Escape From Tarkov Interchange Guide

In the words of Robin Sparkles "Let's go to the mall, today." Now, anyone who foiled Bing How I Met Your Mother will not be able to unlink this card from this song, you are welcome. The trade is a great fun Escape from Tarkov card but can be very frustrating for new players or for people who are just not experienced or well equipped for PVP. There is a huge amount of loot on this map, which makes it very popular among players. While this map may seem intimidating at first, its relatively small size makes it fairly easy for new players to learn. A great feature of this map is an abandoned mall. The mall has lots of storefronts and a ton of loose loot, but can get pretty close. The PVP and PVE aspects are part of what makes this map particularly fun as it is very easy to get into intense battles. This card is ideal when playing with a team. A lot of players will raid this map as a team, which will make it especially difficult for single players. If you don't have friends who play Tarkov you might want to consider getting it for them as a birthday present.

General arrangement

A good part of the map is occupied by the "ULTRA Shopping Mall" which was used during the evacuation of Tarkov. The mall certainly looks like an old evacuation site with abandoned vehicles in the parking lot and garage and various loot scattered all over the abandoned building. There is a large outdoor space on the map but the loot is not as plentiful as inside the mall. Most Early and Late Raid PVPs take place outdoors as most of the spawn and extraction points are located outdoors. There are only a handful of extractions and spawn points, and it's pretty easy to remember their locations, making them prime targets for spawn camping.

There are a few notable spots outside of the map. In the northwest region of the map is a railroad. There are a handful of hidden hiding places in the area around the railroad. This region acts as a spawn point for PMC players and is the location of the Railway Exfil extraction point. These are prime spots for respawn campers, so it's a good idea to get out of the area quickly when entering the game.

Outside the front of the ULTRA shopping center are several parking lots. There isn't a lot of loot in these bundles, but there are some med bags and crates that can be looted. A separation that separates the parking lots from the railway is a highway that runs through the map on the west side. Much like the parking lots, there isn't a ton of good loot along the route other than a few loose loot in abandoned cars, a few crates, and a few medical bags at the north and south ends.

The southwestern end is occupied mainly by the Emercom roadblock and the Oli loading docks. This region is a spawn point for PMC players. Oli's loading ramps are a good entrance to the shopping center itself by Oli. It is very easy to access the parking lot by heading just north of the loading ramps. This area can be a good entrance but it is also very busy so stay alert. The Emercom roadblock acts as a map extraction point, but is a very popular area for spawn and extraction campers.

Points of interest

Garage

The parking lot is just below the ULTRA mall and has some of the best entrances and some great loot. If you're not interested in searching the garage, a good rule of thumb is to find some light and follow it until you come to an entrance. The garage is divided into four lots starting with lot A at the north end and ending with lot D at the south end. It is not difficult to tell which lot you are in as there are big letters painted on the walls.

The garage is filled with tents, shipping containers and abandoned vehicles. Be sure to check the backs of vehicles you see for weapon crates and loose loot. Tents also have weapons and loot crates that need to be checked. If you don't come with a lot of extra bag and pocket space, you fill up the loot very quickly right from the garage. The garage is also a good place to hunt scavs as there are a few groups of scavs that roam the area.

Lot A is the northernmost area. In Lot A, in the northwest corner, is a pharmacy with medical loot and hydrogen peroxide. To enter you will need the Pharmacy Key which is either in Scavs Pockets and Bags or in Room 315 on Shoreline in a Frying Pan. The staircase from lot A leads to IDEA.

In the northernmost area of ​​Lot A is also where Killa's stash becomes available after flipping the switch in the security room exfile. Killa's Hideout is a hidden hiding place that can be found in a red shipping container on the northernmost side of Lot A. This container is hidden behind a cluster of other containers near the northern entrance to Lot A Start with the orange truck just outside Lot A and head inside Lot. There will be a cluster of several containers against the wall on your right. Go around the back of the containers to find a small hidden area. The container with the door open is the hiding place.

