Escape From Tarkov: 7 Best Early-Wipe Loot Locations

Highlights

• Loot priority changes early-wipe, seek tasks and hideout items over profit, plan accordingly for efficient progress.
• Maps like Woods, Reserve, Shoreline offer unique tasks and loot opportunities, prioritize objectives over PvP in dangerous areas.
• Specific locations like Scav Town, Goshan Food Shelves, FoB contain valuable loot spawns for tasks progression.

One of Escape From Tarkov‘s defining features is its vast and intricate maps, each containing a plethora of locations that contain an array of loot. Specific locations often have a series of loose loot spawns and containers that have their own loot pool.

Early-wipe in Escape From Tarkov is unique in the sense that loot priority is different. Players will seek out tasks and hideout items rather than those that will net a lot of profit. As such, the locations that players loot will often be different, with a higher focus on areas that spawn the sought-after task or hideout items. Players should have an idea of which locations spawn these items if they intend to progress their tasks efficiently and get ahead early in the wipe.

7 Scav Town

Woods

Location Details:

Woods is one of the first maps players are likely to play each wipe as it houses many of the earlier tasks. It is vast, and thus it is often easy to avoid players and extract from. This makes Woods the ideal map to locate any task or hideout items that are of note, as players stand a good chance of escaping unscathed.

One of the best locations for food spawns on Woods is the scav town. This is a collection of houses, often guarded by a couple of scavs (a bonus if they are needed for tasks). Each house has an array of loose loot spawns, often technical. Not to mention the couple of duffle bags that can be located there too. However, the best house is colloquially known as the food house. This house, on the left closest to the extract (another benefit of scav town), contains a massive amount of loose food spawns, all of which can serve to aid players in their pursuit of the items needed for the task ‘Acquaintance’.

6 Crackhouse

Customs

Location Details:

Customs is likely the second map players will play in a wipe, containing several early tasks that see players collecting items and navigating multiple areas of the map. Customs can often be somewhat dangerous, as its three-lane structure often promotes PvP. It is important that players know the best locations to collect their items on the way to completing other tasks, allowing them to efficiently progress past the map.

The best medical loot spawns on Customs are located within the crackhouse. This building contains a couple of assorted containers, as well as a stack of filing cabinets, but most notably, crackhouse houses multiple loose medical spawns. Players can find the Salewa’s needed for ‘Shortage’ as well as CMS kits for personal use until they unlock the flea market. Not to mention the potential for any other medical spawn in either of the two medical rooms. Players also have the chance to find intelligence folders in the library.

5 White And Black Knight

Reserve

Location Details:

• Medium Risk
• 2-6 Scav Spawns

Reserve is an interesting map, containing a series of labeled chess piece buildings, as well as an underground level. Late-wipe, players are likely to only loot the underground bunker for killing raiders, and pawn buildings due to their high number of locked rooms and the potential to spawn the map boss, Glukhar.

Early-wipe, however, both the black and white knight buildings, located in the center of the map, offer the best options for relevant looting. These two buildings are close to each other and contain an array of filing cabinets as well as technical spawns. These filing cabinets are especially notable as they can provide players with gas analyzers for the task ‘Sanitary Standards’, flash drives for ‘What’s On The Flash Drive?’, and a number of hideout items. This location is especially good as if players opt to enter the raid without a backpack, they can extract via the nearby Sewer Manhole extract.

4 Scav Farm

Shoreline

Location Details:

Shoreline is one of the earlier maps in a player’s wipe. However, it is likely that players will not venture into Shoreline until their initial task lines are completed. Players often find themselves first entering Shoreline when they are on the ‘Punisher’ task line for Prapor. These tasks require a lot of scav kills on Shoreline, so players will have to get comfortable playing this map.

Luckily, the location in question, the scav farm, has an array of useful loot as well as multiple scav spawns. This location is ideal for early-wipe money-making, containing assorted loose loot, technical crates, tech spawns, medical crates, food crates, and jackets. The huge upside to this location is not just the loot spawn, but is within its proximity to a vehicle extract, allowing for a convenient getaway and an increase in scav karma.

3 USEC Camp

Woods

Location Details:

• Medium Risk
• 0 Scav Spawns

As aforementioned, Woods is a map in which players will find themselves completing multiple early-wipe quests. One of the quests on Woods, ‘Search Mission’, requires players to locate a convoy as well as this USEC camp. As a result, this location may not be the safest to venture to, be it at the risk of combat or due to the minefield just outside the camp. However, if players decide to loot the camp, their courage is likely to be rewarded.

The USEC camp contains multiple weapon crate spawns, as well as loose attachment spawns. These are likely to sell for a decent amount, be useful for a personal weapon build, or aid players in their completion of the ‘Gunsmith’ tasks. The camp also contains a couple of food and technical crates, as well as loose food spawns. These can help players with ‘Acquaintance’ or with hideout progression. Players can also find loose valuable spawns by the sleeping bags. These include gold chains, horse statues, cat statues, lion statues, vases, and teapots. The most lucrative spot at the USEC camp is the medical tent, which not only contains medical items needed for early tasks but could also spawn ophthalmoscopes and LedX’s.

2 Goshan Food Shelves

Interchange

Location Details:

• High Risk
• 2-4 Scav Spawns

Interchange is likely to be one of the more risky maps in regard to PvP, containing a lot of valuable loot locations that players are likely to fight over. This risk, however, comes with the reward of task progression.

One of the most useful spots in Interchange is at the back of one of the three large stores, Goshan. Here, players will find multiple shelves and freezers, all of which can and will spawn an assortment of food items. This is likely the best location for players to find food spawns, and players can be sure to complete ‘Acquaintance’ in just a few trips to these shelves. Players can then leave through the back of Goshan to make their way to the nearest extract and avoid going through the mall.

1 Forward Operating Base (FoB)

Woods

Location Details:

• High Risk
• 3-5 Scav Spawns

Whilst Woods is often a quiet map, with plenty of chances to avoid PvP, there are a few locations that attract players. Throughout the wipe, players will flock to the sawmill to check the keycard spawns and hopefully fight the map boss, Shturman. However, early-wipe, players tend to center on the FoB in hopes of progressing their tasks. This makes the FoB another risky but rewarding location.

Players focus on the FoB due to the high chance of finding items required for two early tasks. These are the food items for ‘Acquaintance’ and medical items for ‘Shortage’. The FoB contains a series of food and medical crates, as well as a medical tent that has loose medical spawns. On the other side of the FoB is a medical shelf and two further medical cargo containers, all of which can spawn loose medical items. There is also the chance for technical crates to spawn, allowing players the chance to obtain hideout items. In the upper level of the FoB, there are weapon crates that can spawn weapons or attachments.