It is no secret that Escape From Tarkov is one of the more hardcore, unforgiving tactical survival shooters out there. With all the different mechanics like the advanced healing system, wipes, Scav raids, and an in-depth armor and ammo system, things can get a bit overwhelming. That’s why we’ll dive into the main goal(s) of Escape From Tarkov today, dissecting a bunch of different reasons to play, what to look out for, and what to expect.
The main goal of Escape From Tarkov
Contrary to many other games, Escape From Tarkov doesn’t have one set goal to achieve throughout a wipe cycle. Instead, players get to determine their own path depending on their playstyle. While that’s obviously not a satisfying answer to your question, it is a quite freeing thought.
After half a dozen wipes, I still enjoy starting from nothing simply because I get to decide what my goals are for the next half a year. Here are some examples of what we consider the main goals of EFT:
Overall goal: Survive and escape
Looking at it from a raid-to-raid perspective, Escape From Tarkov is a simple game. You load up your character with as much gear as you want, choose a map, and start surviving. That’s the main goal of every raid, trying to get out in one piece.
But what you do in those raids can differ greatly, depending on what you’re trying to achieve.
What they don’t tell you: the GRIND
But underneath the survival gameplay loop, there’s a monster called grind. Escape From Tarkov features a whole slew of tedious quests, daily and weekly tasks, an XP level grind, and a bunch of items you need to acquire to progress through the traders.
While grinding is by no means a valid gameplay mechanic (unless it’s a skating game), it is something of a goal itself in Tarkov. Going through the motions of the early quests, finding that one item you need to upgrade a system in your Hideout, hunting that one last kill to complete a tedious task. It is the bread and butter of this game you’ll have to learn to enjoy if you want to progress.
Underlying addictive gameplay loop: Get filthy rich
Lots of cash! Not Photoshopped at allAs a general goal, I’d say money is what keeps you addicted to this game. Everything in EFT has a monetary value. Most items can also be bartered, sold on the player driven economy, or are required for quests. Getting as rich as possible is a constant drive for most players.
In turn, what you do with that cash could fill up an entire separate guide. You could upgrade the Hideout (a money sink with bonusses for your character). Alternatively you could spend it building the baddest, Chaddest guns. Or if you’re like me, you’ll hoard stuff and money to a point where you’d be eligible for a reality show, only to see it all evaporate with the next wipe.
Whatever the case, money is what keeps pulling you back in for sure.
Cliché: Just have fun
Then there’s another big goal in Escape From Tarkov: having fun. Just kidding, everyone knows how stressful and down right demoralizing this game can be. Still, it’s obviously the reason why you should be playing in the first place. 
EFT has it all. Survival mechanics to keep you sweating while completely dehydrated. An awesome gun building system for your gun porn addiction. And obviously there’s a bunch of players and AI to kill, which is probably the most fun part of the game.
So if all of the goals mentioned above aren’t for you, at least treat this game like a depressed, cocaine addicted version of Call of Duty on black market steroids. Build awesome guns, get in to loot some stuff, make some money, and kill as many players as you can. Trust me, it’s amazing.
Image credit: Battlestate Games