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During Patch 0.14 wipe, BSG introduced a feature allowing players to quickly use consumables with a double-click. While it's a convenient quality of life improvement, it’s led to accidental use of valuable items, like injectors and Moonshines. Before Patch 0.14 players had to right-click an item and select "use" from the menu to use a consumable. Double-clicking opened the item’s inspect panel, displaying its stats and description. Recently, BSG introduced a feature allowing players to quickly use consumables with a double-click . While it's a great Quality Of Life improvement during raids, where every second matters, it has led to accidental use of valuable items, like injectors and Moonshine. Players accustomed to double-clicking to inspect items often end up using them by mistake . Accidentally consuming a bottle of water isn’t a big deal, but using a valuable Bottle of Fierce Hatchling Moonshine , worth around 200k Roubles, is a costly error. This issue is especially prevalent outside of raids when players want to check item stats in their stash or inventory. To address the problem, BSG added a setting that lets players control when double-clicking causes item use. We can now choose between Disabled , In Raid Only , and In Raid and Stash . By default, it should be set to "In Raid Only." However, it seems some players may have accidentally changed the setting or, for some reason, didn’t get it set by default to "In Raid Only" after the update. To avoid costly double-clicking mistakes, head to your in game Settings. On the first page, you'll find the option (refer to the screenshot). Ensure it's set to your preferred setting and click "SAVE". I personally keep it set to "In Raid Only" . Although I still occasionally double-click items to check stats out of habit during raids, this setting has saved me from accidentally using anything valuable. _____ There’s always something new to discover in Escape from Tarkov ! Stay up to date with the latest News , Tips & Tricks , and In-Depth Guides , by checking out our links or starting from our Homepage . New to the game or just looking for more insights? Don’t miss our EFT: Tutorial  section!

For newcomers to Escape from Tarkov, "The Wipe" is an almost mythological term and event. For veterans, it's a moment awaited with the hope and anticipation reserved for a prophet or a liberator. Let’s explore how it works and what its impact is on the game experience. In the EFT player community, "The Wipe" refers to the periodic reset of all game accounts, resetting every player back to level 1 and erasing everything accumulated—money, loot, gear, and quest progress. Only achievements and a few other elements (such as cosmetic items purchased with real money on the official BSG website) remain unaffected. In EFT, however, the wipe isn't just that. The word "wipe" also refers to the entire period between one reset and the next. For example, players refer to "mid-wipe" to indicate a point midway between one wipe and the next. Consequences of The Wipe With everyone starting from scratch: There’s no initial equipment disparity (although experienced players, who know the maps well and die less often, will gear up much faster). Everyone has to start with the first quests, making the quest zones crowded. This can be fun with more frequent fights, but it can also be frustrating when dying repeatedly makes completing quests difficult. Some players even camp these areas, knowing people are bound to visit for quests. Ground Zero is the map for players up to level 20, typically filled with newer, less experienced players. Right after the wipe, though, many experienced players are also here , making the map much more dangerous. Keep that in mind. At the beginning of the wipe, having better gear makes the biggest difference , as it’s harder (or impossible) to buy from Traders, since everyone has low reputation with them, and rare to find on the Flea Market, as most who find it keep it for themselves. Flea Market prices will fluctuate since everyone will need early items to upgrade their hideout, while items that will become the most expensive midway through the wipe are initially less in demand and, therefore, cheaper. If you have some spare cash, investing in items that will have greater value later (e.g., water filters , GPUs ) could be wise. The Cycle of the Wipe The periodic Wipe in EFT creates a sort of life cycle that repeats itself almost identically each time, except for possible changes introduced by patches. Players all start at level 1, triggering a race to level up as quickly as possible and acquire better equipment , gaining advantages over others. At the start of the wipe, there are also more players , with numbers dropping later as many reach certain goals and then wait for the next wipe to start fresh, joining in once again the race to level up quickly and gear up as fast as possible. Some ultra-competitive players even take time off work or hunker down for days to build an advantage over others—or simply to relish the satisfaction of "finishing" the game sooner. The "wipe cycle" impacts all aspects of the game . I've already mentioned changes in Flea Market prices and the fact that players are initially concentrated on completing the same quests, creating more chaos in early quest zones, which can be either exciting or frustrating. The game economy is influenced by the current stage of the wipe, as well as which maps are most frequented. Over time, players gradually spread out across various maps depending on their goals and playstyle. Of course, as some participate in this race, others, due to lack of time or a different playstyle, approach it more leisurely. I know because I am one of them. Our goal isn’t to "finish the game" but to "live it" , experience it fully, embracing the immersive, exploratory, and survival aspects of the game. Will Wipes Always Be Part of EFT? Clearly, the wipe isn’t exclusive to EFT. It’s often associated with the test phases (beta or alpha) of online games, where developers reset accounts upon updates or changes, forcing everyone to start from scratch to identify potential bugs, prevent any accumulated advantages from previous versions, and avoid issues that may arise from using old database versions with new game updates. This was also the origin of wipes in EFT, but due to the long development period and the game’s inherent mechanics, it’s become integral . Nikita, the head of BSG and creator of EFT, has repeatedly stated that wipes will continue even after the official release. The goal is to keep EFT engaging and challenging for competitive players. By resetting everything, all players are forced to start from zero, with limited funds and basic gear, resuming the race to level up and gain an advantage. Fortunately, Nikita has also said that in the final release, each player will have access to multiple game profiles: One with periodic wipes One that never resets (but may allow manual wiping) A PVE profile without wipes (with the option to wipe manually) Given my limited playtime and my playstile, I’m pleased about the option for a wipe-free mode, though we’ll have to see how it integrates into version 1.0. According to Nikita, the final version of EFT will differ somewhat from the current one , partly due to the implementation of story quests. All current quests should be considered "side quests," while the main story quests behind EFT remain unseen and won’t be accessible until version 1.0. What's your take on the Wipe? Are you a completionist racing to the top, or do you prefer to take things slow and savor the journey? Share your strategies, frustrations, and favorite Wipe moments in the comments below. ____ There’s always something new to discover in Escape from Tarkov ! Stay up to date with the latest News , Tips & Tricks , and In-Depth Guides , by checking out our links or starting from our Homepage . New to the game or just looking for more insights? Don’t miss our EFT: Tutorial  section!

Buying from the flea market in Tarkov can be a risky business if you’re not paying attention. There are players out there who exploit the system to scam unsuspecting buyers out of their hard-earned Rubles. A YouTube video by a streamer named Tucoof illustrates just how easy it is for scammers to make millions off players who aren’t careful. The Scam Explained The scam works by manipulating the way the flea market sorts items by price per unit. Here’s how it’s done: Identify a Popular Item: The scammer picks an item that is frequently and rapidly bought and sold on the flea market. Any item in very high demand will work. Manipulate the Price: The scammer buys out all the cheaper listings of the item, driving the price up . For example, if chocolates are selling between 30,000 and 50,000 Rubles, the scammer buys out all listings at the lower end, effectively pushing the minimum price up. Create a Pack Listing: Here’s where the scam gets clever. The scammer lists a pack of the item (e.g., 69 chocolates) at a significantly higher price per unit than normal (e.g., 50,000x69=4,140,000 Rubles), while manipulating the price and ensuring that the price per unit of teir listing is still lower than any other listing. Because the flea market sorts items by the lowest price per unit, the scammer’s pack listing appears at the top, even if it's a pack of several units that costs millions of Rubles. Continual Manipulation:  The scammer keeps an eye on the flea market and buys any new listings that are cheaper than their own, ensuring their overpriced pack remains at the top of the list. Autopilot Buyers Fall Victim: To save time, many players buy items on the flea market quickly, often without checking the details. They instantly purchase the first item on the list , assuming it's the cheapest because their list is set to sort by price. What the reckless buyers don’t realize is that this top listing is actually a stack of multiple overpriced items. As a result, they not only pay more than the normal price per unit, but they also end up buying a large quantity, spending much more money than if they had bought just one overpriced item. Repetition: While executing his diabolical plan, the scammer purchases any new listings that are priced below his pack's cost per unit, accumulating more of the item to sell. The scam can be repeated as many times as the scammer desires. Yes, you've been scammed! The buyers who fall for this scam end up spending millions of Rubles on items that are worth a fraction of what they paid. In a YT video, Tucoof shows several streamers falling into his trap. One is Lvndmark , who doesn't take it very sportingly and looks a little annoyed (can't blame him, it probably doesn't feel great being duped in front of the thousands of people watching his stream!). Others just laugh at the scam, probably because it’s the end of the wipe, and we are all rich. How to Avoid Getting Scammed Here are a few tips to help you avoid falling victim to these types of scams on the flea market: Avoid Buying in a Rush:  Scammers rely on players being in a hurry and not paying attention. Take a moment to review the listing details before confirming a purchase. This is important also when a certain type of item is sold very quickly, and you keep clicking "Purchase" and hitting "Yes" to buy the cheapest before anyone else. If in the meantime a scammer lists a large stack, and you have the money to buy it, you will buy the whole pack. Be Aware of Market Prices: Know the average price range of items you regularly buy. This way, you can notice if something is overpriced. Just wait, and the price should stabilize again shortly. Stay Informed: We will keep posting about future possible scam when we get to know them. Keep checking TTC and subscribe to our newsletter to receive the most important news directly in your inbox! Check Tucoof's video to see Lvndmark's and other streamers' reactions to the scam.

Choosing the first map to learn and where to gain your initial experience is a dilemma that all new Escape from Tarkov players face. The decision is undoubtedly influenced by where the initial quests take place, often pointing to Ground Zero. But is this really the most "Timmy-friendly" map? In my opinion, there is no truly Timmy-friendly map, as each has unique characteristics and is challenging in its own way. However, each player can make their choice by considering some key factors . Ground Zero Ground Zero is undoubtedly a map worth learning early, as the first 4-5 missions from Traders take place here . While it’s true that you can play without doing quests, one of the initial goals for (mostly) any player and any playstile is to reach level 15 as quickly as possible to unlock the flea market . This provides access to better gear and more opportunities to earn money by reselling loot. Another advantage of Ground Zero is that it is currently the only map that separates low-level players from high-level ones . Players up to level 20 enter a slightly simplified version of the map where no Boss or their guards spawn. This offers a dual benefit: You encounter low-level players, usually less equipped. You face only Scavs, which are the easiest AI enemies in EFT. It’s true that low-level players aren’t always inexperienced —there’s always a chance of meeting skilled players with low-level PMCs ( especially at the start of a wipe ). However, the limited quality of their gear makes encounters more balanced. That said, Ground Zero has a relatively complex layout , compared to other more linear maps, with multiple structures, multi-floor buildings, and an underground section. Additionally, there are many elevated sniping positions (windows and terraces), making inexperienced players easy prey for snipers . Customs After the Ground Zero quests, the next ones take place in Customs and Woods. Customs is a good map for learning to play EFT because it offers a diverse layout , including both indoor structures and open spaces. This allows you to gain experience in mid-to-long-range combat as well as close-quarters combat (CQC). Many quests take place in Customs, so it’s a map you’ll need to learn well early on . However, it’s not exactly beginner-friendly , as it’s a popular map for PvP enthusiasts. You’re likely to encounter high-level, experienced, and well-equipped players actively seeking combat. This means you’re more likely to meet aggressive players rather than those who avoid confrontation. Additionally, shooting will often draw their attention, and if you don’t move quickly, you might become their prey. Woods Woods is considered a "quiet" map because it’s set in a large forested area with no choke points where enemy encounters are common. On the contrary, it’s easy to avoid heavily trafficked paths and steer clear of combat. Thanks to the abundance of trees and varied terrain, it’s also relatively easy to escape or hide when you hear enemies approaching. The ease of avoiding player combat by staying away from contested areas allows new players to gain experience with movement and navigation . Additionally, the large number of hidden caches makes it possible to gather a lot of loot with less risk compared to other maps. However, it’s a large map with few landmarks , making it hard to know where you are when you spawn at the start of a raid if you’re unfamiliar with it. It’s easy to get disoriented (or stumble into a minefield!). Notable Mention: Factory Factory is not recommended for absolute beginners because it is strictly CQC and requires quick reflexes, the ability to handle high-stress situations, and the skills to escape dire circumstances where death is imminent. However, it’s a map where you’re guaranteed to encounter enemies, allowing you to gain a lot of combat experience in a short time. One challenge in learning EFT is that you sometimes encounter few enemies during raids, limiting your experience fighting other players. While you might run into some AI, fighting players is an entirely different story. Factory can thus be an excellent training ground for combat, enabling you to accumulate experience more quickly. It’s great for early practice in Practice Mode and, once you’re more confident, for PvP. So, What’s the Verdict? As I mentioned at the beginning, there isn’t a “Best Map to Learn On.” The truth is that in Escape from Tarkov, you need to gradually learn all the maps , following the quest progression and gaining experience along the way. So, more than a “Best Map to Learn On” there is a logical choice if you want to progess with questing. When I started playing EFT, Ground Zero didn’t exist yet, so I learned the basics on Customs and Woods. I used both Practice Mode and the Scav runs to learn the maps. I completed the first quests in Customs and gained PvP experience. Woods helped me relax by exploring the forest and various areas, collecting loot from hidden caches and less frequented spots to earn money for better equipment. I also used Factory to practice combat against AI in Practice Mode . Once I got familiar with it, I started engaging in PvP, both to complete quests and to gain experience and confidence in my CQC skills. If you want to know more about how to use Practice Mode to learn EFT, check this link to the tutorial I prepared . I hope this article can help you decide which map to start with. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. ____ There’s always something new to discover in Escape from Tarkov ! Stay up to date with the latest News , Tips & Tricks , and In-Depth Guides , by checking out our links or starting from our Homepage . New to the game or just looking for more insights? Don’t miss our EFT: Tutorial  section!

With patch 0.15, BSG introduced the Cultist Circle in Escape From Tarkov, allowing players to "sacrifice" in-game items to the Cultists and receive other items in return. What you receive is mostly random, but there are some items that, if sacrificed, always yield a specific result. The patch notes inform us that: The new Cultist Circle is located outside the main Hideout. You can sacrifice up to 5 items to the Cultist Circle; The value of each sacrificed item is added up; This total determines the value of items received as a Gift from the cultists; The cultists cannot deliver items while you are in the Hideout. The value of the sacrificed items is further increased by the bonuses from: Sacred Amulet Hideout Management skill Also note that players who have purchased The Unheard Edition will have the Cultist Circle built instantly. What is the Cultist Circle? The exact lore behind the Cultist Circle is unclear and may be explained further upon the final release of EFT . However, it's a convenient feature for disposing of unwanted items or useless junk cluttering our stashes in a more entertaining way. Instead of selling these items to traders or discarding them, we can sacrifice them at the Cultist Circle and see what we get in return. The mechanism is similar to the Scav Case , with the difference that in the latter, the payments given to scavs for searching random items are fixed, whereas with the Cultist Circle, we can sacrifice any items we want. Many players have also started searching for combinations of items that consistently yield the same results the first time they are sacrificed. You can see which ones on the Hideout page of the Escape From Tarkov  Wiki . Additionally, the patch notes for patch 0.15 state that: "If the value of a single sacrifice is above a certain threshold, there is a 25% chance to receive items needed for active tasks and unfinished Hideout zones." This feature offers a great opportunity to obtain those incredibly rare or extremely expensive items that we struggle to find while raiding in Tarkov. The Threshold(s) There are 2 thresholds: 350,001 RUB and 400,000 When the total value of the sacrifice (the sum of the base value of each sacrificed item) reaches the 350,001 RUB threshold , the sacrifice will take 14 hours, and there is an increased chance to receive rare and high-value items. When the total value is 400,000 RUB or more , there is a 25% chance of receiving items needed for active quests and Hideout upgrades. If this chance is triggered, the sacrifice will last 6 hours . If the chance is not triggered, the sacrifice will last 14 hours , and it will behave as the lower threshold case. But what are the base values of items? To calculate them, we have to take the trader buy-back price and divide it by the multiplier of that trader. Different traders have different multipliers. It's a bit complicated, so for this reason we have been gifted with a great tool: the Cultist Calculator. IMPORTANT TIP: After writing this article, I recently found out that one of the cheapest choices to reach the 400k threshold in the Cultist Circle is to use 2 MP5SDs bought from Pacekeeper and 1 Diary or a similar value item (an SSD seems to work too). While it's not clear why this works, since the total value should not be enough, this combination is cheaper than most possible other combinations, and another plus is you won't be subject to market fluctuation . Cultist Calculator Wilsman77, using Tarkov Market data and collaborating with streamer VeryBadSCAV —who conducted the research—has created the 'Cultist Calculator' , available to everyone. This tool helps you choose the 5 items needed to reach the selected threshold without having to calculate their base value yourself. The Cultist Calculator is very useful for having a greater selection of items we can sacrifice (if an item is very expensive on the Flea Market, you can choose another) and for avoiding the sacrifice of items that, when combined, exceed the necessary threshold by too much —thereby wasting high-value items unnecessarily. You can select PVP or PVE mode. You can select the threshold to reach, so you don't waste money with item that have a higher value than needed. It has the Auto Select feature that generates a random set of 5 items precisely meeting the selected threshold, providing a more 'slot-machine' experience. You can exclude items that you don't want to use (e.g. because their price is very high on the Flea Market at that moment). You can select which categories of items to include or exclude in the Settings. It also lists Recipes , known combinations that give known results. Don't forget to click the Help button in the top left of the calculator to read the instructions. Cultist Circle Visions? If you haven't seen it yet, below is a video from the ingenious and visionary YouTuber and programmer Tarkin that depicts the Cultist Circle in a different yet very fitting way. Also don't forget to check out Tarkin YouTube Channel for more visionary and fun videos. ____ There’s always something new to discover in Escape from Tarkov !  Stay up to date with the latest News , Tips & Tricks , and In-Depth Guides , by checking out our links or starting from our Homepage . New to the game or just looking for more insights? Don’t miss our EFT: Tutorial  section!

