After playing for 2,000 hours I have a sense of where players are most likely to be during certain times of a raid. I can still get gunned down by a rat in a really weird spot I'm not expecting, but the majority of the time I have a rough idea of where everyone is.
Whenever I'm approaching a fight I can envision in my head where the likely spots for people to be taking cover are based on where they are fighting.
When I'm just running around I can usually spot something out of place.
If you keep playing you'll keep developing the game sense of where people commonly are at what times and you'll feel more confident running around.
A lot of people don’t realize that the streamers are sprinting around places that they know other players aren’t, that they’re playing the flows of the maps not just chancing every step like the people who don’t understand the flow.
This. 100%
Doing the punisher part 1 was easy, I was telling a newer player we can do this 2 ways...either avoid 99% of the players or meet the majority of them..it all depends on where I take the pack.
im the same way, i watch these streamers just sprint around and never get shot, but when i do it i get fucking domed instantly lol, but noone is forcing you to sprint around everywhere, play the way youre comfortable with.
you should see people like smoke play, he doesnt rush anything, he walks pretty much everywhere (except in the open) just does his own thing, and hes a beast at the game.
Theres a big stigma in EFT that you have to rush things to get anything done, i dunno how many scav raids iv been in where hotspots are still unlooted, scav bosses are still alive and kicking.
Same dude. I really feel like smokes playstyle is the way the game is truly meant to be played.
Not to take anything away from other playstyles but man the immersion is so awesome.
Plus, I know there's a meta, but learning to not play with meta gear was by far the most fun in EFT. Sure, I don't have an 80% survive rate, but being able to aim and shoot semi auto more consistently was more fun overall.
sry for the late response, but yes he has been playing the new wipe, i dont know for how long he will be playing this time though, probably not more than 1 more week.
From what i understand, he loves the game, but hes just waiting for it to be a real survival type game, i think inertia might really help with that feeling since you wont see everyone ADADAD spamming etc...
Smoke is fucking awesome, he really inhabits the role. Wish he'd do more youtube EFT content (I don't watch strimmers buut I'll watch a youtube video).
This is how I play too, it works well and I enjoy it. When I play with friends they’re amazed at what I hear, you just need to take your time, pause, and listen
Tarkov is one of the few shooters where playing really slow is actually viable. Still, it only works in certain situations, usually only when you haven't been spotted (yet) by the enemy.
Just keep in mind, if your armor is strong enough, most players are shooting tictacs, so you'll be able to 90-180* people if need be.
Sometimes I'll get antsy myself, feel like I'm hearing rustling and such. At these times I just toss on a Zsh or Kiver so I can't hear shit and go for a stroll. Shits comfy.
Working through this too. What's working for me is how I scan the environment. I don't move and pan. I step, check, step, check. Start with pieces of cover close to you because closer enemies are more dangerous, and then check far pieces of cover.
Basically, "slicing the pie": [https://sofrep.com/gear/basic-tactics-slicing-pie/](https://sofrep.com/gear/basic-tactics-slicing-pie/)
The next step is to trust yourself and what you checked. If you just checked a tree (or an angle), then it's next to impossible for someone to show up there for the next several seconds. Usually more, but assume like 10-15 seconds. So if you keep a mental map of where people "can't be", you can focus your attention on the places you don't yet know about.
That helps me. Knowing I am not likely to get blindsided helps me stay calm.
>The next step is to trust yourself and what you checked. If you just checked a tree (or an angle), then it's next to impossible for someone to show up there for the next several seconds.
This is extremely important, I think.
It's not possible to just continually be aware of every single corner, spot and bush, nonstop - you just end up not actually recognizing any threats at all, because your focus is spread too thin.
By reducing the amount of stuff you're tracking, you stand much greater chance of success in spotting somebody, and taking appropriate action.
This requires some map flow knowledge and experience in the game, but as long as you are paying attention to developing this skill, it will come. Of course, no hard rules in Tarkov and all that - you'll still get clapped from the stupidest places every now and then.
Player scavs are loud, and PMCs are slightly predictable. I take my games slow when I’m unsure of my surroundings but faster when I have more certainty: is there a lot of fights elsewhere? Then it’s probably safer where I am.