South of Lot A is Lot B. Lot B has loot and weapon crates on the south side. There are a few tents in the center of the lot that can hold weapon crates and loose loot inside.

Lot C is where the safest part extraction is located. To loot the room more secure, you will need to power up the power station in the northeast corner of the map. There are a few weapon crates on the east side of Lot C.

The southernmost lot of the parking lot is Lot D. Like all the other lots, there is a crate of weapons and loose loot in Lot D. This lot has a staircase that leads to Oli.

At the south end of the garage is a hole in the ceiling that leads to the first floor of the mall. It is a very busy entrance and should be approached with caution as it is popular among gamers. The hole in the ground will also throw you near the area Killa likes to patrol, so don't go sprinting without looking.

Common area

Screenshot via Battlestate Games

This area is the central region of the mall bordered on the north by IDEA, on the east by Goshan and on the south by Oli. There are a bunch of small shop windows in the common area like Kiba and Emercom. There are four escalators that run through the middle of the common area leading to the next floor. The common space is fairly symmetrical on the first and second floors, except for a few debris and a giant hole in the ground at the south end.

Three stores of note on the first floor of the common area are Emercom, Mantis and Kiba. There are several small stores in the common area each with tons of loose loot. Kiba, Mantis, and Emercom are special due to the abundance of loot and the fact that they are locked down. Mantis and Emercom both have caches of medical supplies while Kiba has several crates of weapons, records, and armor or clothing.

From the main entrance to the mall, Mantis is on the left next to the second elevator. Mantis has several medical boxes to loot. The first is to the right of the door when you first enter from the main hall. There are more drugs on the shelves in the back corner with a jacket. Gold chains and horse figurines may appear on store shelves.

Emercom is on the north side of the store consolidation with Mantis. As you exit the main Mantis door towards the escalator, turn left and stick to the wall all around the other side of the cluster of stores and you should end up in Emercom on the north side. The key required to enter Emercom can be found at customs. Like the mantis, Emercom has a ton of medical boxes along with a weapon box, jacket, and loose loot. Pain relievers are also quite common in this showcase if you need them.

Across from Mantis is a store called Brutal, Brutal has loose loot and tools, including clothes. Turn the corner around Brutal and Kiba will be on your left through the hall. Kiba requires two keys to enter, the gate key and the store key. The Grid Key is a reward for completing the Gunsmith - Part 11 quest for Mechanic. The store key can be found on the scavs as well as in the power station and in Goshan. In Goshan, there is a campsite, the key is on a book behind one of the tents. In the powerhouse, it sits on top of a box on a shelf in the administration room. Kiba has tons of loot. Heavily modified weapons and grenades can be found in Kiba with cash.

South of Kiba, near the hole leading down to the parking lot, is a small convenience store called Generic. Just outside are weapon crates on a pallet that tend to spawn grenades. The credits may have a few crates of weapons, including the possibility of a sniper rifle in one of the lockers against the walls. There is also the possibility of gold chains and horses spawning inside the store.

Before you end up on the first floor and go upstairs, be sure to catch the kids' train at the north end near IDEA. If you go towards IDEA and turn left in the hall towards the escalator you will see a little train reminiscent of Casey Jr. Inside the train is a dead scav that may have some good loot worth grabbing. when you go up the stairs.

Second floor

Screenshot via Battlestate Games

The second floor of the building is not as big as the lower floors but can get much busier. There's a fair amount of loot on the second floor and tons of blankets. It is a narrow area with many places to hide. You can access it from the escalators in the center of the common area and near each of the anchor stores. Some new players will try to camp in the open areas near the central escalators as they have a nice view of the first floor lobby. Camping in these areas isn't really a good idea, as this is exactly where more experienced FPS players expect a camper to be. Some of these views are well within Killa's reach as well, making it easy to pick up.

This floor is primarily a food court with a large number of restaurants. There are a few clothing and tech stores on the north and south ends, but the majority of the stores are food related. The majority of the loot on this floor is loose loot and cash registers as well as a few crates of weapons, vests, and armor. At the north end is a cluster of six stores surrounded by halls. The central storefront on the west side is full of medical loot.

