Escape from Tarkov Hideout Upgrade Priority Guide 2026 - What to Build First

The hideout is one of the most important progression systems in Escape from Tarkov. A well-upgraded hideout generates passive income, crafts valuable items, and provides significant bonuses to your PMC. This guide gives you a build order that follows the actual prerequisites in the current game, so you are never stuck waiting on a station you forgot.

Why Your Hideout Matters

Your hideout isn't just a place to store gear between raids. It's a money-making machine that works while you're offline. A well-built hideout earns through crafting, the Bitcoin Farm and the Scav Case, and several upgrades give permanent bonuses like faster regeneration and a shorter scav cooldown.

Step 1: The Cheap Foundations

These have no prerequisites and cost almost nothing. Build all of them on day one.

Security (Level 1)

20,000 roubles and one item. It looks boring, but the Generator requires it, so it comes first.

Vents (Level 1)

25,000 roubles. Vents gate the Rest Space and the Intelligence Center later on.

Medstation, Workbench, Lavatory and Heating (Level 1)

None of these need another station first. The Medstation costs 50,000 roubles plus a few meds, the Lavatory just 2,000 roubles and some hygiene items, and the Workbench only needs two bolts, two screw nuts and a Leatherman Multitool. Together they open up your first meds, ammo and barter crafts.

Generator (Level 1)

100,000 roubles and a spark plug, once Security is at level 1. The generator powers almost everything else, and it is a requirement for the Nutrition Unit and the Intelligence Center.

Step 2: The Road to the Money Makers

Both of the big earners, the Bitcoin Farm and the Scav Case, are locked behind Intelligence Center level 2. That makes the Intelligence Center the real goal of the early hideout.

Intelligence Center (Level 1 and 2)

Level 1 needs Security 1, Vents 1, Generator 1 and Workbench 1. Level 2 needs Security 2, Medstation 2, Nutrition Unit 2 and the Attention skill at level 3. Those have their own strings attached: Security 2 needs Illumination 1 and Endurance level 2, Medstation 2 needs the Health skill at level 2, and Nutrition Unit 2 needs Lavatory 2, which in turn needs Water Collector 1. Plan those upgrades together so they finish around the same time. The Intelligence Center also shortens your scav cooldown and raises quest money rewards on its own.

Nutrition Unit (Level 1 and 2)

Needs Generator 1, and level 2 needs Lavatory 2. You need it at level 2 for the Intelligence Center anyway, and it crafts food and drink along the way.

Bitcoin Farm (Level 1)

Unlocks at Intelligence Center 2 and takes 34 hours to build. The first level needs 15 CPU fans, so start saving those early. Across all three levels the farm wants 55 of them. Once it is running, each graphics card you slot in speeds up production, and it keeps producing while you are offline.

Scav Case

Also unlocks at Intelligence Center 2, with a long 80 hour construction time. You pay roubles, an Intelligence folder or a bottle of moonshine, and it returns a random haul of loot. It is a steady profit over time and one of the better uses for spare moonshine.

Booze Generator

Moonshine comes from here, not from the Nutrition Unit. It needs Water Collector 3 and Nutrition Unit 3 and takes 48 hours to build, so it is a mid-game project. Moonshine feeds the Scav Case and is also handed in for late quests.

Step 3: Quality of Life

Rest Space

Needs Vents 1 for the first level. Faster regeneration between raids means less money spent on food and healing.

Stash Upgrades

If your edition started with a smaller stash, these are valuable but very expensive: 2.5 million roubles for level 2, 8.5 million roubles for level 3, and 200,000 euros for level 4, plus items. Do them after your money-making stations are running.

Air Filtering Unit and Solar Power

Both are late upgrades. The Air Filtering Unit needs Generator 3 and Vents 3 and costs 25,000 dollars. Solar Power needs Generator 3 and Workbench 3 and costs 25,000 euros, and it cuts your fuel use.

Library

Needs Rest Space 3, the Hideout Management skill at level 5 and 400,000 roubles. It boosts experience and skill leveling.

The Newer Stations

If you are coming back after a long break, there are stations you may not have seen.

• The Defective Wall is unlocked with Medstation 1 and Water Collector 1. Working through its six stages opens up the Gym, the Hall of Fame and the Gear Rack
• The Weapon Rack needs Illumination 3, Stash 2 and Mechanic at loyalty level 2
• The Gear Rack needs the wall finished, Illumination 2 and Ragman at loyalty level 2
• The Cultist Circle only needs Security 1 and takes an hour to build

Upgrade Order Summary

For new players, follow this general order:

• Security Level 1
• Vents Level 1
• Medstation, Workbench, Lavatory and Heating Level 1
• Generator Level 1
• Illumination and Water Collector Level 1
• Intelligence Center Level 1
• Lavatory Level 2, then Nutrition Unit Level 1 and 2
• Security and Medstation Level 2
• Intelligence Center Level 2
• Bitcoin Farm Level 1
• Scav Case
• Continue upgrading based on your needs

Tips for Faster Progression

Start collecting hideout items early. To build everything you need about 1,400 items in total, and the biggest asks are bundles of wires (124), energy-saving lamps (113) and metal spare parts (99). Only 194 of those 1,400 have to be found in raid, so most of it can be bought on the flea market once you reach level 15. We broke the whole list down in our items to keep guide.

Use the Should I Keep This? tool to identify which items you need for upcoming upgrades. This prevents accidentally selling crucial components.

Every station has its own page in our hideout section with each level's requirements, bonuses and crafts, and the hideout tracker follows what you have already built.

Don't rush expensive upgrades before you can afford them. A half-finished hideout doesn't help you. Focus on completing each station before moving to the next.

Good luck upgrading your hideout, and we'll see you in Tarkov!