TARKOV SKILLS
Season 1 perks (Kord Breach modifiers) and all 35 character skills in one place: what each one does, the fastest way to level it, and every Elite perk. Skills train through use, and the game quietly punishes grinding, so knowing the system matters.
Season 1 Perks: Kord Breach Modifiers
Looking for the new perks from Season 1? Those are modifiers, added in patch 1.1.0.0, and they are a separate system from the character skills below. Modifiers apply to seasonal characters only. Your normal PMC still uses the skill system on this page.
- Positive modifiers cost points. Negative modifiers pay points back.
- Your final balance has to land at zero or above, so every upside is funded by a downside you accept.
- Taking every negative modifier pays out 50 points. Taking every positive modifier would cost 74, so you can never have all of them.
- The six global modifiers apply automatically and are not part of the budget.
- Taking no optional modifiers at all is valid: you still get the six globals.
- Some modifiers block each other and cannot be combined.
The 6 Global Modifiers (everyone gets these)
| Modifier | Effect |
|---|---|
| No Insurance | Insurance is disabled. Nothing you lose comes back. |
| Armor Shortage | Traders across Tarkov stock significantly less armor. |
| Black Division | Black Division AI, normally limited to Icebreaker and Terminal, appears across more locations. |
| Handyman | Item crafting time is 50% shorter and the Crafting skill starts at level 51. |
| No FiR for Hideout | Hideout zones no longer require Found in Raid items. |
| Seasoned PMCs | All seasonal characters earn 25% more raid experience. |
On top of those you pick from 19 positive and 14 negative personal modifiers against the point budget. Every point cost below is the live launch value from patch 1.1.0.0. Note that a lot of guides still list the July preview numbers, where Kappa Protocol cost 21 points instead of 12 and three of these modifiers did not exist yet.
19 Positive Modifiers (cost points, 74 for all)
| Modifier | Cost | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Street Tax | 1 | Once per week, some Scavs pay you protection money. |
| Lucky | 1 | Effect undocumented. The in-game text is only the motto "Audentes fortuna iuvat", and BSG has not published what it changes. |
| Diet | 2 | All provisions consume 50% less resource. |
| Juice Time | 2 | Drinking a juice grants the Painkiller effect for 60 seconds. |
| Sailor's Nostalgia | 2 | Eating canned fish grants Health Regeneration (+2) for 30 seconds. |
| Hypodipsia | 2 | Hydration is consumed 20% slower. |
| Polyphagia | 2 | Energy is consumed 20% slower. |
| Thrombophilia | 2 | Bleeding chance is decreased by 25%. |
| The Tarkov Shooter | 2 | Bolt-action Rifles skill levels 100% faster and starts at level 25. |
| Marathon Runner | 3 | Arm and leg stamina is consumed 20% slower. |
| Sprinter | 3 | Running speed is increased by 5%. |
| Sturdy Bones | 3 | Limb fracture chance is decreased by 25% and falling damage by 20%. |
| Bushborne | 5 | Moving through vegetation generates 75% less noise and slows you down less. |
| Safecracker | 5 | Mechanical keys have a 25% chance not to lose durability when used. |
| Prodigy | 5 | Skill experience gain is increased by 30%. |
| Youth | 5 | Energy is consumed 20% slower and stamina is increased by 10. |
| Hercules | 5 | Strength and Endurance skills start at level 15. |
| Average | 12 | All character skills are set to level 25 but can never be leveled further, excluding Crafting. |
| Kappa Protocol | 12 | Immediately receive the Kappa secure container. |
14 Negative Modifiers (pay points back, 50 for all)
| Modifier | Pays | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Dr. Jekyll | +1 | Once you gain the Fresh Wound status it cannot be removed until the raid ends. |
| Third Leg | +1 | Movement speed is decreased by 1%, and Therapist purchases are 5% cheaper. |
| Unlucky | +1 | Effect undocumented. The in-game text only says your bad luck can sometimes have dire consequences. |
| Hemophilia | +2 | Bleeding chance is increased by 25%. |
| Well That Hurt! | +2 | All medkit uses consume 25% more resource. |
| Polydipsia | +2 | Hydration is consumed 15% faster. |
| Chronic Fatigue Syndrome | +2 | Energy is consumed 20% faster. |
| Personality Vacuum | +2 | Charisma cannot be increased and trader items cost 20% more. |
| Allergic | +3 | You become allergic to 3 random Provisions or Medication items. |
| Osteoporosis | +3 | Limb fracture chance is increased by 25% and falling damage by 20%. |
| Exhaustion | +5 | Arm and leg stamina recovers 20% slower and total stamina is reduced by 10. |
| Broken Secure Container | +6 | Your secure container accepts only cash, keys, dogtags, special equipment, certain containers and Battle Pass documents. |
| Incompetent | +10 | All skills level 25% slower, excluding Bolt-action Rifles, and cap at level 30. |
| No Flea Market | +10 | Trading with players on the Flea Market is disabled. |
Some modifiers block each other and cannot be taken together. We are not publishing the full exclusion list yet: the sources currently available contradict each other on which modifier owns the main skill-related block group, so it is being checked in game first.