Escape from Tarkov offers two modes that are useful for learning how to play without risking the gear and money given to us when we start the game: Using the Scav Practice Mode Reading the comments from the Escape from Tarkov community, I realized that many overlook Practice Mode, suggesting instead that beginners use the Scav to do raids without risking anything (because the Scav has random but free gear). While it is correct to suggest using the Scav to learn certain aspects of the game, it is also true that Practice Mode offers greater flexibility and some advantages that the Scav cannot provide. The Scav is very useful for learning while also scavenging loot and maybe kill some enemy without risk, but in my opinion, it is already one step beyond Practice Mode. If a player is truly a beginner and is approaching EFT for the first time, Practice Mode is a better choice. What is Practice Mode? Practice Mode is certainly more useful for beginners, but it can also benefit experienced players. The most important feature is that it is a provisional, offline practice raid. This means it will not be recorded by the game, and once you leave (by dying, reaching the time limit, or exiting voluntarily), it will be as if nothing happened. Therefore, all your equipment, ammunition, and healing items will be restored to their state before starting the raid. However, everything you collected, quests completed, and experience gained will also be lost. How to Activate Practice Mode When you decide to start a raid and select “Escape from Tarkov” from the main menu, you have the option to choose whether to use your PMC or the Scav. Choose the PMC and, on the next screen, you can select the map for the raid. On the following screen, you will see the option “Enable Practice Mode for this raid.” If you select it, you can click on the “Game Settings” button on the right, allowing you to customize the settings for the raid you are about to undertake. Game Settings Co-op Mode: This enables the possibility of entering Practice Mode with friends. It is extremely useful for training together, experimenting (e.g., testing sounds or damage, positioning), and especially for practicing team play. This is critical in EFT due to the lack of markers distinguishing friends from enemies, making preparation and good communication vital. With the Co-op function, you can also engage in friendly skirmishes to improve your skills and combat strategies without losing gear when you die. Game Settings: In theory, this should allow enabling and configuring some very interesting game features. However, currently, it only allows randomizing weather conditions and the time of the raid. If you do not select these options, the weather and time will match those active when you selected the map (on the previous screen). AI Settings: Here too, some settings are unavailable at the moment, but the available ones are extremely useful. AI Amount  - (as in online, none, low, medium, high, horde) AI Difficulty  - (as in online, easy, medium, hard, impossible, random) The ability to decide how many AI to encounter on a map, as well as their difficulty, is crucial for training and improving in EFT. Want to explore a new map you don't know? Turn off AI completely and move around freely without fear or distractions. Want to practice aiming? Go to Factory, set AI amount to horde and difficulty to easy. Enable Bosses:  Pretty self-explanatory, but note that this option also enables or disables the spawn of Rogues, Raiders, and Cultists (in PvE, it also controls if AI-controlled PMCs will spawn or not). Scav War:  If activated, Scavs will fight each other. Tagged and Cursed:  All AI know your position and will come after you to try and eliminate you. Great for practicing aiming and getting used to fighting under pressure. It’s the same effect triggered if you enter a raid without at least a pistol and a chest rig. This is done to prevent players from entering raids completely unarmed. Learning the game My suggestion is to use Practice Mode initially, when you know nothing about the game. It is excellent for exploring maps and starting to learn them even before trying them with the Scav or PMC in real raids. Tests and drills Another use is to test weapons, fire modes, reloading, and filling magazines with ammunition. It is also great for getting used to healing actions for various conditions (health points, light and heavy bleeding, bone fractures). In short, it is not only for exploring and learning maps but also for familiarizing yourself with all the operations you will need to perform quickly and instinctively in real raids, especially during combat, where you must act fast and without hesitation. Combat Of course, Practice Mode is also an excellent way to learn the basics of combat and get accustomed to defeating AI before introducing the greater difficulty of online PvP raids, which involve other players. Increasing the number of AI and their difficulty is also excellent training for improving even for experienced players or warming up at the beginning of a gaming session. Quests Practice Mode can also be used to try out quests before undertaking them in a real raid. It is true that between the Wiki, YouTube, and various sites, you can find all the necessary information before doing a quest. However, for more complex ones in unfamiliar territories, it can be helpful to try them first in Practice Mode. Co-op Finally, Practice Mode, through the Co-op function that allows you to play with friends, offers the opportunity to learn how to move as a team, communicate correctly, and develop tactics and teamwork. With the Co-op function, you can also engage in friendly skirmishes to improve your skills and combat strategies without losing gear when you die. Factory map Which map to select depends on your objective, but remember that Factory is the smallest and fastest to load map, so for some tests it’s the best choice to get in and reset fast if needed. This is all about Practice Mode. If you have suggestions or comments, let me know!

On the 1st of April,k on Null1k channel on Twitch, Nikita Buyanov, the head of Battlestate Games, engaged in a wide-ranging conversation, offering insights into the development of Escape from Tarkov (EFT) and related projects. This article delves into each question posed and Nikita's comprehensive responses. Before we begin , I’d like to express my gratitude to Null1k  for conducting the original interview with Nikita. Very special thanks also go to Midnight Lyrics  for the incredible work of transcribing and translating the interview from Russian into English — without their effort, this article wouldn’t have been possible. A big thank you as well to Airwingmarine  and his Discord community , where the translated interview is available. I encourage all readers to check it out and thank Midnight Lyrics directly for their outstanding contribution. If you speak Russian , you can watch the full interview directly on Null1k Twitch Channel (Click the link to jump to the exact timestamp where the interview begins). Initial Mood and Well-being The conversation began with a casual check-in from "Null", inquiring about Nikita's mood and overall well-being. Nikita responded with a touch of weariness, stating, " It's hard to live. It's like this. There's a lot to do, work, we're not young anymore ". This initial exchange sets a somewhat grounded tone for the discussion, acknowledging the pressures of game development. A lighthearted moment followed concerning Nikita's webcam, where he jokingly asked to be made " as small as possible. And put me under the sofa somewhere ". The Highly Praised Minotaur Event One of the central topics discussed was the recent "minotaur" event in Escape from Tarkov. Null noted the community's experience with it, expressing hope that such content would continue. Nikita's reaction was overwhelmingly positive. He exclaimed, " Yeah, I know, that's the best one. I think it's the best thing that's happened in years with EFT. The guys have been doing really cool stuff, you know, narrative, action, this and that, that kind of stuff. I kind of said right away: we need to keep doing stuff like that, add it to the story quests ". He further expressed his satisfaction, saying, " Oh, yeah. I'm even more than satisfied, because it turned out cool, it turned out to be such a single player experience. No, it's cool. But it turned out to be an opportunity to feel some unusual vibe, not of Tarkov, but of some of the horror, of some of these games. It's cool, it's cool, I really liked it ". Crucially, Nikita confirmed the future of the minotaur event's narrative, stating, " What's more, it's going to be a story quest alone afterwards altogether. Well, that's just the way it is. Because there is a lot of narrative in this quest, in this event in general, story narrative. There's a lot of stuff related to the game and to the story quests, which will be further on. So yeah, it's going to be in the game, of course it will be in the game, definitely it will be, unequivocally, it's a great thing ". This indicates a clear integration of the event's lore into the main storyline. When Null suggested the possibility of more such "dungeons" in different locations in the future, Nikita responded optimistically, " Those ideas will definitely evolve. That's 100%. Because there are big enough such serious plans regarding all the functionality that was added. Yes, it will be cool ". He also described the event as " a good development of tarkov. Combined multiplayer-singleplayer experience ", hinting at future developments along similar lines, potentially evolving into something " basically like Destiny, but not a grindy game, but just going through the story together ". Nikita stressed the importance of player feedback on the minotaur event, stating that " your feedback, your positive comments and your interest is the most important thing. In fact, it determines what is important, what is interesting, what should be done and what should not be done. So, so play, test ". Arena's Release on the Epic Games Store The conversation then shifted to the upcoming release of Arena on the Epic Games Store, scheduled for April 10th. Null asked for Nikita's comment on this decision and what players should expect. Nikita explained the rationale behind the choice, saying, " Well, because they are good guys, they treated us so well, they gave us good conditions, that's why. So we thought, why not? We'll try to do it in Epic Games Store, and then we'll do it in Steam as well ". He explicitly reassured players that " For those who think it won't be on Steam, everything will be on Steam, and EFT will be on Steam, and the arena will be on Steam. That's it ", clarifying that the Epic Games Store release is not exclusive. Regarding what to expect, Nikita simply stated, " Fun! ". Arena Access and Future Content Null then inquired about how players would gain access to Arena and if there were plans for a Battle Pass. Nikita remained somewhat tight-lipped on the specifics, likely due to internal communication protocols. However, he did confirm that " there's gonna be content, there's gonna be a lot of content. There's gonna be a lot of rebalancing. Camouflage on guns. It's gonna be all right ". He further elaborated on weapon skins, stating, " Yes. First it will be in arena, then we'll drag them to tarkov, because there are a lot more guns in tarkov, a lot more mods. Although in the arena there's a lot of them too, to be honest. Well, there are some technical peculiarities there ". This indicates that weapon customisation, including skins, will be a feature in Arena, with a potential future implementation in Escape from Tarkov. Nikita's Perspective on the EFT Player Base and the Game's "Soul" Nikita shared his profound thoughts on the Escape from Tarkov player base and the game's enduring appeal. He stated, " Actually, you know, I would even say that it's not that the game is cool, but everything that it spawned, a whole subculture of people and in general millions of players are united by one idea: ‘Suffering is cool’ actually ". He believes that Tarkov has reopened a door to a more hardcore gaming experience, noting that " tarkov is not only about the extraction shooter he created, but tarkov is probably about opening some door that was closed in the good old days when games were new to everyone and there was real hardcore. I feel like we opened that door again and as a result we've kept that door open for almost 10 years now, if not more, and will continue to keep it open. And there's so much more to come, you have no idea ". Nikita acknowledged the game's imperfections but highlighted the immense amount of work and content that has been created. He also touched on other companies attempting to replicate EFT's success, stating that they " can't copy the soul. Morons, you know ". He emphasised the crucial role of the players, saying, " the soul of EFT lies not only in the programmers who do it there, but in you too, who play there, because you are the fuel that burns in this fire, you know ". Last Moment of True Happiness A more introspective question asked Nikita when he last felt truly happy. His response was surprisingly poignant, " Oh, man. Fucking hell. I'm allowed to swear in here, aren't I? Anyway, I honestly don't remember. I've forgotten to be happy at all, because even if something good happens, even if everything is good, you still group yourself together, because you think, ‘Oh, shit, something is going to go off somewhere else, something is going to go off somewhere else, something is going to hit you in the ass 100 percent’. That's why I'm not used to it. It's actually okay, you're perpetually mobilized, but it's not easy. Because you get depressed a lot. And you can't really be helped by any wealth and opportunities and stuff. It just happens that you don't have any energy and strength, because you are just overloaded, burned out. And that's just so that separately directly happy..... Shit, I don't remember, it must have been a long time ago when I got my Playstation 1 ". This candid answer provides a glimpse into the pressures and demands of his role. Will the Release of EFT Bring Happiness? Following this, Null asked if the eventual release of EFT might bring Nikita closer to happiness. Nikita's response was nuanced and realistic. He explained that " a tarkov release isn't just a button pushed or there's a series of marketing events or there's just changing the beta plate to 1.0. It is a very serious business process, a very serious social process, it is such a difficult thing that can't be done in one day, because the tarkov release is not just “We released and forgot about the game”, we have to continue to develop this whole thing and we have to continue to restructure it in some way so that it would be more efficient, so that we would put on stream these cool events that we decided to launch in full. And we have to continue to surprise people somehow, despite the fact that the game is already 10 years old ". He anticipated a potential influx of players and technical challenges upon release, concluding, " No, I won't. I even know why I won't be happier. Because it's probably going to be such an influx of players, we're going to have everything start cracking up so much. And we'll be so ddos, everyone will get together and ddos us. Why? Because what, I don't know. The disturbers of the peace... ". Interaction with the Development Team Null then inquired about the dynamics within the development team, asking how they approach Nikita with concerns or ideas. Nikita described the team structure, stating that " we have for a long time, for many years, the guys have been divided into sub-teams and sub-teams are not that separate people, for example, people who do programming or separate people, animators. No, these are some task forces that work on different parts of the game. They work on the event, on location expansions, on location optimization, and they are all friends with each other... ". He expressed his positive interactions with the team, noting recent improvements in their efficiency. He also affirmed his constant involvement in the development process, saying, " I do it all the time. Non-stop, every day... Of course, everything goes through me. What, you don't think I'm involved? Everything goes through me. And design... Denis sends me something all the time, always asking for my comments, and a lot of things... And the design and all of it we're approving. On story quests, all sorts of things, there's graphic design, constant calls, I'm constantly adjusting something. I tell them how to do it better. So it's always going on, it hasn't gone anywhere ". The Future of PVE and Prestige A significant portion of the conversation addressed the future of the PVE mode, particularly regarding prestige and a potential connection to the Arena. Null highlighted that many players, particularly those with more experience, have moved to PVE and are interested in its development. Nikita's stance on PVE prestige is nuanced. He stated firmly, " Well I can't you guys and ladies... I can't tell you “I want to do a prestige opportunity in PVE”. It's prestige to play online EFT. It's prestigious to suffer there, it's prestigious to die there. For natural and unnatural (unfortunately) reasons. Well that's a lot more respectful. Because I planned the game to be online and didn't think there would be any PVE mode at all. We suffer, we play in PVP. Simple. And get prestige for it. That's it ". He acknowledged internal discussions about potentially adding " some ‘Kind of prestige’ " to PVE but expressed concern that it " would equalize them with those who play PVP ", questioning whether " those who play PVE, they're not as cool as those who play PVP? ". He left this question unanswered, indicating ongoing internal deliberation. Nikita also reiterated that " PVE was introduced so that newcomers understood the basics and went to PVP to play . In fact, yes, that's the way it is" . PVE as a separate mode Regarding the development of PVE as a separate mode, Nikita suggested that " if we had some crazy opportunities now, and most importantly, the forces of a fundamental nature, to further develop all this stuff at a powerful pace, then of course a very serious DLC is planned ". However, he then jokingly mentioned a high price point for such DLC. He clarified that " The closest DLC we'll have is most likely Scav Life. There's a lot of things planned there: playing as a boss and quests for the wild and in general all sorts of cool stuff, customization. And PVE development I think it just needs to be a separate DLC of some kind, so that, again, there will be some economic background ". He dismissed the idea of a subscription model and stated that the current priority is to " fix the maximum of everything ". Arena and PVE Concerning the connection between Arena and PVE ("Ref"), Null specifically asked about this. Nikita confirmed that " It's planned. We've been planning this for a long time, it's going to happen, there's just certain issues with it all. I just don't remember why we're not doing it now. Probably because, again, we prioritized fixes and stuff like that ". This assures PVE players that a connection to the Arena mode is still on the development roadmap. Feelings About Cheaters When the topic of cheaters was directly raised, Nikita expressed a sense of frustration and difficulty in communicating the complexities of the issue. He stated, " Oh, man, I'm really-- I don't need to answer that question. I don't know what kind of communication strategy to choose to make people understand at least a little bit how it all works ". This suggests ongoing challenges and perhaps a feeling of being misunderstood regarding the efforts to combat cheating. Hardcore Mode Without Flea Market and Prestige System Null inquired about the possibility of a " hardcore type mode planned without flea market? ". Nikita deemed this " unlikely " given the game's current evolutionary direction. However, he did mention an idea related to prestige, " that you can after prestige.... Get prestige and you can start a new game, specifying ‘perks’ and debuffs. And it will be different somehow ". This suggests a different form of hardcore experience tied to a prestige system, rather than simply removing the flea market from the current game. Legendary Weapon Modifications The topic of " legendary’ modifications for weapons " was brought up, referencing a previous discussion about special loot dropping from bosses. Nikita confirmed that this had " been planned for a long time, like five years ago, but for some reason we still can't get it all into the game ". He noted that a significant portion of the initial game design already included such features but that completing everything is unlikely to avoid endless development. He hinted that " We will add something like this in some DLC ". The Cat in the Hideout A more whimsical question concerned the persistent community request for a cat in the hideout. Nikita admitted, " Yeah I want a cat added to the shelter myself, for sure ". However, he humorously prioritised game performance, asking, " Well, man, we have other priorities, we're fixing the game. Do you need the game to run better and faster? Or don't you?! ". This lighthearted exchange acknowledged the community's desires while highlighting the development team's focus on more critical issues. Is Release Tomorrow? In a classic community question, Null asked, " Is the release tomorrow? ". Nikita's straightforward answer was, " No, not tomorrow ". Tubes Another specific community request was about adding the ability to " shoot with tubes ". Nikita simply replied, " It's coming, it's coming. Wait for it. It's coming. Yes ", offering a clear confirmation, albeit without a specific timeframe. If you're wondering what "shoot with tubes" means,  that expression is most likely a quirky or awkward translation referring to tube-shaped weapons — in other words, rocket launchers . Null's Thanks and Nikita's Closing Remarks The stream concluded with Null expressing personal gratitude to Nikita for his support. Nikita responded with a general sentiment of goodwill, stating, " Good people should be helped! There's even this thing that no matter who you are... you should help those you can help. It is good and it is right and it will make our world a better place ". He bid farewell, mentioning an upcoming Tarkov TV podcast , and acknowledged feeling slightly unwell but wanting to rest. ____ There’s always something new to discover in Escape from Tarkov !  Stay up to date with the latest News , Tips & Tricks , and In-Depth Guides , by checking out our links or starting from our Homepage . New to the game or just looking for more insights? Don’t miss our EFT: Tutorial  section!

