes are gone, and the three profiles.
5 min readTarkov Seasonal Character: Separate Servers, Insurance Off
A Seasonal Character is an opt-in fresh start on separate servers that resets every four to six months, with its own flea market. How it differs.
5 min readTarkov PvP vs PvE vs Seasonal: Which Profile to Play
Patch 1.1.0.0 split Tarkov into three profiles: permanent PvP, PvE and the seasonal queue. What persists in each, and why there is no PvE seasonal mode.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov Arena: PvP Without the Loss
Arena is round-based PvP with fixed loadouts and no risk to your stash. The cheapest way to learn gunfights that actually transfer.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov Ground Zero: The Right First Map
Ground Zero is small, dense and level-restricted, which makes it the best place to learn the game and the worst place to assume you are safe.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov The Lab: The Card, the Raiders, the Risk
The Lab is behind a keycard, full of Raiders, and pays the best loot in the game. Why it is not a beginner map no matter how good the loot is.
4 min readLighthouse After Patch 1.1.5.0: The Map You Learned Is Gone
Patch 1.1.5.0 moved Rogues to the chalets, cleared the water treatment plant and opened a free route to Icebreaker. What changed and how to route it.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov PvE vs PvP
Tarkov ships in two modes: the classic PvP raid against other players, and the PvE mode against AI only. What changes, what stays the same, and which to play.
6 min readEscape from Tarkov Solo: Winning by Not Fighting
Solo raids are not squad raids with fewer players. The rules that change, and why patience beats firepower here.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Squad Play: Comms That Keep You Alive
Four players in Tarkov are four times the firepower and four times the confusion. The comms discipline that fixes it.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Streets: The Big Map With the Big Bill
Streets of Tarkov is the largest map with the densest loot, and it punishes players who treat size as safety. Route planning and the performance tax.
4 min readLoadout
Tarkov 1.1.0 New Weapons: QBZ-191, Howa Type 20
Kord Breach added three rifles - the Norinco QBZ-191, Howa Type 20 and an HK416A5 - plus the 5.8x42mm caliber with four ammunitions. No stat tables.
3 min readEscape from Tarkov Ammo Chart: Penetration First
Armor class decides what your ammo does, and damage without penetration does nothing. How to read a round before you buy a case of it.
6 min readEscape from Tarkov Armor Plates: Coverage Beats Class
A class 6 plate that covers your stomach loses to a class 4 plate over the vitals. How plate zones, durability and material actually interact.
6 min readEscape from Tarkov Assault Rifle Guide
The assault rifle is the backbone of most Tarkov kits. Versatile, moddable, and lethal at mid range. How to pick one, mod it, and feed it ammo that actually penetrates.
6 min readEscape from Tarkov Best Weapons: Feed the Gun
The best weapon is the one you can keep loaded. Why ammo supply and trader access beat raw stats, and which builds survive a dry market.
6 min readEscape from Tarkov Body Armor Guide
Body armor in Tarkov is a class, a plate, and a tradeoff. How to read armor classes, pick plates that match the threat, and stop overpaying for protection you cannot afford to lose.
6 min readEscape from Tarkov Budget Kits: Three Tiers That Work
What a cheap kit should actually buy, in what order, and why ammunition comes before armour at every price point.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Grenades: Flush, Smoke, Push
Grenades are information tools as much as damage. How to flush a camper, when smoke helps and when it hides you from nobody, and the throw risk.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov Helmets: What They Actually Stop
A helmet stops what it covers, and most cover less than you think. Ricochet, face shields, hearing loss and the helmets worth replacing.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Medical Items: What Fixes What
Bleeding, fractures, pain and blacked limbs are four different problems with four different fixes. Carrying the wrong item is a death.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov Night Vision: Raiding After Dark
Night raids halve the number of players and double the value of light discipline. What night vision changes and what it costs.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Pistol Guide
The pistol in Tarkov is your backup and your budget opener. A good sidearm saves raids; a bad one is dead weight. How to pick and mod a pistol that earns its slot.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Recoil: Ergonomics Is the Real Trade
Every recoil upgrade costs ergonomics or weight, and both change how the gun handles before you fire. What to optimise and what to ignore.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Scope Guide
Optics in Tarkov are about magnification, sight picture, and zeroing. How to pick a scope that fits your weapon and range instead of the one with the biggest number.