If you head to the front of the mall from the middle area on the second floor, you'll find a crate of weapons. Turn left or right and there will be several small stores on either side with lootable cash registers. The southernmost area of ​​the second floor is very popular. If you head to the southeast corner of the second floor, you'll find a store called Techlight. Techlight has tech loot like cell phones, fuel conditioners, and gas analyzers as well as a weapon spawn. Across from Techlight is a store with drugs at the back near the north wall. Further down the lobby, near the southeast end, is Urban Clothes. If you walk past Urban Clothes and keep heading east, you'll find a few weapon boxes against the wall.

There are a lot of small back doors and hallways that can make it easier for other players to escape on this floor. Make sure you close all the doors behind you if you plan on hiding and waiting for other players. You can also hop on food store counters for quick coverage.

Goshan

Screenshot via Battlestate Games

This grocery store is located at the east end of the mall. The store has a red theme color indicated by the red walls and signs. The store has long, open loading docks leading to the rear of the store. There are lootable ledgers near the west wall of the store that lead into the common area. Probably the most visible landmark in this store is the ever-lasting trash fire on the ground near the southern half of the store.

Goshan is the favorite place for food at Interchange. Most shelves can spawn food, including tushonka. There are also a handful of weapon crates scattered around the store. There are just under 40 cash registers at the front of the store that require a key found at customs. Registers are really good at improving your attention skill if you're still relatively new to the game.

In the southwest corner of the store is a loading area with an abandoned forklift. This area has crates and two boxes of weapons. Check the corners of the cargo area to find them. This area is also a good place to find car batteries and spark plugs. If you stay in the back area and follow it along the back of the store, you'll get more loot, bags, and toolboxes. All shelves can spawn tools, gunpowder, tape, etc.

Near the center of the store in the rear area is a small alcove with ramps leading down into the garage. This is great for sneaking into Goshan from the outside or trying to get away from a firefight. Going up the western end of Goshan, a little further north of the access ramps to the parking lot and a little to the left is a campsite. Tents can have gold chains and other loose loot. What is most important in the camp is that behind one of the tents, sitting above a book is a possible spawn point for the Kiba Key. The key has a low spawn rate, but it can appear at the top of the book occasionally.

There are several exits at the back of Goshan that lead behind the mall. The back of the mall is a fairly narrow strip which on rare occasions can have campers in the areas overlooking it. Rear exits are good for a quick escape if needed.

Oli

Screenshot via Battlestate Games

This store is located at the south end of the mall and it's really hard to miss. Oli has a green theme with green walls and signage. Most notably, the store name is stamped all over the place, the owners just wanted to make sure their shoppers knew exactly where they were. Oli features tall shelves that can make decent coverage in some places. Oli's north wall is quite wide open leading backwards into the common area. There are a few registers at the north end leading to the store that can be looted.

Oli is kind of a hardware store for gamers as it's a good place to find loot like gas analyzers, propane, and car batteries. If you come out of the garage and turn right heading south, you will come across several locked rooms on your right. Two of the rooms will require the Oli logistics key and the Oli administration key to enter. The penultimate room in the hallway will have the key to the Oli registers on the desk. Offices can also have bleach and computers that can be looted.

At the northeast end of Oli, there are cabins that can hold computers and various loot. Oli's biggest draw are the registers and shelves. There's a ton of loose loot strewn across the store shelves. What loot you cannot use can be sold in the flea market. There are several registers in the front which can hold several thousand rubles but will be locked. The Oli registry key can unlock them to loot them. Oli's rear tends to have a lot of car batteries and spark plugs that are needed for a quest.

If you go through the gates in the southwest area of ​​Oli, you will end up in the back area. Head north to get to the loading dock. The cargo area is a busy area with scavs and players. It leads a very fast route to the Emercom extraction point, making it a popular spot for campers, as is the extraction itself.

