Finally we can do what it says on the game's title.
A recent interview with the COO of BattleState Games reveals the studio's plans for Escape From Tarkov 1.0, the game's full release.
What is in Escape From Tarkov 1.0?
Recently, well-known Escape From Tarkov streamer Pestily sat down with BattleState Games COO and Escape From Tarkov game director Nikita Buyanov. In said interview, they talked about the game studio's plans for the game's full release, including new features, gameplay mechanics, and more.
Escape From Tarkov 1.0 Will Have A Story
Let's start with perhaps the most important one: can players actually escape from Tarkov once 1.0 comes around? The answer is yes. According to Nikita, Escape from Tarkov will have several endings in the full release. Not only that, but the player will ultimately be able to escape in the game.
In line with this, they will also be introducing a new storyline to the game, which includes single-player missions, as well as locations. These missions will help decide what ending the player will get in their game.
Tied to the game's story is Escape From Tarkov's Prestige system. Whenever the player successfully escapes from the game, they will receive a special reward, which will show other players that they have finished the game and received one of its endings.
It is unknown at the moment what else this Prestige system will reward the player other than fame and bragging rights.
Maps Will Become Connected In The Game
Speaking of locations, Nikita also teased that the locations in the game will become connected in Escape From Tarkov 1.0. That means that players will be able to stay in their raid, and just move from map to map.
Currently, if players want to go to a different map in the game, players will have to leave their current raid (either by dying or by extracting), and then jump into a raid on another map. In Escape From Tarkov's full release, however, players can just move from map to map by reaching certain areas.
This is already teased in the game, as the Shoreline map has a Road to Customs and a Path to Lighthouse extract. These locations will likely serve as transition points for said map in the full game.
Although the game will have connected maps, Nikita stated that Escape From Tarkov will never be open world, even with the 1.0 release. He says that an open-world Tarkov would be “too much”, so the most they will do is connect maps.
Speaking of maps, Nikita mentioned that the next map coming to the game will be Terminal. Nikita does explain, however, that Terminal will not be a traditional map, but instead something close to a hub that will help with the travel from one map to another.
A New Faction, Karma, And More
Nikita also confirmed that a new faction will be coming to the game. The Russian Armed Forces, or RUAF, will be the game's newest faction. As for what they do, Nikita noted that they will be “backing up” players who chose BEAR as their PMC.
This is similar to how the ex-USEC Rogues are neutral towards USEC players and hostile against BEAR players. RUAF will likely be neutral towards BEARs and hostile against USECS once they arrive in the game.
Escape from Tarkov 1.0 will also see the introduction of a brand new Karma System. Currently, the only Karma system in the game is Svav Karma, which dictates Scav raid equipment and likability for Scav players, as well as Vehicle Exfil prices for PMCs.
The new system is a PMC Karma System, which Nikita says is a “concealed statistic”. That is, players will have no idea how high or low their current PMC Karma is, and they will have no idea what to do to control it.
As for what this system is for, Nikita says that there are plans for a new boss who will act like a bounty hunter. This new boss will spawn in maps and hunt down players that have bad karma. Other than that, he did not reveal other features that will use the PMC Karma system.
Other than the above in-game features, Nikita talked about various smaller updates and changes, such as updates to the hideout, changes to hitboxes, inertia, and recoil, as well as armor mechanics, weapons, and crafting.
Stronger Anti-Cheat Systems
Nikita also talked about important game features outside of the gameplay. What is perhaps the most important topic that was brought up was about cheaters in the game. Specifically, he talked about the game's anti-cheat.
According to Nikita, fighting cheaters was an “ongoing process”, as whenever they fix something, cheaters would find something else to exploit. That doesn't mean, however, that BattleState Games is not doing anything. In fact, they are doing all they can.
Nikita explained that the studio is preparing to introduce stronger anti-cheat measures to the game. However, as these measures will likely be more invasive, it could lead to the game's performance dropping. Nikita assures that they will do their best to find the perfect balance between performance, and player safety from cheaters.
RECOMMENDED (Article Continues Below)
Escape From Tarkov 0.14.5 Patch Notes - The BTR is in Woods!
Jesseyriche Cortez ·
Escape From Tarkov Players Can Now Buy Stash Upgrades
Jesseyriche Cortez ·
Escape from Tarkov - How To Get Permanent Stash Upgrades
Jesseyriche Cortez ·
Companion Apps and Microtransactions
Other than the anti-cheat, BattleState games is also working on a companion app for the game, which will help players both old and new. They also mentioned releasing an API for the game, allowing third-party developers to create apps for the game.
Microtransactions were also brought up during the interview, with Nikita saying that more were on the way. Other than the current apparel unlock and stash upgrades, Nikita says that more clothing and cosmetics microtransactions were on the way.
He also assured players that although cosmetics can be bought, BattleState Studios “will not add boosters, equipment packages, or currency packages” to the game's shop.
A Better Edge of Darkness for Escape From Tarkov 1.0?
Speaking of microtransactions, the topic of the game's Edge of Darkness version was brought up. Previously the best pre-order package, it has since been removed from the store, making it unobtainable to new players. Nikita does explain, however, that something even better would replace it.
Although this new package does not have a name yet, Nikita says that this new tier will have even more bonuses than Edge of Darkness did. This likely means more starting equipment, a bigger stash (hopefully), and more.
Lastly, on the topic of DLCs, Nikita says that there are plans to introduce DLC. These DLC will potentially bring a clans and alliances feature to the game. Sadly, Nikita did not explain much about the topic.
That's all for the contents of Escape from Tarkov 1.0 (so far) as revealed by Nikita. Escape From Tarkov is available on PC. Check out our gaming news articles for the latest in gaming news.
