Escape From Tarkov Beginner’s Guide: How To Make Money

Escape From Tarkov is one of our favorite games out there and we recommend most shooter fans to give this a try. But picking up this hardcore shooter is a daunting task for even the most dedicated gamers. In this guide series we will take you through your first hours in this game. But before we start, a small disclaimer: EFT is still in beta so even the most fundamental gameplay mechanics may be subject to change.

In Tarkov, everything has a price. Actually, one could argue that money is the fundamental gameplay mechanic of the game. In this Escape from Tarkov guide we will teach you how to make money in the most efficient ways possible. Note that we have divided this guide into multiple levels. Those are just guidelines; a level 40 can do what a new player does and a low level player might make money in more advanced ways. Still, these are generally handy tips to adhere to. Without further ado, let’s once again dive into Escape from Tarkov and learn how to make some money!

Level 0-10: Hoard that loot

Starting fresh can be quite tough. Your journey in Tarkov begins with some fun coupons and very limited options in terms of gear. It can be quite tempting to just sell everything you get your hands on right away and see your rouble-counter rising. But making money shouldn’t be your first priority after a wipe. Instead, getting some decent weapons that you can bring into your next raid is probably a good idea. So keep weapons, armor, containers and ammo that you can’t buy from traders and sell everything else.

Besides, you should also be thinking ahead; hoarding quest items can save you dozens of hours of grinding later on. On the Tarkov wiki, you can see exactly what you will need for each quest. Generally, knowing which items you need for quests is the best idea. You can always look up specific items to check if you should sell them or not. Won’t need it for a long while? Sell that bad boy to the highest bidder. But if you need a certain amount of items for an early quest line, you should probably start hoarding right away.

 

Level 10-20: The Art of the Deal

After grinding through your first few levels, selling to traders becomes a way of making some serious cash. At first, leveling your traders should be the number one priority. By buying and selling from and to a specific trader, you eventually level them up.

Once you have your traders adequately leveled up, selling to the highest bidder should always be your goal. For example, Mechanic gives you a lot more money for weapons and attachments, while Ragman pays handsomely for clothing and armor.

But besides the regular traders, a new portion of the game opens up for you: the Flea Market. This player-driven economy gives you the ability to sell the items that you’ve found in raid or crafted in your hideout. Now, items that would’ve yielded say, 10k roubles at a trader, could net 30k if you sell them directly to a player. So always check the Flea Market for currency prices of items. And if an item is worth significantly more for players than they are for traders, you should probably visit the wiki to check why that is the case.

Level 20-30: Farming Simulator – Tarkov Edition

At this point in Escape from Tarkov, knowing how to make money should no longer be a huge issue for you. Your stash is filled with goodies and if you would ever be on the brink of bankruptcy, you could just sell one of the two-dozen decked out guns you’ll never use. Now comes the grindy part of Tarkov: farming.

You can farm money in a great number of ways. For example, by just playing the game and seeking out PvP you should make a bunch of money, provided you win a fight every now and then. You could farm high value loot spawns and make bank that way.

Upgrading your hideout is another way of greatly increasing your liquidity. By manufacturing high-value items yourself, you can turn a reasonably small investment into sweet profit. In that last instance, the Flea Market is your friend.

Level 40+: The Wolf of Wall Street

Welcome to the end game. You’re now probably so rich that even the worst of losing streaks will not even put a dent in your savings. At this point you’re free to play the game exactly how you want to, without worrying too much about what it costs you.

For example, you could do some stupid meme gun-runs. Why not buy some late-game clothing so you look fly while kicking ass? Hell, you could even fill your backpack with vaseline and give it to any player that heeds your ‘cease fire’ callout, just for a good laugh.

Still, making money this late in the progression cycle can be fun. You could invest some of that hard-earned cash in keys. For example, if you like playing Factory and/or Customs, getting the Factory Key gives you a lot more options if you want to extract. Besides keys opening pathways, there’s a bunch of keys giving you access to high-value rooms. There’s plenty of guides out there detailing which keys are worth getting, so check those out for more information.

Also, with enough money on your hands you can simply buy stuff you normally wouldn’t and see what works for you. Deck out guns to the brim, go for style over substance. Or try out that exclusive gun you normally sell because it’s worth so damn much. Live a little, you’re rich!

Lastly, think about investing some money in item cases to clean up your inventory and give you more space to stash items. Not a direct way of making money, but being able to save items you would normally sell right away can give you a huge advantage later on.

We hope that this Escape from Tarkov guide taught you how to make money in the game. These are just some of the ways you can make money in the game. Congratulations, you are now officially a rich, Adidas touting, Bitcoin farming, bootleg vodka chugging millionaire. A virtual millionaire that is.Let us know what your favorite ways of earning cash are in the comment section below.

Image credit: Battlestate Games