Escape from Tarkov gives new players plenty to learn before they can feel comfortable in a raid. Two easy-to-miss checks concern cover around the Icebreaker ship and the volumetric lighting setting used for smoke tactics.
A player’s advice points to a dangerous cover spot beside the ship’s outside entry doors. Windows sit next to those doors, and AI fire can pass through them. Taking cover on that side of an entrance may leave a player exposed even when the position looks protected.
[New Player] Icebreaker stuff the guides didn't tell me.
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Watch the windows beside Icebreaker’s entry doors
When approaching an outside entry door, avoid assuming the nearby window will block incoming fire. Check both sides of the entrance before settling into cover, especially if AI enemies are in the area. The warning comes from one player’s experience, so it is best treated as a practical precaution rather than a confirmed universal rule.
Check volumetric lighting on Shoreline
The second tip concerns “smoke cheeses.” Volumetric lighting needs to be turned on for those tactics to work, and the setting should be checked on the Shoreline dock before transit.
Graphics changes only take effect on the next raid, which makes the timing important. Tarkov can also revert graphics settings during the same play session, so checking the option every time is safer than assuming the previous setting survived.
Neither check takes long, but both can prevent a frustrating surprise before the raid properly gets going. Until the behavior is confirmed more broadly, use them as part of a quick pre-raid routine.
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Escape from Tarkov
Developed by Battlestate Games