Today, 17/3/2025, BSG released a new patch that, while disappointing some players who were expecting the long-announced February event, still proves to be an important update with changes and bug fixes that improve and optimize Escape from Tarkov. Let's take a look at the most significant ones. The community has been eagerly awaiting the event that Battlestate Games announced for February . It was rumored to be a major event, which raised expectations. However, many players were also aware that BSG rarely sticks to their estimated timelines. And so it was: no news, and this patch did not bring the event either. Some would call it “Classic Tarkov.” Or perhaps, for once, BSG actually did what the community always asks for— focusing on optimization, bug fixes, and issues before thinking about anything else. While we wait for news about the event, we fortunately have plenty of other things to discuss. The recent months have shown a clear trend: BSG has been seriously and consistently dedicated to improving Escape from Tarkov in all aspects. A crucial factor in this is the use of in-game surveys , which BSG finally seems to be leveraging more effectively. Sometimes we players expect near-miracles, but after all, this tool was only recently implemented. Now, they are asking relevant questions and, most importantly, acting based on the results . The new Tarkov Community portal also seems to be accelerating EFT's improvements , bug fixes, and refinements in various game mechanics, such as loot distribution, player scavs raid access timing, and other features. This is thanks to its well-organized structure and the fact that it is managed by EFT Emissaries, who have direct contact with BSG. Overall, the community finally feels heard , and BSG appears to be moving much faster —sometimes almost instantly—to accommodate requests and implement suggested changes. Optimizations Optimized performance on Customs; Optimized in-raid memory consumption across all locations; Optimized shadow quality settings for better performance on low-end PCs. We will continue working on fixes and changes to optimize and improve the technical state of the game in upcoming updates. It is reassuring to see continued efforts to optimize the game's historically poor performance, a long-standing issue for Escape from Tarkov. However, recent improvements seem promising . One significant boost came from Nvidia's latest generation of DLSS, which improved performance for some players. But BSG has also put in considerable effort—not only implementing it quickly but continuing optimization through other means, likely aided by the recent upgrade to the Unity 2022 engine. Since EFT is a PC game, running on countless hardware configurations and software setups, improvements are more noticeable for some players than others. Some even report worse performance after updates. However, in most cases, BSG's optimizations have yielded positive results. AI Changes and Improvements We’re also pleased to see continued AI improvements, some of which specifically target the PvE mode—something many players will be happy to see receiving more attention. Bots now turn their heads towards the presumed target to obtain better visual awareness. This could be purely for a more natural effect, but it might also help players recognize when an AI has spotted them and is preparing to engage. The detection speed for Hard difficulty bots is now equal to that of Normal difficulty bots; Adjusted detection speed settings for AI PMCs. They now detect enemies 20% faster than regular bots. Adjusting detection speed is crucial for balancing AI combat , preventing scenarios where they become nearly invincible or possess superhuman reaction times. (Increasing AI PMCs' detection speed is likely to counterbalance the general reduction). AI PMCs now switch to single fire at long ranges and full auto at close range if possible. This is a great change—AI PMCs using single fire at long distances should prevent them from instantly melting players with pinpoint accuracy from unrealistic ranges. All Sniper Scavs and regular Scavs of any difficulty now have 30 head HP; AI PMCs, Raiders, and Rogues still have 35 head HP. This is likely a response to frequent complaints from players struggling to one-shot Scavs with precise headshots while keeping higher HP for more challenging AI types like AI PMCs (in PvE), Raiders, and Rogues (in both PvP and PvE). Regular bots no longer take cover in vegetation; Bots can no longer see through vegetation unless an enemy is very close; Bot vision is reduced if they are inside vegetation. These changes, combined with the detection speed tweaks, should make AI behavior more balanced and less like an aimbot . It also reduces frustrating instances where players win intense PvP battles in an epic raid, only to be instantly headshot by an invisible Scav hiding behind a bush. Increased the chance for AI PMCs to perceive an AI Scav as hostile to 80%. Other faction relationship chances remain unchanged across all locations. Another PvE adjustment—AI PMCs and Scavs often seem to form an unnatural truce, only to suddenly gang up on an unfortunate player who happens to pass by. Player Scav Spawn and Equipment Changes Adjusted Player Scav spawn time: they now appear no earlier than 17 minutes after the start of a raid on most locations, excluding Factory, Reserve, and low-level Ground Zero; Increased the chance of spawning with better Scav equipment for players with high Fence reputation. Following an in-game survey and feedback collected through the Tarkov Community portal, BSG decided to delay Player Scav entry into raids. This gives PMCs more time to loot and complete quests while also making Scav Karma (Fence Rep) farming more rewarding through better gear (and loot in their pockets) when raiding as a Scav. AI PMCs Equipment Change Increased the current and maximum durability of all AI PMC weapons. Many PvE players complained that fighting AI PMCs felt unrewarding because their weapons and armor were always too damaged to be useful. Unlike in PvP, where gear transfers between players are a core part of the gameplay loop. Spawn Chances All Bosses now have a 30% spawn chance; Increased Cultist spawn rate in both PvE and PvP modes; Reduced Partisan spawn rate in PvE mode. As usual, spawn rates for all Bosses and Cultists increase as the wipe progresses to help players complete their elimination quests more easily. Meanwhile, Partisan’s spawn rate in PvE has been reduced. He is the most hated bosses in this mode due to his mechanics—especially his silent footsteps, which feel like a built-in cheat . Ironically, many players choose PvE to avoid cheaters, yet Partisan’s stealth seems almost intentionally designed to frustrate them. Bot Fixes Fixed an issue where bots with shotguns or pistols would not take cover against distant enemies; Fixed an issue where bots would not react to noise sources; Fixed an issue where bots spawned too close to PMCs at the start of a raid; Fixed an issue where bots would stay inside vegetation after taking damage; Fixed several cases where bots could walk through closed doors. BSG continues refining AI behavior to make combat more engaging , both in PvE and PvP, where AI interactions can be the difference between an unforgettable raid and one best left forgotten. Extra Fixes Fixed several issues that caused glass to render incorrectly in certain cases; Fixed an issue where the RSP flares would not glow after being fired; Fixed several issues that caused the main game monitor to be detected incorrectly; Fixed the inability to shoot the MTs-255 shotgun while mounted; Fixed the ability to transfer an equipped dogtag to the sorting table; Fixed the incorrect trading UI when buying items with 7 or more cells in length; Fixed the cause of the inability to open containers in stash in certain cases. Items that did not fit in the stash after opening the container will now end up on the sorting table when you re-enter the Character screen; Fixed several incorrect conditions in the Gunsmith series tasks; Fixed the cause of missing rewards in the Cultist Circle in certain cases; Fixed the missing weapon reload animations in certain cases; After clicking the Cultist Circle notification, you will automatically switch to the Cultist Circle Hideout zone; Various fixes and improvements to the localization of interface, items, and tasks; Fixed the known issues where the player would get teleported from the edges of certain surfaces. Various bug fixes cover rendering issues, UI problems, incorrect conditions in Gunsmith tasks, missing rewards in the Cultist Circle, missing reload animations, and other gameplay elements. We’re not at the final polish phase before full release yet, given Tarkov’s sheer number of bugs and issues, but it’s clear BSG is working towards that goal—and so far, we’re on the right track. Keep it up, chuvaki! ____ There’s always something new to discover in Escape from Tarkov ! Stay up to date with the latest News , Tips & Tricks , and In-Depth Guides , by checking out our links or starting from our Homepage . New to the game or just looking for more insights? Don’t miss our EFT: Tutorial  section!

Today, March 23, 2025, Escape from Tarkov is hosting a unique event where all in-game bosses, excluding Cultists, had a guaranteed spawn rate of 100% in their designated locations. This means that players can anticipate encounters with bosses in every raid, providing both heightened challenges and opportunities for valuable loot.  the photo posted by BSG on their social media Today at 10:00 AM Moscow Time , Battlestate Games posted a cryptic photo on their social media—a set of Polaroids showing the Bosses of Escape from Tarkov . One of the pictures featured a handwritten note that simply said: “12:00–19:00.” The community wasted no time decoding the message: all bosses would be spawning with a 100% chance during that timeframe . After a few raids, it became clear that each boss was indeed spawning on their usual map with guaranteed probability. The only exception? The Cultists , who remained elusive as always, spawning with their usual low rate. Meanwhile, The Goons were spotted exclusively on their main territory: Lighthouse. As is often the case, the event sparked mixed feelings among players. Many welcomed the idea , grateful for the chance to easily locate bosses, collect rare loot, and complete boss-related quests. After all, it had been since December that BSG introduced an event to shake up the gameplay. But not everyone was thrilled A significant portion of the community criticized the short duration of the event , arguing that it excluded all players who weren’t able to log in during that narrow time window. The mood soured further when it was confirmed that the event is restricted to PvP mode only—leaving out the many players who now focus solely on PvE. Event Details PvP mode only Duration:  12:00 PM to 7:00 PM (MSK).​ Boss Locations: All bosses are present in their usual territories with a 100% spawn rate. The Goons  are found only on Lighthouse. Cultists are spawning with the usual spawn rate. My Take While the frustration over the short event window is absolutely valid —especially after months of stale gameplay—it’s worth considering that there may be a reason behind BSG’s decision. I suspect that this could be the beginning of a new approach: shorter, more frequent events, or even a series of chained events that play out over time. Unfortunately, due to some questionable choices made by BSG in the past, skepticism runs deep in the community. That, paired with the often knee-jerk tendency to criticize any change, has led many to assume the worst without considering that there might actually be a method to the madness . Of course, these are just my personal theories, and time may prove them wrong. But recently, BSG has been making more thoughtful moves, and I’m hopeful that this positive trend will continue . As for the complaints about the lack of PvE inclusion, I understand them. But I believe BSG may have intentionally chosen to limit the event to PvP in order to preserve PvE content in the long run. Unlike PvP, where seasonal wipes reset player progress, PvE mode lacks that cyclical reset—meaning giving players more boss encounters could deplete the available content more quickly . In PvP, time is limited. In PvE, content must last longer. ____ There’s always something new to discover in Escape from Tarkov ! Stay up to date with the latest News , Tips & Tricks , and In-Depth Guides , by checking out our links or starting from our Homepage . New to the game or just looking for more insights? Don’t miss our EFT: Tutorial  section!

The unexpected arrival of Escape from Tarkov: Arena  on the Epic Games Store has sparked new conversations about Battlestate Games’ long-term strategy. Once confined to its proprietary launcher, the Tarkov franchise now takes a bold step toward broader exposure. In this article, we take a closer look at the reasons behind this decision, its impact on both Arena and EFT, and what it could mean for the future of the franchise. Battlestate Games has fired a surprise shot: Escape from Tarkov: Arena   officially launched on the Epic Games Store on April 10, 2025. For a studio that has long defended its independence —avoiding platforms like Steam to stick to its proprietary launcher, and to prevent the game from being flooded with negative reviews during the most critical stages of its development—this marks a significant shift. The release on Epic likely signals greater confidence in the maturity of the product and possibly a move toward a more accessible future for the franchise. Timing and Strategy: Why Now? After a launch that drew curiosity but also criticism due to performance, stability, and netcode issues, BSG gradually improved Arena. By integrating it with Escape from Tarkov , they reignited interest among many players. Launching it on Epic seems like the next logical step: now that the product is more refined, it's the right time to broaden visibility and attract a wider audience —perhaps less "hardcore" but still drawn to its tactical and intense gameplay. The economic side shouldn’t be overlooked: Epic offers better financial conditions than other stores and, according to some rumors, may have incentivized the release with a dedicated agreement . For BSG, this is a concrete opportunity to test Arena’s commercial potential outside its own ecosystem. In this context comes a recent statement by Nikita Buyanov: in an interview, he shared the goal of making Escape from Tarkov  available on Steam at an undetermined point in the future. The release of Arena on the Epic Games Store could therefore be a general test to evaluate how a Tarkov title performs on an external platform—examining commercial dynamics, community response, and economic sustainability in a context where sales commissions are more favorable than on Steam (and without user reviews). A Bridge Between Arena and EFT Arena is not disconnected from EFT: some quests require completing PvP matches in the arena, and the rewards directly impact the main account. Playing Arena allows players to earn experience, money, and level up their character’s skills in Escape from Tarkov. Why? Because it’s the same character in both games—existing simultaneously in Tarkov raids and arena combat. In BSG’s official lore videos, Arena is portrayed as a facility located in the Norvinsk region , the same narrative setting as EFT, where fighters are taken and forced to battle. This strengthens both the narrative and gameplay integration between the two titles, making Arena an integral part  of Tarkov’s world. This connection is part of a deliberate strategy to link the two games commercially and encourage engagement across both. A new user discovering Arena on Epic might be captivated by its unique gameplay and then choose to dive into the full EFT experience. Conversely, a veteran Tarkov player might find Arena an efficient way to boost their character, gather resources, and train skills in a more immediate environment. What About Escape from Tarkov? Future Prospects While a direct release of Escape from Tarkov  on Epic doesn’t seem imminent, the future roadmap outlined by Nikita Buyanov is clear: EFT is on track to reach version 1.0 in a reasonable timeframe (soon™). The development roadmap spans a decade, just like the first development cycle—from alpha to the current state. The plan includes ongoing evolution through new content, DLCs, and features. The prospect of seeing EFT land on Steam—as stated by Nikita— fits neatly into this long-term vision . If Epic serves as a proving ground today, it’s entirely plausible that Steam could become an official platform for both Arena and EFT once the main development phase concludes. A Door Ajar Toward Unreal Engine? One last consideration, as touched upon in previous articles : Epic Games is also the company behind Unreal Engine. That’s no minor detail. While Escape from Tarkov  is built on Unity—and porting it to a different engine is practically unfeasible—it’s well known that the development process faced numerous technical challenges. These were only partly mitigated with the switch to Unity 2022, which brought greater stability and better performance. The launch on Epic could be an initial step toward strengthening ties with the Unreal ecosystem , not for EFT itself, but for future projects like the long-rumored Russia 2028  or even a potential Escape from Tarkov 2 . Building a business relationship now may smooth the path for future collaborations. Final Thoughts What might appear at first as a straightforward commercial release actually reveals deeper strategic intent : a shift in distribution, a new point of entry for players, and a technical and business experiment that could influence the franchise’s long-term direction. Escape from Tarkov: Arena  on Epic is much more than just another game on another store. It’s a calculated move that offers a glimpse into where Battlestate Games is heading—and maybe, how they plan to get there. ____ There’s always something new to discover in Escape from Tarkov ! Stay up to date with the latest News , Tips & Tricks , and In-Depth Guides , by checking out our links or starting from our Homepage . New to the game or just looking for more insights? Don’t miss our EFT: Tutorial  section!

A major new in-game event called The Labyrinth  has launched in Escape from Tarkov. This event is accessible in both PvE and PvP game modes and features an achievement for players who complete the entire task line. Here's an initial breakdown of the quests you'll need to undertake to eventually gain access to the mysterious Labyrinth. This initial set of quests provides the necessary steps to unlock the entrance to the new Labyrinth event in Escape from Tarkov. Prepare your gear, gather your key cards, and brace yourself for the challenges that await within the maze. I've described the locations you need to reach for the quests, along with some tips and notes that I recommend reading and following. However, I also suggest clicking on the quest name : the hyperlink will take you to the EFT Wiki page for that quest, which includes screenshots and maps to help you better understand where the locations are. The Initial Quest Line: The journey to the Labyrinth begins with a series of tasks primarily given by Mechanic. Shady Contractor :  This first task becomes available from Mechanic once you have completed the Saving the Mole quest (some say you also need to be level 21, but that's not reported on the Wiki). You will need to head to the Ground Zero map and locate the manager's diary . This diary can be found inside a black Lexus car with an open door  located on the south end of the map, near Capital Insight in the Nakatani Tower, in a small two-story building resembling a dealership. The diary can spawn on the dashboard, the seat, or in the trunk of the car. Once found, you must extract with the diary and hand it over to Mechanic to proceed. Needle in a Hay Stack :  This task from Mechanic requires you to visit specific locations on four different maps: Ground Zero, Interchange, Streets, and Shoreline. You do not  need to survive the raid after reaching these locations . Ground Zero:  Go to the courtyard of the TerraGroup building and enter a specific box located there. Interchange:  Head to the cart track  (outside) and the playground inside the ALI store  (within the mall). Note that this is not the playground outside by the stage. Streets:  Locate the Concordia playground  and enter the designated area. Shoreline:  Visit the construction site  on the coastline (in the middle of the blue fenced area) and a fenced-in playground behind the East Wing  of the resort. Upon visiting all these locations, the task is complete, and you can return to Mechanic for the next step. Hidden Layer :  This task from Mechanic is more involved and takes place on Shoreline. You need to find the Knossos LLC facility key . There are currently five known spawn locations for this key within the Shoreline resort area: Inside the building outside the East Wing, on a table. Inside the East Wing, on the second floor in a small utility room. Inside the East Wing, on the third floor in the same utility room area. Inside the Admin building, in the office where the 216 key spawns, on a lamp. Inside the West Wing, in a small computer room office near the front door. Note: It's possible for more than one key to spawn per match. Once you have the Knossos LLC facility key , you need to go to the basement of the West Wing  in the Shoreline resort. Use the key to open the door that on the right side has a sign on the ground with Russian text for "Knossos" . Inside, you will complete two subtasks, finishing the "Hidden Layer" quest. Return to Mechanic to receive your rewards. Info: If you're wondering what Knossos is and what the reference of the sign as well as of the event is, you can read it here (go to the "Legends" section). Time Gates and Subsequent Quests Upon completing "Hidden Layer," two time gates are triggered: a 30-minute wait and a 90-minute wait. 30 Minutes Time Gate Sensory Analysis Part One and Sensory Analysis Part Two :  After 30 minutes of completing the Hidden Layer quest, Ragman will give you this task. He will provide you with a bottle of moonshine, which you need to take to the BTR driver  on either Streets or Woods. Once you board the BTR, you need to go through the dialogue and hand over the moonshine (one selection) and then complete the task by finishing the interaction with the BTR driver (a second selection). This will complete Sensory Analysis Part Two , while to complete Part One you'll need to go back to your hideout and talk with Ragman again. Note:  Woods reportedly has a higher spawn rate for the BTR (80%) compared to Streets (70%) Note 02: Sensory Analysis Part Two gets automatically added to your quest list upon accepting Sensory Analysis Part One. Hot Zone (follows "Sensory Analysis Part One"):  This task, also from Ragman, requires you to plant items on Customs and Reserve. Customs:  You need to plant 12 Zulu nylon rigs  inside the unlocked office in New Gas (the first door on the left after entering from the bathroom side). It takes 5 seconds per item to plant. Note: You can do this part, as well as the Reserve part, over multiple raids if you wish to reduce risk of losing the rigs you're carrying in case you get killed. Tip: if you quickly double-tap the 'Tab' key after each plant, you can immediately begin the next one, avoiding a short delay. Tip 02: Ragman only sells 4 Zulu nylon rigs per reset, so you may want to buy some in advance to avoid having to buy them from the Flea Market for a higher price. Reserve:  You need to plant 12 Class 4 armour plates  on the roof of the Black Knight building. Note: any Class 4 plate will work. Ragman gives you 6 Monoclete level III PE ballistic plate as Initial Equipment, but you don't need the same kind to reach the total of 12 needed to complete the quest. The only advantage in using the Monoclete level III PE ballistic plate is that they are light, thus easier to carry. Tip: This location is exposed, so caution is advised. Smoke grenades might be helpful for cover. 90 Minutes Time Gate Forced Alliance :  1 hour and a half after completing "Hidden Layer" (if it doesn't appear, restart your game), this task from Mechanic will become available. It involves finding a way behind the health resort bunker door on Shoreline, and the objective is essentially about acquiring a Labrys access keycard . It also unlocks the quest The Tarkov Butcher from Therapist, that will reward you with five Labyrinth key cards. Upon receiving them, you will be able to complete Forced Alliance . The Tarkov Butcher :  This more complex task involves going to Ground Zero to retrieve an item and then planting it on Shoreline. Ground Zero:  Go to the underground road (accessible from various buildings) on the south end of the map and find a large truck with meat in the back . In the back you need to find a Container with suspicious substance . Once you obtain the container (it's a metal cylinder), you must extract from Ground Zero. Shoreline:  Take the cylinder to the ambulance inside the fenced cottage area  where Sanitar spawns. Plant the item by the front passenger wheel  of the ambulance. You do not need to survive after planting it. Completing "Tarkov Butcher" is significant as it rewards you with a Key Case and five Labrys access keycards , which are very expensive. It also unlocks the purchase of Labrys access keycards from Therapist at Loyalty Level 1 for 268,000 roubles , which is a potentially cheaper alternative to barters with Ragman. Offensive Reconnaissance :  Given by Mechanic after completing Forced Alliance , this task requires you to find out what is behind the health resort bunker door . Using a Labrys access keycard , you simply need to enter the Labyrinth transit  located behind the bunker door. You do not need to survive or do anything else within the Labyrinth for this task. Venturing into the Labyrinth Once these preceding quests are completed, the real adventure begins! You will be able to access and explore the Labyrinth and its secrets, fight its dangers, as well as unlock a series of tasks that take place within the Labyrinth itself: Hypotheses Testing , Vacate the Premises , Confidential Info , Indisputable Authority , This Tape Sucks (These all become available after completing Offensive Reconnaissance ) and the final and most complicated Keeper's Word To access the Labyrinth, you need to bring a  Labrys access keycard at the transit point located behind the health resort bunker door on Shoreline .. The transit mechanic functions like other transits in the game. Each member of a team entering through the transit must have their own key card . One member of the team interacts with the transit and the timer starts. Key cards will be consumed upon entry. The Labyrinth is a five-player map . If you enter it in a five man team, no other player will join. Players will spawn in separate puzzle rooms  at the start, even if they are in the same team. ____ There’s always something new to discover in Escape from Tarkov ! Stay up to date with the latest News , Tips & Tricks , and In-Depth Guides , by checking out our links or starting from our Homepage . New to the game or just looking for more insights? Don’t miss our EFT: Tutorial  section!

