How am I suppose to buy new gear?

[Varitus]

This part of the game atm is the most confusing for me. Why can't there be just currency which I use to just buy guns, ammo and so on? Why this weird barter thing. At some point if things go bad your pmc will run out of weapons and then what? Self wipe and start new? U can't just go buy stuff to kinda jump back on your feet? Very very very very confusing part of the game...

[CHOO CHOO]

You always get some basic gear for new clones. Just use that to kill one enemy, then take that enemy's gear.

[Kroymk de Yoitsu]

Yes, after failling a mission your receive a "Emergency case", it's a container type item. Disassembling it give basic armor, knife, 2 pistols, some healing item and food

[Niras]

As far I'm aware:

• during missions - from enemies, case like containers very often have one weapon
  The more powerful the faction you're fighting the better equipment you can loot. I very often loot armor from enemies at the beginning of the save file.
  
• completing missions - reward dictates total value of items you get
  e.g I just got two STARLOCK ADP (shutgun pistol) + two FLASH-M (energy guns) from 3 skull diff espionage mission on Mars from SBN
  
• exchange - sell items on friendly stations to faction you wanna get cool toys from. I recommend exchanging them in bulk cuz some items are more worth more

Yellow number in item description is base value of an item. Things like medical supplies can be bartered for different "price" at the different stations.

Which items you get from both exchanges/barters and for completing missions are shown in stock exchange for each faction. The more powerful faction gets the better rewards. As to which items exacly you get is RNG :<
So it can take a while before you'll get better stuff like Assult rifles.

As to why it is my guess is devs wanting players to play with more toys and improvise in dense situations during missions. I doubt anyone would go for niche options such as
pistols or buy nades and stuff when you could save up for space AK-47.

[Varitus]

But that's the issue imo. In order to get gear I need gear. Currently I'm not in the state of having no equipment, but it might come to that. And after that I have to do a mission, killing some enemies, grab their bare bones equipment, hoping to survive till end of mission and then what? Do it again and grab bare bones equipment again? Normal buying mechanics would be significantly better instead of this barter system which require me to go from system to system and manually checking what every station can barter then then browse my inventory trying to find any of those elements. It's needlessly complex, annoying and pointless... super hoping they'll add normal buying mechanics in later patches...

[Niras]

Originally posted by Varitus:

But that's the issue imo. In order to get gear I need gear. Currently I'm not in the state of having no equipment, but it might come to that. And after that I have to do a mission, killing some enemies, grab their bare bones equipment, hoping to survive till end of mission and then what? Do it again and grab bare bones equipment again? Normal buying mechanics would be significantly better instead of this barter system which require me to go from system to system and manually checking what every station can barter then then browse my inventory trying to find any of those elements. It's needlessly complex, annoying and pointless... super hoping they'll add normal buying mechanics in later patches...

I wouldn't say it's pointless, but I agree it's frustrating not to have certain equipment, like armor, for harder missions. I think there's room for limited traditional currency based trading system or at very least more tarkov'ish barter system where you give certain items for very specific items. However I just started playing myself so maybe constant stream of random items from this game's wacky barter system is enough to keep you stocked up in later stages.

The closest thing this game has is crafting which I forgot to mention ealier. Sometimes you either find blueprint chips during missions or get them as rewards for completing missions. At very least from the start you can make 6x2 backpack with 2 slot sling/vest + 9mm with shotgon shells ammo although you still need components.

[Szil]

I find the inconsistency enjoyable. It makes it truly feel like you have a foot on the door when you get a good recipe to produce a certain item that can have a significant impact in your contracts.

I wish there was a way to better keep track of fluctuating prices. I have traveled across the solar system a couple of times only to realise the items I wanted to sell are now worthless, or not even demanded anymore.

[zverozvero]

Primary goal are chips to craft gear from salvaged scraps. Still random to get but once you unlocked recipe getting plastic and other needed bits is very simple. Its bit harder now cause there are tiers of chips but even in basic blues theres plenty of viable gear.

Barter and mission rewards are just extra layer of loot where you can see loot pool.

[NFK]

Originally posted by Varitus:

But that's the issue imo. In order to get gear I need gear. Currently I'm not in the state of having no equipment, but it might come to that. And after that I have to do a mission, killing some enemies, grab their bare bones equipment, hoping to survive till end of mission and then what? Do it again and grab bare bones equipment again? Normal buying mechanics would be significantly better instead of this barter system which require me to go from system to system and manually checking what every station can barter then then browse my inventory trying to find any of those elements. It's needlessly complex, annoying and pointless... super hoping they'll add normal buying mechanics in later patches...

with the new updates that will soon come, you can actually upgrade your clones to be more better as well as the weapons. SO i think the play is you collect barebone gears and some barter goods and sell them to any willing buyers. you get chips which can help you craft weapons.

[pgames-food]

hi i might have made a mistake, but i (think) when you move into melee range with an enemy, it affects their shooting ability, so that even an enemy with a very good gun can still be taken down using your melee skills and weapon, so that you can then take their stuff. (i seem to remember reading something about that somewhere, or it was mentioned on a youtube (possibly tactival rng) but in one of my games i had to move near to an opponent, and they actually missed their attack :)