Escape from Tarkov can be brutal and punishing. When most players learn the game, it can take hundreds of hours to feel comfortable on just one or two maps. This can make questing quite difficult and certain hotspots rather intimidating. In this article I am going to go over the tactics for PvP in one of the more confined locations of Tarkov, Dorms. My goal is to give you an idea of how to think about PvP and how to approach learning any hotspot in Tarkov.

What is Dorms?

Many of the early game quests are located or have some connection to Dorms. With the right keys it can also be an effective place to farm loot at all points of the wipe. Due to its close range environment it is also a useful place to fight for PMC kills needed for the shotgun quest Setup. Dorms’ PvP exemplifies some of the more frustrating portions of Tarkov, which makes it a great place to learn how to PvP.

Defensive Positions

We’ll start with playing defensive as Tarkov’s mechanics make defensive gameplay feel more natural. Good defensive positions in Tarkov have essential criteria and preferred criteria. The essential criteria would be a right hand angle, enough length to not be barrel stuffed, and a safe escape route. By having these elements a defensive position allows a player to maintain agency over the engagement via quick peeking, grenading from safety, and safety from grenades. The preferred criteria would include being able to take the engagement from a crouched position and added distance between you and the wall you are peeking from. The picture below is of a defensive position on the second floor of the three-story Dorms.

This spot is effective for peeking all the way to the end of the hallway for metal stairs. For peeking middle stairs, which are on the other side of the blue locker, I would recommend being in front of the pillar and black chair as it is a more advantageous angle for quick peeking (a technique I’ll cover shortly). However, players at the end of the hall are often so disadvantaged that they won’t be able to reposition without throwing a grenade. The pillar offers strong cover from incoming grenades which allows you to hold the angle and not lose sight of your opponent if they choose to reposition. You can have a great deal of fun coming up with favorite positions to hold in Tarkov. Once you have multiple choices in a concentrated area like Dorms, you will find yourself more comfortable playing with patience and strategy.

Crouching

Accuracy and stability is significantly improved while crouched. It’s a good idea to try to take most committed sprays from a crouched position. This matters most at range and should be utilized down the hallway in Dorms. If, however, crouching would compromise your ability to move to safety against multiple targets, it shouldn’t be used.

So far, I have mostly covered how to play Dorms defensively. I would argue it is one of the hardest locations in the game to attack a defending player. With that in mind, these are the priorities I would recommend you think about to gain advantages when you “chad out”.

I would recommend using Escape From Tarkov’s Arena to practice an aggressive playstyle. It’s not required but it is effective and has the added bonus of progression through the Ref Questline. The maps are quite small, which makes perfecting the mechanics I am about to go over much easier.

Netcode

Tarkov’s netcode is easily exploited. Its primary flaw is an astounding amount of desync. If you’ve ever seen footage of two streamers fighting each other, it becomes pretty obvious how extreme the difference in POVs can be. This creates a severe peeker’s advantage that scales with ping. Some very aggressive players even choose to play on higher ping to maximize this advantage. This is a double-edged sword, as it will disadvantage you if you take defensive positions. Personally, I like playing on low ping as it offers a good balanced performance for both offensive and defensive actions.

Right Hand Peeking

Tarkov’s point of view is set as right-handed. To simplify, this means that when peeking an angle on your character's right, you will see more around the corner with less of your body exposed than if you peek an angle on your left side. In a game where combat can often be decided by a single bullet, it is important to build a habit of peeking right-handed angles. I would also note that it is safer to throw grenades by leaning from a right-handed angle. You are exposed less and it is easier to judge the trajectory the grenade will travel.

Gathering Information

Gathering information is crucial in Escape from Tarkov. Typically I would advise that players focus heavily on sound as it is the safest way to gather info. Unfortunately, Tarkov’s sound is not always reliable, particularly indoors, and even more particularly when it comes to sound that scales different floors. Years ago, A & D spamming was a useful way to gain information similar to Counter Strike. After the addition of inertia, this strategy is more likely to get you killed than gain any meaningful information. Fortunately, Tarkov has a free look mechanic which can be paired with sprinting forward between rooms. This makes it very hard for your opponent to hit you.

Quick Peeking

Returning again to abusing netcode, quick peeking allows a player to utilize the lean peek in a way that provides a few frames to fire down an angle with minimal risk of taking fire. If done perfectly, your opponent will not even see your character model.

Pre-Fires

Pre-firing is an important skill in any FPS game. If you combine the skills of gathering information, quick peeking, and pre-firing, you become an angle-holder's worst nightmare.

Flashlights

Flashlights are a useful tool for obscuring your opponents vision. They are particularly powerful in corridors where the light can cover an entire character model. It’s important to turn off volumetric lighting in the settings to have a clear POV while using flashlights. The most effective flashlights do change as the game is updated. If this article is more than a few months old, it’s a good idea to research the flashlight meta that is current.

Custom Keybindings

Tarkov has a lot of available controls. This allows for significant creativity. While retraining the brain is not for everyone, I do recommend that players who want to be aggressive change their keybinds. The reason changing your keybinds can have a positive impact on your gameplay is that it allows you to always maintain natural access to WASD. If you utilize the default keys for leaning Q and E you will lose access to WASD for brief periods while performing a lean. By switching your lean keys to B and V or to the side buttons of your mouse you can perform leans while having full control over strafing and a rapid change in direction.

Reposition Tricks

One of my favorite parts of Dorm combat is the opportunity to knowledge check your opponent. Tarkov’s embracement of verticality is a marvel because of the creativity it allows a player to exploit in combat. The fallback is that sound is not always the clearest when a player crosses vertical levels rapidly. This means that climbing or falling from a position will likely disorientate an opponent. Dorms can be especially fun if you utilize the various windows and jump spots to change into an unsuspecting position with few sound queues. My personal favorite would be jumping from the third floor roof onto the metal stairs that run parallel to car extract. This can be a very useful way to flank a player holding elbow on the second floor of the three-story Dorms. It does work best if you have a teammate distracting with prefires down the second floor hallway. You can also use longer fuse grenades like the M67 to disrupt your opponents sound and make them less likely to be aware of the timing of your reposition.

Conclusion

Escape from Tarkov is the most adrenaline inducing game I’ve ever played. As an avid FPS player for over a decade, I never thought an FPS game could stump me anymore. Escape from Tarkov definitely challenged me to the point I had to learn it with intention. These are the core concepts I use to develop a mastery of PvP in Tarkov. I hope they were helpful and can support your style of play. As for my last bit of advice; try to PvP with your favorite or best kit. By testing your limits in your best gear, you will grow quicker. Enjoy the wipe!