Escape from Tarkov recently just launched its patch 0.16.8, mostly known as the hardcore wipe, and it is historic in several ways. For one, it could be the last wipe, since Battlestate Games is preparing for launch sometime after August, and there are no planned wipes after launch.
Secondly, the game made drastic changes to test out some mechanics, making it a “hardcore” wipe, as some of these changes made the game much harder to play. A lot of players aren’t a fan of these changes, and most of them are giving up already on the hardcore wipe.
Escape from Tarkov’s Hardcore Wipe Disaster
While disaster might be an exaggeration, what makes the situation worse is that the launch is so close. And while they were intent on testing things with this wipe, it’s safe to say that one particular change (at least) is objectively bad for the game in many ways.
That change is the removal of in-game tasks. Since Escape from Tarkov’s focus is to incline more on its RPG elements than anything else, the removal of quests leaves players without a goal in the game.
Yes, we can make their own in-raid goals, such as farming specific loot and bosses, but that doesn’t help sustain our stash value. We are poorer than ever in Tarkov, but it is because of a combination of the lack of quests, insane costs of goods, insurance, and the increased Scav timer cooldown, making players who lost a string of raids poor enough to have absolutely nothing to play with.
Not only that, but the essence of playing is almost completely gone. Most streamers voiced their concern, and the community is already up in arms and quitting until changes are made.
Battlestate Games Responds with Fast Balancing Changes
Battlestate Games were prepared for any escalating situation, as if they had anticipated such events. Since they are experimenting with a few mechanics, they knew the changes would bring two ends of the spectrum , players who will play no matter what, and those who will quit because of the tiniest detail they don’t like.
After just a day of feedback, BSG immediately added back the in-game tasks, reduced the cost of insurance, and reduced the Scav cooldown timer.
Some of the biggest changes remained, such as being unable to level up the traders, increased prices, banning crucial items in the Secure Container, and disabling the flea market. Most of these changes make it a “hardcore” wipe, and that’s honestly a refreshing sight.
Tarkov went through plenty of changes throughout the years, but these most recent changes seem to have taken a big step back, introducing much of what the game used to be. This has plenty of players disliking the changes, but then you can’t please everyone.
The fast balancing changes by BSG brought some players back, but was it too late? We just don’t know, and BSG remains silent on the issue.
Sometimes, this lack of communication hurts the community. If they had simply run a survey using their new system or conducted a Q&A to gauge the community’s opinion on removing quests, the outcome might have been different.
The game felt too awkward without the quests, since there was almost nothing to do. Having a quest doesn’t necessarily make the game harder or “hardcore.” It was just there to induce players to do something, or anything, for that matter. Hopefully, BSG has gathered all the necessary information for their test and is now ready to get everyone excited for their launch after being in beta for more than a decade.
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