Escape from Tarkov

Online Shooter Action First-person view Stealth

Escape from Tarkov is a survival game with elements of a first-person stealth shooter and RPG, set in a post-Soviet visual style, taking place in the fictional city... Read more

Anticipation Rating:

4.3/10

1.6K ratings

Release date:

July 28, 2017 (PC)

Developer:

Battlestate Games

Publishers / Distributors / Localizers:

Battlestate Games

Included in compilations:

Russian shooters, Tactical shooters, War shooters, Open world survival games, Shooters for powerful PCs, Russian games, Online shooters, Survival games, The most realistic games, The most demanding games

About the Game

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Escape from Tarkov is a survival game with elements of a first-person stealth shooter and RPG, set in a post-Soviet visual style, taking place in the fictional city of Tarkov. Players raid different areas of the city in search of valuable items, making every effort to survive—finding loot is just the beginning; it must be delivered to an evacuation point.

The task is not easy, as Tarkov is a deadly environment: there are no rules, and everyone is on their own. At any moment, from anywhere, a bullet can fly in, and various levels of enemy bots and threats like radioactive contamination only add to the chaos. Since 2017, it has been in closed beta testing.

Contents

The backstory of the game world
The plot
Gameplay
Character and progression
Game modes
Important features

The backstory of the game world

Escape from Tarkov belongs to an alternative reality of the "Russia 2028" universe, created by the developers for Contract Wars. Specifically, Tarkov is located in the southern part of the Karelian Isthmus in the fictional Norvinsk region, which was once a free economic zone of the Russian Federation and the EU.

The city was confidently developing until the international corporation TerraGroup was accused of conducting illegal research and experiments. A political crisis erupted, leading to the isolation of the region by UN peacekeepers and the Russian army.

While politicians argue, TerraGroup hired the USEC PMC to protect its laboratories, personnel, provide security for illegal experiments, ensure the concealment of secrets, and counter attempts to investigate the company's activities. In response, the authorities of the Norvinsk region hired the BEAR PMC, close to the Russian government structures, to prove TerraGroup's criminal activities.

There is no open world in the game; instead, there are large unique maps with a high degree of freedom of movement, each having a predetermined theme. The "Factory" map consists entirely of production facilities, workshops, and includes several levels of "verticality." The "Forest" map, on the other hand, has a couple of buildings and is immersed in dense forest, offering survival in open spaces.

The plot

In 2020, little was known about the plot of Escape from Tarkov, except for the developers' promise to add a full-fledged story in the future. Events will begin in the midst of a war between two PMCs, civilians are fleeing, chaos reigns, providing ample opportunity for the writers. For now, players are satisfied with side quests from traders.

Gameplay

The main mechanics of Escape from Tarkov include:

survival — the character needs to eat and drink, body parts can be easily injured, an advanced damage and healing system is in place (a splint is needed for fractures, and bleeding can only be stopped with a bandage), taking different pills disrupts metabolism, stamina is limited by running and jumping, and players must keep the entire map and its key locations in mind.
realism — the shooting physics model takes into account numerous parameters, including bullet type, distance, bullet energy, and armor presence; It is easy to die from a couple of shots, or a limb or organ may be "knocked out," leading to movement, shooting, or health issues; every action is animated and takes time.
stealth — don't rush in, control the situation from 360 degrees, move carefully and inspect every corner, don't stay in one place and don't make noise. The skill of accurate shooting will only be a help.
looter-shooter — the game features a colossal array of weapons, upgrades, and attachments of various shapes, sizes, and usefulness, with dozens of equipment options and skins for all content. All of this can be found during raids or bought from traders or other players.
MMO aspect as of 2020 is reduced to trading ready-made items or their components in the menu, as well as completing raids together with friends (up to 3 people). A full-fledged confrontation between BEAR and USEC, clans, and groups in these factions is promised to be added later, along with tasks at all levels.

Character and progression

The game starts with choosing a side of the conflict (USEC or BEAR), after which a character is created and their appearance is customized. The character is constantly in the Hideout, where the game menu is hidden, going out from there to raids.

You cannot go on a raid with a "naked" character; first, you need to decide on all the equipment: weapons and a sufficient supply of ammunition, grenades, first-aid kits and painkillers, food, and water. The inventory size is limited by volume and weight, so balance must be sought in everything, but over time the inventory expands. Everything that is missing can be bought from traders or other players.

The game has dozens of skills divided into categories: physical, mental, combat, practical, and others. Skills are leveled up passively — the more you handle a weapon, the better you shoot; the more you survive, the easier raids become. Each faction will receive unique skills in the future, making gameplay more diverse.

The Hideout is the character's base, where they heal wounds, recover, and store all the loot obtained in challenging raids, which can also be upgraded. The player starts in a cluttered damp basement, but by spending resources found in the game, they can transform it into a comfortable autonomous underground dwelling, with a storage room for resources, a workbench for crafting items, and a shooting range to test these items in combat.

Game modes

As of 2020, Escape from Tarkov offered two main modes:

Raids — from 7 to 12 well-prepared players appear in different locations on the map, with mobs, bosses, and player raiders ("scavs") added. You can hunt each other hoping to loot quality gear from the corpse, or you can complete side quests, search for secrets, stashes with useful items, and just survive.
Game against the environment — no valuable loot, skill development, or other players, just bots. Instead, you can shoot calmly, get used to the controls, study the map, buildings, and nothing will be lost in case of death.
Playing as a "scav" is a mode for beginners, it doesn't require gear, so the risk of losing valuable loot is absent. The game itself provides weapons and low-level equipment and drops you into an already active raid, in the middle of the round, everything found will go into the player's stash. Surviving until the end is not as easy as it seems at first glance, which adds adrenaline.

Important features:

Great voice acting for characters, both in Russian and English.
Constant tension and fear of losing hard-earned loot make you calculate many situations.
Handling weapons is considered the main feature of the game. Each firearm can have dozens of elements changed, and by picking modifications, even the worst gun can be turned into a deadly "sewing machine" or a long-range rifle.
A high entry threshold — it's not yet ArmA 3, but it's definitely worth reading and watching guides on starting the game, menus, main activities, and behavior during combat.

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