Tripwires have been introduced to the substantial arsenal available to players in Escape from Tarkov with patch 0.15, bringing a whole new dynamic to engagements, both defensively and offensively. Tripwires are a balanced and interesting addition, offering players new tactical options for both offensive and defensive plays. Let's see how to obtain them and how they work. First of all, to get your hands on tripwire installation kits , you'll need to complete a couple of quests for Jaeger : Rough Tarkov and Every Hunter Knows This . (In case you don't have Jager available for quests and trades, you need to complete the "Introduction" quest from Mechanic ). Rough Tarkov The first quest, "Rough Tarov" , requires you to visit the heavily mined area on Woods and the location of the Claymore Mine on Ground Zero. On Woods , this involves heading to the USEC camp and getting close to the mined area on the north side. On Ground Zero , you need to go to the first floor of the Tarbank offices, down the long hallway, to the open office at the end where a claymore is located (don't enter the room, or you will be blown up by the claymore!). Check the EFT Wiki page for more info , maps of the locations and screenshots for he quest "Rough Tarkov". Every Hunter Knows This The second quest you need to complete is "Every Hunter Knows This". It involves visiting a specific office on the third floor of Factory (the one where you kick the door open, part of CH Chemicals part two or three) and the first floor of three-story dorms on Customs (right by the stairwell). Check the EFT Wiki page for more info , maps of the locations and screenshots for he quest "Every Hunter Knows This". Acquiring Tripwires Installation Kits After completing these two quests, tripwire installation kits will become available for purchase from Jaeger at loyalty level one . They cost just under 24,581₽ each, and you can buy four per reset . Deploying Tripwires Tripwires can be placed in your special slots or secure container to avoid losing them in case of death. Or you can carry them in your chest rig or bag (they don't need to be in the chest rig, pockets, or special slots to work), with a maximum of four you can carry per raid (I am not sure if you can place more simultaneously, in case you loot a tripwire installation kit from another player's body). Tripwires installation kits do not operate independently; a grenade is required for them to function. To set one up, you first select the desired grenade using the grenade selection menu (default key 'G' hold+mouse scroll) or a hotkey. Or just press 'G' if you only have one kind of grenade in your pockets. Then, with the grenade in hand, pressing the key used to switch fire mode with weapons (default key 'B') initiates the tripwire setup animation. After the animation, an overlay for placing the trip mine appears on the ground, representing the non-grenade side. If it's green , you can place it there. If it's red , it means that's not a suitable location to place it. The non-grenade side is placed first , followed by the grenade side. There is a minimum and maximum length for the wire , and while the terrain doesn't need to be perfectly flat, if the non-grenade side is too high or low compared to the grenade side, you won't be able to place the tripwire. Tripwires can also be set on top of objects, provided the elevation of both ends is relatively close. When placing the tripwire, remember not to trap yourself . Abort! Abort! If you want to abort the tripwire placing, just press B again or switch to a weapon (it's faster to switch to a weapon because pressing B will perform a disassemble animation). You won't lose either the tripwire installation kit or the grenade. Duration Once set, tripwires are not permanent and will disarm after 10 minutes , at which point the grenade will simply fall to the ground harmlessly and can be looted. Disarming If you encounter a tripwire, or need to remove your own, they can be disarmed in just over 10 seconds . Disarming requires you to reach the grenade itself , not along the wire or the other stake. When you're close enough, a 'Disarm' option will appear on your screen. Press and hold the interact button (default 'F') to disarm the tripwire. A significant advantage is that having a multi-tool  in your pockets or special slots reduces the disarm time to approximately 3 seconds . Keep in mind that when you disarm a tripwire, only the grenade will be retrieved . The installation kit will be lost. Which grenades to use Any throwable grenade can be used with tripwires, including smokes, flashes, VOGs, and impact grenades. When triggered, the grenade functions according to its own fuse timer. For example, VOG-25s have a 2-second fuse, while M67s have a 5-second fuse. Interestingly, impact grenades , when used in a tripwire, will have their fuse converted to a 3.5-second safety fuse, as they don't actually impact anything. This makes impact grenades potentially one of the least effective choices for tripwires due to their small explosion radius and relatively long fuse in this context. Triggering the Tripwire Tripwires are triggered when someone or something touches the wire . Importantly, they are actual visible in-game objects, not magical triggers like the mines in minefields. This means they can be jumped over . Vaulting over an object with a tripwire attached on top seems to not trigger it, but it might be a bug. Equipment that is thrown, such as loot, bags, guns, helmets, or armor, will also trigger a tripwire if it hits the wire. A more unconventional method of triggering them is by shooting the wire  at close range. From a distance, the wires appear very thick, resembling bars, due to the graphics rendering engine. This visual characteristic at a distance actually makes them visible and shootable from afar , potentially allowing you to detonate your traps if you see someone near them. Shooting the grenade or the other stake will not trigger the tripwire; only the wire itself is sensitive . The explosions of other grenades, including those from other tripwires, can set them off. But not flash grenades or smoke grenades. Strategies and Usage Concealment is paramount when deploying tripwires. Placing them in grass or bushes makes them very difficult to see, especially during the day. Bushes also consistently slow down players , so this can be used to set an effective trap they can't run away from. Dark areas and fast transition zones , such as stairs, can also be effective, though the grenade itself might stand out on stairs. The placement of the stake holding the grenade is crucial; it needs to be positioned where the player is likely to be after triggering the wire. If someone is sprinting, they might outrun the grenade's blast radius. One effective tactic is area denial . Placing a tripwire perpendicular to a door opening makes it virtually impossible to pass through without triggering it. By placing the stake in or just past the doorway and positioning the grenade far enough away that it cannot be reached to disarm, you can effectively block access. Additionally, if the trapped individual is unaware, the grenade's standoff distance might still result in them running into the explosion. Another strategy involves creating a large explosion field  by using one tripwire to set off others in a chain reaction. With careful spacing, a single triggered tripwire can detonate multiple grenades, potentially catching fleeing targets or even trailing teammates. It's worth noting that kills achieved with tripwires are not recorded specially; they appear as standard grenade kills, and therefore count towards grenade kill-related tasks , such as "Grenadeer". Final Thoughts Tripwires add a new layer of tactical depth to Escape from Tarkov, giving players creative ways to control the battlefield, secure areas, or simply cause chaos . Whether you use them for area denial, setting deadly ambushes, or just making unsuspecting players regret their life choices, tripwires reward careful placement and strategic thinking. With a bit of practice, they can become a powerful tool in your arsenal—just remember that patience and positioning matter as much as firepower. They may not be foolproof, and skilled players can outmaneuver them, but when placed correctly, tripwires can turn the tide of a fight before it even begins. Deploying tripwires in Tarkov isn’t just effective—it’s downright evil. And if there’s one thing we know for sure, it’s that Nikita is watching… and he’s definitely proud of you! There’s always something new to discover in Escape from Tarkov ! Stay up to date with the latest News , Tips & Tricks , and In-Depth Guides , by checking out our links or starting from our Homepage . New to the game or just looking for more insights? Don’t miss our EFT: Tutorial  section!

