3 best tips for Escape from Tarkov early wipe

Patch 0.16 of Escape from Tarkov is now available to all players. After downloading and installing the update from the official launcher, players can create a new character, since their previous progression has been wiped completely. Initially, all players will start with very little money, which means they have to loot valuables and sell them for profit. Since resources are scarce during the early-wipe phase, players should min-max everything to get the most out of every raid.

In this article, we discuss what players should do during the early phase of the wipe in Escape from Tarkov.

Note: Aspects of this article are subjective and solely rely on the writer's opinion.

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What to do at the beginning of the wipe in Escape from Tarkov

Whenever you make a new character after every wipe in Escape from Tarkov, you should acquire all the tasks the Traders offer. Then, depending on where you have the quests, load into those maps and get the tasks done as soon as possible. There is a high chance that you will meet hostile PMCs, because they will be doing the same missions as you.

Here are some tips that will help during the early phases of the wipe in Escape from Tarkov:

1) Get as much EXP as possible

Level up your character as fast as you can (Image via Battlestate Games)

In the beginning, leveling up your character is extremely crucial. Therefore, you should take your time during each raid. Depending on what map you are going to, you’ll get around 40 minutes to spend. While surviving, make sure to eliminate every AI enemy possible, to gain EXP. Moreover, you may want to take your time and score headshot kills, as you get bonus EXP for that.

Overall, you should look around the map and accumulate a decent amount of EXP in whatever way you can. If you have any quests to do, it's recommended that you go to their locations a little late, to avoid others who are on the same missions.

This way, you can get the most out of every raid you load into, to gain a significant amount of EXP and level up faster than other players.

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2) Loot valuable items

Graphics Card is a valuable item (Image via Battlestate Games)

Another thing you should do during the game's early-wipe phase is mostly looting valuable items, which come in many forms and shapes. Store them in your stash until their prices start skyrocketing. However, if you come across a quest item, you should prioritize that over any other loot. You can make money by looting anything in the game, but getting the same quest item again may become quite challenging.

Besides that, you should always carry the biggest backpack and rig you can, to fit a significant amount of loot in them. At the beginning of a wipe, you will need a decent amount of money to purchase all the healing items, ammunition, and provisions. So, make sure to carry as much loot as you can out of every single raid.

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3) Pick the right items to insure

You should insure your weapon if you are playing in a squad (Image via Battlestate Games)

Since money is quite tight at the start of most wipes, you may want to double-check what items you want to insure. If you are playing with teammates, you can insure most of your items since they can hide all of them in a hidden spot if you end up getting eliminated. If you are playing solo, it's best to insure items such as backpacks, headsets, and all the cheaper gear.

If you don’t have that much money, you shouldn’t insure your weapons, as there is a high chance that they will be picked up by other PMCs, player Scavs, and even AI Scavs. Therefore, it's best to save the money and use it to purchase other items and gear.