Use this path for the first session on Ronograd. It is the friendly-base loop described by 2026 beginner walkthroughs: protect the starting cash, buy movement, put a sight on the rifle you already have, then fight the easier western and southern ground before the fortified compounds.
What you start with
Walkthroughs recorded in 2026 describe a level-1 operator with 1,500 cash and the M16A2 already in the kit. That rifle is treated as a usable starter, not a placeholder you must replace before the first fight.
Spend the first cash in this order:
- Buy the 4x4 from the vehicle depot or vehicle purchase tablet at the friendly base. The same walkthroughs list it at 150 and say it is available immediately. Skip paint and performance options on the first purchase.
- Open the gunsmith on the M16A2 and add a basic optic. One walkthrough specifically points at the AR-15 style scope on the carry handle. Iron sights are the main early handicap, not the rifle itself.
- Take medical supplies and spare magazines from the armory. Do not buy vitamins as a healing plan. Do not spend the rest of the 1,500 on outfits.
A full magazine left on the ground is not lost gear. If your inventory is full, reloading can drop the magazine you just removed. Pick it up. Matching calibers can also move rounds between magazines and ammo boxes.
Leave the base with a job
Open the map with M before you drive. Ronograd is large enough that walking between objectives wastes the cash you just protected. Park outside a hostile site. Do not drive into a compound you have not looked at.
2026 onboarding videos point new players at the southern and western parts of Ronograd first. Difficulty generally rises as you go north and east, with exceptions. Red markers and flags on the tactical map are enemy-held points of interest. The goal of a Ronograd session is to secure locations, finish the objectives on them, and clear the enemies tied to those objectives.
Start with a small compound you can leave. Kozlovka and other lower compounds are the usual first stops. Fort Ronograd, the Naval Base, and the city blocks are later trips. If a public server is already fighting those hard sites, you can join. If you are still learning lean, heal, and reload, use a private server so the pace stays yours.
How a clean clear looks
- Stop on a road or ridge with a view, not in the courtyard.
- Use semi-auto or short bursts. The game rewards hits more than a dumped magazine.
- Lean from cover instead of standing in the open. Controls are in the controls and healing guide.
- Reload before you enter a building.
- If you are hurt, stop and use a dressing, then a bandage. Do not push a second building while bleeding.
- When the objective is done, drive back. A survived trip is worth more than a third fight you cannot extract from.
What to buy next
Keep the M16A2 until a second rifle solves a problem the optic did not. The rifles beginner tutors name next are the M4A1 and the AK-74M. Both are general-purpose guns, not mandatory upgrades. Read the starter loadouts comparison before you spend.
After one reliable kit exists, put leftover cash into the Headquarters instead of a second similar rifle. The official experience description says the Headquarters boosts offline income and researches weapons. That is the long track. The 4x4 and the optic are the short track.
Sawang is a different deployment
The Kingdom of Sawang arrived with Operation Typhoon and uses strongpoints, patrols, and boats. Learn Ronograd healing and driving first, then read Sawang. Do not treat a brand-new Sawang quest as the tutorial.