Here's how you extract in Escape From Tarkov

Here's how you extract in Escape From Tarkov
Images via Battlestate Games

Written by 

Harry Boulton

Published 

24th Aug 2022 11:23

Escape From Tarkov presents players with the goal not of being the last alive, but to simply get out of the raid that they enter, but it can be quite difficult to actually figure out how to do that at first. So here's a rundown about extraction in the game.

How to extract

In simple terms, to extract in Escape From Tarkov all you need to do is head to a designated extraction point, and stand there for a short period of time - most likely around five seconds. 

The tricky part is actually finding these extract points though, as you are given little more than a simple name, and then you are left to roam an exceedingly large map in search of a few singular areas. 

Escape From Tarkov how to extract
Click to enlarge

This forces players not only to learn what each extract looks like and its location, but also the general layout of the whole map, as they will almost always have to move across the entire zone in order to reach their extract.

Most extracts require you to simply reach a point and stand at it, but there are a fair amount of extracts that have specific conditions that must be met. Vehicle extracts (or V-EX) require you to hand over a certain amount of Roubles, and then wait for a minute until the car finally leaves. Armoured Trains on the other hand only arrive late on in the raid, and have a set time for leaving which you must be on it by.

Finally, not all extracts are open at all times, with some only being single-use, so if you're not there first you will have to look elsewhere. The additional tricky part of this feature is that the game often doesn't tell you when an extract is up, so you'll have to either use environmental clues like if a flare is no longer lit, or just go up to the extract to see.

How to tell what your extracts are

All you need to do to find out what your extract points are in Escape From Tarkov is double-tap the 'O' key, which will show you both the time left in the raid, and your available extracts. 

Escape From Tarkov how to extract list
Click to enlarge

The general rule of thumb is that your extract points will always be on the opposite side of the map to where you spawned, but there are some that are always available, or found at the mid-way point. You can use this information to build your map knowledge and give you an idea of which way you need to head to reach a specific location.

How to know when you are at an extract

When you reach an extract point, a box should pop up in the top-right of the screen which will show the extract you are at, and how long you have to wait until you are extracted.

If you're stuck wondering what to look out for in an extract though, there are some general consistencies between the maps. 

Escape From Tarkov how to extract find
Click to enlarge

Anything with 'ZB' in the name is going to be a bunker, which will either have an obvious bunker-like exterior like those on the Escape From Tarkov Customs map or be a staircase down in the ground that can be spotted through a green flare.

Checkpoints will be usually found at the end of a long road in the corner of a map, but otherwise, most extracts will pretty much look like how they are described.

Harry Boulton
About the author
Harry Boulton
Harry is a Guides Writer at GGRecon, having completed a Masters of Research degree in Film Studies. Previously a freelance writer for PCGamesN, The Loadout, and Red Bull Gaming, he loves playing a wide variety of games from the Souls series to JRPGs, Counter-Strike, and EA FC. When not playing or writing about games and hardware, you're likely to find him watching football or listening to Madonna and Kate Bush.
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