In the Hardcore survival MMO Escape From Tarkov, you must survive as a mercenary left behind in the war-torn city Tarkov – surrounded by Scavs and mainly hostile players. As this really is as hard as it sounds, we provide the basic knowledge in a beginner’s guide series to help all new players to get a bit of a head start. In this guide, we have some pretty useful tips on staying alive and taking down the enemy, as we look at ways to escape the recently added Shoreline map.
EFT Tactics (Not Just) For Shoreline
If you are a newcomer to the game, we would advise you take a look at our first level entry guide. If you’re familiar with the mechanics of Escape From Tarkov, we can jump straight into our beginners’ guide which will help you in all types of situations. Firstly, we provide you with some general tactics advice. So, once more unto the breach dear friends, once more…
- Avoid noise creating terrain! On Shoreline, many types of terrain can give away your position to the enemy. The most deadly terrain on this map will be the marshes. These swamp like bodies of sludge leave you vulnerable as you sink down to your stomach and your movement is drastically slowed as you make your way through. The sound of moving in the marshes can be heard by nearby troops letting them know where you are. As you will be sluggin’ your way toward safety, you’re also heading into a possible ambush from the opposition. The same can be said about walking on metal substrates which will scrape and grind when you come into contact with them. Keep that in mind when coming across sheets of scrap metal and scaffolding.
- Use other terrains to your advantage – tall grass, hilltops and other elevated areas provide natural cover. These places can help you with keeping out of sight of your opponents. Try moving slowly and quietly drawing the least amount of attention to yourself. A slow advance is a safer bet.
- Learn to distinguish the difference in surrounding noise. Is it a natural noise? Can it be the AI controlled Scavs? Or possibly another player? From which direction is the potential danger coming from? At least a pair of stereo headphones is essential for spatial sound allocation.
- Understand the location of your target, taking into account the distance they are from you, how long it will take to get there and to where they may have moved to. Try not to keep a permanent visual contact with the enemy, leaving yourself exposed. Also, try to plan the route with as much cover as you can to improve your chances of staying alive.
- Flanking: Attacking an enemy head-on is not the best plan of action. Try to keep your distance and advance from a side angle, keeping you out of the enemies field of vision. If you find yourself under fire from someone in a better position, then find some cover and work your way round to find an advantage. The higher the position the more of an advantage you will have.
- Circling: While working as a team, force your opponent to use the road shaped like pliers and attack from both sides. This causes your enemy divide their group and installs confusion amongst the ranks. Even use a single teammate as a distraction, get them throwing grenades from another angle to help break down the opposing crew.
- These tactics – especially the last two – require perfect communication within the team. No showing off with any trash talk – whoever wants to survive in Tarkov must concentrate on the fight ahead.
Beginners Guide: The Shoreline Map
It doesn’t matter where you spawn, near a road or a settlement, you first look for the edge of the map. This can give you a general idea of which exit you are closer to. There are only two exits on this map: one of them is a bunker located in the top right-hand corner of the map, the other is the lighthouse situated on the bottom right. Best laid plans often go awry, so we present to you: a gift. This handmade map by Reddit user u/Maksen is currently the only reliable cartographic tool for the shoreline location.
The spawn points are all situated to the left-hand side of the map ranging from the boundary wall to the mountains edge, if you look at the map, this should help you find your feet and learn where you are in accordance to your surroundings. This time we have chosen the scenic coastal route to the left of the map. Our goal is to reach the lighthouse exit, this way we can use the higher ground to our advantage. Plus, there’s also plenty of loot along the way. So let’s get down to business.
Finding Your Feet on Shoreline
Follow the wall to the end to discover a wooded mountain range. From there you can sneak up to the edge for a vantage point over a coastal road below. Keep in mind the tips you will have learned from the first beginners’ guide – use the movement and body position options to make sure you’re behind as much cover as possible, leaving the bare minimum of your character in view of enemies.
From this position, you can see a collapsed tunnel and a collection of abandoned vehicles. In the background, you can see the ‘shoreline’ running along the edge of the map. Keep watching this location for a while from the elevated position as it is a popular meeting place for gaming groups. If you do spot an enemy group here, depending on your situation you have a choice as to whether you attack or continue to hide until the threat has gone.
A Walk Along the Coast
Taking this coastal route will, in the end, lead you straight to the lighthouse exit point. This is the goal we want to tackle together. Looking to your right, you can see an island a short distance away, and to your left, there is a gas station which has caught fire. Both places are a common spawning point for both player- and AI-Scavs. Both these places also have some rather decent military loot to get your hands on. So there’s only one way to go about this: Free these locations from their Scav population and acquire what lies in the military containers you will encounter.
The first of these is located right in front of the collapsed tunnel. This is directly in front of the sniper position. You will find the wreckages of cars littered along the road. Here you will come across a military checkpoint that contains a green loot box. Keep an eye out for police car trunks as these contain ammo and maybe even a gun.
If you look to your right, you will see the island we mentioned earlier. There is a ship which has beached in the water creating a bridge you can use to access the island. This ship has a vast amount of cover spots and will help you in dealing with the Scavs who inhabit the island. Once the situation is resolved, head inside the house to find the next military box.
Another military loot crate can be found at the smoking gas station. Follow the road to a small left turn – you should see smoke ascending in the distance. Beware enemy players! Highly armed BEAR/USEC mercenaries like to prey on their foes along the coast road. There is some dense vegetation on this route which can be very difficult to spot any players waiting in ambush. Extreme caution is advised.
On the Lookout for Loot
Before raiding the shelves in the local petrol station for a Snickers bar and a can of Red Bull, there’s a cheeky little stash of frag grenades waiting to be found a little further along the road. To find these little beauties, turn left just before the gas station, head through the botany and keep heading this way until you reach a sewage treatment plant. Leave this to the right and you will find a circular sandbag barricade. This is where you’ll pick up some very useful firepower to add to your arsenal. Once this is completed, head back to the road and enter the gas station from the back entrance this time. Use the tips we mentioned in this guide earlier (and the previous one) to eliminate the Scavs dwelling here.
Reaching the Exit
Have you collected enough loot? Are you seriously injured? Or is hanging around just too great a risk? Whatever your reason may be, the last box to tick in each game of Escape From Tarkov is to… well, escape from Tarkov. Only after you have successfully been extracted from the warzone can you keep all the loot you managed to collect and all of the valuable survival multipliers that come with getting out alive.
Leave the gas station on the coast side behind and approach the pier. Between cute white houses and sailboats, the Scavs have built their last bastion. Be prepared for a hard fight, but if you use all of the knowledge you have learned, you can minimise risk in combat.
If you are victorious against the Scavs in the last battle, then you’re approaching the lighthouse behind the last building. There you can loot a last military box along the way. But don’t let your guard down just yet as enemy players often monitor the exits in Escape From Tarkov, and try to shoot unsuspecting mercenaries.
Stay in the lighthouse area until you are automatically extracted as usual. Congratulations, you have survived your first raid on Shoreline!
Escape from Tarkov Guide
- The First Raid on Customs
- A Tactical Raid on Shoreline
[Guided_EN_Facebook][/Guided_EN_Facebook][Guided_DE_Facebook][/Guided_DE_Facebook]
