Escape from Tarkov Field Guide – Scav Mode

Introduction

Welcome back, Operators, to the eighth and final episode of the Escape from Tarkov Field Guide.
The last but not least mechanic on our list is the option to play as a scav.

While clicking through the main menu, you might have noticed that you can start a raid not only as your PMC (main character) but also as a scav—a local bandit with random equipment who is ready to bring whatever loot he finds into your stash for free.

While playing as a scav, it’s important to be familiar with certain rules and tricks—and today, we’ll talk about them. Let’s begin.

Playing as a Scav

As mentioned earlier, every 10 to 30 minutes, you can start a raid as a scav. This character has completely random gear—including weapons, armor (if any), and whatever junk they found beforehand.

You spawn into an ongoing raid when the main action is probably nearing its end. Time is most likely not on your side, and your looting window might be short—so you’ve got to be quick.

First, check out the stuff your scav already has. You might find something pretty good in your pockets, and if so, you can just run to the extract. However, things aren’t always that simple.

While playing as a scav, you have very different escape routes depending on the location you’re at. In some situations, you can leave through the standard PMC exits, but generally, scavs use their own beaten paths—after all, they’re the locals here.

The main advantage of playing as a scav is that if you successfully escape from the location, you can transfer all the loot to your stash without risking your main contractor’s gear.

The opportunities are endless:

• Finding household items needed for tasks
• Acquiring weapons and equipment
• Earning some quick cash
• And much more

There’s real treasure waiting to be discovered out there for those who aren’t quite ready to risk their PMC’s gear.

Of course, there are downsides—because this is Tarkov. Scavs cannot complete main tasks given by traders. Essentially, this random hobo works directly for you, not the traders. That means you can’t raise your standing with them—with the exception of Fence.

Fence Standing

Fence, when playing as a scav, is your ticket to success in the chaos-ridden city of Tarkov. However, he has a set of rules that are best followed if you want to cooperate with your fellow hobos and not be a loner.

First and foremost, there is an unspoken ceasefire between scavs—meaning they’re not going to shoot first. That’s why, if you have the audacity to kill your scav buddy, don’t expect any mercy. They’re all going to start shooting back.

Coincidentally, killing a traitor scav is seen as an honorable deed, and you’ll earn Fence’s respect for doing so.

Icing mercs that flood the city and interfere with local authority business is also highly appreciated.

Speaking of authority, you probably shouldn’t piss off the scav bosses—expect a serious penalty for doing so. But hey, who wouldn’t want a badass killer helmet, right? As long as you’ve got the guts to face the consequences.

Nevertheless, sometimes you can avoid bloodshed and use your PMC knowledge by trying to leave the location through co-op extracts. For some reason, Fence approves of such cooperation—even if that merc terminated your scav bros just a couple of hours ago. Risk it or not—it’s up to you.

You can also track how your standing has changed in the statistics window after the raid.

So what kind of goodies does Fence provide, and is it worth bending your back for them?

It’s worth it.

• High Fence standing gives you reduced scav raid cooldowns.
• Your scav’s gear is random, but with better standing, you might spawn with a good gun more often.
• Your scav backpack might also contain rare and valuable items.
• Hideout upgrades benefit too:
  • You can hire scavs to find items for cash or even moonshine.
  • The upgraded Intelligence Center reduces scav raid cooldowns even more.

Over time, Fence’s item prices start to look more reasonable—although still far from normal market value.

When your standing reaches six or higher, that’s where the fun begins.

In addition to selling weapons and items left by players during raids, the local bosses and their guards will no longer see you as hostile. This opens up some very interesting tactical opportunities—but note: this only works while playing as a scav.

There are more benefits, but the list is long. Let’s just say that earning reputation and standing with Fence is absolutely as important as with other traders.

Karma

Since we’ve talked about scav rep, it makes sense to also explain the so-called karma.

This is a hidden set of characteristics that defines your way of doing things in Tarkov. Your karma is judged by Jaeger’s lifelong friend—Partisan.

Whether he keeps a close eye on the entire Norvinsk region or treats everyone as an enemy is still unclear.

The main indicator of his presence on the map is a large number of tripwires in areas of interest for PMCs.

To meet him is sheer coincidence—although, if Partisan came for you purposefully, your fate is likely already sealed.

On the other hand, not every encounter leads to a gunfight. Partisan observes, studies habits, and seeks to purge Tarkov of an unseen threat known only to himself and his strange delusions.

Conclusion

This guide turned out to be quite lengthy, but now you know that playing as a scav is not only fun—it can also be extremely rewarding.

We hope this knowledge is useful to newcomers in their first—and often not-so-peaceful—raids.

Good luck out there.
And thank you for allowing me to be a part of your journey.

You can view full youtube guide here