Escape From Tarkov - The Extraction Shooter That Started A Revolution
If you have never heard of an ‘extraction shooter’ let me give you a quick run down. You normally have a character that you put stuff and other goodies on, load into a large map, try to find more stuff or do an objective, then try to get out alive or die trying. Death in these games is permanent. Meaning you lose what you bring in with you plus what was found along the way.
Some of you may have ran away screaming with the closing of that last part, but if your still around then you are already trapped in an addicting gameplay loop or want to give it a try. To the everyday gamer this may sound a little insane. Why would you want to lose stuff you worked so hard to get? Honestly, I still don’t know myself. Maybe its the rush of adrenalin that happens when extracting or when killing another player and taking their stuff after a hard won fight. Whatever it is, it’s clear that the formula works and a lot of studios are trying to cash in.
Though the game that started it all is Escape From Tarkov. Sure, you can argue that “The Hunt: Showdown” also had a good hand in the subgenra’s development but it was EFT that really started the craze.
What Is Escape From Tarkov?
Like explained above, Escape From Tarkov or EFT as I will be referring to it as, is an extraction shooter where death is as common as breathing and where the sweat dripping off every player is smelled for miles and miles. But in all seriousness the game is an extremely realistic shooter that is very punishing. There are multiple large maps in which players have to navigate and learn as well as countless quests putting people up against very hard and honestly sometimes really weird tasks. At its basic level EFT is a miltary simulator and extraction shooter, at its deepest level the game is a MMO lite with skills that level up as you play by doing specific actions, and a economy simulator where you learn to play a real market like a stock trader. Sound nuts? Well it is, and that’s still hardly 10% of the game. To help anyone new along lets go over its main components.
Load In, Loot, Extract - If you want to ignore a lot of the other elements of the game, which trust me, I don’t blame you, EFT is built around its immersive maps and audio design. From woodland expanses to dense city streets, players find most of their time exploring the well built maps (besides Ground Zero…) and collecting loot and avoiding death. Each map has a set amount of players that spawn and a preset amount of time. To add a layer on top of this, nearly everything you do from opening your inventory to searching a filing cabinet makes some sort of sound. It’s why you’ll hear people scream at each other for hitting a bush or not slow walking. Audio is so important in trying to survive that people have all the important sound cues memorized to a science which can be daunting. But navigating the games selections of maps, doing quests, and extracting, is where you will spend most of your time.
The Economy - To add an element unseen in other games in the space, EFT has a large player driven economy where there is money to be made. Everything in the game, if its found in raid, can be sold. For some like the content creator General Sam, and myself, growing a large amount of money/questing is why we play the game, not so much to PVP. So the never ending hunt to find graphics cards and other good items keeps us sucked into the game. But the fact that there is a market of players to sell items to as well as grow reputation as a well known seller is a really immersive way to make the world feel alive. Alongside this, there are also npc traders such as Therapist. Until a player hits level 15, these traders are the only place to sell. On a side note, it takes forever to hit level 15, so it is a large roadblock to climb but once you do the game is fully open and the possibilities are endless.
Weapon Simulation - Since its a miltary shooter the weapons have to be detailed and the gunplay has to be smooth. I argue that EFT has the best of both, even more so with the most recent recoil updates. Weapons are fully customizable. And I don’t mean that in a simple sight and skin way, I mean that in a fully dismantle and put together kind of way. You can change everything on the weapons you use down to the gas blockers and receivers. It’s actually insane and scary how deep you can go. And every modification you do effects the gun’s performance. I don’t do much modding because frankly it confuses the hell out of me, but you can also do wacky things like add a absurd amount of attachments. Ever want a M4 with 4 flashlights attached to the end in order to blind your foes with the force of the sun? Well in Tarkov anything is possible baby. To speak on the gunplay, I stand by the fact that EFT has some of the best shooting I ever got to play with. Its satisfying and feels like your firing real weapons. While I don’t PVP much, when I have to and make it out alive, its some of the best moments I had in a while, sadly I only live like 30% of the time if I get into an engagement.
Quests and Story - There is a sense of a story in EFT. The quests all tell stories of the world and the struggles of living in a combat zone. Though honestly, I never read them, I just do the many weird objectives. But if you want EFT lore, then read to you hearts content! There are lots of quests in the game, some are easy, others are pain and suffering. None the less most of them are fun and give depth to the game other then looting and PVP.
Somethings You Should Know…
While the game may seem cool and have a lot of depth there are some things that are prudent to know before you step foot in a war-torn Russia. First off is the company themselves, Battle State Games have been doing very odd things more so then before. In the most recent wipe they started to implement things that seem slightly hostile to new or struggling players. You can get banned for dropping certain items or in some extreme cases, helping in particular quests. Also Battle State Games (BSG) have been banning players who play SPT or Single Player Tarkov, a fan made mod that is utterly separate from the main game and even requires the player to have a legit copy of the live game. This makes me mad beyond belief, but I won’t rant about it, instead I’ll leave that to this content creator who made a fantastic video on the topic.
There is also the hacker situation… which is better than before but is none the less an issue. While there are less aimboters and PVP cheaters we now have something that I argue is a lot worse. Vacuum hackers. Aimboters will kill you right away from the start in seconds so you don’t really lose much other than your gear. But vacuum hackers? They steal your time.
Essentially what they can do is find every item on the map over a certain value and just… yoink it right away. In this situation you don’t die but you can spend 30 minutes in a game to find nothing. Or even worse die in raid after so long and come up utterly empty handed. These hackers steal precious gametime, which is worse to be honest.
There is also the player base which can be… hit or miss as well. There are a ton of great people willing to help new players, but most want to make your life hell and will push for features from BSG that make new players suffer. Which is backwards. A game needs new players to keep it alive, but since this game has been out for a while and is very hardcore, the fanbase follows suit.
Finally I’ll end with one last caveat. The game’s identity has morphed over time. At one point the game was meant to be a slow paced MMO lite survival shooter but instead turned into what I can best describe as a competitive race. If you only have a few hours a week to put into it then you will fall behind a lot of people and be left in the dust. With the importance of the hideout and other endgame features, Tarkov has become a hard game to play causally. Also, since the game wipes once or twice a year, meaning everyone’s progress is reset and everyone is back to square one, this competitive nature is only escalated.
But if you think all of this is something your willing to handle then there is only one last question.
Should You Play Escape From Tarkov?
If you have patience to climb a steep learning curve, able to deal with anger from death, and are willing to wade through hackers, than yes! EFT is a game you should try out and there are loads of different editions that you could pick up, albeit with varying in game bonuses like storage space and a bigger secure container. While there are times I would struggle to recommend this game to a new player, it is quite fun despite the game and company’s flaws. But like with everything, skill comes with practice. Your first wipe may be confusing as all hell and scary, but your second and third.. well your already ahead of a lot of players at that point.
I hope to see you in Customs.
