Summary
Escape From Tarkov: Arena is the standalone competitive shooter from Battlestate Games, the creators of EFT. There are 2v2, 3v3, and 5v5 game modes with a ton of exciting PVP action. The Tarkov DNA is still dominant here, but this is a new game with a lot of influence from other titles.
There are classes and presets. Each will heavily impact your experience and change the way you play Arena. You’ll begin with 16 presets available, one half from the initial rank (Arena Rating) and the other from the classes. Some of them are considerably better than others and will get you quite a bit of an advantage against your initial opposition.
The criteria for this list are two-fold: how effective presets are in-game, and how they’ll develop in the future. That means that Rating presets lose a few points because, unlike class presets, their progression will take a lot longer to pay off. You will progress in unlocking new class presets even when you lose, which just isn’t the case for Rating ones.
8Attic
Attic is a very decent preset. You’ll see it in the CQB (Close-Quarters Battle) class. The short version of the AK-545 can shoot pretty quickly, despite being single-fire only, and comes with a massive 45-round magazine.
The Zhuk-3 is a very good early-game armor that will stop most bullets available in these initial presets. However, underwhelming ammunition and the lack of a helmet and grenades make this preset weaker than it could’ve been.
Attic Details
7Argument
Yet another Rating preset, this one that is actually very powerful in the earlier parts of the game. The VPO-209 is a very reliable gun that shoots a top-tier early-game bullet despite the very small magazine size.
.366 TKM EKO cleanly goes through most gear available in the sixteen initial presets. Still, the Argument preset comes with no armor and a very poor helmet, so there are definitely better options.
Argument Details
6Stargazer
The Stargazer preset is available through the Assault class and can be extremely powerful when used correctly. Having the Revolver Shotgun as your main weapon is not ideal, but the Flechette ammo it carries melts people, regardless of what they wear.
The problem is, you need to be at close range to truly utilize this kit to its full potential, and with a class two armor and no helmet, that leaves you with a small margin of error.
Stargazer Details
5Champion
Champion is the strongest initial Rating preset in the game, but it is also the most expensive one out of all 16 loadouts available. It comes with a very decent gun, okay armor, a fantastic bullet, and a pair of headsets.
This preset works well in close, medium, and even relatively long ranges due to the sight that comes with the STM-9. The biggest downside of the Champion preset really is that it is available through the Rating tab, leaving us with no direct progression if we use it as our main choice.
Champion Details
4Guard
This preset belongs to the Assault class and uses one of the most iconic early-wipe weapons in Escape From Tarkov: the SKS. Although 7.62x39 US GZH isn’t an amazing bullet, it has reduced recoil and will go through most armors that people can wear with the initial presets.
The Guard preset also comes with the only class four armor available in the sixteen initial loadouts, making it a very safe choice despite the lack of a helmet.
Guard Details
3Owl
From the Marksman class, we have the Owl preset. As the name implies, this class excels in long-distance engagements, but this loadout can be effective in essentially any scenario.
Despite only having ten rounds per magazine, this Vepr-Hunter comes with a medium-range sight, a suppressor, and a bullet that one-shots enemies in the chest up to class three armor. This is a fantastic initial preset.
Owl Details
2Handler
As is probably expected, when four out of five maps are almost entirely focused on close-quarters engagements, the SMG-using Scout class excels. The Handler comes with an MP5-K with 20-round magazines and uses the incredible 9x19 AP 6.3 ammunition. If that wasn’t enough, the Handler is one of the few presets with headsets.
This preset is deadly at close and medium range and is very light, allowing you to force the engagements you are better in. It also comes with a Paca, giving you a bit of protection against lower-penetration bullets.
Handler Details
1Plantain
Plantain is the best initial preset in Escape From Tarkov: Arena. It is available through the Scout class and comes with a PP-91-01 Kedr with 30-round magazines. The bullet isn’t fantastic, but it deals a lot of flesh damage. The 6B2 armor is good enough, and you also have an F1 grenade as a bonus. What else could you want?
At close range, where most of your engagements will happen, the Plantain preset destroys your opposition. Even if they have armor, you have 30 bullets to either shoot at their head if they don’t have a helmet or at their legs and arms if they have one.