Nikita Buyanov, the creator and head of Battlestate Games, recently gave an extensive interview to the Russian YouTube channel , where he discussed the past, present, and future of EFT. The interview was conducted in Russian, which is great because Nikita expresses himself more freely and shares much more. However, the English subtitles were inaccurate, making the conversation hard to follow and to properly understand . So, I decided to write a summary highlighting the key points discussed. Additionally, I’ve included the full translation of the interview at the end of this article . I used ChatGPT to provide a more accurate translation directly from the Russian transcript. While it's quite lengthy, it's definitely worth reading as it captures far more details and nuances of what was actually said. In this in-depth conversation, Nikita covered a wide range of topics, from the game's initial inspiration to gameplay details and the challenges encountered during its development. Below are some of the key highlights (plus the full interview translation at the end). Following the information-rich interview at TwitchCon, this piece serves as an excellent deep dive into the foundational concepts of EFT, as well as Nikita's vision for the game—past, present, and future. But let's delve into what emerged in the interview. The Origin of EFT and the Extraction Shooter Genre Games like DayZ, Ultima Online , EVE Online , and Rainbow Six  inspired various aspects of EFT, particularly in creating a world where immersion and risk are fundamental elements. The element of total risk and the loss of everything present in EFT was not mainly inspired by DayZ  but rather by EVE Online . This mechanic in EVE Online  particularly struck Nikita, leading to the idea of a game where you can lose everything you carry with you and a gameplay loop based on "extraction"—a concept that, according to Buyanov, he invented. Curiosities About Game Development One of Nikita's first steps into game development was attempting to create maps for Counter-Strike . Originally, EFT was conceived as a browser game. The shift towards a standalone game occurred after browser technologies became obsolete. The Tough and Realistic Gameplay "In the beginning, I wanted the game to be super difficult, even if it meant there were only 2,000 players a day." EFT is known for its difficulty. The game was designed from the outset to be a hardcore experience, not for everyone. The idea was to have a niche of players who appreciated the challenge and tension characterizing the gameplay. Nikita mentioned that EFT is meant to be an experience for an elite of gamers, comparing the game to the Souls  series. However, over the years, EFT has become more mainstream than initially imagined, attracting a much larger audience than anticipated. Embracing the Suffering: How EFT’s Hardcore Experience Sets It Apart from Competitors Buyanov also detailed how the success of EFT has driven the emergence of other extraction shooters, although he believes many of these competitors simplify the concept to reduce player suffering. For him, the suffering and the resulting dopamine rush after surviving a raid are what make EFT special. Despite the rise of extraction shooters, no clear competitor to EFT has emerged because of the game’s complexity and content depth. Developing enough content takes an immense amount of time and resources. Buyanov admits that while the game is nearing completion after nearly a decade of work, maintaining it without a subscription model poses challenges. Modding will be allowed in the future, but it needs to be moderated to maintain the game’s integrity. Community & Player Mentorship The complexity of EFT led to the development of a player-driven mentorship system, where experienced players help newcomers understand the game. This is formalized in the Sherpa program, and Buyanov notes that the game’s structure encourages learning from more seasoned players, similar to how people seek advice from experts in real life. The Philosophy of the Game and the Limits of Realism EFT is not meant to be just fun but to immerse the player in a complete experience filled with tension and difficulty. Initially, Nikita had thought of an incredibly realistic aiming system, which would have been "unplayable" for most players. Balancing realism and playability was one of the biggest challenges. A Game to Live, Not Just to Complete Escape From Tarkov  is not a game for everyone, and that's precisely what makes it special. Nikita has always tried to push the limits of realism and create an experience that couldn't simply be "completed" but rather lived, with all its difficulties and complexities. The philosophy behind EFT, that of "risking everything," is what makes this game unique, and the future of Tarkov will be equally deep and ambitious. The Artisanal Approach in Development "In the early stages, we gathered with pen and paper, and simply started giving shape to our ideas." In the early stages of developing EFT, Nikita and his team gathered with paper and pen to bring their ideas to life. This artisanal and informal approach among friends characterized many of the project's first steps, with discussions around a table and hand-drawn maps that were later refined with the team's help. Many initial decisions on map layouts were intuitive, based on what seemed interesting or fun. Each team member had the opportunity to contribute, transforming and improving ideas into something concrete by adding credible elements like a sawmill in a forest setting or a large warehouse in an urban environment. This creative approach gave life to maps that maintain clear logic and a well-defined environmental narrative. The Roots of Inspiration and the Lore of Russia 2028 Nikita spoke about the connections between EFT and the Russia 2028 project, a post-apocalyptic universe that includes various conflicts and a rather dark future. He hinted at a "local nuclear conflict" and the idea of a more complex narrative, including the possibility that the story of Russia 2028 doesn't end well but with a touch of hope that players can build. The world of EFT fits into this context, allowing players to influence the experience through their actions and decisions. Personal Reality Reflected in the Game An interesting yet serious aspect is the parallel between the events of EFT and current reality. Nikita mentioned that while shaping the world of EFT, he had no idea that some scenarios would closely mirror today's global situation, leading him to reflect on the responsibility and impact of the narrative. He tried to imagine what could happen in a future marked by conflicts and advanced military technology, and many of his suppositions seem to have become reality. Vision for the Future and the World of Game Development Discussing the future of EFT and the world of Russia 2028, Nikita hinted that there are still many stories to tell, with projects that go beyond the game's release in version 1.0. He reiterated the importance of allowing players to choose how to behave at certain moments in the game, with decisions that concern the moral aspects of the story and can influence it. Modding "Yes, we will have modding." Buyanov confirmed that official modding will be integrated into EFT, allowing players to create content without fear of being banned, though a moderation system will ensure mods remain within the game's themes. While unofficial mods have already garnered attention, Buyanov emphasized that creating content for EFT is far more complex than many realize, given the size and scope of the game. SPT (Single Player Tarkov) Nikita Buyanov acknowledges criticisms about unofficial Single Player Tarkov  (SPT) mods, with some players claiming these mods have done things Battlestate Games couldn’t achieve in years. He finds this frustrating, explaining that while mods can make isolated improvements, integrating such features into the official game is much harder due to the complexity of EFT ’s ecosystem. Simply adding modded content isn’t feasible because developers have to ensure everything works together without breaking the game. Influence of Art & Games on the Future : Buyanov sees games as more than just entertainment; they can impact people’s lives in meaningful ways. He mentions how EFT  has helped players, even aiding in the rehabilitation of veterans with PTSD. He hopes that the game’s positive influence can extend beyond the gaming world and foster better communities. The Importance of Community The EFT community is quite unique, composed of both experienced players and newcomers eager to learn from them. Nikita talked about the Sherpa program—experienced players who help beginners adapt to the universe of Tarkov. The community has become a sort of ecosystem where players can translate experience and time invested into significant advantages, much like in real life. The Nature of the EFT Community Nikita discussed at length the dynamics of the EFT community, including the conflicts and tensions that arise. Part of the community behaves very harshly, sometimes even cruelly, but this ultimately reflects the deep attachment players have to the game. Composing Music for EFT : Buyanov has a long history with music and began composing as a teenager. He has written the soundtracks for Street Wars , Contract Wars , and Escape from Tarkov . He usually composes music when there’s a specific need, like a trailer, and draws from a wide range of musical influences. He finds it comforting to combine music with key emotional moments in the game. The Role of Creativity and Magic in Development One of the more surprising revelations from the interview was Buyanov’s belief in a certain “magic” guiding his creative process. He described how 20% of everything he does is influenced by something beyond logic or planning – an intangible force that steers him in the right direction when creating music or key moments in the game. This belief helps him stay focused and motivated in his ambitious projects. These were the highlights of the interview. As always, Nikita is a somewhat peculiar character and not liked by everyone. I've seen very negative comments about him online, but despite his uniqueness, I believe this interview, like the one at TwitchCon, is useful for better understanding him and the vision he has for the game and its future . I personally appreciate Nikita's candid approach to interviews , in which I believe he truly expresses his thoughts and feelings without as many filters as others often use. Moreover, I admire that Nikita wants to remain as faithful as possible to his original concept for the game , even though he recognizes that certain aspects were too "unplayable" for most players and have been adjusted to a more acceptable level. All past controversies, linked to undeniably wrong choices or poorly communicated decisions to the community , still remain. However, in my opinion, many steps have been taken in the right direction. I am optimistic about the future of EFT, even though it remains a human product and therefore cannot be perfect . Additionally, since it's a project originally designed for a niche audience, it will never satisfy everyone, and neither should it. And now, the real deal if you truly want to know everything Nikita said! The full interview translation! I highly recommend reading it . It sheds light on many aspects of Nikita's mindset, the creation of EFT, it's future, and why the game is the way it is. Full interview translation The interview begins with the interviewer providing an introduction to EFT for those unfamiliar with the game, which I have excluded. The translation is quite literal, and at some points, it may not sound perfect in English. However, I prioritized maintaining the spirit of the conversation over maximum clarity and readability. The Games That Influenced EFT and Its Origins Was Tarkov inspired by Day Z? Day Z wasn’t the main inspiration. Day Z was the catalyst for my split-second decision. To put it briefly, the story goes like this: At that time, I was already actively working on the pre-production of the Russia 2028 project, a whole universe that Escape from Tarkov is a part of. And essentially, it was a single-player game, not even a survival one, but an action RPG in a large world with survival elements. So, at that time, there were already some preconditions to create some kind of hardcore, militaristic action with survival elements. Back then, I had a game called Contract Wars, and yes, I remember that I started playing Day Z. And it kind of hit me that time was passing, and we hadn’t really done anything yet. Would we ever even start? At that time, I was playing two games mainly: Day Z and EVE-online. This whole idea of losing everything came to me from EVE-online. There, certain categories of ships you purchase get destroyed if you die in battle, and that’s probably where the whole concept of being able to lose everything came from. I remember that EVE-online was one of the few games I ever spent money on. I think it was just EVE-online, actually. I remember getting tired of saving up for a Tengu. I finally bought it after spending some money, watched a ton of tutorials on how to outfit it properly. I went out to fly it and got baited hard and killed. And I lost everything! I didn’t even know that was possible. I lost the ship, and not just the ship, but the entire fit, all the weapons on it—everything! And that’s probably when the idea came up—there’s a mechanic where you can lose it all, and it already exists in EVE-online. And I decided it was time to start doing it; there was no more time to waste. The very next day, I gathered the team and said, “Let’s make a mod for Contract Wars.” Contract Wars was a browser-based shooter, and I wanted to make a mod for it. I came up with the gameplay loop, this extraction mechanic, which, of course, wasn’t called that back then. We decided to try it out on the Factory map—starting with nothing, running around the location, gathering guns and items (which already existed in Contract Wars), and after a certain amount of time, you exit the location. But a couple of programmers suggested creating a completely new prototype from scratch. I was like, "Alright, let’s do it." And that’s how it was born. At one point, Escape from Tarkov was also planned as a browser game. Until all the technologies for that kind of thing got shut down. I thought it would be a browser game too. I reserved the name Escape from Tarkov, and it’s still there in my VK (VKontakte) account. It was supposed to be a browser game. But things changed, and we made a standalone game, a proper one, a separate game. So, in a way, yes, Day Z was the catalyst for the hardcore nature of the project. It had survival elements, inventory slots, and so on—those were the things I always liked. I thought it would be great to finally make something like that. And so we did. On Hardcore Elements Was the game always meant to be this hardcore from the start? I can't say that the initial idea was to crush everyone with harshness, difficulty, or hardcore gameplay. The goal was just to implement this hardcore realism. Initially, we planned it as a very niche game with maybe 30,000 players online at the most. And even that was considered an incredible result, super high. It was supposed to be a niche, hardcore game, not for everyone. Players would understand that it’s hard, and that they’d need to try very hard to make any progress in the game. But they’d know that. However, it turned out that a lot of people wanted to try it. At some point, maybe 2 or 3 years later, Tarkov became a way to prove something to someone. Like, the fact that you play Tarkov meant you were cool. You were a hardcore player, good job. We never planned this. We didn’t expect it to go that way at all. Why do you need help from experienced players to understand Tarkov? The concept of the game was complex, and it was clear from the beginning that you couldn’t just understand the game easily. Especially not in all aspects of it. More experienced players would inevitably help less experienced ones, one way or another. For example, we have the Sherpa program in the game. Sometimes, even if you're just playing with friends, if there's an experienced guy among them, you’d rather go with him. One of EFT’s goals was fulfilled by creating a community ecosystem where people value the hours they’ve put into the game. They transform those hours and that experience into an advantage. They use that advantage in the real world to be cooler than those who have played less. So, they become valuable to the less experienced players who want to learn. It’s like in real life. We all have plenty of questions in our real lives where it would be nice to consult someone with more experience. The same thing applies to EFT. About Balance Have you already found the perfect balance in the game? Actually, to be honest, this balance point happened, I think, about three years ago. And all we did was add various features and things that just made the game a bit more comfortable. At least in the stage of preparing for a raid, getting ready. There was a moment in the game when we had to simplify some things for the sake of not being too harsh on the players. Although, again, I’m always for that. I’d rather have fewer players—it would be more elite, so to speak, to play the game. To be part of this Tarkov community. It’s like being part of the Souls-like games community. Not everyone plays Dark Souls, roughly speaking. That’s how I wanted it initially: let it be super difficult, let there be, I don’t know, an online player base of 2,000 a day, but it would be something incredible! In the sense that one could be proud of it. Like: "Wow, I play Tarkov!" – "Are you crazy?" – "Yeah!" – "Well then, let’s be friends!" I don’t know, or however it usually happens. Or: "Okay, here’s a loan for you!" or: "Alright, here’s a visa, Schengen!" That would be nice, right? If you were a cool Tarkov player, you’d get a Schengen visa. That would be awesome. We had to simplify things, and there are moments I regret. Yes, I wanted it to be tough. I wanted it to stay that way. You’d have to install pouches first. Each pouch would give you a specific slot for a specific type of magazine. There wouldn’t be any simplifications like putting a propane tank in a 4x4 slot. In reality, you can’t fit a propane tank in a 4x4 slot. That’s supposed to be a combat bag. You could fit two magazines in there. So, roughly speaking, one by two, one by two. You could put them in your rig or in this bag. So, there are still these simplifications necessary to make it all playable. But overall, yes, you equip yourself, gather ammo, magazines, meds. It all feels real. But I understood that the game has now entered a somewhat mainstream category. Everyone knows Tarkov. Absolutely everyone. And many players from other categories are coming in. It all sounds so romantic, right? We’ve been making the game for 10 years. Oh, how cool! We don’t have investors. We earn on our own, do everything ourselves. But you still have to work. When will the player base run out? How many copies need to be sold? How many more copies can be sold? We don’t have a subscription model, we don’t have anything. Almost 10 years! This is a unique thing! Unique! Nobody wants to think about it, and nobody wants to talk about it. As soon as we make any changes: as soon as we add any skins for sale or new packs for sale, everyone immediately thinks we’re crazy—or I am. Well, me. Obviously, because I’m the face, people immediately try to throw everything at me. Nobody wants to think about, well guys, we’ve been working for 10 years. And all this needs to be economically feasible.** Interest in Weapons When did you become interested in weapons, and what do they mean to you? At first, I didn’t have any weapons at all. We would just go to shooting ranges, to the training grounds. We’d film everything, shoot. Then I realized I needed to get into it myself because I got hooked on weapon modification. I started collecting and looking into how everything works. And based on that, I made some changes to the development plans. I don’t see weapons purely as weapons, as a tool for causing damage or anything like that. It’s more about aesthetics. I don’t know, it’s just something that lives inside. It seems like every man, boy, has this love for guns. And, I don’t know, in me, it’s just expressed in this way, that I just like it. You just look at it, you enjoy it, touch it, and so on. Now, of course, lately I’m not as into it anymore. But there was a period, yes, for sure. Shooting for 2 hours once a week. Playing a game is something you can do all evening, progress through it. It can give you more pleasure. I still like narrative single-player games, you play through them like you read a book. You get a kind of artistic pleasure from them. Shooting is a different thing. Shooting is adrenaline, it’s, I don’t know, physical exertion and so on. A different kind of pleasure. So, it’s better to have both, roughly speaking. Do developers need to know about guns to make a good shooter? If we look at something more or less professional, we need to look at something like Squad, for example, or Insurgency. There it’s clear that the people involved know their stuff and want everything to be cool. Or like Ready or Not, for example. Specific knowledge is immediately felt, especially in terms of weapons. And now, as a rule, despite the fact that there are now a lot of consultants, a lot of YouTube guides, and games where you can just learn from experience, some shooters still come out, and you immediately understand that it’s unrealistic. Now everyone copies Call of Duty. They copy all the animations, essentially. Because it’s cool, fast, trendy, fun, youthful, and realistic enough. But again, from the perspective of real combat application of weapons, it’s not very realistic. But who needs it? The main thing is that it looks cool, and that young people play it. There’s another thing I often mention in interviews: if you’re upset about the games coming out now, I say: "Well, these games aren’t made for you!" Because games are made for young people, for the new generation. They don’t make games for boomers, they make them for zoomers. They’re made to appeal to completely different aspects, so to speak. And we, the old hardcore players, we’ll all be retirees soon. We’re all just waiting for this wonderful time when old school gaming comes back, hardcore. We’re kind of trying to bring it back. Because for me, hardcore games, old games, aren’t about difficulty, first and foremost, but they are games with so much in them that you can get lost in them and create a personality within the game. Like a second-life experience, something like that. I don’t know, like the old Ultima Online, or the first Deus Ex, or the first RTS games or turn-based tactical strategies, where you just died, and you couldn’t even save. Something like Commandos, that was cool! Or Rainbow Six, the first games, those were cool. That was cool! Airsoft and Level Design Do tactical shooting exercises or airsoft help in game design and level creation? Well, damn, what is tactical shooting: you stand there, shoot at cardboard targets. But airsoft, tactical airsoft, MilSim’s—that’s closer, actually, to these kinds of games. So, what is tactical shooting? How does it help with development, for example, in EFT? I have different gear, I can touch it, feel it, put it on, understand how everything works. Some new ideas come up. I can understand that, for example, with this type of gear, reloading will be inconvenient. Shoulder switching, how can that be done differently? Do you need slings or not? Even something as simple as pants and shoes—are they comfortable or not? Or different weapon manipulations, or directly changing body position, like tilting. All of that you can feel. And you can feel all of that dynamically, shooting real weapons. But it’s still a limited amount of information you can get. A lot more interesting information comes from team interactions, orientation in space, and overall tactical awareness. Ideas about how to create locations came to me when I played airsoft. When you’re in full gear with ballistic plates, weapons, fully decked out one-to-one (only with airsoft gear), running in a group of three in a semi-abandoned cinema, with flashlights and all the extra stuff—it’s very cool. This gives more information because, again, nowadays airsoft guns are gas blowback, you put this thing in, it imitates a muzzle flash. It feels very similar to tactical shooting, for example, when we trained and shot at various targets or practiced exercises. If we’re talking about how to improve the quality of developing these kinds of games: airsoft, understanding the gear, shooting real weapons, not drinking, not smoking, listening to your mom. That’s it! We even have airsoft enthusiasts here who still go to the woods to play “with the balls” every weekend—that’s what it’s called. They’ve got NVGs, thermal scopes—it’s insane! Their gear costs millions, and it's such an interesting hobby. But that’s not the point. Airsoft, however, is unlikely to have influenced the level design. Because, as a rule, our level design was born from real photographs. We just walked around: our Factory, basically, is a real factory. The Interchange, that interchange—it’s a real mall. The city, Streets of Tarkov—it’s basically a real city! The only thing we did was add narrative to it, and we made sure we couldn’t make all the buildings fully accessible. So we simplified them and created the game flow accordingly to the level design. We had to think about how to make the player’s paths interesting: so he’d go here, we’d have a quest here, something would be closed off here. We played around with various narratives, including some stories within the level design and environment art. The task for EFT locations wasn’t that difficult to understand—we just had to recreate reality. The Woods? Great! What would fit here? A sawmill! Perfect, let’s make a sawmill. OK, now we think, what do we do with the sawmill? It’s located here, like a clearing, all open—we need to add more woods around it. I remember I personally made the forest. It wasn’t something serious, where we sat down and thought about it deeply. It always starts with a simple hand-drawn sketch. And then people start refining it and making their own adjustments. But, as a rule, there wasn’t anything complex in the production of locations, especially in layout, grayboxing, and all that stuff, like, "we need to maintain some kind of crazy balance." The main thing was to maintain the balance of spawns and extractions so that everything would be more or less good. And practically every map layout started with a super simple hand-drawn sketch on paper! Equally spaced extractions, equally spaced spawns, “here we can have a school, here we can have a police station, and here we can draw something significant.” That’s it! Everything else came to life during the process. Head Animator Didn’t Come from Game Dev Did the head of Tarkov’s animation department, Kiba, work in game development? No, he didn’t. Yeah, he worked at a factory. He worked at a factory and thought it was a really cool job, he had prospects there. I don’t remember exactly what his profession was. There were some local events, like exhibitions. I don’t remember what they were called, I’ve completely forgotten. We presented Contract Wars, which was still single-player—we didn’t even have a network. We invited airsoft players, because he’s an experienced airsoft player too. The airsoft players had cool gear, we put them with guns at our booth. I remember he showed me some of his work in Ogre 3D (there’s an editor called that). He showed me his work, making some games. He’s into guns, into all of this. He liked the game because he played in tournaments for Contract Wars. I thought, we need him. But he didn’t know anything at all, absolutely nothing. I told him: “Come on, let’s go!” He asked his wife for permission, and that’s it, he started working with us. At first, he was doing modeling—I remember he modeled a PPSH for Contract Wars. Then he started doing animations, and now he’s already the head of the animation department. He understands guns, knows everything. More than I do, I’m sure. Pleasant Gunplay Is the pleasant feeling from shooting primarily created by animators? Well, not just them, because some animations—reloading, all those weapon handling, and switching mechanics—yes, that’s the responsibility of the animator. But the shots themselves, that’s procedural. All that recoil, that’s the programmers. It’s the responsibility of the gameplay programmer, the one specifically working on the recoil and shooting effects. Usually, I’d sit there with the programmer, and we’d work to make it more or less realistic and playable. Initially, the concept of recoil was completely crazy! You had to align the front sight and rear sight first, and then shoot. I even came up with a crazy system where, using the mouse and holding keys, you’d align the sights, and only then fire. If that were in the game now, I think only about 15 people would be playing it! It would’ve been fun to implement that concept in some real hardcore first-person survival game, where you shoot once every half hour. You’d find a shotgun, aim carefully, and fire manually. Because again, after shooting in real life, I realized that in the game, you aim easily, boom, and your front and rear sights are already aligned. But in reality, you have to aim, align the sights, and only then pull the trigger. Again, how you pull the trigger matters too. You can jerk it, and it will go left or right. I wanted to implement all these nuances in EFT, but I’m afraid it would have been unplayable. As a result, we introduced auto-recoil compensation and, overall, how long can you hold a machine gun in aim mode while standing? Not long at all! You can’t even lift it! I remember shooting with a PKM—it’s insane! First of all, shooting while standing is impossible, it pushes you back. And secondly, there’s nothing to grab onto! It’s just impossible. You can hold it with outstretched arms for, I don’t know, 10 seconds, and then you have no strength left. All this understanding of what it’s like in reality and how to make it better in the game came from direct experience. The coolest thing about shooting is when the mechanics work, using the special features installed on the weapon, and the sound. Sounds are a whole separate topic. We recorded all the sounds for real, blasting away in rooms, recording sounds with trauma pistols. We also traveled to shooting clubs, recording there, at ranges. It was interesting. There were no guides at all. Nowhere could you find a guide on "How to make shooting sounds like in Battlefield." You couldn’t! You listen to Battlefield and wonder how it’s done. Later, we figured out how they actually do it. Unity could never achieve what they do. But nonetheless, I came up with a whole system for rendering sounds through FL Studio. People are still using it, by the way. It's a cool thing. On Tarkov's Competitors Why are extraction shooters coming out more and more often, but there still aren’t any clear competitors on the market? I often see in various extraction shooters that are coming out now, they either completely copy us or simplify the concepts of Escape from Tarkov and extraction shooters to make the entry threshold lower or reduce the amount of suffering. But the point is in the suffering, on the contrary. The point is the dopamine you get from winning in a raid, roughly speaking, by surviving in a raid. That’s how it is, more or less. And another thing, we already have so much content, so much stuff in the game. All of this creates such a holistic picture, even though we don’t have an endgame yet. We're working on it right now, preparing various storyline quests and more. In some other extraction shooters, there’s not enough content. They launch the concept, which might even be a better version of EFT, but overall, it’s very monotonous: few locations, few loot items. To make a game engaging, you need to spend tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of man-hours. We've been making EFT for practically... how long? Dima, how many years have we been making EFT? 8 or 10 years now? The announcement was in late 2015. It's been a long time. We've been developing it for 9 years now. And it’s not that there’s no end in sight. Finally, the end is visible. But the volume of content is crazy! As I sometimes say in interviews, someday I’ll be able to reveal the budget of EFT, and it will be something incredible! Other companies are just trying to rush things, but that usually doesn’t work. Tarkov Unites Despite Everything Why, despite the periodic conflicts and disputes around Tarkov, does it still manage to unite players? I know for sure that Tarkov is important to everyone! Because whenever there’s a scandal, everyone starts talking about it! And to me, that’s a sign: “Damn, people care if they’re doing all this!” And they talk so passionately about me being an idiot?! So many people watched it, saying I’m an idiot. Well, hello?! Our community in Tarkov really loves scandals, loves drama. They have the opportunity to address me directly. Not face-to-face, but they can address it to someone, tag me on Twitter, add me there. Because they think I read all of it. Sometimes, yes! Sometimes they definitely cross the line, honestly. And not even in critical moments when there were some upheavals in the game, but just when someone gets banned. The main issue with haters is that many of them are banned players, and they are ready to do anything to destabilize you. Sometimes, of course, I do want to talk to such people. Sometimes they even want to talk to me too, yeah. They try to call me, and so on. Well, it’s kinda funny. Funny on the one hand, but on the other, of course, it’s not very funny. It all depends on the situation. If you’re sitting there in shock, overwhelmed, and then some guy starts writing to you everywhere, trying to get unbanned because supposedly they were banned for nothing, well yeah, your nerves can give in at some point. I don’t fully understand our community because sometimes it can be very harsh. Really harsh! Even cruel in some cases. How does it work? For the first five years, I didn’t understand how it worked at all. Because all these business practices, templates, management in game companies, they were never really applied to us. We always did it like this: we do something, something works, that means we did it right, let’s improve it. Let’s make it all more systematic somehow. And it all got better, better, and better. So, trial and error. And everything that worked became the foundation of our management paradigms, some kind of ideology even within the company. Again, if something worked, if it gave results, that means it was right. That means it works. So we won’t question it. We won’t refer to anyone. This is our thing; we’ll keep working this way. Something like that. Games that influenced Nikita Which game got you into development? It was a game that influenced me and led me to start working with modeling, texturing, sounds, and locations. I installed the Valve Hammer editor, the first one. I started making locations for Counter-Strike. I made our administration building, my ninth-grade city school, and another area for Counter-Strike. I remember I reworked the Assault map. When I was building those locations, I automatically started working with textures. Then, again, in order to find some examples of cool textures, I began disassembling, so to speak, unpacking various old, old games, looking at how everything was made. Well, yeah, that really got me into this direction. It was probably my first major experience in game development. Does being the face of the studio wear you out? Well, I don’t know. For some reason, I associate it more with, like, it’s my own project, my initiative, so to speak. That I’m responsible for everything that is being done in the company. And with the project, it’s my role and task. Especially in critical moments, to act as the spokesperson. Because, well, it’s hard sometimes, of course, yeah. It can be really tough at times. Even now, for example, I’m almost certain that someone is probably criticizing me harshly at this very second. Right now. And right now! And before, maybe I used to take it quite personally. Now, obviously, after many, many years, I kind of, well, don’t care much about it anymore. About what they think and all that. The haters, so to speak. I think it’s an important part, yes, of marketing too, PR, and all that. Like, I’m even doing this interview now because I saw the questions seemed interesting, and also I thought: "Yeah, it would be good to show up somewhere again." It's fine. Sometimes it bothers me. Sometimes doing streams bothers me because you understand that you need to say something fun in English and generally act like everything is great. But in reality, we’ve got crunches and madness going on here. Well, yeah, sometimes it’s tough, but overall it’s bearable. You can live with it. On writing music You write soundtracks for your games yourself. How did you start with music? Well, it’s a very old story. Basically, I have a musical education, and I was trying to write music back in 9th or 10th grade using all sorts of programs. I remember there was one called Dance eJay, a really ancient one. Music was part of my life in the sense that I was writing music for myself. I liked that I could sit or walk around and listen to music that only I had, music that was written just for me. And that was cool. I never let anyone listen to that music, never spread it anywhere. I just had it burned on CDs, and I would occasionally write new CDs for my Panasonic CD player. It was a long process, from ninth grade—how long has it been? 20 years, I don’t know. Then, at some point, I realized that music is a really good component of a project. I remember writing the soundtrack for "Street Wars," then for "Contract Wars." Then, I wrote the main theme for "Russia 2028," which later became the basis for the Escape From Tarkov soundtrack. And then I started writing soundtracks for EFT. EFT soundtracks are usually written in the same way: we need a trailer, so we need music. [Music] So I never really had a case where I wrote the music before the trailer. They always tell me: "Nikita, we’ve got a trailer. We need music." And I think: "Ah, come on! That’s not how it works! I can’t just sit down and write." So I start postponing it, postponing it, and postponing it. Then, I just sit down. Something takes over my hand, and I start writing. And in two days, boom, it's written. The last trailer track, the one that came out just now, for patch fifteen, I wrote in probably 3 hours, 3 and a half. Just like that—bam! And it's done, cool, I like it. By the way, I never thought that what I write is something special. It’s more like, I don’t know, just filler. Because all these emotions you're experiencing, you can somehow accumulate them into music. And together with the trailer, it all feels like a whole. It’s cool. I listen to a lot of stuff. If you take my playlist, or rather, Yandex Music or Spotify’s curated playlists for me, there’s everything in there. Rap, metalcore, classical music, jazz, synthwave... My God, indie... What was that? Time’s up? Let’s start over. I’ve got a lot of different music in there: rap, hip-hop, drum and bass, metal, rapcore, classical, jazz. Because I just love music. I love music. I remember writing dubstep when it was super popular. Hans Zimmer, obviously, with Modern Warfare—that’s a no-brainer. Metal Gear Solid, for sure. Unreal Tournament, of course, no doubt. A bit of everything. Music is like that. Especially in music writing, the more genres you’ve listened to, the more it shapes your ideas. Lately, I’ve been really into dance music. That’s why you can start seeing little hints here and there from modern dance music, melodies, or indie dance. Mods in Tarkov Will Tarkov become a platform for modding? We will have modding. We already have an offline mode, essentially. And we will add systems to it later. I don’t know when, but it's a cool thing. Mods are good! Modding is great for any game! Modding in EFT will also be great. Official EFT modding. Amazing! Nobody will ban you, everything will be fine. Mod away. But, of course, there will be some moderation system, obviously. Otherwise, there’ll be ponies running around with shotguns or bicycles appearing. Though, actually, it might not be so bad if bicycles do appear. I’ve seen these kinds of strange things, with these weird anime stuff. In Tarkov?! How did they manage to do that? Nobody knows. But, of course, we’ll be doing it. The modification system will be within the framework of the game’s concept. So, you won’t be able to insert CJ from GTA. Although, honestly, that would be pretty nice. Mods as Official Content Can mods become part of official content? Well, official mods, yes, of course, yes. Right now there are all sorts of mods, obviously not official ones. People often write in the comments: “Hire them!” Or like: “These guys made for free what BSG couldn’t do in 8 years!” I sometimes want to do this! But the specifics of game development aren’t as simple as they seem. People still think that I’m the only one making this game or what? We already have 200-something developers! Altogether, we now have over 350 people, probably. Serious things are happening. It’s not easy, it’s not easy. You can’t just… Some guy disassembled the game, which is actually a violation of the licensing agreement, by the way. He added something, it looks nice, it even works. But that doesn’t mean it will work within the entire ecosystem of the game. Or maybe it will work, but we don’t have time for that right now. We have a release plan, we have story quests. We’ve just added tripwires for you, to make your life even more fun, to make things even more painful for you! A person, of course, has the right to say whether we are doing the right thing or the wrong thing. Honestly, even a person has the right, in principle, to throw crap at me. I honestly don’t care. But if it makes them feel better, and as a result, they don’t direct that negative energy onto the street, or their family, and they become a little calmer—then I’m all for it, go ahead! Write comments, I don’t know, say whatever you want about me. In general, if it makes you feel better, then okay. But usually, most EFT fans are cool people, they support us. That’s the overwhelming majority of people. They think we’re cool, that we’re doing everything right. We love those guys who support us in every way. Because, again, if, for example, there’s a fan who has been following our work for many years and at least has some critical thinking, they’ll understand that no one has ever done anything like this! Again, because of the specificity of the game. A person who sat down to play in the evening, prepared for a raid for 45 minutes. Entered, got killed by a cheater. He’s like: “Ugh!” Spent another 45 minutes preparing, entered again—got killed by a camper. He’s like: “Ah, you!” Can I curse? Yes. I won’t. Anyway… And when there’s a person, whom you can sort of blame in person, by the way. Actually, no one has ever come up to me in real life and said: “Hey, you! What kind of crap have you made?” That would be interesting! I’d talk to them. I wouldn’t fight them, though. But that’s never happened. It’s clear: you die, you don’t get satisfaction, you spend a lot of time. Something crashes, there are inventory glitches from time to time. Of course, that’s unpleasant. Of course, after that, you don’t want to just relax. You might even want to bash someone’s head in! But then you win, and boom, euphoria! Killed Killa 100 times! And you look and think. What’s stronger? The destructive emotions when you want to dump on the developers and me. Or the positive emotions, when the person is just so happy that their soul rejoices. Of course, the latter! And let there be more such people, of course. But the nature of our game is not like that. Not everyone will leave happy, unfortunately. But for that, there is PvE. In PvE, you can leave somewhat satisfied, because, essentially, it’s a single-player with progress saved. You play, get some pleasure. And a lot of people, by the way, are playing in PvE right now. It turns out that a lot of people really want to play PvE, so that no one bothers them. Which, honestly, I don’t like! I want people to play PvP. Because that is, at least for me, confirmation that: “Wow! Damn, well done! Playing online, not afraid of anyone.” Battlestate Games Platform Your distribution platform is built around your own games, similar to how Steam was initially created for distributing Valve’s projects. Do you plan to push projects from other developers through your platform? Is there an idea of becoming a platform for developers from the CIS? There was no idea to make this platform specifically for developers from the CIS. But there is an idea to make it for the whole world as a platform for games like these! We have such plans. Hardcore games like these, where you suffer… No, not really suffer, but rather, where you can gain new knowledge or use your real-life knowledge to play the game more effectively! Essentially, it’s a platform where indie developers can work. Some kind of simulator, I don’t know, a hardcore car simulator where tuning is done not in the format of “you added something, and it gives you plus five speed,” but rather like in My Summer Car . Have you played My Summer Car ? Something like that, but with cool graphics. A simulator, basically. "A simulator of something"—there’s going to be that kind of a tagline. These are serious games, which can be very minimalist visually, but, for example, allow you to learn something new or use your existing knowledge and skills. In short, hardcore! The kind of games that not everyone plays, but everyone wants to play. Especially old-school guys who are still waiting for someone to remake the first Deus Ex . Yes, something for that niche. Games for those who want something intellectual and serious. Your Own Store Why didn’t you go with other stores? The main reason was that we didn’t want to give up 40%, plus we had the idea to figure this whole thing out and build our own infrastructure. To be completely independent. At that point, I was already tired of giving money, for example, to VKontakte. I just remember getting fed up with it, and I wanted to create something on my own. Reality and the World of EFT Don’t you feel like Tarkov is increasingly aligning with our reality? Yes, this topic has come up many times. People ask, “How did you know? How did this happen?” Honestly, I didn’t know anything. I just thought a lot about this topic and modeled what might happen in the future, considering the development of military technologies, potential conflicts, and such. How could things develop in the future? What will happen to big cities? For example, if there’s a siege system, a nuclear threat, and so on. I just tried to convey my thoughts through comments and guidance to the development team about what might happen. Of course, with some assumptions and artistic adjustments, so it wouldn’t look too dark and grim. The idea of simulating further disasters and chaos, which we’re now seeing happen everywhere, was always there. I understood where this could lead. Nothing good will come from it at all. So, we had to stop and introduce some more abstract, semi-mystical, semi-sci-fi elements. But still, there’s a narrative suggesting that things could have unfolded this way, and why not differently? Well, just because! The story of Russia 2028  doesn’t exist as a whole, written-out plot. The conflicts that will lead to a local nuclear conflict after EFT aren’t set where they are now. But one of them is in the Middle East, damn! And when things started spinning recently, I got a little uneasy because it’s all going to get worse from there. Worse and worse and worse. Nikita, let’s make the next game something positive... Nikita: Something positive, yeah? Well, yes! Bad Endings and Positivity in EFT At one time, I loved apocalypses, post-apocalyptic scenarios! I read an unreal amount of books. And post-apocalyptic films, for some reason, always appealed to me. This downfall of humanity, where everyone is equal, and the strongest survive, everyone dies. I don’t know why I liked it, but it always intrigued me. Not in the sense that I was ecstatic about it, but I found it interesting. When I was planning this world, in my world, too, the only option was: everyone’s screwed! Nothing good will happen! No matter how much you try, things will still go badly. I relied on that narrative for a long time because I knew that nothing good would happen. I love bad endings. I like bad endings. Have you watched the Raid  series? There’s a bad ending. Although, we revived it later. But here's the thing. At some point, I realized that, actually, there is a way out of this situation. There is a way! The idea that things could really get better is something I’m pursuing within the world of Escape from Tarkov  and Russia 2028 . There is a chance for a good future there. How do you understand this? Why, Nikita, can’t you just make a happy ending? The thing is, the world of EFT seems to live by itself. It feels like we are trying to fix this virtual world, this parallel reality. To do something there to create not necessarily a good ending, but some new hope, a beginning to bring something better. At least, now, I understand perfectly well that I can’t just make a happy ending. I have to make it so that it happens there naturally. To lead the story to a point where everything at least has positive prospects. And the main role in these positive prospects, the main driver of all of this, is the player! The player, through their actions, by escaping from Tarkov, has to create this metaverse where people want everything to turn out well. I’m just curious to see how players will complete the main quest. Because we will have many endings. And I’m just curious to see what people will choose, how they will play. For some reason, for Escape from Tarkov , this might be super-relevant, super-correct, and truthful information. Because you’ll have to put in too much effort and emotion into the game to just finish it and forget it. A person will try to choose something. Maybe not on the first playthrough, but later, they will certainly choose a path. And this path, in essence, defines you as a person in such a scenario that could happen in the future. If, in the end, most of the endings are good, then, first, it means that we have good people living in our world overall! And second, it means that in the world of EFT, there can be a good future too. Because sometimes I wonder about how we look at all of this and think, "How can we get out of this? How can we change all of this?" We need some miracle, some kind of miracle is needed. Maybe aliens will arrive, and we will all unite against them. Fight them or not. Or maybe something will happen that makes everyone say, "Oh my God, have we lost our minds? Let's not do this!" I don’t want it to come to that point. I want it to happen earlier. Games After Tarkov Will there be something like Russia 2028, or will you continue developing this concept? I don't know, honestly, I'm very tired of these military games. Specifically, I'm a bit worn out by them. In general, our veterans in the company are also getting tired. We now have fresh blood, they're all enthusiastic, they're all grinding, coming up with ideas. But I just want to release it all, get everything finalized. What's going to be next, I have no idea. I go through phases. Sometimes I have thoughts like, "I don't want to do anything anymore! I'm going to go fishing. I don't know, live in the forest." It all just fluctuates. Sometimes it's cool, sometimes it's exhausting, and I don’t feel like doing anything at all. But still, there are plenty of ideas on what to do, really! For sure, something will happen, 100%! I think about it sometimes, like I won’t do anything anymore, but no, no, no. By the way, a lot of people ask me, especially from the industry, when I start talking about how tired I am. They’re like, "What, you’re done? That’s it? Are you going to stop?" And I say, "No, no! I’m just tired right now. But in reality, of course, I’ll keep doing it, where would I go." I still need to manage to create something else interesting while I'm alive. I would really like to do a single-player game, honestly. Some sort of horror game, probably single-player. Or a remake of the first Deus Ex. If someone writes to me tomorrow saying, "Let's do it," I'll drop everything, goodbye! EFT closed, we’re making it in Unity with the same assets. No, of course not. The Impact of EFT Would you like to influence the future through art? Now this is turning into some kind of Nolan-esque theme here, that I'm trying to influence the future. But yeah, honestly, I would like to! Because when I was sitting and thinking through EFT, and when I'm sitting and thinking about the universe, which actually doesn't end with the events of EFT, it goes further and further, I just can't figure out: "How can we even escape from this situation?" It would take some kind of miracle for us not to destroy ourselves, to put it bluntly! And I'm trying to somehow, I don’t know, maybe redirect part of this into the game, in some way. It's hard to explain, really, what I'm trying to achieve. But I have a certain confidence that the existence of such a product, such a game in the world, is a good thing! Because maybe somehow, some person playing our game will rethink something. Maybe they won't project violence onto anyone as a result. Or somehow, it will play a role in their life simply because they will be enjoying the game, and feeling a connection to some world with certain professional qualities within the game, or something like that. Because I've seen EFT players. They are kind, good, decent people! I haven't seen any shady characters, all of them are solid, all are happy. Soldiers from different countries around the world. They all play, they all get along, shaking hands with each other. It’s damn cool when a game brings people together! There's probably a message in that too. It's very good that the game unites people. We don't restrict anyone at all, and we will never restrict anyone. Absolutely no one! If there was a way to avoid the different pings, it would be awesome if everyone could play within the same infrastructure. And there, for God's sake, if they argue, let them argue! But let it all take place in our world. Let all the violence manifest in the game, and as a result, people will just spend their time in it. That way, when they step into the real world, they'll have a clean feeling. Something like that. You can't clearly explain why and how this happens or what I believe in. But I just like it, at the very least, I've genuinely enjoyed it. When I used to participate in podcasts, I sat there with Americans, we all communicated on equal terms. It was cool! And we were all united by a love of weapons, a love of tactical games. There's no malicious intent whatsoever! We're just making a game, and we’re making it for everyone. And the more people play it, the more people enjoy playing it, and the more positive feedback we get - well, that's awesome. I think it's a success when someone comes up to you and says, "My life changed for the better because of your game." And how did it change? Well, you can listen to their story! Maybe they were depressed. A bunch of people have come up to me and said, "I was depressed, and EFT helped me cure my depression." How the hell is that possible?! I don’t get it, but it's awesome. Or PTSD! PTSD is also being treated: there are whole centers in different cities, in different countries, where soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder play EFT as part of their treatment. Awesome! Incredible! It's just amazing! I never expected this to happen. But it works, it makes a difference, and I feel like it's amazing. It wasn’t all for nothing that we’re doing all of this. For some reason, we've established this paradigm that a game is fun, a game is for enjoyment, a game should bring you joy. "I came home tired from work or school, I want to have fun, just play, because it’s fun-fun, la-di-da." Why this paradigm? I, for example, want to immerse myself in a world and I want to experience things! I remember playing the first Metal Gear. I was so invested, damn! And it was hard, that game was tough. Not because there was a lot going on, but because it was hardcore in terms of gameplay! And there were no saves. You had to reload constantly. Plus, I was stressed out. I played the game and experienced stress! And that was awesome! I finished it. There was a happy ending. Like watching a movie. But the happy ending wasn’t that simple. It depended on how you played. There would either be a happy ending or not. But I played it again! In short, it was a completely different experience. What’s happening outside of Tarkov? Everything that happens in Tarkov, does it affect the rest of the game's universe? First of all, there will be a quest. It will be called "Blue Fire." It will explain this whole thing about the electromagnetic situation. At the beginning of the conflict, the world, in general, is in good shape. The problems are only in Tarkov and the Norvinsk region. The problems started there! The world, in general, is on the verge of something unclear, with some conflicts brewing. There are related events in different parts of the planet. But the destabilization, the first signal, it starts in Tarkov. And there, yes, the electromagnetic explosion occurs, which the cultists call "Blue Fire." And in general, the locals call it "Blue Fire" as well. That’s all I can say for now. Why doesn't the story of the Russia 2028 universe have a happy ending? Why does it seem like everything is doomed? It's very simple. We have a very large planet. We have many countries. We have many groups. Many groups of different types. When total decentralization happens, and deglobalization of the world occurs, when any kind of hegemony or control stops existing, people will start to settle their differences. It will be countries, religious conflicts, radical groups of all sorts, old grievances. People will just realize: "Oh! What now? A new world! Now it's once again the rule of the strong. Let's go!" And they will start fighting. Well, the second principle is an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. That's usually how it happens. And they will fight to the last, until the land is scorched. That's just the unpleasant nature of humanity. People realize too late that they need to stop. But they will probably stop eventually. But I don’t believe this will be the end, of course. In my world, obviously. In my world, there will be no end. In my world, things are much more interesting. But that's the principle. Humanity is still like that—just give them freedom, and they will start sorting things out. It's simple: we can even take ten people in a room. Leave them to live in a bunker for six months—they'll end up killing each other. Because they will start to get jealous, get angry—someone is better, someone is worse, someone is prettier, someone is stronger, someone has more power, someone just irritates others, smells bad, breathes wrong. Everyone will start fighting! Who is the main character in Russia 2028? The character in "Russia" is just a regular guy who is, simply put, trying to survive. His brother is killed. And his brother belonged to a group of people, the Norvinsk brigade, who were doing something like what Jedi did—restoring the remnants of humanity within the Norvinsk region. And all of that was forgotten because they became outlaws. I have direct analogies with the Jedi because I really like the Star Wars universe. And there, things are more complicated. And the main character, to be honest, doesn’t really care about the world, because the Messiah is actually a different character in the story. Again, I can’t say more because that would be weird. The concept is a bit different. The main character, meaning you, essentially, are just caught up in the whirlwind of events and, so to speak, within the universe you were born into and grew up in. All your ideals start to crumble because you realize that behind simple survival, there is something more. There's a backstory to all of this, and there are certain groups of people who, one way or another, are involved in it. And you, out of curiosity, start to unravel it all. Eventually, yes, you will feel like a hero, thinking, "I can shed light on all of this. I can save the remnants of humanity!" Because you are young, hot-headed, and, essentially, dumb! And wisdom comes with age and time. Wisdom comes through hardship and living through these difficult moments, so you become stronger and more powerful. This will all be presented somehow. If it ever will be, I don’t know. But some of the echoes of all these plotlines are already present in EFT. And they will also be developed in the story quests. The same unknowns, the Unheard storyline. It's a very, very, very large piece of the story. One that seriously sheds light on everything that's happening. Moreover, it even has some kind of parallels with reality. As I said, much of the story will become clearer with the story quests when they are in EFT. On Creating Game Worlds How do you come up with your worlds? Damn, that's a tough question! I've never had a situation where I sat down and created something step by step. For me, things have always come from something else. For example, I start thinking about a core concept, start working on something for it, and then I realize: "Oh! Got it. Here’s a company that’s been created, here’s a faction that’s appeared." And it all starts branching out and getting more detailed. This is probably the most enjoyable part of game development, or of working in the media industry in general—creating your own worlds. It’s awesome! But then, when you start processing it and forcing it into the framework of production, whether it’s for a movie or a game, that’s when the pain begins. You can’t do it alone because the workload is crazy. You start bringing in narrative designers, producers, and scriptwriters. And then problems begin, because you need to convey your vision to them in its original form so they can make all the changes you need. And that’s where the pain starts! Because you start clashing with other people’s opinions... they are creative too! They start trying to change things, and you try to limit them. And it's good if they understand you right away! If they don't get you immediately, then all kinds of collisions start, and your idea begins to suffer. And then the pain only gets worse and worse. Because you need to implement all of it practically, either in the game or elsewhere. And at that point, there’s no pleasure left at all. Because you've already come up with everything, and now your task is to make it all into a visual form, into a game or some kind of product—whether it's a movie, a series, whatever. And here’s where the risk comes in: you can make a mistake! In your head, everything is perfect, on paper everything is fine, but you lack the knowledge or experience to implement it in a product, whether it’s a movie or a game. And this is where most big projects go wrong: you see a great idea, but the execution is crap. Or vice versa, the idea is stupid, but the execution is superb. That’s like 90% of projects in general—both in games and in film. It’s great if we notice that almost all games and many series nowadays are recycling. Either they are sequels to games that were once interesting, or they are reusing ideas that worked well in other projects. There’s very little originality, very few new worlds that truly grab you and create a new subculture. Very few cool new worlds. Again, for old-school fans—take the Fallout series, for example. Everyone’s like, "Oh, cool, Fallout! I play Fallout! Oh, oh, oh!" What's new? Absolutely nothing. Battlestate Games' Universal Mission You mentioned that Battlestate Games has a "universal mission." What do you mean by that? Of course, we have one. Absolutely. Yes, we have a mission, yes. Everything we do, it's all good. I believe that everything we do is right for our world. The more people who can play our games, the less negativity there will be. The more opportunities people will have to find energy, talents, and other qualities within themselves. And it's not at all about the fact that our game is a shooter where you run around and shoot everyone. No, I have a lot of examples of people who have been inspired by us and our project. They’ve found energy to engage in their own activities that have nothing to do with shooting or anything like that. For example, streamers whose lives have improved. Just regular people who want to make games. Or people who are passionate about certain things but lacked motivation—they somehow found the strength to do it all. And the most important thing, the most important thing is that people get dopamine. And dopamine is exactly the catalyst for all the good things we can do in life. It’s not at all necessary for the game to be about something kind or good. It can be something where you release destructive energy and, in return, feel joy, pleasure, and happiness. And that’s cool. And the more of that happens, I believe, the fewer irritated and angry people there will be in life. On the contrary, it’s actually been proven that even aggressive games make people calmer. Providence and Creativity Do you believe that sometimes creativity is guided by something irrational, like a form of providence? Almost as if someone or something gives you signs or guidance? Irrational providence? It’s as if someone outside of you gives you hints. I pay quite a lot of attention to all sorts of signs, to these subtle matters. I generally believe that twenty percent of magic must always be present. You can’t just rely on rationality, even if you’re a super professional, even if you are super, super meticulous, precise, a by-the-book kind of person. Meaning, you know exactly how everything should be done. You need to leave twenty percent for magic. It can always intervene. And this magic, you can’t just describe it simply. It’s not magic like, I don’t know, some kind of wizardry. It's something that, in the context of a particular task or along your path, can direct you, shift you, have some influence on you—who knows? Maybe it’s crazy, but I believe in it. When you feel like you’re doing something right, something that’s necessary, maybe for the Universe, for example, then what difference does it make what you believe in? If you believe in it, and it gives you strength, then believe in it. The most important thing is to believe in something! So I believe in this. And, overall, I’ve had many situations where there’s no other way to describe it but magic. Not that a door closed in front of me, or that I learned to fly. But events sometimes unfold in such a way that it would have been impossible to set it all up. It would have been impossible to foresee the outcome. And in those moments, you realize, "Damn, something strange is happening. It means I’m doing something right." Or someone is trying to explain something to me, to give me a hint. It happens. Especially when writing music for trailers, or in some important moments or events. You just feel as if something is helping, I don’t know. It’s just more comfortable for me to believe in it. Because again, it’s better for me to believe. I think for any ambitious person, it’s better to believe in something. Otherwise, it would be pretty tough, I think.