How Skill Leveling Works
- Skills level through use. Level 1 needs 10 points, and each level needs 10 more than the last, capped at 100 points per level.
- The maximum is level 51, called Elite. Most skills unlock a unique perk there. Stimulants can temporarily push a skill past 51, up to a hard cap of 60.
- Some quests award whole skill levels. Points needed grow with level, so those rewards are worth the most once the skill is level 9 or higher.
Diminishing Returns (Skill Fatigue)
Every skill has a per-raid leveling speed that decays as you earn points, which is why grinding one skill in one raid stops working:
- 129% before the first point earned in the raid (shown as a blue arrow on the skill).
- 100% after the first point (no arrow).
- Below 100% after two points: the speed becomes 0.6 to the power of points earned minus one. That is 60% at two points, 36% at three, 22% at four (red arrow).
- After 200 seconds without gaining points in that skill, the decay resets, but only to 100%, not the fresh-raid 129%.
The practical takeaway: train a skill a little every raid instead of a lot in one raid, and rotate between skills when the red arrow appears.
Hideout Skill Boosters
- Shooting Range level 3: +10% leveling speed for Combat skills.
- Library: +30% leveling speed for Practical skills.
- Air Filtering Unit: +40% leveling speed for Physical skills while an FP-100 filter is installed.
- Hall of Fame: boosts Combat skill leveling based on the enemy-faction dogtags from your own kills stored in it.
- Defective Wall levels 2 to 5: a 3% per level PENALTY to Physical skills (12% total). Mop the floor with fleece fabric to reduce it, or finish level 6 to remove it.
- The hideout Gym trains Strength and Endurance directly through its workout minigame.
Physical Skills (7)
Combat Skills (15)
Practical Skills (9)
Mental Skills (4)
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Tarkov perks the same as skills?
No, and the word "perks" now covers two different things. Character skills are the 35 skills every account levels through use, and most unlock an Elite perk at level 51. Season 1: Kord Breach added seasonal modifiers, which players also call perks: 19 positive and 14 negative options chosen at character creation against a point budget, plus 6 global modifiers every seasonal character gets automatically. Modifiers only apply to seasonal characters. Your normal PMC still uses the skill system on this page.
What are the Kord Breach global modifiers?
Every Season 1 seasonal character automatically gets all six: No Insurance, Armor Shortage, Black Division, Handyman, No FiR for Hideout, Seasoned PMCs. They are not optional and do not cost points.
How does the Kord Breach modifier point system work?
Positive modifiers cost points and negative modifiers pay points back, and your final balance has to land at zero or above. So every bonus is funded by a drawback you agree to take. The six global modifiers apply automatically and sit outside the budget, and taking no optional modifiers at all is a valid choice.
How much does Kappa Protocol cost in Kord Breach?
Kappa Protocol costs 12 points at launch, which gets you the Kappa secure container immediately. It was 21 points during the July preview, so any guide still quoting 21 is using pre-release numbers. Average also costs 12, and those two are the most expensive modifiers in the game.
What is the full list of Kord Breach modifier point costs?
All 19 positive and 14 negative modifiers are listed with live launch costs on this page. Taking every negative pays out 50 points and taking every positive would cost 74, so no character can run all of them. Several costs changed between the July preview and the August 3 launch, and Prodigy, Lucky and Unlucky were added at launch.
How do skills work in Escape from Tarkov?
Skills level through use: sprint to train Endurance, take hits to train Vitality, loot to train Attention. Each level needs 10 more points than the last (capped at 100 per level) and the maximum is level 51, called Elite, where most skills unlock a unique perk. Some quests also award whole skill levels.
What are the diminishing returns on skill leveling?
Each skill has a per-raid leveling speed: 129% before you earn the first point in a raid, 100% after the first point, and after two points it decays fast using the formula 0.6 to the power of points earned minus one. That means 60% at two points, 36% at three, and so on. The counter resets after 200 seconds without gains for that skill, but only back to 100%, not 129%.
What is the fastest way to level skills?
Spread the work across raids instead of grinding one skill in one raid, because of the per-raid decay. Build the hideout boosters: Shooting Range level 3 gives +10% to Combat skills, the Library +30% to Practical skills, and the Air Filtering Unit with a filter installed +40% to Physical skills. Then use each skill’s specific method, listed on its page here.
Should I save quests that reward skill levels?
Often, yes. The points needed per level grow with the level, so a quest that awards a skill level gives more value when the skill is already level 9 or higher. If you are chasing Elite on a skill, bank its reward quests until late.
What happens to skills at level 51?
Level 51 is Elite, the cap. Most skills unlock a unique Elite perk, like Strength making slung weapons weightless or Surgery restoring limbs to full health. Stimulants can push a skill past 51 temporarily, up to a hard cap of 60.
Build the boosters first: the hideout stations above make every skill in their category level faster.
Hideout TrackerGame Info Wiki