Flares in Escape From Tarkov: What are They & How to Use?

Flares in Escape from Tarkov were added to the game in patch 12.12.30 and changed the way loot is received in-game. Before the flares, Escape from Tarkov had airdrops that would only arrive at random points during a raid, but after the addition of the flares, players were given a bit of control to get their hands on some potentially fantastic loot. There are four different types of flares in the game and only one of them actually serves the purpose of calling for loot. Here’s all you need to know about flares in the game.

Different types of flares in Escape From Tarkov and their functions

Escape From Tarkov flares allow players to call in airdrops manually of their own accord, which otherwise would be completely random. There are currently four different colors of flares in the game and two separate ways of firing them.

One way to fire a flare is the RSP-30 reactive signal cartridge and this is a 2x1 slot item that gets consumed upon use. It fires instantly when used and has to be assigned to a quick select button. The other method requires you to have the ZiD SP-81 26x75 signal pistol. You can equip this in your pistol slot and it takes single cartridges of 26x75mm flares across four different colors.

The four different flares are:

• The Red RSP-30 reactive signal cartridge: Firing this red flare up into the sky will call in an airdrop and illuminate the surrounding area for 20 seconds after ignition. Multi-star rocket cartridges are used as flares.

• The Green RSP-30 reactive signal cartridge: Creates an illumination effect in the surrounding area for 20 seconds after ignition. Multi-star rocket cartridges are used as flares.

• The White ROP-30 reactive flare cartridge: This is a white reactive flare cartridge that is used for lighting up low-visibility areas at night. Players should note that this one is brighter than the other colors. 

• The Yellow RSP-30 reactive signal cartridge: Unlike the Red flare, the yellow one does not call in an airdrop. Using this will cause the surrounding area to be lit up in yellow for 20 seconds after ignition. 

Note that the Red flare is currently the only one with the actual functionality of calling in an airdrop during the raid.

The airdrop will reach you within a minute. If you don't see any airdrop within that time margin, chances are that you failed to use it correctly or there is a glitch. The other reason could be that the raid limit of airdrops has been already reached.