Escape from Tarkov maps guide - learn where to go to get loot

The devs have stated that at some point, all the locations will be merged into one massive map of Tarkov. Currently, you can’t travel from one part of the city to another – this gives the players the possibility to join Raids on different game maps. Seven of them are already live in the game: Shoreline, Reserve, Woods, Factory, Customs, Interchange, and The Lab. Battlestate Games have already announced five more that will be available soon!

Differences between maps

The idea of raiding is identical on every map – you have to get in, extract the goods, and get out. You might think that it makes the differences between locations unimportant. However, you should always adjust your strategy based on the map that you’re on. Knowing where to position and how to move in every location will give you a strategic advantage over the other players.

At the same time, there are plenty of quests that have to be completed on a specific map. On the one hand, you want to raid in different parts of the city to complete your own quests – they’re the fastest method of gaining experience, and additionally, you can get some worthwhile rewards. On the other hand, if you keep track of the objectives of various tasks, you could use that knowledge to ambush the unsuspecting players, who are trying to fulfill their missions. To do that efficiently, you will need information about both the quests and the map itself.

Some locations are more compact. Others feature a lot of open spaces. Finally, some of them are a mixture of both. The map that you’re playing on should affect your choice of weapon. Sniper rifles excel in open spaces, but you will need another gun if you want to move through the buildings.

Escape from Tarkov Locations

Factory

The first map that was added to Escape from Tarkov. It’s a relatively small, compact location that doesn’t feature that much loot. The Factory matches are really fast-paced, there’s a big chance that an inexperienced player gets eliminated almost instantly. There are not a lot of places to hide, and you can’t find too much valuable loot, so the Raids are really about fighting. It makes the players with advantageous gear even more threatening than on some of the larger maps.

We would recommend avoiding this map in the early levels. You can be much more successful in a location where you can find a lot of loot. If you really want to complete some of the Factory quests, make sure that you’re not bringing the best items that you have – the likelihood of losing them is quite high. If you can, consider trying to play during the night hours, or generally when fewer players are active. It can increase your chances of surviving the Raid.

Customs

Customs is a large industrial area situated next to the Factory. It’s a trendy map, especially for the beginners. There’s a lot of space to stay relatively safe and a ton of loot to get your hands on. A few successful runs on Customs can help you out with starting to assemble equipment. Moreover, there are multiple low-level quests to complete so that you can progress with experience as well!

Just make sure to find some cover as soon as possible. The spawning points tend to be one of the most dangerous areas on every map, so you should move quickly. Then you can plan your route to the extraction point, don’t rush it, though. Make sure to loot as much as possible on your way there. Some of the most lucrative spots are Dorms (you might need some room keys), Big Red, and Sub Station. Just remember that it’s not a secret, and you might encounter some other players as you lurk around these places. When you get at least half-decent gear, you can also try and farm Scavs – their boss Reshala and Scav Snipers can drop the most valuable equipment. You’re likely to find them in the Military Checkpoint, The Dorms, or New Gas Station.

Woods

Woods is the short name for Priozersk Nature Reserve that’s located in the outskirts of the city. It’s not the most loot-heavy location, but if you manage to clear the Sawmill and kill the Scav boss Shturman, you can get a lot of value, both from the drops and from the crates that you can find there.

Scavs in this location often has quite strong armor items. We recommend farming them for this kind of gear – you can also get lucky and acquire decent weapons this way. There are two major difficulties in playing Woods as a beginner. First of all – these locations really favors snipers. A decent rifle and good position make it really easy to kill a lot of players – you can often get eliminated by someone who’s using this strategy. Second of all – a coordinated premade group of 4-5 people can make the Raid pretty much unplayable for the remaining players. It’s caused by the location of extraction points and exits.

Shoreline

This coastal area is situated in the southern part of Tarkov. It has some luxury buildings and offers a healthy combination of structures and open space. It’s a rather large area, with plenty of loot to find. There are massive numbers of locked rooms that can be opened with various keys (especially in the Azure Coast Health Resort). At the same time, you can easily get killed from long range when you move between the buildings. You can see it as a high risk - high reward map.

We don’t recommend this map for beginners. You can get a lot of great loot, but you’re really unlikely to finish the Raid successfully without proper gear and experience with the game. Get ready to find a lot of other players looking for loot if you come to the Azure Coast. If killing Scavs is what you’re after – you can check out the bunkers (they’re relatively safe since you won’t get sniped by someone you can’t even see) or Scav Island in the southwest – a more dangerous option, but it’s also abundant with loot, so you may want to consider it.

