Escape from Tarkov suffers from what many hardcore titles tend to: an overwhelming number of key bindings that can take some time to get used to. At worst, a poor key bind set-up can cause players to freeze during critical gameplay moments, resulting in an unfortunate death in a fight that you would otherwise win easily. Here are the three best key bind layouts for Escape from Tarkov to ensure you can get out with your loot and life intact.
What is the best Escape for Tarkov keybinds for advanced players?
Escape from Tarkov offers four different keypress types that can trigger actions:
- Press – Executes the command once the key is pressed.
- Double Click – Executes the bound command after registering two presses, within a timeframe set by the user (up to a full second).
- Continuous – the action is executed as long as the bound key is pressed.
- Release – Executes the bound action once a key is no longer pressed.
Standard keybinds – Escape for Tarkov
- Positive
- Ideal if you play multiple FPS games, including Escape From Tarkov.
- Easy bindings to pick up and master.
- Fast set-up time.
- Avoid the ALT key with Left Shift to keep keypresses organized.
- Negative
- Pinkie exhaustion over extended play sessions due to Context Shifting.
Keyboard layout divided by function:
- Gray denotes movement keys.
- Green denotes context shifting keys.
- Red denotes combat keys.
- Blue denotes personal keys for inventory management and the like.
This layout mostly mirrors standard FPS keys. It is easily adaptable for players of multiple games in that it uses common commands for movement, reloads, and the like. An important note is that we’ve removed the usage of Left ALT due to tendencies to tie fingers, substituting Left Shift in its stead while we control running with Caps.
Advanced keybinds – Escape for Tarkov
- Positive
- Ideal if your primary FPS title is Escape From Tarkov.
- Greater available clustering range due to movement key rebinds.
- Negative
- Requires relearning muscle memory.
- Can be confusing if other FPS titles are frequented.
- Pinkie exhaustion over extended play sessions due to Context Shifting.
The advanced layout noted here can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there are far more keys available for binding without using context shifts. However, this comes with a price, as players will still benefit from context shifting, which the pinkie can naturally pick-up depending on hand size.
Mouse Shifting — Escape for Tarkov keybinds
- Positive
- Players retain full movement and accuracy regardless of context.
- Simple to learn with standardized controls.
- Negative
- Reliant on mouse hardware options.
Many modern gaming mice have additional buttons that can be pressed with the thumb; this layout takes full advantage of these buttons, presuming players have at least two additional buttons (Mouse3 and Mouse4). While hardware dependent, this layout allows players to retain full movement and accuracy of their characters, regardless of situational context.
