Yesterday, Battlestate Games held a livestream in which the studio revealed some more details about the next Escape from Tarkov update. It's bringing the highly-anticipated Lighthouse expansion, as well as new weapons, animations, and much more.
What's coming in the next Escape from Tarkov update?
Last month, Battlestate dropped an Escape from Tarkov update designed to battle boosting and RMT (real-money trading). The next update for the game, however, sounds like a much bigger affair. As revealed by Battlestate during a Tarkov livestream yesterday, the upcoming update, which is almost done and is currently being polished by the developer, will introduce the Lighthouse expansion to the game's map. This will give you more ground to explore and discover resources while you're scavenging. For now, the new Lighthouse will be free to access, but eventually, you'll need special access to get in.
Also coming in the next update are several new weapons, including the Benelli shotgun, the G36 assault rifle, and a new variation on the M1911 pistol. Three new roaming bosses will be added alongside the Lighthouse expansion, and they won't be confined to that area; you might also spot them elsewhere on the map, including in places like Customs. An offline co-op raid mode is being added for Tarkov Edge of Darkness owners; in this mode, you can play raids as a group without the risk of losing gear. At first, this will be confined to Edge of Darkness users. There are also new animations for leaning, crouching, and running, as well as a new body tilt animation when you're moving around corners. Bear in mind there will be a wipe when the next Escape from Tarkov update is applied, although we don't yet have a definitive time frame for that.
Some new Escape from Tarkov: Arena details were also revealed
It's not just about the main game. We also got some new info about the upcoming arena shooter Escape from Tarkov Arena, which was unveiled earlier this week. Arena will have light loot mechanics and gear, but it won't have quite the same level of loot focus that Escape from Tarkov has. It'll come with a PvE Horde-style wave mode, as well as custom games so you can play however you like. The game won't have any powerup-style modes, though, so if you were hoping to play with Golden Gun-style one-hit kills, you might want to look elsewhere.
Arena will feature ranked and unranked play modes, so you can either test your mettle or simply play to have fun. The game will have around 5 to 6 maps on release, with more planned for the future, and it will also feature a system akin to betting, although Battlestate didn't reveal much more about this. The developer promises that Arena won't be expensive, but no price point has been unveiled yet; in addition, if you buy Arena as a standalone game, you will be able to play it with those who received it at no additional cost (i.e. Tarkov players with the Edge of Darkness pack). Handily, Reddit user EFT_Subreddit has summed up many of the biggest reveals from the Tarkov livestream right here, so be sure to check out that summary if you want to know everything that was discussed on the stream.
You can pick up Escape from Tarkov right now on PC, where it's technically still in beta. It's a hardcore multiplayer shooter with an emphasis on realism; you'll need to scavenge for your own loot to survive, including medical supplies, weapons, and ammunition. The HUD is minimal, so you'll have to spot players on your own rather than relying on a minimap or compass indicator. If you've been holding off on grabbing this one due to worries that Russia-based developer Battlestate would be affected by sanctions on the Russian economy, fear not. The studio has assured players that "everything will be fine" with the game, so it looks like they're determined to keep Tarkov around no matter what happens. We'll bring you more on this as we get it.
