Escape from Tarkov’s Latest Expansion
Escape from Tarkov’s latest patch has arrived, and it’s absolutely packed with new features, fixes, and even a new beginner-friendly map, making it one of the biggest updates the game has seen in its seven-year history.
Battlestate Games released its 0.14 patch notes early this morning, headlined by one of the most exciting additions, Ground Zero, a beginner-friendly map situated in the city center of Tarkov intended exclusively for beginner players from levels one through 20. Acting as a sort of rookie training ground with visual cues and new starter quests, Ground Zero will shield newer players against PMCs of higher levels – however, Scavs of any level will have access, so higher-level player scavs are likely to be the apex predator here.
Another exciting addition is vaulting, massively increasing mobility and verticality around maps. Now, players will be able to climb and mount obstacles or vault over them, and even toggle “Auto” or “Hotkey” controls for greater precision. When news first broke of the impending update players had some concerns about the speed of vaulting, but judging by the patch notes and a few clips spotted in the patch trailer, BattleState has diversified the animations according to obstacle height, player stamina, and varied action speeds.
A BTR-82A will also now roam the Streets of Tarkov map, after it was announced at Summer Games Fest all the way back in June 2021. This will travel between different stops around the city and offering various services. All players will be able to travel anywhere in the city in total safety using the “Taxi” service, and PMCs will be able to transport items to their stash (with Found in raid status) and order covering fire from the BTR’s fearsome loadout. Otherwise, the BTR is neutral unless attacked first.
Other highlights include the new boss, Kollontay, a former Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) officer who patrols Klimov Shopping Mall and the Tarkov Academy of the MVD with his minions, a rework of the Shoreline map and a new achievement system that won’t be subject to the game’s semi-frequent wipes.
Plus, with overhauls to the recoil and armor systems, Escape from Tarkov stands to play like a very different game when servers re-open later today. Update deployment commenced at around 2AM EST / 7AM GMT today and, according to Battlestate Games, should take roughly six hours.