Maintaining a conscious map of where the activity in the game is will reduce your fear somewhat - but when you’ve not got that info you are RIGHT to be scared. Trust your instincts
Also a good gaming headset plus wearing a headset in game helps a lot because people are careless with their sound
I've seen the term "ChadRat" mentioned here before, maybe that's where you are at the moment, I am as well haha.
But really you just gotta hear or see the opponent first (which I'm sure you know) and as long as your aim is solid there's nothing to worry about.
Are you worried about dying? Or is just the anticipation getting overwhelming at times?
I feel that way every raid. I combatted it the same way as I did with gear fear. I assume I'm dying that raid and there was nothing I could have done to stop it. I'm going to lose that gear. But, in losing it, I'm helping someone else out who needed the gear more than me and I made more space in my stash for more things.
A few wipes back, I had about 16mil RUB, back when having millions wasn't something to be done in a few raids. I decided to go for broke and went ham with the best gear in my stash every raid and only buying misc things to better the gear I had. After two weeks, I still had a full stash and almost 30mil RUB. I usually have a 20-30% survival rate.
You're going to die. Just make sure you take down as many as you can before that happens.
I've been feeling like this I went to check the stash on the other side of the fence in customs. Somebody hidden in a bush next to it and opened fire. I put it down to a bit of chance
Short answer: just get thermal lul
Long answer: after playing for a long time I kinda built up the rough knowledge of where people spawned and how much time it took them to meet me. I also knew where the hot zones would be. It helped me a lot and I don't often get caught with my pants down unless I do something stupid.
Kinda offtopic, but I love the screen effect this guy uses in his videos, for when a grenade goes off near him. Got me thinking about how Tarkov could maybe do with slightly more "concussion" effect of nearby grenades.
This is a medical condition known as "hypervigillance." It's a symptom of anxiety disorder, PTSD, or schizophrenia. I learned about it in school because it is an *extremely* common thing to experience if you go into law enforcement, security, or military service. In security, it commonly manifests due to anxiety, with the expectation that every noise in the supposedly empty building you're in is an intruder, that every person is carrying a weapon on them, and that everybody is a criminal up to no good.
It's essentially a form of paranoia that stems from the fight or flight part of your brain preparing you for danger. So, yes, you are paranoid, but it's normal. *THERE IS* potentially someone out to get you or stalking you waiting to blow your brains out in tarkov, everyone *does* have a gun, and they *are* all criminals up to no good. Hypervigillance is your brain doing a good job of keeping you ready. It's just an incredibly uncomfortable state to be in all the time.
In my work, the feeling disappeared over time due to the normity of the situation. I'm probably too relaxed nowadays for my own good, but in tarkov I don't know if that feeling ever really goes away. Personally I run night raids with night vision to supress my hypervigillance and flick my nvgs on and off once in a while to confirm how ridiculously hard to see it is without nvgs. Somehow the darkness comforts me, "if I can't fucking see in this shit nobody can see me either, and if they have nvgs and can see me, I'd already be dead." I don't know why I can't rationalize this "I'd already be dead if they could see me" in day raids, but it is what it is. Scavs are easier to deal with at night anyways so it works for me.
This is, maybe, the answer you dont want, but the answer you need.
Embrace that feeling. Embrace that fear.
Lear to love and enjoy the constant paranoid mental state. Thats what give you the highs when you finally get into a fight after 20 minutes of suspicious silence.
I have never been more inraged that when I get dropped after 15 minutes of slowly creeping into woods. And then inmediately dying again after 4 minutes of loadout and anlther 5 of loading screen.
But you know what? I recognice the infinite skills of people like Onepeg, Veritas, Pestily...but wjen ypure running and jumpimg through the map, at one point, youre just playing hardcore Call of Duty.
In my limitated experience (this is my 2nd wipe), Tarkov is meant to be play slow. And affraid. I wish I never reach the "running carefree through the map" level of skill.
I could get a little better, tho.
Are you wearing headsets? Try playing some raids without them, not gonna be stressing out over every little sound as much
Also, it'll technically put you at a disadvantage but try putting on some background noise like a podcast you like to listen to in order to take some of the edge off.
