PUBG is too shallow for you? Then you should definitely keep an eye on the upcoming online shooter Escape from Tarkov (PC). We introduce the combat simulation for PC in “What is Escape from Tarkov”, which aims to be more than just a survival shooter.
Currently, it seems that the gaming trend is moving toward increasingly larger challenges. Players are expected to engage more deeply with game mechanics, not receive everything for free, but work hard for their successes, and regain the feeling that their character is exposed to dangers, and that it will not be a walk in the park to fight against other players.
Hardcore and Realism
Escape from Tarkov aims to provide such a hardcore gaming experience. The online shooter from the Russian studio Battlestate Games is currently in closed beta. An open beta is just around the corner, with a date to be announced. The developers do not want to be pushed into a box, and comparisons with similar games are not welcome. Because Escape from Tarkov is not just a hardcore PUBG with MMORPG elements; it is an independent product.
The story takes place in the near future. The Russian city of Tarkov has been sealed off due to a conflict. Several mercenary groups are fighting for dominance in the streets. Looting scavengers are looking for valuable items and want a piece of the pie. You either belong to the private army BEAR, the mercenaries from USEC, or the Scavs, who are essentially civilians banding together to cause chaos. Your goal is: Escape from Tarkov! But that’s easier said than done.
Tarkov is divided into several zones, or play areas. You need to fight your way through these areas. In each area, you must complete specific tasks and survive to reach the next area and eventually leave the city. PvP is at the forefront, as Escape from Tarkov is a competitive shooter. Of course, it is possible to team up with other players, but fundamentally, you never know whom you can trust, and every encounter with another player can end in a firefight.
What Escape from Tarkov Offers
Escape from Tarkov is divided into several features:
- Survival – Survive in each play area and search for better equipment
- Tactical Combat – This is not just about simple shooting; cover and aiming are essential
- Modification – You can customize your equipment – especially the weapons – with many mods
- Character Improvement – Your character has skills that you can enhance
- Trade – You sell loot to traders or become a trader yourself
- Base – Your base serves as a retreat that you continuously expand
Escape from Tarkov: Survival
When it comes to survival, you need to act carefully at all times. Every step could be your last if enemies are hiding in the bushes, waiting to ambush you. Escape from Tarkov focuses on a lot of realism. This starts with the interaction with the game world. For example, if you use a light switch, you illuminate a room, which helps you find loot better, but the light can also attract other players who want to hunt you down. Collecting loot takes time during which you may be defenseless.
Additionally, every hit can lead to death, even a grazing shot. Injuries need to be treated quickly, as you could bleed out or develop an infection. Poisoning is also possible. Storming into a building and shooting does not get you to your goal. Furthermore, you need to eat and drink.
Tactical Combat
The battles are tactical. Stealth is required, and it’s best to use a scope to spot enemies from afar. The environment must be taken into account. Who could be hiding where? Where could you take cover? Since every hit can mean the death of your character, it’s important to think carefully about your next step.
You should always communicate with your team and plan every action carefully. Your own skill plays a greater role in aiming and hitting than the skills, which only provide a small boost.
Modification
The mods for your equipment – especially for the weapons – are enormously diverse. It is possible to customize every weapon. And this applies not only to its appearance but also its function. Which suppressor do you want to use? Which barrel is suitable? This can affect the physically accurate ballistic calculations of the projectiles, which also impacts your hit probability or the overheating of the weapons.
The developers of Escape from Tarkov want your weapons to become a part of your character. You should be able to identify with your weapons just as you do with your character. The weapons have been modeled as closely to the originals as possible, and the team even enlisted the help of a military expert.
Character Improvement
Escape from Tarkov is not a classic shooter where your personal skill with mouse and keyboard decides the outcome. There are plenty of skills that you can improve over time through use. However, not to the extent seen in MMORPGs. You cannot suddenly become significantly better with a rifle just because you increased that skill. Skills are meant to provide small support and show you that you have learned something.
Additionally, you will also lose your skills if you do not use them for a while. If you want to learn them again, it will happen much faster. Skills exist in various categories:
- Physical – These skills increase your health points or endurance slightly
- Mental – Abilities like attention and stress resistance can be found here
- Combat – Here you increase skills for various weapons and also handling grenades, etc.
- Practical – How well you can trade, hack, move stealthily, or pick locks is determined in this category
- Special – Here you will find skills that specifically apply to members of individual factions
Trade
Trading plays an important role in Escape from Tarkov. Traders are both NPCs and players themselves. Anything you find in the game areas that you don’t need can be sold to these traders. Or you can browse their inventory to find a better weapon. Depending on how you interact with the traders, they will offer you better or worse prices.
If you are a trader, then other players will buy from you. In doing so, you must ensure that you always have a large selection and offer fair prices. Otherwise, other players will look for alternatives. There is also a separate flea market for trading. Your trading skills determine how well you can sell or buy goods.
Base
A base is important because it’s where you retreat to rest and store your loot. Your hideout starts as nothing more than an old bunker. You gradually expand it over time to gain access to fresh water through a water purification system or to produce bandages in a medical station. Additionally, the warehouse is important to hide equipment in case you expire and your body is looted.
At workbenches, you craft ammunition and modify your weapons. Depending on which modules you use to expand your base, you gain certain bonuses. You can find/unlock modules during your adventures. However, it is necessary to keep the base running, for example, with a power generator for which you need to keep finding gasoline.
How can you start and play Escape from Tarkov now?
As you can see, Escape from Tarkov is a complex game. The developers are deliberately targeting players seeking a hardcore experience with great challenges. However, it should also be possible for beginners to join in. The team is currently planning special beginner servers. Additionally, the skills do not have a particularly large impact on the character, allowing a newcomer to hold their own against a veteran.
If you are looking for a game that challenges you more than PUBG or Overwatch, then you should keep Escape from Tarkov in mind.
The game is still in beta, and many of the features mentioned are not yet implemented. This includes player trading, the base, poisoning, and so on. In our preview, we of course covered the entire game as it is intended to be in its final state and not just the current state of the beta.
You can already participate by purchasing a preorder package with access to the beta through the shop. The game’s release is currently only planned for PC. Depending on how the soon-to-start open beta progresses, we might expect an official launch in 2018. The online military shooter adopts a Buy2Play model. The developers do not believe in Pay2Win and Free2Play.
