9 articlesStims or injectors are basically medical supplies in Escape from Tarkov that grant a handful of benefits depending on the type. Some heal your HP for a set amount, others remove negative status effects, and some grant buffs for a certain period, or even restore limbs.
Over the years, injectors have become a core part of the Tarkov meta, especially after the addition of the injector case. This lets players carry multiple stims for specific situations like PvP, emergency healing, or extractions.
That said, the list of stims in the game is so long that it can be overwhelming to read through all of them. To help make that easier, I have compiled this guide to enlighten you about the positive/negative effects of each stim and when you should use it.
Every Injector Explained in Escape From Tarkov
There are lots of injectors in the game, and each of them provides a different effect. Let’s have a look at each of them.
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Morphine is quite possibly the most common injector in the game that acts as a fast-acting painkiller. It can provide you with a painkiller effect for up to 300 seconds, with the downsides of 15 less hydration and 10 less energy.
That said, you can counter its downside by bringing enough food and water and then consuming them shortly after taking this injector.
Morphine is best used when repositioning during combat, before pushing enemies, or during emergency escapes. For most players, it’s considered the budget emergency painkiller.
Propital
Yet another common injector, Propital offers a wide range of buffs, including a painkiller effect for 240 seconds, health regeneration, and increases to various stats. Due to its versatility, it’s widely considered one of the best all-around injectors in the game.
However, you will end up receiving tunnel vision and tremor 30 seconds after its effects expire. Also, these debuffs will last for 270 seconds.
In most cases, you want to use it when you need fast healing, especially if the med kit is not enough.
SJ6
This injector is arguably the most popular movement stim in Escape from Tarkov.
It increases your stamina by 30 points for 240 seconds. Apart from that, it also increases your stamina recovery for the same duration. Similar to Propital, you will also get tremors and tunnel vision 40 seconds after using it, though they only last for 200 seconds.
Ideally, you want to use it when repositioning is necessary during combat. It also works best for fast rotations, early raid positioning, and rushing loot spawns.
ETG
You can think of this one as the more advanced version of Propital, as it basically provides all of its effects, except for the painkiller.
On the flip side, it will reduce your health/endurance by 5 levels for 60 seconds.
It will also reduce your energy recovery by 3 per second for the same duration. Due to these, you want to use this injector when your health is at a critical level for rapid healing.
Zagustin
Zagustin could be the ultimate stim as far as bleeding is concerned, seeing it’s designed specifically for bleed management.
What it does is remove any existing bleeds and prevent any form of bleeding for 180 seconds. It also increases your vitality by 20 levels for the same duration.
However, it will decrease your metabolism by 5 levels for 180 seconds, give you tremors for 170 seconds, and reduce your hydration recovery for the same duration.
Due to its bleed-stopping effect, you want to use it when you have multiple bleeds active as this is where it shines the most.
Perfotoran (Blue Blood)
Perfotoran has become increasingly popular among experienced players as it combines multiple survivability effects into one injector.
It helps stop bleeds, provides combat sustain, and is commonly used during aggressive PvP pushes. However, the hydration penalties can become brutal if you are not prepared.
Due to that, some players prefer it over Zagustin due to its stronger overall utility. If you plan on using it regularly, make sure you bring enough hydration recovery.
M.U.L.E
The MULE basically lets you carry a huge amount of weight for a very long duration. This is quite useful when carrying tons of important loot. With the MULE active, you can get a 50% increase to your weight limit for 900 seconds.
However, it will cause you to take more damage and drain your health by 0.1 per second within the same duration.
Due to this, you only want to use it when you’re overweight and are heading for extraction. That said, M.U.L.E is considered the king of extraction stims.
It’s commonly paired with SJ6, Propital, and Trimadol, especially during huge loot runs.
Trimadol
Trimadol has become one of the most popular mobility stims in Tarkov. When you combine it with SJ6, it creates an extremely powerful movement setup that allows you to sprint much farther than normal. However, you suffer from strong dehydration and energy penalties afterward.
That said, it’s best to use this stim during fast loot runs and marathon-style raids.
Meldonin
Meldonin is one of the strongest long-duration combat stims in the game. It’s also quite powerful for a number of reasons.
First, it decreases the amount of damage you take by 10%. Second, it increases your stamina recovery by 0.5 per second for 15 minutes. And lastly, it increases your strength and endurance levels by 10 and 20, respectively.