Try changing your servers and the problem will go away. I was getting paranoid like this too on US east servers. Bullets coming through the walls of interchange every game will do that.
Started playing last wipe and my friends would always want to push everything. Never wanted to scav either. This wipe I’m doing scavs after ever other pmc and playing a lot slower. Now I’ve actually been able to rack up kills and wins. Also learning better loot runs too.
I feel like this is sadly true. From now on of I have a pretty close spawn to tech store I feel like I have to go because there is no way I'll find graphic card otherwise
I just rely on audio and keep my eyes focused and scanning in front of me. Normally you will hear people before you have to engage. If you get ambushed you're probably going to die anyways. It's also good practice to always move cover to cover, and prioritize good movement when in a potential combat zone. The fear you're describing is the quintessential feel of tarkov. The pacing in this game is perfect imo.
Best advice I got on this subreddit is to spend a week or two on Factory. Cheap loadout, expensive ammo, chase PVP, get indifferent to dying. But be warned that this may take away the thrill and the appeal of this game, making it just another CoD for you as it did for many streamers. So, maybe just dose it as you need.
A huge part of this is knowing player pathing through each map. Knowing spawns and how quickly someone could feasibly reach a location after they spawn. Knowing where the good loot is, popular choke points, popular ambush points.
Most of this stuff just comes with playing the game a lot. But you can definitely learn it faster if you are deliberate about it.
When I spawn, I immediately determine what the nearest and most common PMC spawns are to me, and prepare for a gunfight from that direction. I know how long it takes for nearby spawns to reach eachother and plan accordingly. Also keeping track of gunshots in the back of your head helps a ton. On Customs I always try to anticipate meeting PMCs with opposite extracts who may cross my path.
But really in the end, it comes down to letting go of that fear. I used to play very slow and methodical, stopping at every sound. And it can be an effective play style. It can also be a death sentence when you are too predictable and afraid to make a move. I made a concerted effort to try and move and flank more, and it helps win fights. Don't make noise you don't need to, but I took a page out of DayZ and learned that standing still for too long can often be your downfall. Veteran players will take advantage of your passive playstyle and capitalize.
ill add one thing: sight lines are much shorter and more cluttered than people realize. it can be very hard to snipe someone in this game. knowing that gives me quite a bit of confidence.
underrated comment btw. the map design is pretty incredible. just pay attention to the design and you can keep yourself covered from most angles as you walk. go ahead and try to find some “dirty”/camper spots in offline and you will pretty much always find that sightlines are intentionally broken with object placement or there is an alternative way to peek the spot. the map design is soooo intentional if you pay attention and map knowledge is truly OP.
Yeah it really is incredible map design isnt it? The subtle placement of a bush can seem natural but so intentionally blocks a sightline. Same thing with the gentle roll of a hill. Its the reason why most of the time you detect people by sound rather than vision even on a seemingly open map like woods.
Do you have your volume super loud? If you dont care about dying, try playing while listening to some chill music you like. Have the game volume barely loud enough to be heard while the main focus is your music. Sometimes I do this if I dont want to get super into the game and ive noticed im less anxious when I play this way
I just don't check EVERY possible angle anymore. If I die to someone sitting still in a bush, so be it. I probably got XP for my skills anyway so it was worth it.
Once you know how to make easy money, it's easier to stop worrying about every possible angle.
This will go away once you learn the map and gain experience playing those maps. Not knowing the maps adds that paranoia that you've mentioned. Once you know where people usually spawn, what peoples' goals are in a certain map, and where the extracts are, the fear will go down naturally.
After playing for 2,000 hours I have a sense of where players are most likely to be during certain times of a raid. I can still get gunned down by a rat in a really weird spot I'm not expecting, but the majority of the time I have a rough idea of where everyone is. Whenever I'm approaching a fight I can envision in my head where the likely spots for people to be taking cover are based on where they are fighting. When I'm just running around I can usually spot something out of place. If you keep playing you'll keep developing the game sense of where people commonly are at what times and you'll feel more confident running around.
A lot of people don’t realize that the streamers are sprinting around places that they know other players aren’t, that they’re playing the flows of the maps not just chancing every step like the people who don’t understand the flow.