Despite the skepticism of many, it seems that Battlestate Games (BSG) has genuinely entered a phase of optimization, bug-fixing, and improvements for Escape from Tarkov, in preparation for the final release (1.0). Also contributing to this positive change is the new Tarkov Community platform , which complements the in-game survey system for collecting player suggestions and feedback. It has been a long wait. For years, Escape from Tarkov players have been hoping for greater responsiveness from BSG towards the Community. However, perhaps the patience and resilience they have shown, as well as their passion for Nikita Buyanov's creation, are finally about to be rewarded . Below is a list of changes that have been implemented (Completed) or acknowledged by BSG and are currently in progress (Started), allowing you to keep track of the situation and stay informed. Paracord can now be placed in the Special Slot - Completed A long-requested feature that was recently highlighted by the Tarkov Community. Simple but highly impactful. Now, we can place the Paracord—necessary for certain extracts in conjunction with the Red Rebel Ice Pick melee weapon—into the Special Slot, preventing the risk of losing it upon death . Previously, players who wanted to avoid losing it had to store it inside the Secure Container, taking up two valuable slots that could have been used for other items. Notice: It was done in previous patches, but it's worth remembering that it's now also possible to store the ZiD SP-81 26x75 signal pistol  in the Special Slots , along with all reactive flare cartridges, such as the RSP-30 reactive signal cartridge (Green) , as well as the red , blue , and yellow ones. The ROP-30 reactive flare cartridge (White)  can also be stored in the Special Slot. Keys Container - Started One of the most upvoted suggestions on the Tarkov Community was immediately acknowledged by BSG, which has confirmed that it will be implemented. However, the size and capacity of this container have yet to be decided. Visit the X post by Sergei Domontovich, a Senior Game Designer at BSG, to thank him and answer his question about how many keys you think it should hold. Loot Buff - Started By popular demand from the Tarkov Community, the loot buff is now a reality! It may have already been in their plans, but this change was implemented immediately, increasing loot across all maps by approximately 20% (based on data miners' reports). Notably, the tag on Tarkov Community is "Started," which suggests that further changes are on the way . Bots AI Overhaul - Started As previously announced in another article on patch notes for Patch 0.16.1.3 , numerous changes and attempted improvements have been made to the AIs in Escape from Tarkov. Not everything has gone as planned, as some issues remain unresolved—such as AI interactions with doors and their ability to pass through them when closed, as well as through walls. However, certain aspects do seem to be functioning properly. I will soon be writing an article on this topic, as it is quite extensive. PvE - AI PMCs weapon durability increased - Completed Following a post on Tarkov Community pointing out that AI PMC weapons in PvE were always too damaged to be usable except in emergencies, YOWA, Lead of Game Design at Battlestate Games, responded: "PVE-PMC weapon durability 80-100% in start. We did this a couple of days ago. We will write more in the next patch. Thx for the feedback." Boss and guards loot durability increased - Completed After a post on Tarkov Community complaining that the weapons and armor of Bosses and their guards were too damaged and did not sufficiently reward players who managed to defeat them, YOWA, Lead of Game Design for Battlestate Games, responded: "All bosses have 80-100 weapon durability in start. The guards too. There were several guns and armors with lower durability, I raised them to standard. Thanks for the feedback." Stop the spin looting Scavs - Started A long-standing and very common bug (present for at least a couple of wipes): some Scavs spin in place while looting. This is not only visually unpleasant but also quite annoying in gameplay. YOWA, Lead of Game Design for Battlestate Games, responded, "In progress", indicating that they are currently investigating a solution to this issue. Player Scavs timing in joining raids - Completed Players frequently complained that Player Scavs could enter raids too early, causing issues for PMCs already on the map. As we know, this problem was recently resolved ( read the article about Scav Survey Report and Changes to know more). My Take As I have mentioned in other articles, I am very pleased with the shift in BSG's attitude towards the Community and the numerous changes and improvements made to Escape from Tarkov (and also to Arena). It is evident that, as the game approaches release, BSG aims to resolve as many issues as possible. Beyond the most well-known bugs, they seem more committed than ever to gathering player feedback and making adjustments to satisfy the community where possible. At the same time, it is also clear that BSG must defend their project from excessive changes that could distort their vision of what Escape from Tarkov is meant to be. This may be a source of frustration for some, but it is a necessary measure to prevent the game from transforming into something it was never meant to be—losing its identity and disappointing those who love its original features. Let me know what you think about this in the comments. There’s always something new to discover in Escape from Tarkov ! Stay up to date with the latest News , Tips & Tricks , and In-Depth Guides , by checking out our links or starting from our Homepage . New to the game or just looking for more insights? Don’t miss our EFT: Tutorial  section!