6 min readEscape from Tarkov Shotguns: Slugs, Buckshot and Legs
Shotguns are not a budget rifle. What each shell type does, why buckshot aims at legs, and where a shotgun beats a carbine.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov SMG Guide
SMGs in Tarkov are cheap, replaceable, and brutal up close. When to run one, which to build, and how to mod for the ranges that matter.
6 min readEscape from Tarkov Sniping: Zeroing, Position and Patience
A bolt-action rifle is a positioning tool, not a damage tool. How zeroing works and why the first shot decides the fight.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Suppressors: What They Do and Cost
A suppressor hides your position and wrecks your handling. When the trade is worth it and the mods that offset it.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Weapon Mods: Ergonomics Versus Recoil
Almost every mod trades ergonomics for recoil, and which you want depends on where you fight. How to build a gun for a role instead of a stat sheet.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov Best Ammo by Caliber (2026)
Penetration beats damage. M995, 7.62x51 M61 and 5.45 BS beat level-5 plates; 7.62x39 BP is the best value. Which round to load per gun in Tarkov 1.1.5.
7 min readBeginner
Is There a Tarkov Wipe? Why the Question Is Obsolete in 2026
For eight years the Tarkov question was when's the next wipe. It is now obsolete. The last real wipe, why your main persists, and what replaced wipe day.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov All Maps Guide
Tarkov has more than ten raids, each with its own pace, loot, and danger. A tour of the maps, what each is for, and which to learn first.
7 min readEscape from Tarkov Beginner Guide: What to Do in Raid One
Tarkov does not teach you anything, so the first hours are about one thing: extracting. A short order of operations for the first ten raids.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Beginner Mistakes
New Tarkov players lose gear the same ways: rushing, hoarding, and fighting scared. The mistakes that drain your stash in the first week, and how to stop making them.
6 min readEscape from Tarkov Customs Map: Route Logic That Works
Customs is not a big map, it is a map with one chokepoint. Where fights are forced, where they are optional, and how to cross it.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Factory: The Five Minute Raid
Factory is all corridors and no distance. Why it is the best place to learn gunfights and the worst place to bring a rifle.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Interchange: Mall Routes and Light
Interchange is a dark building with three anchor stores. Where the loot is, where the exits are, and why darkness is a weapon.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Lighthouse: Water Treatment and Island
Lighthouse is a long map with one dominant position. Where the money is, why the island is a trap, and how to cross open ground.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Reserve: Bunkers, Keys and the D-2
Reserve is a vertical map with underground loot and limited exits. How the surface, the bunker and the extracts fit together.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Shoreline: The Resort and the Rest
Shoreline is one enormous building surrounded by empty ground. Why the resort decides the raid and how to approach it.
5 min readBest Tarkov Maps to Learn First: A Route, Not a Tier List
Which Escape from Tarkov map to learn first, why Ground Zero comes before Customs, and the three maps that punish beginners hardest.
4 min readEscape from Tarkov Woods: Wide Open and Unforgiving
Woods has no corridors and no cover. How to move through open terrain, where the fights start, and why a scope is not optional.
5 min readEscape from Tarkov Beginner Guide: First Wipe Tips
Use the tutorial and Offline mode, run Scavs to build a stash, and learn Ground Zero before Customs. What to do in your first week without burning gear.
7 min readEscape from Tarkov Best Maps for Beginners (2026)
Ground Zero, Customs and Woods are the beginner trio. Ground Zero caps level-20 matchmaking so you skip geared veterans; Customs and Woods teach tasks.
6 min readTroubleshooting
Counter
Escape from Tarkov Bosses: The Guards Are the Fight
Every boss comes with an escort that shoots better than the boss. Spawn chances, the ambush problem, and why farming them early loses money.
6 min readEscape from Tarkov PvP: Ammo First, Aim Second
Most Tarkov firefights are decided by ammunition penetration and who was pre-aimed. The habits that turn a coin flip into an advantage.
5 min read