Tripwires 101: A Complete Guide

Tripwires have been introduced to the substantial arsenal available to players in Escape from Tarkov with patch 0.15, bringing a whole new dynamic to engagements, both defensively and offensively. Tripwires are a balanced and interesting addition, offering players new tactical options for both offensive and defensive plays. Let's see how to obtain them and how they work.

First of all, to get your hands on tripwire installation kits, you'll need to complete a couple of quests for Jaeger: Rough Tarkov and Every Hunter Knows This.

(In case you don't have Jager available for quests and trades, you need to complete the "Introduction" quest from Mechanic).

Rough Tarkov

The first quest, "Rough Tarov", requires you to visit the heavily mined area on Woods and the location of the Claymore Mine on Ground Zero.

• On Woods, this involves heading to the USEC camp and getting close to the mined area on the north side.

  
  

• On Ground Zero, you need to go to the first floor of the Tarbank offices, down the long hallway, to the open office at the end where a claymore is located (don't enter the room, or you will be blown up by the claymore!).

Check the EFT Wiki page for more info, maps of the locations and screenshots for he quest "Rough Tarkov".

Every Hunter Knows This

The second quest you need to complete is "Every Hunter Knows This".

• It involves visiting a specific office on the third floor of Factory (the one where you kick the door open, part of CH Chemicals part two or three) and the first floor of three-story dorms on Customs (right by the stairwell).

Check the EFT Wiki page for more info, maps of the locations and screenshots for he quest "Every Hunter Knows This".

Acquiring Tripwires Installation Kits

After completing these two quests, tripwire installation kits will become available for purchase from Jaeger at loyalty level one. They cost just under 24,581₽ each, and you can buy four per reset.

Deploying Tripwires

Tripwires can be placed in your special slots or secure container to avoid losing them in case of death. Or you can carry them in your chest rig or bag (they don't need to be in the chest rig, pockets, or special slots to work), with a maximum of four you can carry per raid (I am not sure if you can place more simultaneously, in case you loot a tripwire installation kit from another player's body).

Tripwires installation kits do not operate independently; a grenade is required for them to function.

To set one up, you first select the desired grenade using the grenade selection menu (default key 'G' hold+mouse scroll) or a hotkey. Or just press 'G' if you only have one kind of grenade in your pockets. Then, with the grenade in hand, pressing the key used to switch fire mode with weapons (default key 'B') initiates the tripwire setup animation.

After the animation, an overlay for placing the trip mine appears on the ground, representing the non-grenade side. If it's green, you can place it there. If it's red, it means that's not a suitable location to place it.

The non-grenade side is placed first, followed by the grenade side.

There is a minimum and maximum length for the wire, and while the terrain doesn't need to be perfectly flat, if the non-grenade side is too high or low compared to the grenade side, you won't be able to place the tripwire.

Tripwires can also be set on top of objects, provided the elevation of both ends is relatively close.

When placing the tripwire, remember not to trap yourself.

Abort! Abort!

If you want to abort the tripwire placing, just press B again or switch to a weapon (it's faster to switch to a weapon because pressing B will perform a disassemble animation).

You won't lose either the tripwire installation kit or the grenade.

Duration

Once set, tripwires are not permanent and will disarm after 10 minutes, at which point the grenade will simply fall to the ground harmlessly and can be looted.

Disarming

If you encounter a tripwire, or need to remove your own, they can be disarmed in just over 10 seconds.

Disarming requires you to reach the grenade itself, not along the wire or the other stake.

When you're close enough, a 'Disarm' option will appear on your screen. Press and hold the interact button (default 'F') to disarm the tripwire.

A significant advantage is that having a multi-tool in your pockets or special slots reduces the disarm time to approximately 3 seconds.

Keep in mind that when you disarm a tripwire, only the grenade will be retrieved. The installation kit will be lost.

Which grenades to use

Any throwable grenade can be used with tripwires, including smokes, flashes, VOGs, and impact grenades.

When triggered, the grenade functions according to its own fuse timer. For example, VOG-25s have a 2-second fuse, while M67s have a 5-second fuse.

Interestingly, impact grenades, when used in a tripwire, will have their fuse converted to a 3.5-second safety fuse, as they don't actually impact anything. This makes impact grenades potentially one of the least effective choices for tripwires due to their small explosion radius and relatively long fuse in this context.

Triggering the Tripwire

Tripwires are triggered when someone or something touches the wire.

Importantly, they are actual visible in-game objects, not magical triggers like the mines in minefields.

This means they can be jumped over.

Vaulting over an object with a tripwire attached on top seems to not trigger it, but it might be a bug.

Equipment that is thrown, such as loot, bags, guns, helmets, or armor, will also trigger a tripwire if it hits the wire.

A more unconventional method of triggering them is by shooting the wire at close range.

From a distance, the wires appear very thick, resembling bars, due to the graphics rendering engine. This visual characteristic at a distance actually makes them visible and shootable from afar, potentially allowing you to detonate your traps if you see someone near them.

Shooting the grenade or the other stake will not trigger the tripwire; only the wire itself is sensitive.

The explosions of other grenades, including those from other tripwires, can set them off. But not flash grenades or smoke grenades.

Strategies and Usage

Concealment is paramount when deploying tripwires.

Placing them in grass or bushes makes them very difficult to see, especially during the day. Bushes also consistently slow down players, so this can be used to set an effective trap they can't run away from.

Dark areas and fast transition zones, such as stairs, can also be effective, though the grenade itself might stand out on stairs.

The placement of the stake holding the grenade is crucial; it needs to be positioned where the player is likely to be after triggering the wire. If someone is sprinting, they might outrun the grenade's blast radius.

One effective tactic is area denial. Placing a tripwire perpendicular to a door opening makes it virtually impossible to pass through without triggering it. By placing the stake in or just past the doorway and positioning the grenade far enough away that it cannot be reached to disarm, you can effectively block access.

Additionally, if the trapped individual is unaware, the grenade's standoff distance might still result in them running into the explosion.

Another strategy involves creating a large explosion field by using one tripwire to set off others in a chain reaction. With careful spacing, a single triggered tripwire can detonate multiple grenades, potentially catching fleeing targets or even trailing teammates.

It's worth noting that kills achieved with tripwires are not recorded specially; they appear as standard grenade kills, and therefore count towards grenade kill-related tasks, such as "Grenadeer".

Final Thoughts

Tripwires add a new layer of tactical depth to Escape from Tarkov, giving players creative ways to control the battlefield, secure areas, or simply cause chaos. Whether you use them for area denial, setting deadly ambushes, or just making unsuspecting players regret their life choices, tripwires reward careful placement and strategic thinking.

With a bit of practice, they can become a powerful tool in your arsenal—just remember that patience and positioning matter as much as firepower. They may not be foolproof, and skilled players can outmaneuver them, but when placed correctly, tripwires can turn the tide of a fight before it even begins.

Deploying tripwires in Tarkov isn’t just effective—it’s downright evil. And if there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that Nikita is watching… and he’s definitely proud of you!

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