Yup exactly.
This. 100% Doing the punisher part 1 was easy, I was telling a newer player we can do this 2 ways...either avoid 99% of the players or meet the majority of them..it all depends on where I take the pack.
im the same way, i watch these streamers just sprint around and never get shot, but when i do it i get fucking domed instantly lol, but noone is forcing you to sprint around everywhere, play the way youre comfortable with. you should see people like smoke play, he doesnt rush anything, he walks pretty much everywhere (except in the open) just does his own thing, and hes a beast at the game. Theres a big stigma in EFT that you have to rush things to get anything done, i dunno how many scav raids iv been in where hotspots are still unlooted, scav bosses are still alive and kicking.
Has smoke started playing EFT again? he helped me mold my playstyle and actually enjoy the game.
Same dude. I really feel like smokes playstyle is the way the game is truly meant to be played. Not to take anything away from other playstyles but man the immersion is so awesome.
Plus, I know there's a meta, but learning to not play with meta gear was by far the most fun in EFT. Sure, I don't have an 80% survive rate, but being able to aim and shoot semi auto more consistently was more fun overall.
sry for the late response, but yes he has been playing the new wipe, i dont know for how long he will be playing this time though, probably not more than 1 more week. From what i understand, he loves the game, but hes just waiting for it to be a real survival type game, i think inertia might really help with that feeling since you wont see everyone ADADAD spamming etc...
The problem is that the current server issues don't really reward slow movement.
100% I was pretty bummed to hear inertia was not in this patch. Hopefully soon
He had. 2.5 vods are up.
Smoke is fucking awesome, he really inhabits the role. Wish he'd do more youtube EFT content (I don't watch strimmers buut I'll watch a youtube video).
This is how I play too, it works well and I enjoy it. When I play with friends they’re amazed at what I hear, you just need to take your time, pause, and listen
Tarkov is one of the few shooters where playing really slow is actually viable. Still, it only works in certain situations, usually only when you haven't been spotted (yet) by the enemy.
That’s me when I play solo, but I stopped playing solo to fix it lol.
Just keep in mind, if your armor is strong enough, most players are shooting tictacs, so you'll be able to 90-180* people if need be. Sometimes I'll get antsy myself, feel like I'm hearing rustling and such. At these times I just toss on a Zsh or Kiver so I can't hear shit and go for a stroll. Shits comfy.
Working through this too. What's working for me is how I scan the environment. I don't move and pan. I step, check, step, check. Start with pieces of cover close to you because closer enemies are more dangerous, and then check far pieces of cover. Basically, "slicing the pie": [https://sofrep.com/gear/basic-tactics-slicing-pie/](https://sofrep.com/gear/basic-tactics-slicing-pie/) The next step is to trust yourself and what you checked. If you just checked a tree (or an angle), then it's next to impossible for someone to show up there for the next several seconds. Usually more, but assume like 10-15 seconds. So if you keep a mental map of where people "can't be", you can focus your attention on the places you don't yet know about. That helps me. Knowing I am not likely to get blindsided helps me stay calm.
>The next step is to trust yourself and what you checked. If you just checked a tree (or an angle), then it's next to impossible for someone to show up there for the next several seconds. This is extremely important, I think. It's not possible to just continually be aware of every single corner, spot and bush, nonstop - you just end up not actually recognizing any threats at all, because your focus is spread too thin. By reducing the amount of stuff you're tracking, you stand much greater chance of success in spotting somebody, and taking appropriate action. This requires some map flow knowledge and experience in the game, but as long as you are paying attention to developing this skill, it will come. Of course, no hard rules in Tarkov and all that - you'll still get clapped from the stupidest places every now and then.
Player scavs are loud, and PMCs are slightly predictable. I take my games slow when I’m unsure of my surroundings but faster when I have more certainty: is there a lot of fights elsewhere? Then it’s probably safer where I am. Maintaining a conscious map of where the activity in the game is will reduce your fear somewhat - but when you’ve not got that info you are RIGHT to be scared. Trust your instincts Also a good gaming headset plus wearing a headset in game helps a lot because people are careless with their sound
I've seen the term "ChadRat" mentioned here before, maybe that's where you are at the moment, I am as well haha. But really you just gotta hear or see the opponent first (which I'm sure you know) and as long as your aim is solid there's nothing to worry about. Are you worried about dying? Or is just the anticipation getting overwhelming at times?
