Tarkov Beginner Guide
A first-week plan for Escape from Tarkov: how the loop works, what to do in session one, and the mistakes that waste the most time.
What Tarkov actually is
Escape from Tarkov is the original hardcore extraction FPS. You kit a raid, fight PMCs and Scavs, and lose everything on death unless you extract. Steam launched the 1.0 era — the loop did not get kinder. The loop you will repeat: Insurance a budget kit, run a map you know, extract, vendor, hideout, repeat — with Scav runs as income.
Your first session
Learn Customs, Woods, or Ground Zero extracts until you can name two without a map overlay. Run a pistol or budget rifle until you extract consistently. Meta ammo on a lost kit is a donation. Do Scav runs when your PMC is broke. They are a second economy. Hideout and quests are the campaign. Chasing PvP only is a different game.
Mistakes that end runs
Checking a body standing in a doorway. You are the loot now. Sprinting in dorms. Headphones win Tarkov. Taking your only class-5 kit into a map you have never extracted from. Ignoring weight and a sling. Overweight in a hallway is a death sentence.
What 'good' looks like after a week
You should be able to explain Escape from Tarkov's core loop in one sentence, recover from a bad session without rage-reinstalling, and know which mode or map is for learning versus for ego. If you are still lost, re-read the first-session steps instead of hopping to a random viral build.