The play cable in Escape from Tarkov plays a niche but significant role in your loadout, especially for players focused on crafting, questing, and hideout upgrades. Here’s how it impacts your gameplay:
1. Essential for Crafting
- Workbench Crafting:
- Powerbanks are used to craft valuable items, such as FP-100 Filter Absorbers, which are essential for air filtering unit upgrades and other hideout improvements.
- Barter Items:
- Powerbanks can be exchanged with traders (e.g., Mechanic or Ragman) for useful gear or equipment.
- Crafting in the Intelligence Center:
- They’re a required material for crafting items like VPX Flash Storage Modules, which can be sold for significant profit or used for hideout upgrades.
2. Valuable for Hideout Upgrades
- Solar Power Module:
- A key upgrade in the hideout that significantly reduces fuel consumption, saving roubles in the long run. Powerbanks are required to build this module.
- Library and Intelligence Center:
- These upgrades improve skill progression and enhance gameplay efficiency.
3. Quest Requirement
- Certain quests, such as Mechanic’s Gunsmith tasks or barter requests, might require Powerbanks. Always keep at least one in your stash for future quest needs.
4. Economic Role
- Flea Market Value:
- Powerbanks are high-demand items due to their utility in crafting and hideout upgrades. Selling them can provide a substantial boost to your rouble stash.
- In-Game Barters:
- Use Powerbanks for trading rare items with traders.
5. Inventory Management
- Powerbanks take up 2x1 slots in your inventory, so they’re relatively compact. Including them in your raid loadout is a smart choice when looting tech-heavy areas.
6. Strategy for Farming Powerbanks
- Adding Powerbanks to your loadout plan involves choosing tech-heavy maps, such as Interchange, Shoreline, or Lighthouse, and targeting loot spots like PCs, tech stores, and toolboxes.
- Use Scav runs to safely extract with Powerbanks without risking your PMC’s loadout.
7. Profit or Progression Dilemma
- Sell or Use?:
- If you’re early in the game, selling Powerbanks on the Flea Market can provide funds for other upgrades.
- Later in the game, prioritise saving Powerbanks for crafting or hideout needs.
Tips for Maximizing Powerbank Use
- Scavenger Runs: Use Scav runs in Interchange or Shoreline to collect Powerbanks safely.
- Secure Container: If found during a raid, stash Powerbanks in your secure container to guarantee their extraction.
- Resource Planning: Track your hideout and quest progress to know exactly how many Powerbanks you’ll need.
Would you like suggestions on maximising sup lights tech loot runs or a guide for using Powerbanks in specific crafts?