However, it will decrease your hydration and energy by 0.1 per second for 15 minutes. As such, you only want to use it when starting a raid or just a few seconds after engaging in combat.
But then again, since its effects last for a long time, a lot of PvP-focused players tend to use it before they enter dangerous raids.
XTG-12 Antidote
XTG is designed for a specific purpose: to remove poison and prevent yourself from getting inflicted. This is at the cost of a 5-level reduction in your health skill for 60 seconds.
You want to use it when hunting cultists or if you are poisoned. However, since such situations are relatively rare, a lot of players don’t bother carrying this stim regularly.
It can be extremely valuable when needed, though.
SJ1
Think of this one as the weaker version of SJ6.
Basically, you can get 20 levels to your endurance, strength, and stress resistance for 180 seconds. On the flip side, you will suffer from energy and hydration depletion for 200 seconds.
Ideally, you only want to use it for crafting SJ6 as much as possible. But if the situation calls for it, you can use it to gain movement buffs during combat. It still works best for budget loadouts and early wipe progression.
P22
The P22 is the weaker version of the Meldonin. It provides you with reduced damage taken for 60 seconds. At the same time, it will increase your health, vitality, and stress resistance levels by 10.
However, it will cause you to have reduced stamina recovery and endurance levels. You should only use this injector during or right before combat to benefit from its damage reduction effect.
L1
The L1 is basically a combination of effects from various injectors. It gives you the painkiller effect for 120 seconds and increases your stamina, endurance, and strength by 30, 10, and 20, respectively. However, it will deplete your energy and hydration by .45 per second for 60 seconds.
Due to its effects, you can use it anytime you want to gain a boost in your movement speed or if you are slightly overweight. Players tend to use it for escaping certain situations, aggressive repositioning, and fast rotations.
Adrenaline
Adrenaline is a combat-focused injector that removes contusions, grants the painkiller effect, and increases health regeneration. Moreover, it also increases your endurance, strength, and recoil control by 10 levels for 60 seconds.
All these come with energy and hydration depletion which last for 30 seconds. Ideally, it’s best used before or during combat to maximize its recoil reduction effect.
This makes it especially useful during close-range PvP.
AHF1-M
Basically a weaker Zagustin, this one prevents bleeding and also increases your health by 5 levels for 60 seconds. The only downside is that you deplete hydration by .3 per second for 120 seconds. It’s best used before combat as a means of preventing bleeding.
3-(b-TG)
This injector is designed for the purpose of looting. Throughout its duration, you can enjoy increased attention and perception. It also increases your strength by 10 levels and stamina recovery by 1 per second.
However, it depletes your energy by .25 per second and causes tremor for 45 seconds after 220 seconds.
SJ12
Unlike other injectors in the game that directly boost combat stats, SJ12 helps with energy and hydration recovery instead while lowering your body temperature.
This makes it useful for long raids, survival-focused playstyles, and countering stims that impose a heavy hydration penalty. While it’s more niche than SJ6 or Propital, it’s still valuable in certain loadouts.
Obdolbos
Considered a meme item by plenty of EFT players, the Obdolbos increases your endurance and strength by 10 levels for 30 minutes. It also increases stress resistance and charm by 20 levels and stamina recovery by .5 per second.
Its list of downsides can be quite long, with the most prominent being decreased memory, intellect, and attention. It also causes pain, light bleeding, and tunnel vision throughout its duration, among others.
The only instance you should ever use it is to complete the “Samples” quest. Other than that, DON’T ever use this stim.
SJ9
The last injector on this list, SJ9 reduces your body temperature which causes you to be undetectable by enemy thermal devices. On the flip side, it reduces metabolism by 20 levels, depletes health by .1 per second, and causes pain and tremor for quite a lengthy duration.
You only want to use it if you think the enemy is using a thermal device. Other than that, you’re better off just selling it.
Which Injectors Should You Include in Your Loadout?
That would depend on what type of run you’re going for. But for most players, a solid injector case setup usually includes:
- Propital
- SJ6
- ETG-c
- M.U.L.E.
- Zagustin or Perfotoran
As you gain more experience, you can experiment with specialized stims like Meldonin, Trimadol, SJ12, or 3-(b-TG) depending on your playstyle.
At this point, injectors are no longer optional consumables in Escape From Tarkov. They are a core part of the game’s meta, and understanding how to use them properly can give you a huge advantage during raids.
