Why Escape from Tarkov is not suitable for all players?

Something inexplicable happens with Escape from Tarkov: almost every gamer in the post-Soviet space has heard about this shooter, but as if no one had played it. At the same time, for some reason, everyone has at least one friend who sits free evenings in "Tarkov" and constantly praises him. 

What's the matter? Is this just hype about streamers, or is the game really worth watching? I didn't get out of Tarkov for a week to figure it out, and now I’m ready to give an answer: the shooter is really good. Very good.

The porcupine returned and suddenly became rich

Over the past four years, Escape from Tarkov has gone from almost unplayable alpha to more or less stable beta. But of all the planned game modes, only one is available so far - the raid. If you've ever opened PUBG, then the rules will seem familiar: you, along with a dozen other players, are thrown onto a large map. This can be an industrial area by the river, a grove with a sawmill, or, for example, an abandoned shopping complex. You choose in advance where you want to go, and you can even specify the time of day - to whom it is more convenient.

Along with living players, bots also live on the map: wild marauders, bandits, and good old Gopnik. However, the winner in the raid is not the one who kills the most opponents. In fact, in Escape from Tarkov, in principle, it is impossible to "win" - during a match you cannot see either the leaderboard or the rating. The main thing is to return from a sortie safe and sound and ideally also with a full swag backpack.

It's just ... it just so happens that the most valuable loot, as a rule, is not in a secret stash, but on other players. Of course, you can just climb the whole raid in the trash heaps - there is also something valuable there. But if you want a more powerful gun or thicker armor, then you have to open the hunt for rivals. Or, at worst, get involved in a battle with the local boss and his entourage.

It would seem that everything is very simple: you enter a location, bring down opponents, and you leave with loot. But the mechanics here are surprisingly hard to get used to. The difficulty curve in Escape from Tarkov is more like a sheer wall - and as you climb it, everyone will be firing at you.

Remember how we played chips when we were kids? In each round, the winner would take the loser's chip forever. If you run out of all your stocks, then you cannot return them back - you have to go to the kiosk for new chips and start the game from scratch. It's the same here: each sortie is a game wherein one pass you can lose everything that is on the character. After all, you equip the hero exclusively with your in-game funds. Weapons, equipment, useful little things like first aid kits - all from your personal supplies.

If you do not have time to escape before the timer expires or you die, you will lose everything at once. And what they got hold of during the raid, and what they took with them "from home." In a hurry to search the body, not making sure that there are no other enemies nearby? Well, rest in peace to you. Say goodbye to the gun you've been looking for days. Until the end of the match, she will probably change a few more hosts. In Tarkov, good things rarely stay in the same hands for a long time.

Typically, in online shooters, only the competitive modes put this pressure on the player. But in Escape from Tarkov, the fear of losing all your progress is pursuing at every turn. This sticky, unsettling feeling persists even after dozens of matches played - but this is the essence of the game. The developers at Battlestate Games are doing everything to knock the audience out of their comfort zone and force them to adapt to the situation.

Other shooters turn a blind eye to many of the nuances of real shootouts to make the gameplay easier and more convenient. Tarkov, on the other hand, puts them in the foreground. And he does it so fanatically that some kind of Arma 3 looks like a toy against its background.

Memento mori

Death in Escape from Tarkov is a matter of one or two successful shots. It is often impossible to understand exactly where the bullet came from. And if by some miracle you still survived the queue in the chest, then the problems are unlikely to end there.

Each part of the body has its own margin of safety and its own separate function. The bone in his right hand was broken - because of the fracture, it will be difficult to aim. Hooked on the chest - the character will cough, and the punctured lung will prevent him from running fast. And no, it will not be possible to cure all this at once with one magic first-aid kit. Each injury needs its own tools: splints for fractures, bandages for bleeding. In a car first-aid kit or in a first-aid kit, all this is, but in an ancient Soviet set, it is unlikely. As a last resort, you can always throw analgin or any other pain reliever. Maybe they are just enough for an escape. Unless, of course, you are not let go a hundred meters to the desired point - in the middle of a vacant lot without a single shelter. Or better yet, an overdose of medication will cause dehydration. Yes, there is also metabolism to be considered!

The high lethality of battles makes you think three hundred times what to take with you on a raid, and what is better to leave in stock. Inventory management is actually a game within a game, so much attention is paid to it. For starters, each cannon can literally be disassembled for parts. Everything is modified in the smallest detail. Lodges, front sight, mounts, butts, reloading levers, handles, magazines, optics ... The creators put a tremendous amount of work into developing the arsenal. And their meticulousness is very contagious. Over time, you start looking not for specific specimens, but only for body kits to make your favorite rifle even better. After all, why pick up a whole AK from a corpse, if you can just remove the collimator from it and put it in your pocket? You need to save space in your backpack.

But furthermore. What ammunition to take? Each caliber has a dozen different options, from armor-piercing to tracer. The main thing is not to forget to load the cartridges into the store, and in general, it is better to take a couple of ready-made stores in reserve. Otherwise, in the heat of a firefight, you won't be able to reload quickly. We'll have to hide in the bushes and slowly insert one cartridge into the store. In addition, for quick access to items, you need to put them in a vest - if you have one, of course. What about armor? Helmet? Tactical headphones? Yes, headphones! Just think: in any other shooter, this is a purely cosmetic item, but here it really helps to orientate yourself to the sound.

In other words, you can fail a raid long before you go out into the field - if you don't prepare well. Escape from Tarkov encourages perseverance and willingness to optimize your equipment for a long time. And, I must admit, it's not even annoying. Taking inventory is a rather tedious task, and the interface is not the most convenient, but you can still enjoy fiddling with equipment.

Wept and injected

The problem is different. The game doesn't explain anything at all. Doesn't even hint. In "Tarkov" there is neither basic training nor a code to read about advanced mechanics. You learn about many vital things only by looking at the control settings. It turns out that by pressing a couple of keys, you can check how many cartridges are left in the store. The mouse wheel does not change the weapon in your hands but adjusts the walking speed. And if at the same time you hold down the squat button, the wheel changes the degree of the squat.

But this is not so bad. If you don't read the tutorial videos on YouTube, you literally don’t understand what to do here and how to play it. To evacuate the raid, you need to get to one of the exits. But no one will tell you how to find them unless you google the map of the location yourself in advance.

Moreover, all levels have their own nuances. This car will take you away, but only if you pay the fare. No Tarkov money? Sorry. Or the door behind which the quest item lies can be opened only with a key hidden on another map. Don't have a key? Sorry too. And valuable loot differs from junk in that it can be clicked on. But you can hardly guess that this three-by-three pixel square is, it turns out, a processor that can be pushed for good money. Did not notice? Sorry.

This detailed level design can only be applauded, but in places, it goes from hardcore to real sadism. Experienced players have an incredible advantage over beginners. And it's not even about pumped skills or rare weapons. They just already have all the information they need, which means they make the best decisions. But to become one of them, you need to pour dozens, if not hundreds of hours of free time into the game. First, for theory and viewing tutorials, and then for practice. This is why Escape from Tarkov is so popular among professional streamers. It is a great pleasure to watch a person who knows what he is doing playing it. But suffering yourself and stumbling at every step is far from so pleasant.

However ... If you still find the strength to cross the high threshold of entry, then there is a great chance that Escape from Tarkov will become your favorite shooter. Sometimes the game is brutal, even physically exhausting, but by no means boring. Even if you already know all the cards up and down, "Tarkov" still keeps in suspense. It's like playing Russian roulette with a group of strangers and no one knows how many cartridges are in the drum. Maybe one, maybe six.

The danger is everywhere. Even if you're just running through the woods and don't hear any gunshots, it's hard to shake off the feeling that you are being watched. Maybe it's just paranoia, but what's the difference? Suspense is still real. Escape from Tarkov constantly generates cinematic scenes, and completely spontaneously, without scripts. AAA shooters usually take on explosions, gore, and pathos, but Battlestate Games achieves the same effect with just one sound. The clap of a machine gun, the echo of other people's steps, the clang of the shutter. As soon as the silence is interrupted, the soul goes into the heels.

The gaming press likes to compare everything to Dark Souls, but this parallel is really relevant here. With each next raid, you gain experience - and begin to look at the game with new eyes. If before the sounds of shots in the distance caused panic, now - curiosity. After all, if you listen, you can tell by the sound how many people are there and how they are armed. You reflexively check the flanks and corners, monitor your speed and stamina. And by this point, I want not to blame the developers for a bunch of unnecessary mechanics, but on the contrary, to say thank you for the tactical capabilities.

So the victim gradually turns into a hunter. A shooter overloaded with details and mechanics - into one of the most curious games in the genre. Does all this mean that you urgently need to throw money at the monitor and buy a beta pass? Well ... If you love the genre and have long wanted to try something unusual, then yes, definitely. Just make sure you have a powerful enough PC. The developers promise to improve optimization in the future, but so far the game loads the processor very heavily and does not like AMD hardware. Catching friezes right in battle is still a pleasure.

And if you're just curious for now, it's better to study Escape from Tarkov from afar - even from the same streamers. This is an amateur thing. Either it will go so far that you will abandon all other multiplayer games, or it will get bored after a couple of hours - and you will be in vain to lie in the library.