Last Updated on by Samuel Franklin
Tarkov How To Level Sniper Rifles Skill
Understanding how to level up the sniper rifles skill in Tarkov efficiently with these fastest methods is vital to completing several key quests in your PMC progression. The sniper skill in Escape From Tarkov is one of the most demanding on players requiring level 8 (and at one time level 9) for your PMC if wish to earn the ultimate Kappa Secure Container and one that can often catch players off guard in their progression pathway as you need to use these weapons to acquire skill points and they aren’t commonly used in the Tarkov gun meta. If you’ve noticed popular streamers and content creators using this weapon type early on with the goal to reach level 3 its these quest requirements detailed below driving that decision.
Given sniper rifles are rarely used in the current Tarkov meta outside of a few specific quest lines this proves to often be a stopping point for players in their PMC quest progression. Despite the high bar required though there are a number of techniques you can employ to earn the necessary levels and in a rewarding way while still playing the core experience and not overly relying on cheesing mechanics or boring methods for skill levelling.
Unlike physical and practical skills in Tarkov combat skills are tied to specific weapons and thus have no method to boost experience gained. As with other Tarkov skills though it is important to be aware of the skill exhaustion mechanic which limits the amount of progression you can gain per raid.
What is Sniper Rifles Skill Needed For in Tarkov?
As noted above the skill is pivotal as it is required for the following quests:
- Level 3 for the Tarkov Shooter Part 4
- Level 7 for Wet Job Part 6
- Level 8 for the quest Psycho Sniper
Note that all of these quests are required to unlock The Collector quest which leaves many in the Tarkov community hunting for the fastest way to level sniper rifles. Tarkov Shooter Part 4 can be a particularly painful early progression road block as there are a large number of quests after this that players need to unlock and complete. In comparison Wet Job and Psycho Sniper are near the end of Tarkov progression and their respective questlines and don’t have many quests locked behind them.
With this in mind players may wish to use some of the sniper rifles levelling tips at the end of this article early on and scatter them amongst your normal raids to so you don’t have to run dozens of raids back to back later that are solely focused on rifles. This is particularly a good option if you aren’t a fan of using this weapon type or the maps where these weapons thrive (Woods and Shoreline).
Benefits of Sniper Rifles Skill in Tarkov
The skill provides similar benefits to other weapon combat skills with the following PMC benefits that only apply when using that weapon type:
- Reduces weapon recoil
- Increases reload speed
- Increases weapon switching speed
- Doubles weapon mastering gain (Elite)
In EFT sniper weapons are classed as any of the bolt action rifle weapons available. This list includes popular weapons like the DVL-10, M700, Mosin variants and SV-98 amongst others. Note that there is currently no unique Tarkov sniper rifle ammo with the ammunition for these guns also used by other weapon classes like designated marksman rifles (DMR) so it comes down to the weapon equipped for the skill benefits and not the ammo.
This means that the majority of the buffs provided by this skill are actually quite useless with the sole purpose of levelling the sniper rifles skill relegated to quest progression only.
Reducing weapon recoil for example is completely useless when it comes to bolt action rifles as the time between shots means there is no effective recoil. Similarly reload speed with these weapons is rarely a contributing factor to your survival in your PMC raids. Weapon switching speed is slightly more useful though allowing you to pull out your long ranged rifle quickly for a long range shot if you are using a secondary weapon like a pistol although is hardly a game breaking benefit.
How to Level up Sniper Rifles Skill in Tarkov
Earning skill points comes down to using bolt action rifles and performing the following actions:
- Hitting enemies
- Reloading
With this in mind there are a number of sniper rifles skill levelling guides in the community that suggest taking a Mosin and finding a quiet corner of Shoreline or Woods to reload the weapon constantly with the cheapest available ammunition (usually T-46M). This works because every time you reload the Mosin it releases a bullet from the chamber allowing you to reload endlessly with as much ammo as you can carry.
While this can work it can be a painful and boring process for players to use and at the end of the day is a skill cheese that is not an intended part of the core Tarkov experience and also does nothing for your PMC account progression otherwise.
Personally, I find the best way to level sniper skills in Tarkov is to bring my preferred bolt action rifle into a night time loot raid. While I still focus on Woods and Shoreline to get a quiet Tarkov server I’ll also hit the Scav hot spots and shoot them in the arms or legs several times as each hit is giving weapon experience points rather than going for a headshot straight away to optimise total points gained. This works particularly well at night time as Scav vision is significantly impaired which makes it possible to hit them multiple times with little risk to your own PMC health. Doing raids like this early in your progress can also net a significant amount of PMC experience and important loot for Roubles. Those looking to further optimise these raids can also layer it with other skill levelling activities like metabolism from acquired loot and the various ground stashes on both of these maps.
Players can also consider working in some bolt action gameplay into their lower gear raid to make Roubles or during other quests such as the VPO-215 that can be obtained often from Scavs or your own Scav raids regularly. This is particularly effective for the early quests that require players to kill large amount of Scavs on particular maps.
Players can also earn skill points in sniper rifles by completing the following quests:
- A Shooter Born In Heaven (SBIH) (+1 level)
- Tarkov Shooter Part 8 (+1 level)
- Mentor (+3 levels)
Given each subsequent level of the sniper rifles skill requires more experience points than the last these quests should only be handed in after players reach at least level 3 through the methods above or passive gameplay. This ensures the last 5 levels of the skill (to complete Pyscho Sniper) which require the most experience points can be gained in the most efficient manner and significantly cuts down on the effort required in your skill levelling journey.
If you want to learn more about levelling skills in Tarkov visit our other guides on endurance, strength, vitality, search, attention, health, metabolism and stress resistance.
