Scav Case Moonshine in Escape from Tarkov: What It Costs and What You Get

The Scav Case is a hideout module that sends Scavs out to bring back items. You pay with money or with a specific item, wait for the timer, and collect a batch of loot. "Scav Case moonshine" means paying with one Bottle of Fierce Hatchling moonshine, one of the five payment options.

The data comes from the official Escape from Tarkov wiki (Hideout page edited 1 November 2026, moonshine item page 25 September 2026, Crafts page 31 October 2026), read on 2 November 2026; nothing in the 29 October 2026 patch (1.3.0) changes it.

The five payment tiers

Payment	Turnaround	Items returned
2,500 roubles	41 min 40 s	1 to 3
15,000 roubles	2 h 8 min 20 s	2 to 4
95,000 roubles	2 h 15 min	2 to 5
1 Bottle of Fierce Hatchling moonshine	4 h 40 min	4 to 6
1 Intelligence folder	5 h 20 min	4 to 7

The wiki says every tier returns roughly the amount invested, that results can vary drastically, and that every returned item has found-in-raid status. Your Fence reputation changes the turnaround time. The wiki does not publish drop tables, so there is no verified way to say which tier gives a better chance at a rare item. The old claim that moonshine "increases the likelihood of rare items" has no source and has been removed.

Building the Scav Case

The Scav Case has a single listed level and takes 80 hours to build. It requires:

• 1 Golden rooster figurine, 3 bottles of moonshine, 4 Roler Submariner gold wrist watches, 8 Golden neck chains, 6 Gold skull rings and 3 Bronze lion figurines, all found in raid
• 1 Lucky Scav Junk box
• Intelligence Center level 2

Because the build itself consumes three moonshine, the first bottles you find go into the module before you can spend one on a batch.

Where moonshine comes from

• Loot. Sport bags, dead Scavs, plastic suitcases, ground caches and buried barrel caches. Fixed spots the wiki names include the kitchen table on the second floor of the three-story dorms on Customs, the sleeping-bag spot in warehouse 4's basement, the saferoom exfil (11SR) on Interchange and rooms in the Shoreline health resort.
• Craft. The Booze Generator at level 1 turns a Canister with purified water and 2 Packs of sugar into one bottle in 3 h 3 min 20 s. The Booze Generator needs Water Collector level 3 and Nutrition Unit level 3, so the full chain is long; see the Water Collector page.
• Quest rewards. "Key to the City" gives 3 bottles, "Circulate" 2 and "Building Foundations" 1.
• Cultist Circle. Sacrificing the Relaxation room key is a unique ritual that returns one bottle after 1 h 6 min; the wiki says most unique rituals can be done only once.

The item itself is 1x2 and weighs 1.2 kg. Drinking it gives +20 energy and -10 hydration, removes pain and radiation exposure, and has a tremor debuff later.

Other uses of moonshine

Quests ask for it too: "A Life Lesson" needs 20 bottles, "A Bitter Victory" 2, and "Provocation" 1. Those are separate demands from the Scav Case, so counting stock matters before you spend bottles on batches.

PvE and Seasonal characters

The wiki shows one Scav Case table for all modes. On a Seasonal character the Crafts page says all crafting times are halved; it does not say that Scav Case turnaround times change, so do not assume it. Crafting skill at Elite level adds one real change: it lets you run two different items in a zone at once, including the Scav Case.

Common mistakes

• Expecting profit. The wiki's own description is "roughly the amount invested".
• Forgetting the Intelligence Center level 2 requirement and starting the 80-hour build too early.
• Spending quest moonshine on batches, then being short for "A Life Lesson".
• Confusing the Scav Case with the in-raid Scav or with Fence. They are separate: the Scav Case only uses Fence reputation for timing.

Related terms

• Hideout modules glossary: the Booze Generator and other modules.
• Meds and barter items glossary: barter items, valuables and provisions.
• Raids, bosses and wipes glossary: Fence reputation explained.
• Water Collector: the module whose level 3 the Booze Generator requires.

The Tarkov money guide covers other ways to turn raids into roubles.

FAQ

What does moonshine do in the Scav Case?

It is one of five ways to pay for a batch. One bottle returns 4 to 6 found-in-raid items after 4 hours 40 minutes.

Is moonshine better than the 95,000 rouble option?

It returns more items per batch (4 to 6 versus 2 to 5) but takes more than twice as long (4 h 40 min versus 2 h 15 min). The wiki gives no drop tables to compare quality.

How do I make moonshine?

Build the Booze Generator and craft it from a Canister with purified water and 2 Packs of sugar, or sacrifice a Relaxation room key at the Cultist Circle.

How long does the Scav Case take to build?

80 hours, and it needs Intelligence Center level 2 plus a list of found-in-raid valuables.