Interchange

Interchange is one of the best looting maps in the game. It’s based around a huge shopping mall that features a furniture store, a hardware store, a supermarket, and multiple smaller shops that sell items like clothing, electronics, et cetera. There are quite a few prizes that require special keys to access them. You can get a lot of currency if you manage to acquire a key to the cash register in the three biggest stores in the mall. Besides, there’s the KIBA weapons store that contains a lot of guns.

There’s a single boss in Interchange. He’s called Killa, and he patrols the first floor of the ULTRA shopping mall. Killing him solo is a really difficult challenge, even for experienced and well geared players – you can often see parties formed to defeat this guy. It’s worth it because he drops great armor items. At the same time, the presence of proficient groups can often make playing solo very difficult, especially without great equipment. You should definitely visit it quite often when you’re ready, though.  

Reserve

The Federal State Reserve Agency base (or simply – Reserve) is considered to be one of the most challenging and competitive maps in the entire game. Besides the incredible looting potential, it also provides players with the possibility to use stationary weapons (heavy machine guns and a grenade launcher).

There are 29 usable keys that can give you access to various looting areas (all the RB keys are related to this map). There’s a ton of valuable items that you can get here – including some high-level weapons (most notably assault rifles and sniper rifles). It’s a great map to play as a Scav – every time you survive, you should be able to add some great equipment to your collection. That being said, getting out alive might be quite tricky – Reserve is often flooded with geared, high-level players (usually in groups).

Moreover, it’s the home of Gluhar – the hardest boss in the game. He moves between buildings with up to 6 heavily armed guards. They fight with extremely accurate weapons that make them deadly opponents – especially in long-range combat. The boss has a ton of Health – the only reliable way to kill him is by landing headshots. Unless you’re part of a group of well-geared players, you shouldn’t even attempt to fight Gluhar. If you do, make sure to avoid combat in open space – you’re much more likely to succeed if you engage inside a building. Of course, a good knowledge of the map and all its structures will be beneficial in these scenarios.

The Lab

The TerraGroup’s Labs are a secret underground research facility. It’s not included in any official records, which has an interesting effect on the EFT gameplay. Escape from Tarkov gives you the possibility to buy insurance for your items. In specific situations, it will return a lost item to you. This feature does not work in The Lab. If you lose an item there, it’s lost for good – even if nobody picks it up.

While exploring this disturbing location, you’ll be able to find multiple rare and valuable items – especially if you get your hands on the different color lab keycards that can open some important doors. You can also loot some really strong weapons and armors off of numerous Scav Raiders. Be prepared to meet a lot of them. You can trigger the spawning of new waves, by entering extraction points et cetera.

As usual, with the higher-level locations – you will likely stumble upon groups of well-equipped players. Going alone as PMC is ill-advised, especially since insurance won’t save your gear. Even if you manage to avoid or kill other players, the Scav Raiders will chase you if you get noticed. In that case, make sure to find cover and wait for an opportunity to kill them – they aim their shots well, and you’re likely to die if you try to fight them in the open.

Escape from Tarkov locations

These were all the maps that are currently available in EFT. Battlestate Games has already announced a few more. Terminal, Lighthouse, Suburbs, and Streets of Tarkov are going to be added in future patches. We hope that this guide serves as a good introduction to all the EFT locations and gives you an idea about which maps to play first.

You don’t want your PMC to die a lot and lose gear - you should focus on playing the easier maps at the beginning. However, the situation is slightly different in the case of Scav runs. Going for more difficult raids and finding valuable items is a great way to gain power early on. Just remember that there’s a cooldown on raiding as Scav and doing so is not a guaranteed success (especially if you’re not familiar with the map).

Escape from Tarkov is an online combat simulator that combines realistic shooting, an excellent looting system, and complex features regarding survival in a hostile environment. The game is still in beta, but it already gained a massive following, attracting tons of hardcore gamers. Check out the game soon, and if you’re interested, come back to buy Escape from Tarkov currency from Sellers and Friends!

FAQ 

What’s the best map for beginners in Escape from Tarkov?

We believe that Customs is the best map for a new player. It’s probably the easiest raid to survive and you can decent loot if you do so.

Where can I find the best loot in Escape from Tarkov?

There are multiple maps with great, high level loot: Reserve, Interchange, and The Lab are the best examples. However, you have to know where to look. You might also need some keys or keycards. 

Where can I find the most difficult bosses in EFT?

Gluhar and his armed guards can be found in Reserve. Killa patrols the first floor of the mall in Interchange.