Sometimes You Just Can’t Win in Tarkov

(Intro)

Extraction shooters are an incredibly dynamic and reactive genre of shooter. No two experiences usually play out the exact same way, and whenever things get hot and heavy fast, there are a lot of factors both inside and outside of your direct control that determine whether you walk away or get sent back to your stash prematurely. And in the case of Tarkov especially, the losses are the most brutal out there because they can happen so quickly. One minute you are taking names, collecting gear and getting quests done, and then all of a sudden, you’re back to your stash within thirty seconds of a raid multiple times in a row. Whether that’s because of missed shots, poor positioning, or just some really bad luck, the entire point of extraction shooters is to get back on the horse even when you are down and out. Perseverance is the name of the game; even when you feel like you’re just failing again and again. You can’t always be successful in this genre; and it may feel hopeless sometimes, but it’s okay. Eventually, things will fall into place, and you’ll be back in the green in no time.

(Why this genre feels so brutal)

There are a myriad of reasons why this genre feels so volatile. For one, just knowing that if you die you lose whatever you brought in with you immediately instills a certain level of fear and stress into a player. Knowing that if they bring in their best gear, it can all go just like that. Even if it’s easy to either run a free gear set or you have the capacity to get most of that gear back because you are high level with tons of money and resources, it never removes the sting from losing that gear. Even if you just bought it and got it tuned exactly how you want. Or, if you went on a ten plus survival streak with it taking out tons of players in the process. Losing never feels good, and that is magnified tenfold in extraction shooters. It feels more like a major setback instead of just losing. Because in a weird sense, gear can feel like progress. As you level up and progress your way through the game, you usually are able to purchase or craft more powerful weapons and protection. So, when you lose that higher tiered gear in a straight fight or to some shenanigans, it feels like you have lost a sense of that progression. On top of having to learn so much so quickly to stay competitive with other players, it creates this sometimes-overwhelming feeling that at least when you first start playing in this genre, it can get to you sometimes. There is a reason why the term gear fear exists; you find or manage to take from another player, at least from your limited knowledge, gear that is unique, rare or anything that you haven’t seen before. And instead of going out and just seeing what you can do with it, you stow it away for that perfect moment, not realizing that perfect moment will never come. And of course, this is no more apparent than in Tarkov. Even to this day, when it comes to gear that is required to complete a quest like Test Drive for example, those weapons are not cheap to make. Luckily, the game gives you one in most circumstances, but knowing that if you get sent back to your stash not only did you lose your gear, you effectively lost a small amount of progress because now you need to rebuild that weapon to meet the quest criteria. Again, if you’re someone who has tons of time in any of these games, the losses don’t hurt nearly as bad. But no one likes losing stuff; it’s why this genre feels so volatile sometimes. And also, why people get so addicted. You lose some stuff, say screw that, and go back in looking to get your hands on something that will stop the bleeding of items. And while Marathon, Arc and other games all hurt when you lose powerful items, it’s nowhere near as bad as it can be in EFT.

(Tarkov’s version of loss)

EFT’s version of loss just goes the extra mile. Even with the ability to use insurance so you have the chance of your items coming back, because weapons and armors can be so meticulously crafted to be exactly what you want both in terms of function and form, it hurts even more when you lose in this game. You could’ve spent ten plus minutes building a weapon your favorite way. You hop into a raid and bam; gone in less than a minute, in the absolute worst-case scenarios. I have been there way too many times, and in those circumstances, the game usually got turned off for the rest of the day. It’s not like I couldn’t just build the gun again if I have the levels and cash to do so, but it goes beyond that. The time; the principle of Tarkov allowing me to make a gun so specifically tailored to my needs and then without any warning or hesitation the game literally takes it away from me. It comes with the territory of playing an extraction shooter. But it doesn’t make that sting hurt any less. At least there is some solace in knowing that all of us at one point or another experienced the exact same thing. I remember seeing a clip from a long time ago, of someone on Factory trying to extract because they managed to get a DVL which at the time was insanely rare. They ended up losing that weapon, and the inevitable freak out was funny, not because I relished his pain and misery, but because we’ve all been there before. Whether it’s gear or even a quest item. Honestly, quests losses hurt sometimes more than gear. You’re on the last map for the guide, and you get randomly one tapped by a scav. Like, we all know the seething rage that would befall most players in that particular circumstance. But as we’ve discussed it many times on the channel, failure is a part of the process.

(Failure is so important)

Failure in extraction shooters is the only way you really learn from your mistakes. It’s up there with moments in say a souls’ game; you’re one hit away from beating the boss and you overextended or get too greedy and now you die and have to run back to the boss and do it all over again. As painful, annoying and frustrating as that can be, a lesson was learned; don’t get greedy. And even the greed lesson can be applied directly into Tarkov. Staying on a body for too long. Looting a highly contested area and getting comfortable. These are all moments that will instill a baseline level of caution and apprehension once you are on the receiving end of a classic head eyes moment. But even when it happens to you, failure is just another part of the process of getting better. Whether it’s awareness, positioning, aim; all of these skills can be honed and dialed into a point where your confidence can be raised quite significantly with time. But you have to be willing to learn these hard lessons over and over again to improve. The best way to learn is to put yourself in those circumstances. Being uncomfortable is how you improve. It’s just like life; you can’t stagnate and just coast off your routine. Sometimes, putting yourself somewhere or in a position where you need to think on, your feet is important. Sure, you most likely will mess up, but it’s okay. As long as you don’t linger on those failures and let them define you, you’re well on your way to becoming both a better player, and a better person. And there is nothing sweeter than that.

(Outro)

Sometimes in Tarkov, your hands are essentially tied. You’re in a poor position, have nothing left to keep you in the fight, so you swing that corner and whatever happens, happens. And most of the time, you end up on the ass end of that exchange. But if you take the time to learn, improve where you feel like you need to, and stay patient with the process, you’ll start to notice you winning more enhances, surviving more and overall, just having a more positive experience. Even after eight plus years, I am ass at this game. I die all the time; still make tons of mistakes and usually get lost to my own hubris. But I can still say with confidence that every so often I can pull off some moments that are magical and remind me why this game is so special. You won’t always win in this game; you simply just can’t. But getting better and seeing those moments more often is a lesson to be taken both in and out of the game. So, thanks, Tarkov; your ability to off me at the start of raids and to keep going is only because of you. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your day to watch this video. Let me know down in the comment section below your thoughts on improving at Tarkov, why failure stings so much for your personally and be sure to subscribe for more videos about somehow squeezing out some life lessons from an underbaked problematic extraction shooter. I hope to see you in future ones.