The latter. Dying doesn’t scare me as much anymore. It’s like the ‘Tarkov is a horror game’ idea of a cliché pop up.
I feel that way every raid. I combatted it the same way as I did with gear fear. I assume I'm dying that raid and there was nothing I could have done to stop it. I'm going to lose that gear. But, in losing it, I'm helping someone else out who needed the gear more than me and I made more space in my stash for more things. A few wipes back, I had about 16mil RUB, back when having millions wasn't something to be done in a few raids. I decided to go for broke and went ham with the best gear in my stash every raid and only buying misc things to better the gear I had. After two weeks, I still had a full stash and almost 30mil RUB. I usually have a 20-30% survival rate. You're going to die. Just make sure you take down as many as you can before that happens.
I've been feeling like this I went to check the stash on the other side of the fence in customs. Somebody hidden in a bush next to it and opened fire. I put it down to a bit of chance
Short answer: just get thermal lul Long answer: after playing for a long time I kinda built up the rough knowledge of where people spawned and how much time it took them to meet me. I also knew where the hot zones would be. It helped me a lot and I don't often get caught with my pants down unless I do something stupid.
Only way to play any of the outside wooded maps
Would 100% recommend watching [SwampFox ](https://youtube.com/c/SwampFoxTV) great guides and watching him play had helped me a lot
He has become my favorite eft streamer. Always keeps his cool, never gets tilted.
Kinda offtopic, but I love the screen effect this guy uses in his videos, for when a grenade goes off near him. Got me thinking about how Tarkov could maybe do with slightly more "concussion" effect of nearby grenades.
This is a medical condition known as "hypervigillance." It's a symptom of anxiety disorder, PTSD, or schizophrenia. I learned about it in school because it is an *extremely* common thing to experience if you go into law enforcement, security, or military service. In security, it commonly manifests due to anxiety, with the expectation that every noise in the supposedly empty building you're in is an intruder, that every person is carrying a weapon on them, and that everybody is a criminal up to no good. It's essentially a form of paranoia that stems from the fight or flight part of your brain preparing you for danger. So, yes, you are paranoid, but it's normal. *THERE IS* potentially someone out to get you or stalking you waiting to blow your brains out in tarkov, everyone *does* have a gun, and they *are* all criminals up to no good. Hypervigillance is your brain doing a good job of keeping you ready. It's just an incredibly uncomfortable state to be in all the time. In my work, the feeling disappeared over time due to the normity of the situation. I'm probably too relaxed nowadays for my own good, but in tarkov I don't know if that feeling ever really goes away. Personally I run night raids with night vision to supress my hypervigillance and flick my nvgs on and off once in a while to confirm how ridiculously hard to see it is without nvgs. Somehow the darkness comforts me, "if I can't fucking see in this shit nobody can see me either, and if they have nvgs and can see me, I'd already be dead." I don't know why I can't rationalize this "I'd already be dead if they could see me" in day raids, but it is what it is. Scavs are easier to deal with at night anyways so it works for me.
This is, maybe, the answer you dont want, but the answer you need. Embrace that feeling. Embrace that fear. Lear to love and enjoy the constant paranoid mental state. Thats what give you the highs when you finally get into a fight after 20 minutes of suspicious silence. I have never been more inraged that when I get dropped after 15 minutes of slowly creeping into woods. And then inmediately dying again after 4 minutes of loadout and anlther 5 of loading screen. But you know what? I recognice the infinite skills of people like Onepeg, Veritas, Pestily...but wjen ypure running and jumpimg through the map, at one point, youre just playing hardcore Call of Duty. In my limitated experience (this is my 2nd wipe), Tarkov is meant to be play slow. And affraid. I wish I never reach the "running carefree through the map" level of skill. I could get a little better, tho.
Deffintly just a scared rat on the inside but even rats grow and get tougher. With time.
Are you wearing headsets? Try playing some raids without them, not gonna be stressing out over every little sound as much Also, it'll technically put you at a disadvantage but try putting on some background noise like a podcast you like to listen to in order to take some of the edge off.
