Escape From Tarkov: How to Level Up Traders
Leveling up traders is a key part of progressing from the early to the mid and eventually the late game in Escape From Tarkov.
However, especially for newer players, it isn’t clear how to do that.
To level up traders, players will need to increase their PMC level as well as their reputation and money spent with that specific trader.
If you’re trying to level up your reputation, consider checking out our guide on where to find USB Flash Drives in the game, since they are needed for one of the hardest early-game quests.
In this guide, I will explain how to level up traders in Escape From Tarkov, and provide some tips to help you level up faster.
How to Level Up Traders in Escape From Tarkov
Leveling up and increasing the loyalty level with each trader requires combining the following three stats.
- PMC Level (Player Main Character level)
- Trader Reputation (Completing quests with the trader)
- Money Spent with that Trader (Buying and selling stuff with that trader)
For instance, to level up Prapor to loyalty level 2, you will need PMC level 15, reputation 0.20, and 750,000 roubles spent with Prapor. Your exact progress can be seen from the trader’s menu in the top right corner.
Of course, each reputation level is more expensive than the previous one, thus requiring a higher level, reputation, and more money spent.
Keep in mind that all traders start at loyalty level 1 when beginning the game, and the maximum for each of them is loyalty level 4.
Also, contrary to the PMC level, reputation and money spent metrics are unique for each trader. Having a 0.20 reputation and 1,000,000 roubles spent with Prapor doesn’t mean anything if you want to level up Therapist.
Lastly, keep in mind that anything mentioned in this guide is about every trader except Fence. Fence’s reputation is tied to a mechanic known as Scav Karma and it increases when successfully extracting as a scav.
How to Increase PMC Level in Escape From Tarkov
To increase your PMC level in Escape From Tarkov, playing as a PMC is essential. If you’re playing as a Scav, you won’t be getting any XP.
Additionally, surviving raids is much better than killing four players and then dying. The survival multiplier you get after a successful extract is worth way more than a few kills.
Combine it with some looting, kill a few scavs and you’ll see amazing XP gains after every raid.
In addition, try and complete as many trader and daily quests as possible. All of them reward XP points and it’s a great way to level up faster.
One tip here is to always search dead scavs and players. You don’t have to search their bags or pockets if they’re in an unsafe spot, but you should always open their inventory for at least one second.
This will grant you a significant bonus of searching XP, based on the loot they are holding. This can range from 100 XP, all the way up to 1,000.
Otherwise, a more risky and action-packed method involves running Factory constantly. Run in, get as many kills as possible within a few minutes and get out.
However, you need to be good at PvP for this to work as consistently as possible.
How to Increase Trader Reputation in Escape From Tarkov
With your PMC level now increased, let’s examine the second metric required for traders: reputation.
Unfortunately, there’s no easy workaround here. The main way of increasing your reputation with a trader is by completing that trader’s exact quests. This involves normal quests, dailies (unlocked at PMC level 5), and weeklies (unlocked at PMC level 15).
For those willing to go the extra mile, there is an extra way of increasing your reputation which involves purchasing the Edge of Darkness edition of the game. With this, all your trader reputations will start at 0.20 instead of 0.
For most traders, this means that you’ve already fulfilled the reputation requirement for reaching loyalty level 2.
Best Way to Spend Money with Traders in Escape From Tarkov
Lastly, after raising your PMC level and reputation, you’ll need to buy or sell items of a specific total value to level up traders in Escape From Tarkov.
For traders that you’re usually trading with, such as Mechanic, Therapist, and Ragman, you probably won’t need to ever check this metric.
However, for others such as Peacekeeper, Prapor, and Jaeger, you may need to try and increase it manually.
The best way here is by buying and selling one specific item to that trader. You will lose some money, but only a small amount.
Also, you can minimize the amount of money lost by buying that item at the Flea market and then selling it to the trader for the same price.
For instance, this is true for selling Antique Axes to Jaeger and SKS variants to Prapor. As for Peacekeeper, simply buy dollars as you’ll need them eventually.
Wrapping up
To sum up, that’s everything you need to know on how to level up traders quickly in Escape From Tarkov.
Increase your PMC level by making sure you’re extracting as often as possible, gain trader reputation by completing quests and spend money by buying from the flea and selling to that trader.
If you’re trying to upgrade your hideout, consider checking out our guide on how to break the newly-added defective wall and unlock the gym. It’s a great way to quickly boost your strength and endurance stats.
Which trader are you leveling up first? Which is the hardest to level up in your opinion? My vote is definitely on Jaeger! Let us know in the comments below.
Harry has been a fan of video games from a very young age and writing allows him to share that passion with others. His favorite genres include MMORPGs, survival, and FPS.He has a Master’s Degree in Philosophy, which allows him to always come up with a fresh approach to solving in-game puzzles and challenges, but also to create content that’s to the point, clean and easy to follow.
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