u/rackemuprackemup

I love this game. Build 2 ramped up the AI skill and the game is genuinely harder, and by extension, more fun. The Outpost bunker shelter is powerful, both for its proximity to the Gunsmith and Vostok. Locking this behind a random encounter that requires you to sprint to a road/crossroad, engage the vehicle, hope it stops, then kill the slightly harder boss mob all while not getting killed by regular spawns and the boss and his adds, feels rickety. Too much luck is involved. The Punisher encounter should require preparation, a great loadout, strategy, and skill. Hell, he should have his own little map. Make it tough to get to. Make it even tougher to complete and escape. It should not be a random event, which becomes less likely as other events are unlocked. It should feel like an achievement, not luck.

If you're looking for a quick and easy way to kill the Punisher, you have to use mods. If you're looking for the no-mod strategy that takes patience, I'm here for you.

This strategy requires a few things:

1. Proficiency with a ranged weapon (M4/RK/KAM)
2. A scope (I was using the ACOG purchased from Gunsmith)
3. A helmet and chest plates
4. Confidence in the open on Outpost
5. A stocked tent with plenty of food (if you haven't found the tent, go left along the yellow tape when entering Outpost from the School. It's relatively close.)
6. SOS kit and healing for oopsies

This is my first game of this genre and I am loving it. It is obviously early access in many ways, but it has incredible potential. When I first loaded up the Outpost map, I was horrified by the open space. After logging many hours and learning about the Bandit AI's poor accuracy at a distance, I become more comfortable being out in the open on this map. They are still deadly up close, but there aren't many tight spaces. I made it a game to try and score headshots from great distances on the many Bandits I killed in the course of completing this.

I spent about three hours doing this, completing who knows about many loops, but I didn't come away empty handed. Any event has a small chance of happening every time you load into map, whether it is from School or from out of your tent. In the course of trying to get the Punisher to spawn, I also had two helicopter crashes (nice!), two air drops (nice!), and three BTRs (not nice, run back to the tent). Also, these events will spawn in the day or the night time. I killed the Punisher at night (after thinking he only spawned in the day!). Actually night is great because it's really easy to see the fires from the helicopter crash events. A bit of advice: unload and clear the chamber of every weapon you pick off a dead Bandit and sell the full stacks of ammo at a great price.

The loop goes like this:

1. Leave your tent and head to the rock face that is just to the left of it. This will give you a high ground vantage point over the Bandits that spawn near the military installations that line up across the School-entrance side of the map.

2. Pop the bandits (if they are there) and head to the right, toward the main road that runs through the map. You will learn the different walking paths of the various Bandits in this area.

3. If you see Bandits or starting taking shots from the baddies that are on the other side of the road, take them out. In a typical loop where "nothing" happens, I kill between 2-4 Bandits total and get their loot, weapons, and ammo. I even found a Gymnasium Key on one of them. So it's not like the time spent on this is a total waste.

4. Turn left onto the main road and head toward the bridge. You may take shots from distant Bandits, but they are not accurate at this range. Pop them and cross the bridge. Eventually I would just run from the tent to the bridge, but it takes time to get comfortable with this strategy.

5. By this point, the dynamic event will start or have already started. Notice the big rocks on the other side of the bridge. These are great for cover when the Punisher drives through. If you hear his music (thumping dance music), step into the road where his van is driving and wait for his van to stop, which it will like 50-100 meters away. Once it stops, get behind cover and get your ranged weapon out. Lean from behind cover and pop him and his Bandits, and enjoy your new toys and shelter. If the air is clear and no sound can be heard, then head back to your tent and reset the loop, watching for Bandits respawning at the military installations. You will get very comfortable in the open air around Outpost.

5a. If you spawn into the map and at any point hear the dance music, you need to move your ass to the middle road bridge as soon as possible. Obviously you are taking a greater risk, but if you're hours into this like I was, you're ready to kill this guy and anyone who gets in your way.

6. If you hear a very loud and heavy engine at any time in this loop, that is the BTR, and you need to run. Whatever direction it spawned from, you run the other direction. Find cover and safely return to your tent to reset the loop. If you see what looks like a small trash fire on the map, that is the helicopter crash and go collect your good loot, watching out for Bandits. Listen for the air drops as well. And if you're lucky, you'll hear the thumping dance music of the Punisher's van.

Good luck!