Why Come to Reserve
Reserve is a closed military base with underground bunkers and one of the most valuable loot pools in Tarkov. Veteran players come for the Reserve Marksman quest line, Glukhar boss farming, and marked rooms in the underground levels. Difficulty-wise it sits in the upper-mid range — newcomers struggle with the tight PvP zones and multi-level geometry. Let's break it down.
Loot first. Several marked rooms with guaranteed rare drops: laptops, power supplies, GPUs, top-tier weapons. Density-wise the map competes with Labs.
Glukhar. The map's main boss. Commands five heavily armored guards. His drops are unique: keys, documents, premium ammo. One successful kill pays off 8-10 unsuccessful raids.
Prapor quests level 20-30. "Reserve Marksman" — a five-quest chain, each requires visiting a specific underground point.
Atmosphere. Underground corridors, missile silos, abandoned barracks. The most "military" Tarkov map, with siren sounds and emergency lighting.
Map Structure
Reserve consists of surface buildings and an underground network.
Black Knight — the main command center on the west. Multi-story building with offices and tech rooms. Glukhar with squad often spawns here.
White Knight — administrative building on the east. Marked rooms, valuable documents. Less popular than Black Knight.
D-2 — underground command post, requires a key card and console activation. The rarest and most valuable spot, only opens with the right action sequence.
Underground Floor 1 — corridor network beneath surface buildings, connects Black and White Knights. Floor loot, marked crates, regular PvP.
Underground Floor 2 (Bunker) — deeper, with missile silos and ventilation. Less visited, better loot, easier to get lost.
Mine Field — open space between the two Knights with mines and anti-tank barriers. Risky to cross, snipers love it.
Hut and Watch Post — small perimeter buildings, Scav spawns, bypass routes to extracts.
Spawns and Starter Routes
PMC spawns split into two sides: western (closer to Black Knight) and eastern (White Knight). Predictable symmetry: first contact usually happens in the central underground 3-5 minutes in.
Scavs appear in underground passages, around Black Knight, and near D-2. Constant respawns in groups of 3-5.
Glukhar and his squad move between Black Knight and the underground levels. Not every raid — frequency about once every four or five loads.
Black Knight: The Core Building
Reserve's PvP hub. Four-story building with offices, depots, command hall on the top floor. Internal labyrinth of corridors and narrow stairs.
Marked rooms on floors 2 and 3. Keys come from quests or rare in-raid drops. Contents: weapons, ammo, valuable tech items.
Building feature: stairwells are mass-extinction points. Enter from one floor while a group sits above and your odds are slim. Grenades solve it.
Glukhar usually stands on floor 3 or 4. The squad covers entries and controls approaches. Solo attacks are nearly impossible.
D-2: The Unique Zone
D-2 is an underground command post activated through a sequence: find the key card, activate the console, wait for the door, enter before it closes.
Loot inside: valuable quest documents, chance at top weapons, keys to marked rooms. One successful D-2 run pays off a week of regular raids.
Main difficulty — competition. Players know about D-2 and regularly camp activators. You need to either arrive early or come in a defense group.
Extracts
Eastern. Bunker Hermetic (item required), K-Bunker (with partner), Highway gates. Used by players with western spawn.
Western. Train extract on the eastern side (standard, no conditions), Army Trail. Convenient for those passing through underground.
Northern. Path through Mine Field (dangerous), Watch Post (situational).
Southern. Dam (key required), Bunker B (group only).
Reserve is a map where extract requires preparation. Check available exits per spawn before raid.
Glukhar and Quests
Glukhar has 1500 HP, heavy armor, accurate fire from long distance. His five-guard squad is armed with rifles and sniper weapons. Some guards patrol the underground separately.
Standard tactic: group of 3 PMCs, 7.62 armor-piercing rounds, grenades for stair clears. Solo farming is only viable with perfect spawn knowledge through the underground.
"Reserve Marksman" quests: five tasks, each requiring visiting a specific underground point and picking up an item. Solid rewards: XP, Prapor reputation, sometimes unique weapons.
Tactics by Scenario
Underground looter. Eastern spawn entry, descend via White Knight stairs, sweep marked crates, extract via Train. Low encounter rate, average loot. Survival 40%.
Glukhar farm. Group of 3 PMCs, kit, marked-room keys for Black Knight. Coordinated assault on upper floors. Survival 25-30%, top loot.
D-2 run. Pair entry with pre-acquired key card, fast activation and clear. High risk from competition, top-1 loot on the map.
Quest raid. Direct route to underground quest point, minimum contact. Survival 45-55% with route knowledge.
Where Cheats Help on Reserve
Reserve is multi-level corridor combat plus territory control via key points. Useful functions:
ESP / wallhack for underground corridors and Knight floors. Seeing enemy silhouettes through walls is critical in tunnel close-range. Sky or Sugar Lite work.
Radar for tracking Glukhar and his squad. Knowing where the patrol is right now without entering the floors saves time and lives. RADAR SMG or RADAR Browser.
AIM at long ranges against the squad. Armor-piercing ammo plus accurate aim against six guards is the only viable solo farm method. Sugar Elite or VX (RAGE) shine here. Detail in our cheat selection article.
Bottom Line
Reserve is about underground corridors, multi-floor firefights, and Glukhar hunts. Suits players who've mastered Customs and Woods and want to step up to mid-and-high-tier quests. Main rule — don't push Knight upper floors without group support.
Full cheat catalog with Reserve support on the homepage. Need a pick for boss farm or D-2 run? Message our Telegram bot.
D-2 is the most profitable single point in Tarkov in kilo-rubles per minute. One run with a key card plus an ESP+Radar combo pays off any month-long subscription.