Today, Battlestate Games pushed a series of changes into the Escape From Tarkov platform that has, essentially, made the game relatively easier. This comes following feedback from the community suggesting that several elements of the game and its overall balance had been ‘off’ since the last wipe took place in December 2022.
Now, Battlestate has addressed those community-wide concerns, making changes that impact recoil, stamina, weight limits, and equipment. It’s a considerable change that could have untold implications on the Escape From Tarkov ecosystem, most importantly the one that ultimately makes it a little easier for the ‘less skilled’ players.
When Is Hard Too Hard?
Firstly, that’s what she said.
Escape From Tarkov is known for being a tough-as-nails game, boasting intense mechanics and a hyper-realism platform that is gruelling for both new and veteran players to experience. It’s an extraction shooter, which in itself offers a heart-pounding concept that can leave players brokenhearted at the end of every unsuccessful fight.
However, some elements of Escape From Tarkov seem like they’re hard just for the sake of being hard. For instance, weapon recoil. It has been proven over and over again that this ‘super realistic’ shooter has weapons that just recoil far too much to be believable.
Yes, Tarkov content creators have quite literally hit the range to field-test weapons featured in the game:
Now, following backlash from the game’s many players, Battlestate Games has made adjustments that are expected to change the face of the game – at least, temporarily. Here’s the full list of Escape From Tarkov changes that hit the platform today, on the 26th of January:
- Movement penalties brought on by armoured ‘rigs’ and body armour have been dramatically reduced.
- Stamina will be less impacted when hit by incoming fire.
- When in-raid, water and energy consumption will be decreased compared to traditional rates.
- For players that run ‘thicc’, weight limits have been increased when actually overweight.
And, most importantly:
- Recoil angles and amounts have been reduced for all weapons.
That’s a huge one, as some weapons that were previously considered unusable due to their dramatically high levels of recoil will now perform much better in-game, ultimately posing a change to the established meta.
Overall, fans seem impressed by the changes and are praising Battlestate Games en-masse for ‘listening to the community’. In a game so troubled by unwanted updates, streams of hackers, and nonsensical changes, it’s good to see a win for once.
For more Insider Gaming news, check out our coverage of the future of The Last of Us.