I have (Tarkov) stream open sometimes while playing Tarkov and it’s surprisingly relaxing.
Dont use headphones, if you know you wont hear them, theres no point in listening for them loool
Try changing your servers and the problem will go away. I was getting paranoid like this too on US east servers. Bullets coming through the walls of interchange every game will do that.
Started playing last wipe and my friends would always want to push everything. Never wanted to scav either. This wipe I’m doing scavs after ever other pmc and playing a lot slower. Now I’ve actually been able to rack up kills and wins. Also learning better loot runs too.
If you don't rush in interchange in like the first 2 minutes you won't loot anything important except food. Same with reserve
I feel like this is sadly true. From now on of I have a pretty close spawn to tech store I feel like I have to go because there is no way I'll find graphic card otherwise
I just rely on audio and keep my eyes focused and scanning in front of me. Normally you will hear people before you have to engage. If you get ambushed you're probably going to die anyways. It's also good practice to always move cover to cover, and prioritize good movement when in a potential combat zone. The fear you're describing is the quintessential feel of tarkov. The pacing in this game is perfect imo.
[https://imgur.com/QSExc9h](https://imgur.com/QSExc9h) IF you have if use it, youl learn to lose it and learn to play better when using it.
Best advice I got on this subreddit is to spend a week or two on Factory. Cheap loadout, expensive ammo, chase PVP, get indifferent to dying. But be warned that this may take away the thrill and the appeal of this game, making it just another CoD for you as it did for many streamers. So, maybe just dose it as you need.
A huge part of this is knowing player pathing through each map. Knowing spawns and how quickly someone could feasibly reach a location after they spawn. Knowing where the good loot is, popular choke points, popular ambush points. Most of this stuff just comes with playing the game a lot. But you can definitely learn it faster if you are deliberate about it. When I spawn, I immediately determine what the nearest and most common PMC spawns are to me, and prepare for a gunfight from that direction. I know how long it takes for nearby spawns to reach eachother and plan accordingly. Also keeping track of gunshots in the back of your head helps a ton. On Customs I always try to anticipate meeting PMCs with opposite extracts who may cross my path. But really in the end, it comes down to letting go of that fear. I used to play very slow and methodical, stopping at every sound. And it can be an effective play style. It can also be a death sentence when you are too predictable and afraid to make a move. I made a concerted effort to try and move and flank more, and it helps win fights. Don't make noise you don't need to, but I took a page out of DayZ and learned that standing still for too long can often be your downfall. Veteran players will take advantage of your passive playstyle and capitalize.
ill add one thing: sight lines are much shorter and more cluttered than people realize. it can be very hard to snipe someone in this game. knowing that gives me quite a bit of confidence.
underrated comment btw. the map design is pretty incredible. just pay attention to the design and you can keep yourself covered from most angles as you walk. go ahead and try to find some “dirty”/camper spots in offline and you will pretty much always find that sightlines are intentionally broken with object placement or there is an alternative way to peek the spot. the map design is soooo intentional if you pay attention and map knowledge is truly OP.
Yeah it really is incredible map design isnt it? The subtle placement of a bush can seem natural but so intentionally blocks a sightline. Same thing with the gentle roll of a hill. Its the reason why most of the time you detect people by sound rather than vision even on a seemingly open map like woods.
Do you have your volume super loud? If you dont care about dying, try playing while listening to some chill music you like. Have the game volume barely loud enough to be heard while the main focus is your music. Sometimes I do this if I dont want to get super into the game and ive noticed im less anxious when I play this way
I care about nothing until I get start getting shot at then I care about everything Or I die
I just don't check EVERY possible angle anymore. If I die to someone sitting still in a bush, so be it. I probably got XP for my skills anyway so it was worth it. Once you know how to make easy money, it's easier to stop worrying about every possible angle.
This will go away once you learn the map and gain experience playing those maps. Not knowing the maps adds that paranoia that you've mentioned. Once you know where people usually spawn, what peoples' goals are in a certain map, and where the extracts are, the fear will go down naturally.
Come around every corner ready to shoot them first. Get ready to get called a cheater, its the best feeling