A new community-driven platform called Tarkov Community has recently been launched, significantly influencing the development and direction of Escape From Tarkov and Tarkov Arena. While many initially believed it was an official Battlestate Games (BSG) initiative, the website was actually created and independently managed by a dedicated group of EFT Emissaries from the OCE region, known as the “Spicy Bush Team.” The portal was initially conceived as a way to track player suggestions, bug reports, and to facilitate direct communication between the community and developers . Despite being independently managed, Tarkov.community quickly attracted the attention and active engagement of Battlestate Games (BSG). Its community-oriented approach allows players to propose changes, engage in constructive discussions, and prioritize issues through a voting system . Recent community-driven changes implemented through feedback on the platform include adjusting the spawning times of player Scavs to 17 minutes into raids (excluding maps like Factory and Reserve), and removing the "Sawmill" map from Tarkov Arena . Additionally, discussions on the website led BSG to conduct an in-game survey to gather player opinions about weather conditions , especially regarding the rapid transitions between weather states such as sudden fog or heavy rain, though no direct changes have yet been implemented. Trentbraidner, one of the EFT Emissaries part of the “Spicy Bush Team” that created Tarkov Community clarified that the moderation and prioritization of issues on TC are handled independently by his team , aiming to provide an open and constructive space for player voices to be collectively heard through a voting system. Crucially, feedback and bug reports confirmed through direct communication with BSG are marked with official tags (Planned, Started, Completed and Declined), ensuring transparency, accuracy, and clear differentiation from community-driven ideas awaiting official acknowledgment. The posts on Tarkov Community can be filtered by these tags , allowing players to quickly identify topics of interest and clearly see which ideas have been accepted, are currently in progress, have been completed already or have been declined. Declined Developers feedback also provides valuable insights. For example, several suggestions like "PVE Clothes", "PVE needs to be reworked as a feature incomplete training mode," "Be able to customize PVE experience," "Increase Boss/cultist spawn chance in PVE permanently," have been Declined quoting a reply by appl3z0r, BSG Community Manager: "It's not possible to make mechanics in PVE different from PVP." This necessary uniformity between PvE and PvP was previously unknown and unfortunately invalidates many player suggestions and requests. Other responses provide valuable insights into the developers' philosophy and future plan s. For example, the suggestion to "Bring back the old PK-06" optic was declined because, as explained by BSG, "The PK-06 Is a shitty optic in real life, and Nikita wants to keep parity to that. The alternative is to use the Wilcox BOSS Xe." Another suggestion was asking to stop banning people for doing viewer kits was declined because "People are not bieing banned for doing viewer kits" also quoting Nikita that said "the principle is simple - if you will give millions of rouble price items and will do it often - you will get banned. if you want to just return gear from time to time - its ok" . This is a nice piece of information too, as many streamers stopped doing viewer kits being afraid of getting their viewers banned in doing so. Also many people were afraid to return kits to their friends that died in a raid, or to give gear in raid to less experienced friends in need of help. Clearly, it's also very useful to filter posts by the tags "Planned," "Started," and "Completed," to gather information on what BSG already intends to implement, what they are currently working on, and what has already been completed. Planned For example, we can see that "Provide more detailed after-raid combat statistics," "Lighthouse rework," and "Keys alternative – Lockpick / Breach" are all planned for the future. Completed Additionally, we learn that suggestions such as "Boss and guard loot should be full durability and good," "PVE – PMC weapon durability should not be the same durability as scav weapons," and "Paracord in special slot" have already been implemented based directly on community feedback. Started Regarding suggestions already in the process of implementation, there are interesting items such as "Buff the overall loot pool in raids," "No more spin looting scavs," "Complete Loot/Economy Rebalance," "Interchange loot Buff," "Fog and Weather," and "AI/bot/scav Visibility not equal to PMC visibility." Particularly noteworthy is the suggestion "Add container in stash & hideout for keys," which not only received a response on Tarkov Community but also had a follow-up post on X by Sergei Domontovich, a Senior Game Designer at BSG. He shared an initial concept for the key container and invited followers to provide input on how many slots it should include. BSG Responded and BSG Submitted The tags "BSG Responded," which highlight posts already addressed by BSG, and "BSG Submitted," indicating suggestions or bug reports forwarded to BSG for review, are also valuable for players seeking clear, official feedback. My 2 Cents This type of direct insight into developer intentions and decisions offers the community unprecedented clarity and involvement in shaping the future of Escape from Tarkov. The Tarkov Community platform marks a significant step forward in collaborative game development, empowering players with a robust platform to actively participate in shaping the game's evolution. In my opinion, this is another positive sign for the future of Escape from Tarkov, marking a clear shift from the past when BSG seemed less responsive to community comments and requests. It's one thing to submit a suggestion and not even receive a response. It's entirely another to receive even a rejection, but accompanied by a clear explanation of the reasoning behind it . There’s always something new to discover in Escape from Tarkov ! Stay up to date with the latest News , Tips & Tricks , and In-Depth Guides , by checking out our links or starting from our Homepage . New to the game or just looking for more insights? Don’t miss our EFT: Tutorial  section!

Patch 0.2.8.0 for Escape from Tarkov: Arena makes several crucial improvements to Escape from Tarkov: Arena, addressing key issues like visibility, spawn fairness, and performance. While further optimizations and fixes are planned, these changes should already make the game more balanced and competitive. Whether you’re grinding ranked matches or jumping into casual fights, these updates should result in a smoother and fairer gameplay experience. Battlestate Games has released Patch 0.2.8.0 for Escape from Tarkov: Arena , bringing a range of improvements to map balance, visibility, and overall gameplay. This update aims to refine the experience by reducing unfair advantages , optimizing performance , and addressing long-standing issues like spawn camping and rubberbanding . Below, we analyze the most significant changes and how they impact gameplay. 1. Clearer Team Identification One of the most impactful changes in this patch is the introduction of consistent team colors in TeamFight, BlastGang, and CheckPoint modes. Allies will now always wear blue armbands , while enemies will wear red armbands . This eliminates confusion, ensuring players can instantly recognize friend from foe. Additionally, announcer voice lines will now match team colors, reinforcing clarity in communication during matches. 2. Map Adjustments for Better Balance All locations have been updated to improve clarity, performance, and gameplay balance. These changes include: Lighting reworks  for better visibility Performance optimizations  across all maps and hardware configurations Reduction of unnecessary visual clutter  to enhance player awareness Adjustments to in-game monitors  to optimize performance A specific tweak was made to Fort  to reduce early deaths in BlastGang mode. This aims to prevent attackers from gaining an overwhelming advantage by throwing grenades at Objective A at the start of the round. Additionally, Sawmill  has been temporarily removed from ranked, unranked, and custom matches for further rework. 3. Anti-Spawn Kill Measures in Last Hero Mode Respawning in Last Hero  mode has often been a frustrating experience due to immediate deaths after spawning. To counter this, a temporary buff  has been introduced upon respawn, which lasts for 3 seconds and provides: Immunity to all types of bleeding Health regeneration 50% reduced incoming damage However, the effect is removed immediately when the player fires their weapon, ensuring it doesn’t become an exploitable mechanic. The respawn logic  in Last Hero has also been improved to prevent repeated respawns in the same location or in unsafe spots where players can be instantly killed. 4. Anti-Spawn Camping Buffs in CheckPoint Mode To combat spawn camping, a new protection system has been added in CheckPoint mode. Players inside the main respawn zone will receive a buff that grants: Immunity to all types of bleeding Health regeneration 50% reduced incoming damage This effect remains active only while inside the main respawn zone  and is re-applied if a player re-enters. In secondary respawn zones , the buff disappears as soon as a player fires their weapon, preventing abuse. The respawn logic  in CheckPoint has also been improved to avoid repeated respawns in the same location or in unsafe spots where players can be instantly killed. 5. Optimization and Fixes Several quality-of-life improvements and optimizations have been introduced, including: Fixing rubberbanding issues , even when no packet loss or high ping is detected. Enhancing overall performance and clarity of maps, reducing unnecessary visual clutter, and optimizing object rendering. There’s always something new to discover in Escape from Tarkov ! Stay up to date with the latest News , Tips & Tricks , and In-Depth Guides , by checking out our links or starting from our Homepage . New to the game or just looking for more insights? Don’t miss our EFT: Tutorial  section!

Today, Battlestate Games (BSG) has released a report detailing the results of the latest survey on Scav gameplay, how this mode is used, and how players would like it to work. Additionally, a new in-game survey has been launched, focusing on Seasons, Weather Effects, and Visibility and Sound related to them. If Thursday is widely known in the Escape from Tarkov  community as wipe day, patch day, or release day, Friday might just become Survey Day ! Indeed, today BSG has both published a report on the official EFT website summarizing the findings of the last survey about Scav gameplay and launched a new survey regarding how Seasons, Weather Effects, Visibility, and Sound should function in the game. The Report It’s safe to say that most players were impressed with the quality of BSG’s work on this report, with many commenting positively on the improved communication from the developers . In reality, this improvement has been happening for a while now, with more timely updates and greater detail about patch changes, fixes, and modifications. Regardless, this report is undeniably well done and shows that BSG has put in the effort to value the opinions of the community . Not only by studying the results, but also taking immediate action based on them. This, in turn, makes in-game surveys much more meaningful and encourages more players to participate and share their feedback. Key findings from the report: Selecting the raid time and location: 64.28% of players prefer to pick time and location, while 30.23% prefer random selection. Main objective as a Scav: 82.64% of players are looking for valuable loot or items for tasks and Hideout. PMC to Scav raid ratio: 40.86% of players play equally between a Scav and PMC, 43.02% play mostly as a PMC. Scav spawn timing: Most players prefer Scavs to spawn 15-20 minutes after the raid starts or near the end of the raid. Popular locations: Players prefer large locations with a variety of loot, such as Streets of Tarkov (15.33%), Reserve (14.62%), and Customs (13.04%). Playstyle: 69.02% of players prefer peaceful interaction with other Scavs and maintaining a positive standing with Fence. Penalty system: 37.33% of players think the penalty system is fair, 28.66% think it's too weak, and 19.47% think it's too severe for accidental kills. Scav starter equipment: 36.30% of players would like the Fence standing to have a stronger influence on the quality of equipment, 31.81% are fully satisfied with the current system. Wipe stage: 52.88% of players play as a Scav throughout the whole wipe, while 36.38% play mostly at the beginning of the wipe. The Surprises Keep Coming! The biggest surprise that excited the community the most was BSG’s announcement in the conclusions section of the report: Based on the results of the survey, we have adjusted Player Scav spawn times, who will now spawn no earlier than 17 minutes after the start of the raid on most of the locations, excluding Factory, Reserve, and low-level Ground Zero. But that’s not all. The starter equipment system has also been improved: from now on, higher Fence standing has a larger impact on the quality of gear. The information gathered will be used to further improve the Scav gameplay. This is big news , and the community is thrilled. Of course, given BSG’s history, some players still remain skeptical, but it’s undeniable that these improvements—combined with numerous bug fixes , quality-of-life updates, and optimizations (sometimes with mixed results)—are encouraging signs of progress. Here is the link to the original report posted by BSG on EFT official website . New Survey: Seasons, Weather, Sound, and Visibility Alongside the release of the report on the previous survey, BSG has also published a new in-game survey . Unfortunately, I wasn’t smart enough to save all the questions (!), so I can’t quote them one by one. However, the survey includes questions asking for player opinions on: The speed at which seasons change How quickly weather conditions change during a raid Preferences regarding visibility changes The volume of rain sounds It will be interesting to see the results, especially if they are presented in a report as well-structured as the one about Scavs. What do you think? Let me know in the comments! There’s always something new to discover in Escape from Tarkov ! Stay up to date with the latest News , Tips & Tricks , and In-Depth Guides , by checking out our links or starting from our Homepage . New to the game or just looking for more insights? Don’t miss our EFT: Tutorial  section!

The announcement made on March 4 on X has sparked significant discussion within the Escape from Tarkov community, generating a mix of reactions and intriguing theories about why the game is launching on the Epic Games Store instead of the more popular and widely used Steam. For years, fans have debated why Escape from Tarkov has never been available on Steam—a platform that could dramatically boost the game's visibility and make it more accessible to players. Nearly every gamer today has Steam installed on their PC for one reason or another. The platform offers excellent marketing tools, and its widespread adoption makes it an ideal marketplace for selling video games . However, Battlestate Games' decision to avoid Steam is understandable for at least three key reasons: Sales Commissions Steam takes a 30% commission on game sales . That’s a significant cut of the total revenue—one that BSG evidently prefers to keep for itself. Game Reviews Reviews are an essential tool for players deciding whether to buy a game, but they aren't always fair or reliable . Escape from Tarkov is a particularly polarizing title . First, it remains in beta and is still unfinished, with numerous bugs. Its hardcore nature makes it both difficult and frustrating. Additionally, the inevitable presence of cheaters has a much greater impact on EFT than in other games due to its punishing mechanics. Given these factors, EFT would likely receive an influx of negative reviews—many of which may not be entirely justified. Much of the criticism would probably stem from the game's steep difficulty curve and the frustration it causes . Since unhappy customers are more likely to leave negative reviews than satisfied players are to leave positive ones, BSG’s choice to avoid Steam is understandable from a strategic standpoint. Refund Policy EFT is often described as a game that players either love or hate— some try it for 10 hours and give up, while others sink hundreds or even thousands of hours into it. This alone explains a lot, but there’s another key issue: Steam’s refund policy allows players to receive a refund only if they have played for less than two hours. Beyond that limit, refunds are no longer possible. However, two hours is simply not enough time to fully understand and appreciate Escape from Tarkov. This, too, works against the idea of selling and promoting the game through Steam. Why Epic Games Instead of Steam? First and foremost, Epic Games takes only a 10% commission on game sales , allowing developers to keep a much larger share of their revenue. Second, Epic Games does not feature user reviews, eliminating the risk of unjustified or frustration-driven negative feedback. Only official reviews from gaming media outlets are available , ensuring a more balanced and well-reasoned critique—even when discussing the game’s controversial elements. The refund system on Epic Games is similar to Steam’s, so that remains a potential concern. However, BSG is likely willing to take this risk in exchange for greater visibility and the chance to attract a broader audience of potential buyers. Or maybe the commercial and promotional motivations behind BSG’s decision may not be the only factors at play. A Strategic Move? Unreal Theories In a recent video , NoiceGuy shared an interesting theory: Since Epic Games is the developer and owner of Unreal Engine , BSG’s move could be the first step in forming a partnership with Epic for future development support using their highly advanced and flexible Unreal Engine. While many of EFT’s development challenges undoubtedly stem from BSG’s inexperience—especially in its early years—it’s also possible that some issues are due to the limitations of Unity, the game’s current engine. Unity may be less versatile or adaptable, particularly for large-scale environments with 'numerous moving elements'. This theory gains traction considering that NoiceGuy directly asked Nikita Buyanov if this was a strategic move, to which the BSG CEO simply replied, "Yes". Escape from Tarkov on Unreal Engine? As much as many fans dream of this, the answer is no—it won’t happen. At least, not for Escape from Tarkov. Who knows? Maybe there will be an Escape from Tarkov 2 . Or perhaps Unreal Engine will be used for Nikita Buyanov and BSG’s ultimate project: Russia 2028 . Let me know your thoughts in the comments! And if you’re interested in news , tips & tricks , and in-depth articles on Escape from Tarkov, explore the sections of The Tarkov Central . Have any doubts about Escape from Tarkov? Use the search feature on this website to see if there's an article covering your question.