IDEA

Screenshot via Battlestate Games

To be more precise, this store is obviously Norwegian and has no connection with the Swedish furniture giant. This store is located at the north end of the mall and is very easy to identify. The store has a blue and yellow color theme that was in no way inspired by a certain Swedish outlet. This store has blue and yellow all over it including blue walls. The interior of the store has a closed shelving pattern while the west side is quite open.

From the entrance to the common area in IDEA, you can head straight to the northernmost wall of the building to find a weapon crate. The cashier is near a few stairs to the second floor, just across a wall. IDEA has a lot of minifigures like cat minifigures scattered around the area with loose loot and several crates. It's actually a great place to grow minifigures, especially cats, as they spawn quite frequently inside IDEA.

At the north end of the store, roughly in the center of the back wall, is a desk with three computers that can be looted. There is also a duffel bag on the sofa in the same office area. There are several bags scattered throughout IDEA, particularly among the shelves in the central area of ​​the store.

Like the other large stores in the mall, there are a large number of registers in IDEA that require a key to access them. The key is on the seat of a white bus outside the mall. The bus is at the northern end of the map, just outside of IDEA. If you leave IDEA through the north gate, follow the path until you come to a crossroads and turn right. The bus will follow the road towards the power station. The bus also has a fair amount of loose loot in and around it.

Power plant

This building is located in the northeast corner of the map. You can get there from the back of IDEA by heading towards the wall in front of the mall and heading north. You'll see it as you approach the northern border of the map. The powertrain has some good loot, but more importantly, it's used to restore power to the mall. There is a substation adjacent to the power plant which has small buildings inside the fence. These buildings can generate toolboxes useful for crafting toolkits. Inside the main powerhouse area there is a lot of loot, vests, and toolboxes. Fuel conditioners can also appear inside the main building.

Right next to the main building is a small administration area with a few computers and filing cabinets. Computers sometimes have flash drives that can be grabbed. On a box on one of the shelves is a key needed to enter Kiba. The powerhouse can have a great effect on the map by allowing players to restore power to the mall. To restore power, you must flip a switch on a breaker box. The box is right outside the door leading to the main building from the administrative offices. The box is immediately to the right and will be lit red if it has not been activated. Flip the switch and the indicator will turn green. This will cause some alarms to go off in the store and give you access to the more secure extraction point. By extension, it will also allow you to access Killa's stash.

Patron

Image via Battlestate Games

The boss of this map is a charming, heavily armed man named Killa. The good thing about this boss is that unlike other bosses in Tarkov, he works alone. The downside is that he's one of the most armed NPCs in the game, and he absolutely hates everyone, including scav players.

The developers have actually admitted that this boss is loosely based on Tachanka from Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege. If you've played Siege before or know anything about Tachanka, this boss is pretty much what you'd expect. If you're new to the game, trying to pick up Killa before you have decent gear isn't a good idea, leave it a bit later once you've got better gear. If you follow Ragman's questline, you will end up being very good at beating him because a quest requires you to kill him 100 times.

Killa patrols the first floor of the mall in the area around the hole in the ground and the Viking store front. His patrol covers some of the mall's most popular entrances and some good loot spots, so players should be careful when moving through these areas.

Killa's primary weapon is an RPK light machine gun or similar automatic weapon. He has a Class 4 helmet with a Class 6 face shield, a Class 5 bulletproof vest, and a variety of grenades. During the fight, Killa will zigzag from cover to cover. He will actively attempt to suppress his opponents with smoke and fragmentation grenades and heavy fire. It will relentlessly pursue its objective well beyond its normal patrol route.

Being spotted by Killa is not recommended and should be avoided as best as possible. He is very precise when using burst fire and likes to use fire suppression. One of his common tactics is to relentlessly follow and suppress his targets until he can close the distance, swing, and ambush them. The best way to kill him is to use high quality ammo with high armor penetration. 5.45x39mm BS and 5.56x45mm M995 or M855A1 would be the best options to deal with it. These cartridges vary in price range but are a bit more common than some of the other types of ammunition. You can check out our ammo guide for a quick overview of the different ammo types to find what would work best for you based on your weapons and resources.