Labs Keycards Have a Spawn Rate of 0.2% – Making Them Extremely Rare
As an avid Escape from Tarkov player with over 1,000 hours in game, I can definitively say Labs keycards are among the rarest items you can hope to find. With spawn rates estimated around 0.2% across all keycard types, most players will never see one outside of trading. But what makes them so difficult to obtain? In this deep dive, I‘ll cover everything you need to know about Labs keycard rarity.
Breaking Down The Labs Keycard Types
Before analyzing the rarity of Labs keycards, it‘s important to understand exactly what they are and their differences:
- Red Keycard – Provides access to the Labs Security Arsenal room with weapons cases and high-end attachments. This is considered the "rarest" keycard.
- Blue Keycard – Provides access to the Labs Quarantine Zone.
- Black Keycard – Provides access to the Labs Experiments Area.
- Yellow Keycard – Provides access to the Labs Parking Garage Control Room.
- Violet Keycard – Unlimited uses. Extremely rare with only a few existing in the game.
Now let‘s look at the hard numbers…
Labs Keycard Global Spawn Rates
Thanks to data mining from sites like Tarkov-Market, we have a strong understanding of the spawn rates for each keycard type globally across all maps:
| Keycard Type | Global Spawn Rate |
|---|---|
| Red | 0.2% |
| Blue | 0.2% |
| Black | 0.2% |
| Violet | 0.02% |
As you can see, the Violet keycard is an order of magnitude rarer than the others – estimated at only 0.02% spawn chance globally. This makes it arguably the rarest item in the entire game!
The remaining keycard types share a 0.2% global spawn chance, which is still extremely rare. To put this in perspective, your odds of finding a LedX med spawn (one of the most sought-after items) are 5X higher at 1% spawn rate!
Now let‘s drill deeper into the specific shoreline spawn data…
How Rare are Labs Keycards on Shoreline?
Shoreline is where you have the highest chance of obtaining a Lab keycard – namely at the Health Resort according to community resources. But just how rare are they in this location? Thanks to data gathered by experts like JesseKazam, we can analyze:
| Spawn Location | Key Type | Raids Per Spawn |
|---|---|---|
| E. Wing Room 221 | Red | 333 raids |
| E. Wing Room 310 | Violet | 10,000 raids* |
| W. Wing Room 218 | Red | 333 raids |
| The Gym | Red | 333 raids |
(*Violet is assumed based on global rarity)
So in the best case scenario focused solely on the Resort, you can expect a Red keycard once every 333 Shoreline raids or an immensely small chance at a Violet every 10,000 – hardly better odds!
Data for the Blue and Black keycard Shoreline spawn points is still inconclusive based on community resources and testing.
Estimating Your Odds of Finding One
How improbable are these spawn chances really? Given average Survival Rates for an above average player:
- 333 Shoreline Raids @ 50% Survival = ~666 attempts
- 0.2% Global Spawn Chance = 1 in 500 Raids
That‘s an immensely low chance! Now consider the spawn locations require rare keys (e.g. W. Wing 218, E. Wing 221) to even access.
My point being – all but the most dedicated players would be extremely fortunate to ever find a Labs keycard spawned in-game. You have better odds winning some lotteries…
Expert Opinions on Labs Keycard Rarity
Beyond the statistics, what do some of the most knowledgeable players think about Labs keycard rarity based on firsthand experience?
"I have around 2000 hours in Tarkov across 5 wipes. I have found a single Red keycard and zero Violets." – Ironbank13, hardcore Tarkov discord moderator
"The labs cards are definitely in the top 5 rarest items considering LEDX‘s and keycards like RB-ST have set spawns….I‘d put labs cards in the same category as a key with tape." – DEATH_FROM-ABOVE, Shoreline expert
These perspectives align with the abysmal spawn data. Having played over 1000 raids myself this latest patch, I have only found a single Red keycard and consider myself extremely lucky.
So in summary – Labs keycards, especially the Violet, are extraordinarily rare items in Tarkov even for veterans with 1000s of hours. If you find one, cherish it!
Final Thoughts
While their rarity makes Labs keycards so coveted and valuable within Tarkov, I do wonder if they have become too rare following the loot rebalance in 12.12. Slowing down the pace of progression by limiting access to end-game labs could be warranted, but right now survival rates on that maps are very low which hampers opportunities to experience that unique gameplay.
As with all things Tarkov, there are many viewpoints to consider. But from a pure statistical viewpoint, Labs keycards undoubtedly remain among the rarest items players can hope to see in a raid.
What has been your experience finding labs cards across all your raids? Are the estimated spawn chances seems accurate based on your time in Tarkov? Let me know!
