Escape from Tarkov Labs Map Extraction Points & Best Loot Spots

Escape from Tarkov's The Lab provides loot, raiders, weapons, and excitement, turning the modern-day science lab into a battleground liberated by scavs and under attack by PMCs. Whether going in for a quick thrill or searching for life-changing loot, The Lab, also known as Labs, provides a series of exciting experiences and rewards -  if you survive. Unfortunately, Labs is yet to offer a scav boss, only filling the map with heavy-duty players and an abundance of raiders that are constantly hungry for blood and the thrill of taking your life from you, sending you back from the menus.

If you're unaware, "raiders" are AI players, essentially scavs that have significantly better loot and play to a much higher standard than the typical scav. If you've ever come across a scav boss such as Reshala on Customs, you would've come across raiders. Scavs with incredible load-outs obtain a much higher level of intelligence than the typical AI. Despite being an inconvenience to the normal player experience, these AI are mostly better than the typical PMC population on Escape from Tarkov - killing you relatively quickly and showing little empathy for your loss of loot. 

Regardless, within this The Lab Beginners guide, we're going to teach you how to run Labs like a level 60, reigning death on those that attempt to trespass against you. Teaching you the best extraction points, loot locations, and the best weapons to use within this map.

Where's the Best Loot on Labs in Escape from Tarkov

Labs has plenty of loot as you can see (click here for a larger loot map), ranging from incredibly high-value items such as LEDXs and Bitcoins to general weapons and attachments such as P90s and REAP-IR thermal scopes - if you're lucky. You can make an incredibly quick turnaround on this map, being in a raid for only a few minutes and leaving with a few million roubles worth of gear. Although, as I'm sure you're aware, to enter the map you must obtain the TerraGroup Labs access keycard (white) which can be found on the bodies of dead scavs, inside coat pockets, and sports bags or you have the option of purchasing one off the flea market  ₽175,000 or trading for one with Mechanic. 

As seen by the loot map, there are incredibly high-value items scattered around Labs, there is no singular place that doesn't obtain high-value loot. Regardless, we'll keep to our usual specifics and highlight the areas that contain the best loot - without keys. (click here for the location map)

As mentioned, it isn't particularly hard to find priceless loot around The Lab, it's just a matter of looking at shelves and exploring the small map. The risk comes at actually extracting, due to the 6-10 players lurking around which will be heavily geared, and the addition of several fully armed and armored raiders. 

What Keys Do I Need for Labs?

Unfortunately, Labs keys and keycards are incredibly expensive, having the most expensive lootable room on the game, costing you a key at ₽30,000,000+ unless you're lucky enough to find it on Shoreline or on the body of dead scav bosses. 

All keycards and other keys within the map are valued above ₽5,000,000 and honestly aren't worth the money in comparison to the rewards. By the time you receive your initial investment back, Escape from Tarkov would've already wiped. The probability of you making more than ₽5,000,000 successfully in Labs quickly is incredibly low from a beginner's standpoint. For now, focus on the loot that is already available to you and can grab without a keycard. Throughout my six years of playing Tarkov, I've only obtained one keycard, red, using it only a couple of times before reframing its use and going back to looting the already available map. Finally, I would highly recommend the purchase of a manager's office room key. 

Where Are Extraction Points on Labs in Escape from Tarkov

There are many extracts on Escape from Tarkov and thankfully that gives you the ability to choose the safest one based on judgment. Before going deeper, sewer extract will most likely always be your safest bet, throughout my experience with The Lab I've only died once when extracting through "Sewage Conduit." 

Here are all the extracts and requirements on The Labs:

As mentioned, try heading to the sewage conduit as it'll cause the least amount of fuss, if you really need to get out in a hurry and don't care about loot ventilation shaft will be the best option for you. 

The Best Weapons and Tactics for Labs in Escape from Tarkov

When going into The Lab you're going to want to bring in your best loadout, the one that's been sitting in your stash for the last three months because you "don't want to waste it" ironically enough. However, now is the time to put your level six armor, impact grenades and fully pimped M4 to the test within the playing grounds of The Lab.

Ensure your weapons have:

• Best ammo variant loaded 
• Close range/2X scope installed
• Lowest recoil possible 
• Lots of ammo, possibly extended magazines

The players in labs are going to rush you and attempt to make you uncomfortable, therefore you need stopping power and the ability to act under pressure. Regarding weapon specifics, as long as it's comfortable close range and has stopping power, you'll be fine. Anything that has a magazine of ten or fewer, you're going to really struggle to protect friends and yourself.

The grenades are both for scaring and killing enemies, often you will find yourself battling large groups of raiders and players simultaneously. Therefore, you're going to need the ability to disburse your enemies to make an escape or exchange suppressing fire in hopes you kill a couple of enemies. In terms of personal preference, I'd choose an M4 with M995 ammunition and 60-round magazines, call me basic but it gets me from A to B without a graze.

A final note - gear fear is going to get you killed, be courageous. 

For more Escape From Tarkov news, be sure to check out our dedicated section or take a look at some of our Guides & Tutorials just below: