The hardcore shooter Escape from Tarkov has quietly added a new rule to the game and threatens to issue perma-bans for the item trading utilized by many players if they abuse it.
This is what happened: Battlestate Games, the developers of Escape from Tarkov, announced via Twitter that item trading will now be punished with a 90-day or a perma-ban. However, this is only the case if players frequently and excessively use this mechanic. What constitutes too frequent and excessive use has not been further explained.
This is what item trading is about: Players in the popular hardcore shooter Escape from Tarkov have been using a game mechanic since the game’s launch to supply friends with loot. In item trading, equipment and items in a match are simply thrown on the ground so that other players – often their teammates – can pick them up and quickly acquire better gear.
Experienced players support their friends who are just starting out by allowing them to take good gear into the match from the very beginning. However, other players also use this mechanic to trade items outside the market or to earn extra money.
This is the problem: After Battlestate Games released the new rule via Twitter, the first bans were already issued. Many players were not even aware of this since the tweets are not read by everyone and are only displayed in the game launcher.
How often players are allowed to engage in item trading before a ban occurs is not known.
The restriction appears to be aimed at “gold sellers” who want to sell their items in the game this way and earn real money.
This is what the community says: After Escape from Tarkov removed an important reward some time ago and angered many, the community is not particularly thrilled this time either, and several comments are accumulating under the Twitter post:
- Twitter user GsiZ says: “I hope this is not too sensitive and leads to a ban when helping friends.”
- User AseThor fears he can no longer help his friends: “This is nonsense. I have never complained about your changes, but I want to bring armor and weapons to my beginner friends and not addicted friends without fearing a ban.”
- Giannis wants to spend his wealth wisely: “So, if I have millions of dollars and want to spend it, why the hell are you stopping me from helping my friends? Isn’t this supposed to be a game?”
Whether Battlestate Games will clarify the ban further or backtrack remains to be seen. Currently, this changes the gameplay for many players. What do you think about the changes and are you directly affected?
For those who haven’t checked out the hardcore shooter yet and are interested, you should take a look at our beginner tips.
