Weapons Guide - Escape From Tarkov Guide - IGN (2024)

Weapons come in various shapes and sizes in Escape from Tarkov. They are one of the main pieces of equipment that you’ll be looking for and trying not to lose in a Raid. However, in a game so complex as this one, it might take some time to know everything you need about them.

This IGN guide will try to answer all the questions you might have. It will include all the basic knowledge you’ll need on the battlefield.

Below, you can find quick links to the section you're looking for:

• Types of Weapons
• How To Get Weapons
• How to Customize Weapons
• How to Insurance Your Equipment

Types of Weapons

There are five main types of weapons in Escape from Tarkov. They are the following: primary, secondary, stationary, melee, and throwable weapons. At the same time, these types are usually divided into multiple subtypes.

Primary weapons have the most variety of guns since this is the type of equipment you will be using the most. Here you can find assault rifles, carbines, light machine guns, submachine guns, shotguns, marksman rifles, sniper rifles, and grenade launchers.

The rest of the classes have more limited options. Secondary weapon is the label for your pistols and revolvers. Stationary guns are the heavy machine guns and automatic grenade launchers that you can find in specific locations in some maps, while melee weapons are knives, axes, and other similar sharp weapons.

Lastly, throwable weapons are the different kinds of grenades that you can use in a battle. There are fragmentation, stun, and smoke grenades.

Weapons won’t only be different in the type of ammo they use or if they are automatic or single fire. They also have different values on the following stats: weight, recoil, the max distance at which they are effective, ergonomics, accuracy, rate of fire, muzzle velocity, and turn speed.

How To Get Weapons

Fortunately, being an important resource as they are, you can find weapons in a couple of ways while playing the game. The most basic one is looting the corpses of fallen soldiers (both PMC and Scavs), which most likely have a gun if you aren’t too late. You can also loot military boxes that often contain a randomly generated gun.

The second most popular option (or the first one once you have a good amount of cash) is to visit your Traders and the Flea Market. Some NPCs always have a good amount of weapons on sale, waiting for your in-game currency. Fence is one of these, and he’ll have quite some guns.

In the Flea Market, you can always check most of the weapons in the game and look for a player selling them. The prices might vary, but you’ll usually find a good offer that reflects the tier of the gun and its special features. However, please note that you can't trade with other players until you reach level 15 on your account.

A third option has to do with completing quests. It depends on the mission itself, but after accepting a quest from any of the Traders in the game, you’ll be able to check what rewards that quest will get you. Some of them will earn you different types of weapons.

For further info about tasks, please check our Quests Guide.

How to Customize Weapons

As you go out in Raids and loot items, you’ll notice that you can get weapon parts pretty often. You can even install those parts into your current guns right away — as long as they are compatible and that specific slot is free.

To customize your weapon while in a raid or while checking your personal stash, you just need to drag the part to the weapon. If it’s incompatible, the weapon will be highlighted in red and a small window will tell you that the installation can’t be made. But if the part is compatible, it will be added instantly and ready to use in battle.

There is another option that lets you customize your weapon in a more complete way while you’re not in a Raid. This is the “Presets” tab in the main menu. However, you’ll have to unlock this feature before being able to use it.

To do so, you have to unlock it by building the Workbench module in the Hideout. You’ll need 2 bolts, 2 screw nuts, and 1 Leatherman Multitool.

For more information about your personal base and the rest of the available modules, please visit our Hideout Guide.

How to Insurance Your Equipment

Escape from Tarkov is a hardcore experience in which you’ll lose all your equipment every time you die in a Raid. This includes everything you carry, like your armor, bags, rigs, and of course, your weapons.

However, there’s a feature that can ease your suffering and frustration a bit. Before jumping into a Raid as a PMC, you have the chance to get insurance for any part of your equipment. Prapor and the Therapist will insure them for a price.

If you die while fighting, there’s a chance that the NPC you chose will get your equipment back several hours later. For this to succeed, enemy players must not steal your equipment.