Completing the "A Shooter Born in Heaven" (SBIH) quest in Escape from Tarkov is a formidable challenge that tests players' sniping prowess and tactical acumen. This quest requires players to eliminate a specified number of enemy PMCs with headshots using bolt-action rifles across various maps. Insights from experienced players offer valuable strategies to navigate this demanding task successfully. To successfully tackle the A Shooter Born in Heaven quest , it's crucial to understand its specific objectives. Assigned by the Mechanic, this mission challenges players to eliminate 5 PMC operatives with headshots using a bolt-action rifle (no minimum range requirement as in the past) on each of the following maps: Woods, Reserve, Shoreline, Customs, Lighthouse, Streets of Tarkov, Interchange, and Ground Zero. This endeavor not only tests your sniping skills but also demands an in-depth knowledge of each map's layout and dynamics. Preparing to adapt your strategies and making optimal use of available equipment are essential steps toward completing this challenging mission. But don't despair; you don't need to be an impeccable marksman . With patience and perseverance, even mid-level players can successfully complete this mission. Let's explore some tips from those who have already conquered this challenge: Patience and Persistence:  Recognize that SBIH is a long-term endeavor. Patience is a key factor. Considering a raid as successful with a couple PMC kills, or even with a single one, can help manage expectations and reduce frustration. Map Knowledge and Spawn Points:  Understanding player spawn locations and typical movement patterns is crucial. Positioning yourself near these areas can increase the likelihood of encountering other players early in the raid. Weapon Choice and Loadout:  Opt for bolt-action rifles with high ergonomics to enhance aiming stability. Equipping a secondary weapon, such as an SMG or a pistol, can provide versatility in close-quarters combat situations. Integrate SBIH with Other Quests:  Instead of focusing solely on SBIH, carry a sniper rifle as a secondary weapon during other quest runs. Even a cheap bolt-action rifle, like the Mosin or the VPO-215, is good enough as long as you have decent ammo for it. This approach allows you to capitalize on opportunistic kills without dedicating entire raids to the quest. Adapt Playstyle:  Some players find success by playing more passively, setting up in strategic locations and waiting for enemies to come into view. Others prefer a more aggressive approach, actively seeking out gunfights. Experiment to find what suits your strengths best. Map-Specific Tips: Woods:  Utilize the expansive terrain to your advantage. Positioning near high-traffic areas like sawmill or scavenger camps can provide clear sightlines for long-range engagements. Customs:  The dense environment offers numerous vantage points. Consider overseeing popular routes and chokepoints to catch players off-guard. Interchange:  Focus on exterior areas where players are more exposed. Camping rooftops or overlooking parking lots can yield opportunities for long-distance shots. Lighthouse:  Be cautious of the high presence of skilled players and AI threats. Patience and careful positioning are key to securing kills without exposing yourself unnecessarily. Reserve:  Familiarize yourself with building rooftops, the Dome, and open areas. These spots often provide advantageous angles for sniping unsuspecting players. Shoreline:  The resort area is a hotspot for player activity. Setting up on hills or in adjacent buildings can offer clear views of incoming and outgoing traffic. Streets of Tarkov:  Given the urban environment, long sightlines can be limited. Positioning yourself on rooftops or high windows can provide the elevation needed for effective sniping. Additional Recommendations: Resource Management:  Utilize cost-effective gear to minimize losses upon death. Using affordable bolt-action rifles with basic optics ensures that each raid is not a significant financial setback. Learning from Others:  Watching experienced players can provide new strategies and insights. For instance, content creators often share their SBIH runs, offering valuable perspectives on positioning and decision-making. No Range Limitation: There is no longer a minimum range requirement for headshot eliminations (unlike in the past). This means you don’t necessarily need to engage in long-range sniping—if you're proficient with bolt-action rifles, you can land the required headshots even in close-quarters combat (CQC). For less experienced players, this quest offers a great opportunity to practice and improve bolt-action rifle skills. In summary, the "Shooter Born in Heaven" quest demands a blend of patience, strategic positioning, and adaptability . By leveraging map knowledge, selecting appropriate gear, and integrating the quest into regular gameplay, players can progressively achieve the required headshots and complete this challenging task. Video Tutorial Although I couldn't find any updated video tutorial for A Shooter Born in Heave quest, because since the minimum range requirement was lifted it's much easier and doesn't require to find the correct sniping positions, you can watch this video by fairTX : Tarkov Sniper: Shooter Born in Heaven (EFT movie) . It's more a cinematic experience than a video tutorial, but it can still give you an idea of the challenge and the kind of situations you'll have to deal with. Plus it's a superb video with brilliant editing! Share Your Experience How is your progress with this quest? Have you successfully completed it? If you have suggestions or seek advice, the comment section is waiting for you.

As announced yesterday by Battlestate Games, a technical patch for Escape from Tarkov was installed today, aimed at improving game client performance, enhancing AI behavior, and fixing several bugs—including the bug that prevented the thorax from taking damage when a bullet first passed through an arm. Additionally, the season has changed from winter to spring: goodbye, snow! At the time of writing this article, the patch is still being installed, so its actual effects on the game are not yet known . However, from the patch notes, we can see that once again, BSG is actively working to fix as many bugs and issues as possible, as well as improving game client performance. Performance Regarding performance, the less optimal technology of transparent object rendering  has been disabled on all locations, as it seemed to cause problems with game client performance . In patch 0.16.1.1, released on February 14, this less optimal technology  had already been disabled on Factory, Woods, and The Lab. Apparently, this previous change convinced BSG of the need to apply it to all maps . With the change of season, the snow will also disappear , which many believed was responsible for the game’s performance drops, though this has never been confirmed. Personally, I think the performance drops were due to the transition to the upgraded Unity 2022  graphics engine and other factors, such as the aforementioned less optimal technology of transparent object rendering . In any case, snow or no snow, let’s hope performance improves as much as possible . Illumination Rendering From a visual effects perspective, another interesting change is the optimization of the technology of flashlight and lamp illumination rendering . Lighting effects have never been Escape from Tarkov’s  strong suit. While in some situations the results can be visually appealing, the way flashlights render has always been less than optimal. Impenetrable Arm Bug Regarding the issue where the thorax hitbox would not receive damage if a bullet had penetrated the arm before hitting the thorax , it’s already great news to see that BSG is trying to fix this bug so quickly. Let’s just hope this time they actually managed to fix it—preferably without breaking something else in the process! AI Behavior Overhaul Last but not least, BSG's work on AI behavior improvements  looks very interesting and spot-on. The community is eager to see how these planned changes will play out. What can be said for now is that, on paper, BSG has identified some of the major issues and is showing that they are listening to player complaints and feedback . Thanks to these changes, AI enemies should now feel less like they have built-in aimbots, not be able to spot players through foliage, behave more naturally, and not attack players in excessive numbers as they previously did in certain situations—making looting nearly impossible and forcing players to flee, abandoning the area. BSG Improved Communication with the Community Finally, an open and transparent approach— something the community will greatly appreciate after years of poor communication from BSG regarding their goals, their development progress, and their lack of responsiveness to player feedback (though many will remain skeptical). In reality, improvements could be said to have begun last year when the recoil system  was finally fixed. However, the chaos and backlash caused by the controversy surrounding the Unheard Edition  and the debates it sparked had once again cast dark shadows over Battlestate Games' reputation. For several months now, BSG has been behaving well, demonstrating that they are listening to the community and doing their best (within their capabilities) to improve the player experience. Keep up the good work, Nikita! Below are the full patch notes. Patch 0.16.1.3 - 28.02.25 Changes Changed the in-game season to Spring; Disabled the less optimal technology of transparent object rendering. This change is aimed at improving the game client performance on all locations; Optimized the technology of flashlight and lamp illumination rendering; Added the ability to change DLSS Model Presets in raid. AI behavior improvements Readjusted the system of enemy detection for AI. Now, bots notice and lose sight of the target gradually, rather than instantly. The detection speed is affected by many factors: weather conditions, distance, angle to the target: The farther away the enemy is, the longer it will take to detect them; The greater the angle between the bot's view and the enemy, the longer it will take to detect them; The heavier the fog and/or rain, the longer the enemy detection speed and shorter the maximum enemy detection range; The visibility impact of fog and rain is negated if both the bot and the target are indoors; The detection speed is non-linear, and at very close ranges the impact of angle is much smaller than at farther ranges; Visibility reduction is combined from all of these factors. Adjusted the coefficients of enemy silhouette detection influence. The bot detects a standing target the fastest, then a crouching target, and a prone target the slowest; Adjusted the AI visibility depending on vegetation. Removed the ability to see the enemy through gaps in vegetation at medium and long ranges for all bots, including Bosses, except for Zryachiy, Birdeye, and the BTR. Now, bots will no longer see through gaps in trees and bushes, but if there is a space between separate vegetation, the bot will still be able to see the enemy. This system will be further improved in future patches to make it even more predictable; Common AI of all difficulty levels, Sniper Scavs, Raiders, Rogues, and Boss guards (excluding Bosses themselves) now always switch to single fire if fighting at long range. In close-range fights, the bot can switch to full auto if their weapon has this option; Reduced the distance at which bots relay information about an enemy. Previously, if a bot saw an enemy or lost contact with a previously spotted enemy, they would report it to other bots around them. This created too much AI pressure on the player, with groups of bots cooperating and attacking the player in cover. After this adjustment, the information relay distance has been reduced to 50 meters if the bot is not in a group. However, AI Scavs can group together, in which case the information is relayed to a farther distance; Common AI of all difficulty levels can no longer use suppressive fire. This ability is still available for Raiders, Rogues, and Bosses with guards. Previously, AI would use suppressive fire at an enemy behind cover. Accidental kills through thin cover with suppressive fire created the feeling that the AI always tracked the player through walls, which led to a mostly negative game experience; Increased the temporary AI accuracy loss when being hit by 30%; Bot spawn points can no longer be used too frequently. If a bot spawn point is not blocked by nearby players, but has been utilized before, it will have a continuously increasing availability timer; A singular player will no longer be the trigger for too many bot spawns. If a particular player is very successful at killing bots within a single raid, the system will no longer maintain a dynamic rate and create a constant influx of bots. A singular player can be the trigger for a random number of enemies, but no more than a certain value; Common AI of all difficulty levels, including Sniper Scavs, will no longer be the first to shoot at long range, even if they have detected an enemy. Now, if an enemy is detected at a very long range, the bot, being uncertain of their skills, will prefer to take cover and switch to a waiting tactic. However, if the player themself has detected the bot and attacked them, the bot will shoot back; Improved the AI positioning system. This change will help to improve their behavior in a group and reduce the number of situations in which bots are moving too close to each other or occupying the same cover. With this system, we will be able to fix bugs related to bots colliding with each other more efficiently. Fixes Fixed an issue where the Thorax hitbox would not receive damage if a bullet had penetrated the arm before hitting the thorax; Fixed numerous minor bugs related to bot behavior, movement, getting stuck, positioning, target visibility, and shooting; Fixed several issues that caused bots to pass through closed doors. The door interaction system will be adjusted in the future, and we will monitor the related issues if they arise; Fixed various issues with transparent geometry rendering and conflicts with various visual effects such as smoke, water, fire, and fog; Fixed the cause of a sharp sound when equipping headsets during strong wind; Fixed a 100% chance of arm fracture after failing a QTE in the Gym; Fixed the volume balance of bullets hitting the player; Fixed the incorrect reverb in some areas on Interchange; Fixed the cause of missing BTR Driver tasks for some players who have fulfilled all the necessary requirements in PvE mode; Fixed the cause of error 228 when dragging items in stash after upgrading the game edition; Fixed the cause of missing The Unheard Edition bonuses for some players in PvE mode; Fixed an issue with the NFM HJELM helmet not blocking damage to the back of the head; Transitions between locations in PvE mode will now take into account the online/offline mode the player selected before starting the first raid.

In a recent video, streamer and content creator HyperRatTV revealed that the bug affecting bullet penetration and damage when passing through arms—which had been fixed in the February 21 patch—is back, albeit with some differences. 28/2/25 UPDATE: Today BSG released a Technical Update that should fix this bug. I will update here if the fix is actually working. Battlestate Games certainly has a knack for attracting some of the most controversial opinions. The Escape from Tarkov  community had just finished celebrating the numerous technical updates released by BSG in recent weeks—fixing various bugs and issues—thinking that the studio was finally turning a corner in resolving problems. However, almost immediately, BSG repeated one of its all-too-frequent mistakes: reintroducing old bugs while trying to fix new ones. In the February 21 patch, BSG had just resolved a major issue that disrupted bullet hit registration when passing through a character’s arms before reaching the chest. Previously, bullets would go through the arm but, upon hitting the chest, would only damage the armor without penetrating it to harm the body underneath. This happened even with high-caliber, high-penetration rounds that should have been able to pierce the armor and cause significant chest damage. Everyone rejoiced—but unfortunately, the joy lasted only three days. On February 24, HyperRatTV posted on X, reporting that the bug had returned . HyperRatTV also uploaded a demonstration video on YouTube , where, with the help of a friend, he conducted tests confirming that: A bullet that passes through a character’s arm hits and damages the armor but does not penetrate it to harm the chest , even if it’s a high-caliber, high-penetration round. No direct bullet damage reaches the chest—not even blunt damage. The only chest damage comes from collateral damage when the arm is blacked out by the shot. A bullet that goes through an arm on a character without armor  seems to cause no direct chest damage , despite there being no armor to absorb the shot. In effect, it’s as if the arm completely absorbs the bullet. Again, the only chest damage is the collateral effect of the blacked-out arm. "Abuse Canted Sight + B-25" For this reason, HyperRatTV referenced the Canted Sight + B-25 abuse in his post. By equipping the NcSTAR MPR45 Backup mount , which allows for a canted sight , alongside the Zenit RK-1 tactical foregrip on B-25U mount , the character holds the weapon at an angle, positioning the left arm in a way that covers the entire chest. Due to this bug, this positioning essentially turns the arm into an additional layer of armor (see the image above). Some Good News The only silver lining in all of this is that Daniel (@appl3z0r on X), Lead Community Manager & Coordinator of Sherpas and Emissaries for Battlestate Games, quickly responded to HyperRatTV’s post, announcing that the bug will be fixed in the next patch (see below). We wait (more or less) hopefully. Until the fix arrives,  either aim for the head, or use very high flesh damage ammo and aim for the legs or the arms. Center-mass shots are definitely not a good choice.

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!

Battlestate Games has announced that from the 21st to the 23rd of September, Escape From Tarkov: Arena  will be free to play for everyone. If you've been thinking about trying it or considering purchasing it, this is your chance to give it a go! IMPORTANT NOTE : If you play Escape From Tarkov  but have never played Arena , be aware of a current bug that can cause some players to lose part or all of their trader reputation after playing or even just launching Arena . Proceed at your own risk. To learn more about this bug, check out our related article (see the related articles section below). --- On EFT: Arena 's official website, we can find more details about the free weekend: In anticipation of this year's TwitchCon in San Diego, Battlestate Games announces the launch of the first free weekend in the Escape from Tarkov: Arena project's history. From September 20, 11:00 AM BST / 6:00 AM EDT to September 23, 11:00 AM BST / 6:00 AM EDT, players will have the opportunity to try out the competitive PvPvE first-person shooter with tactical team modes. EFT: Arena perfectly combines the hardcore mechanics of Escape from Tarkov and fast-paced gameplay of session matches. All previously distributed temporary access codes become invalid from this moment on. Battlestate Games is the developer of Escape from Tarkov, a hardcore realistic story-driven multiplayer online project that combines features of FPS/TPS, battle simulator, and RPG with MMO elements, and Escape from Tarkov: Arena, a competitive first-person PvPvE shooter with tactical team modes. Any inquiries related to Escape from Tarkov: Arena can be sent to arena@tarkov.com . Read the original post on their official website here .

While BSG has acknowledged the reputation bug and claims to have implemented a fix, the problem remains for a significant portion of the player base. The lack of a solution to restoring lost trader reputation has further fueled frustrations. Until a definitive resolution is in place, players are advised to avoid opening or playing Escape from Tarkov: Arena  to protect their trader progress . As you may know, with Patch 0.15 (last wipe), Battlestate Games implemented full data synchronization between Escape From Tarkov and Escape From Tarkov: Arena. This new feature has been well-received by many players, as it allows them to use Arena to boost their PMC in EFT, giving more meaning and utility to playing Arena. However, BSG has once again demonstrated limitations in their development skills, resulting in a highly frustrating bug that has caused many players to stop playing Arena altogether , and some to stop playing EFT as well. The Bug and its Impact The issue seems to stem from the way data syncs between Escape from Tarkov and Arena. When players partecipate in Arena matches, their trader reputation can be reset , reducing it to 0 with some or all traders (even for some EOD users who should start with 0.20 thanks to their account privileges). By resetting the trader reputation, the bug also affects trader levels  and the items accessible through those loyalty levels. Players who have spent significant time building their standings with traders suddenly find themselves back at level 1 traders . As you can imagine, finding themselves with a mid to high-level PMC but level 1 traders is game-breaking. Many have decided to stop playing EFT entirely or switch to playing only the PVE mode , at least for this wipe. Some players have also reported inconsistencies , where certain traders are reset to higher than 0 reputation, but still significantly lower than their previous levels. Several players experienced long EFT sessions where they gained substantial reputation, only to lose it completely after playing a few Arena matches. There have been additional reports of quest-related issues , where completed quests appear in both the completed  and incomplete  quest lists. To make matters worse, some players have found that just launching Arena  without playing a match is enough to trigger the problem. BSG’s Response On September 6th, 2024 , Battlestate Games (BSG) posted on Twitter that the issue causing the trader reputation reset had been fixed . According to the post, a technical client update had been released to prevent further occurrences of this bug. They also reassured the community that efforts were underway to restore the lost loyalty levels affected by the bug​. Or not? Despite BSG's claim of a fix, the bug appears far from resolved for many in the community. One Reddit user  shared how their trader rep reset again after BSG announcement of the bug having been fixed, forcing them to regrind it through tasks​. Last but not least, as of today, players who have already lost their traders reputation have yet to receive any compensation or restoration of their progress. Not All Players Are Affected Interestingly, not all players are experiencing the bug. The reason for this discrepancy remains unclear , as the bug seems to affect players randomly . Some users have encountered no issues when switching between Arena and EFT, while others face immediate reputation loss. It's not yet determined whether the problem lies with specific accounts, regional servers, or unique interactions between the two game modes. Stay tuned to updates from BSG, but for now, playing Arena is still a risky move. Personally, I won’t even launch Arena until there’s confirmation that the bug has been completely and definitively resolved. You can obviously choose what you want to do, but be aware of the potential risks. 25/09/24 UPDATE: the bug seems to be still there, and BSG has not returned the reputation loss to those that experienced it.