We never thought we’d see a battle pass or traditional season structure in Escape from Tarkov – and we’re kind of still not. But Escape from Tarkov: Arena, the session-based multiplayer arena shooter, is getting a battle pass system along with cosmetics and skins soon. On social media, Battlestate Games has spent the past couple of days teasing just that.
In a new post on Twitter, players are given a glimpse at the CQCM Mask, a favourite item amongst the game’s W-key spamming Chads, with a custom skin.
It starts with Arena – will it bleed into Escape from Tarkov proper?
Geared Up
The free battle pass that’s coming to Escape from Tarkov: Arena is expected to behave exactly as you’d imagine. It’ll reward players with exclusive items, skins, and boosts in exchange for cold, hard XP grinds. The more you play, the more you’ll unlock.
That’s right, I said it’s free. That was something confirmed by Battlestate Games’ Nikita Buyanov two days ago.
Escape from Tarkov: Arena isn’t free – you need to pay for that as it’s a spin-off from the core extraction shooter title.
Here’s the post on social media that revealed a snippet of the CQCM skin:
Players are now wondering how any crossover impact will ripple throughout the wider Escape from Tarkov ecosystem. Will there be a linking function allowing users to run their skins and cosmetics in Escape from Tarkov’s extraction shooter platform? I, for one, hope so. I’ve wanted to customise my gear more in Tarkov for the longest time.
Escape from Tarkov uses a ‘wipe’ pattern that typically involves resetting the game once every six months. That could easily pivot to a season structure equipped with a battle pass of sorts, but it would need BSG to pack it with content for it to be interesting. Given that it takes months to add a single gun to the game, that’s a huge ask that probably won’t be delivered.
Are you looking forward to skins and a battle pass coming to Escape from Tarkov? Let me know in the comments, or check out the Insider Gaming forum.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Toronto Ultra had to forfeit a CDL match
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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