Escape from Tarkov: Patch 0.16 – All the New Features

Santa Claus has brought us the long-awaited Wipe and Patch 0.16 of Escape from Tarkov!! Patch 0.16 introduces a series of significant changes, including seasonal events, gameplay improvements, new weapons, a revamped Customs map, new transit points between maps, and much more. Let’s take a look at the main additions.

For a complete list of changes, I recommend checking the official patch notes for Patch 0.16. However, I’d like to comment on the most significant changes introduced with this update.

Revamp of Customs and New Transit Routes

Customs has received a major visual and structural update:

• Improved textures and materials.

• New explorable buildings.

• Introduction of explosive propane tanks.

UPDATE: Personally, I definitely liked the changes. The map is now much more complex, and thanks to the new buildings and some other modifications (like the passage in the wall near the New Gas Station), the choke points have been almost elminated if not completely. This makes player movement less restricted and allows for more varied and less predictable paths.

Additionally, the new buildings contain a large number of loot spots, containers, and rooms—all things to discover and learn to take advantage of, for us Customs lovers.

The only issue is that with the map update and the addition of new buildings, textures, and elements (plus the Unity update), performance has noticeably worsened. FPS drops are significant, especially in certain areas of the map (for example, near the Crackhouse).

Continuous Healing System

Players can now heal all body parts in a single (long) action, following a predefined priority (severe bleeding, bleeding, fractures, and parts with the lowest health). This feature can be enabled in the settings so that pressing the medkit hotkey automatically starts the continuous healing process. Alternatively, if the option is disabled, you can initiate continuous healing by holding the medkit hotkey and scrolling with the middle mouse button to select the first option from the menu: “Full Treatment”.

UPDATE: I am currently using this feature in the disabled mode, selecting it from the menu when I need it. It seems to be the most flexible and functional way.

Hidden Extraction Points

New hidden extraction points, or Hidden Exfils, have been introduced. To activate them players need to find either "Notes" or "Minefield Map" (depending on which map you're playing) during raids. These items can be discovered in random containers, ranging from Scav bodies to filing cabinets and hidden caches. Once you find the code, your list of extraction points will automatically update to include these new hidden extraction points. To extract, the player must enter the correct area and activate the "Transmit Code" or "Transmit Mines" option (depending on whether the item to activate them is a Note or a Minefield Map) that will appear on the screen.

Hidden extractions can be used by both PMCs and Scav players.

QoL Improvements

Escape from Tarkov desperately needs many Quality of Life improvements, and this is a big one. The priority window selection system allows players to select a container window and then CTRL+click items directly into it, without having to drag and drop them one by one like before. Rejoice! And check the patch notes if you want more details and explanations on this new system.

AI and Grenade Launcher Changes

• Advanced AI (Raiders, Rogues, special Scavs) can now use underbarrel grenade launchers, theoretically making them much more dangerous. UPDATE: After several raids, I have yet to encounter an AI actually using them.

• The AI can now perform suppression fire, shooting multiple rounds in the enemy’s direction.

  UPDATE: I have frequently noticed Scavs firing multiple times at the last spot they saw me disappear behind cover. By flanking them completely, I was able to catch them off guard while they were still firing in the opposite direction.

• AI can now flank enemies and attack more aggressively.

  UPDATE: The AI behavior has definitely changed. They now display more varied tactics, and in some cases, they behave realistically enough to be mistaken for real players.

Flea Market and Hideout Changes

One of the most impactful changes affects Flea Market access and Hideout progression:

• The Flea Market will remain locked for two weeks from the start of the wipe.

• Hideout upgrade items must have the “Found in Raid” tag, making progression more challenging.

These changes have sparked significant debate in the EFT community. Many players protested, while others welcomed the change. I recommend reading my article on this topic, where I also discuss how to find FIR items more easily for Hideout upgrades.

Game Engine Update

• The game engine has been updated to Unity 2022. While this won’t bring immediate performance improvements, it theoretically provides developers with new tools to optimize and develop the game further. Any performance boosts will likely come in future updates (hopefully soon!).
  

  UPDATE: A month later, we now know that this change caused a significant performance drop. Besides using the new DLSS4, which seems to help (at least for those with Nvidia RTX graphics cards), we are hoping for the promised optimization patch to be released soon.

Audio Update

• The audio system has been revised and updated with a new reverb system based on environmental geometry. UPDATE: A month later, we know that the new audio has several bugs and issues. Personally, I think the direction is good since I’ve noticed some very positive aspects, but it still needs a lot of improvement.
  

• Improved sound attenuation curves and filtering effects based on vertical player positioning. UPDATE: I’ve personally noticed an improvement in my ability to determine an enemy’s vertical position (whether they are above or below me) and the direction of incoming sounds. Unfortunately, there are still some major inconsistencies (some of which have been recently patched).

Visual Recoil Changes

This change worried many players, but it does not affect actual recoil mechanics. The modifications are purely visual, as stated in the patch notes.

Winter Season Update

All maps have been updated for winter, featuring snow everywhere, snowdrifts, and winter sound design.

Beautiful. I love the winter setting in EFT.

They also added a winter-themed Factory, which wasn’t present last winter.

That’s all I wanted to mention and discuss. As I mentioned earlier, for the full list of changes, refer to the official Patch 0.16 notes.

Let me know your thoughts!