Escape from Tarkov Weapon Modding Guide for Newbies

When you have played a few dozen hours of Escape from Tarkov, one thing becomes easily clear: nothing about this game ever comes simply. The nitty-gritty of armor, for instance, can easily take up hours of learning and you’d probably still have more to study about afterwards. The same goes with the learning curve of weapons where you have scores of guns to choose from, and even more types of ammo. But there’s another game concept that requires a bit of patience and understanding: Escape from Tarkov weapon modding.

Why weapon modding in Escape from Tarkov matters

Not all guns in EFT are equal. Examine your weapon in game and you will see that it has several stats, all of which provide a general picture of your gun’s utility, efficiency, and overall ease of use. We’ll provide a bit of info on the stats below:

• Accuracy – Pretty self-explanatory. It is a stat that defines how close you hit your shots wherever you aim it.
• Ergonomics – With the case of ergonomics, it’s primarily about the handling of guns. Higher values in this stat means that you can do all the gun-related things you can do faster. Aiming down sights (ADS), reloading, and even switching to your other weapon are all covered.
• Muzzle velocity – This stat goes hand in hand with accuracy. It influences how fast you hit your shots as well as how accurate they are.
• Sighting range – For this one, what it covers is how far you can zoom your vision when ADS-ing.
• Recoil – And finally, recoil is about the sway and bounce of your gun whenever you shoot with it. The lower recoil you have in your gun, the more accurate it is in a general sense.

Mods influence and change these stats so that you can make your gun better, whether it’s with aiming and shooting or just general handling and convenience. Different types of mods influence one or more of these stats. Take grips, for example, which bring down recoil values and improve ergonomics. Stocks do pretty much the same thing. Sights, as the name suggests, affects both accuracy and sighting range.

There can also be drawbacks depending on the mods that you use. For stealthy players, suppressors come in handy as these reduce the noise your shots generate. The cost of this, however, is lower muzzle velocity.

In essence, what’s important here is that you find your ideal combination of mods that suit your playstyle and make your weapons more deadly. Doing so will help you survive for longer and obtain much better loot in the long run.

Quick guide to mod types and their uses

Generally, there are three types of equipment for weapon modding in EFT. You have the vital parts, the functional mods, and the gear mods. Each of these types has its own set of further subcategories, which include, for example, muzzle devices and sights for functional mods. If you’d look at all the EFT weapon mods in a list, it can understandably get quite overwhelming.

Let’s start with the most important: vital parts. The name says it all, as some guns cannot function without these crucial mods. Barrels, handguards, receivers and slides, gas tube blocks, and pistol grips all fall under vital parts. These are more essential and tend to not have much sway over weapon stats.

Next, we have functional mods, which generally make your weapon more useful. An example would be flashlights that provide extra visibility when playing in darker areas. You can also get laser target pointers for better accuracy or muzzle devices to speed up your shots. Foregrips and sights also fall under this category. Most typically, functional mods influence ergonomics and accuracy.

Those that weren’t mentioned fall under gear mods. These are more varied in what they can do, and you’ll have to read closely what each mod does for your gun. Mounts are a popular gear mod that let you add in other mods to your weapon. Select weapons like snipers, assault rifles (ARs), and machine guns may need a mount for them to be able to hold a sights mod. Stocks and chassis, charging handles, magazines, and grenade launchers are all gear mods.

Where and how can you get weapon mods?

Two ways: trades or raids.

Trading is perhaps the simplest way to handle all your EFT weapon modding needs. Level up your shopkeepers such as Peacekeeper and Skier to a certain degree and they will sell you mods. You can also look at the flea market for available mods you can purchase. Be financially prepared, though. Most do cost a good amount of roubles if you’re aiming for a fully kitted gun.

Raids are also a decent way of obtaining mods, though you don’t really have a say of what exact mod you’ll get per run. Weapon boxes in particular have a higher chance of having mods, but as you probably know, you’ll need to be quick on your fingers or blessed by RNG for this. Or, loot mods from dead players. That also works.

General tips on Escape from Tarkov weapon modding

It pays to research beforehand any mods that you’re interested in buying. Modding isn’t always cheap so you better come in prepared. For compatibility, you can examine EFT items and check which can work or not. There’s a pop-up window with the line “Compatible with Available.” Move your cursor to the arrow on the side and it will show which guns can make use of the mod.

Do keep in mind that some mods may affect certain stats negatively in exchange for a specific perk or function. Keep that in mind and decide if it’s worth the compromise picking up that particular mod.

If you’re a bit lost on what builds you can try, check out the more expensive weapon builds on offer at the flea market. You can examine these guns and see what mods they have equipped and use that as your starting point. Certain websites also allow you to do mock builds of modded weapons. Might be worth a look for those in need of a bit clearer direction.

Final Note

On a final note, there’s nothing really clear-cut about weapon modding. Feel free to explore on your own and find the setup that feels just right for you. Balance all the factors accordingly and you’ll do well with your gun of choice.