Does D-2 Ruin Reserve in Tarkov?

(Intro)

Reserve was introduced into EFT with patch 0.12. A very momentous occasion for the game; as it was the first time Tarkov began its insane growth period of popularity. From a smaller, more niche experience that was only known for its level of difficulty and obscurity, to something much more known to anyone that enjoys video games. Combine this patch with the first ever Twitch drops even for Tarkov, and you have monumental growth the likes of which we hadn’t seen before. Reserve at the time, was the newest map to be added into the game. And I can only speak for myself, but when it was first added, I found the map to easily be the most challenging map in the game (excluding labs of course). With its obtuse square design, and the lack of any real sense of direction I should be going to reach my extraction, it plays very differently from most other maps in the game. Something like Customs or even Interchange makes sense; you spawn on one side, and need to work your way to the other. Reserve doesn’t really work like that because its extractions are so different. The train and the hermetic door were your only two guaranteed ways of escaping if you didn’t have a red rebel. And for a while, it stayed that way. Until one patch, where BSG decided to add a brand new entire underground bunker area beneath the already existing map. It was kind of mind boggling when people first discovered it. And while that part of the map is insanely cool, and honestly stressful, as time went on, I found that people more often than not just end up underground; ignoring most of the map up top. Of course, early on this isn’t the case; people still need to complete quests and the like. But all that begs a question: does D-2's existence somewhat sour playing Reserve as a whole?

(Reserve before D-2)

Before D-2 was added to Reserve, I mentioned earlier how for me personally, it was the hardest map to generally play on when it was new. The unusual square design made it so that there wasn’t a single point of interest you were working towards in regards of an extraction. Assuming you don’t have a red rebel and paracord, your options were the manhole extract, but that requires you to sacrifice your backpack and any goodies you’ve looted, hermetic door which requires to not only press a button that alerts the entire map that you’re going for extract, or the train which requires you to survive until about the last sixteen-twelve minutes of the raid for the train to pull up. Even to this day, Reserve is a challenging map that makes you to think about it much differently than most other locations. Reserve itself is a military base, with tons of buildings and bunkers to navigate around. But if you’re not in a building, or going from one to another, you are very exposed to the elements around you, on top of one of the best sniping locations in the entire game, even if it’s kind of obvious. In a similar vein to Streets of Tarkov, I feel very exposed when I am not in a building or at the very least, have walls and windows around me granting some level of safety. Being out in the open is asking for trouble, and that’s ironically, the strongest trait about Reserve. Making the player feel vulnerable, and having them map out a route in their head as to how they will work around the map, getting close to an extract, and then executing that plan to hopefully survive. The safest place before D-2 was the underground parking garage. I use the word safe loosely because that is a spawn point for the boss Glukhar and his goons to be and cause problems. But at least you aren’t going to get dropped from dome by a sniper. However, once D-2 was added, the entire dynamic of the map changed, and it feels like for the worse.

(What D-2 does right, and wrong)

D-2 is an entire underground section that connects many of the buildings on the east side of the map. The pawn buildings, white bishop and black queen all have basements that connect to the underground and the new D-2 extract. Which you need to flip a power switch on before it will work. The first time I went down there it was pretty much an accident; I had no idea it existed and fumbled my way around, getting lost until I luckily found the D-2 extract with power on from someone else hitting the switch. I got tremendously lucky, but I was stressed. There were so many long hallways, areas to setup an ambush on someone. And I think that was initially D-2's strongest trait. That unfamiliar environment is something that not only benefitted D-2, but every map or expansion that’s been introduced into EFT. Knowledge is power, and when the player is stripped of that information, fear, actual fear kicks in because you don’t know where you are going, what’s going to happen, or if there are enemies around you. Of course, it’s unfair to say that’s the only thing D-2 does well because that experience is only achievable a couple of times before the player begins to understand the space around them. What D-2 also does well is the level of counter-play and flanking opportunities it has. With everything being connected, you are never in a location where you can’t reposition and find new footing to take advantage of. You can push forward, retreat and go around to the many other tunnels, or even run back up above ground and reenter from a new building. The possibilities are kind of endless depending on your circumstances. It makes fighting when it does happen down there incredibly interesting if you remember to make use of all the different angles and hallways you can approach from. And while this level of interconnectivity is awesome, it comes with one flaw. D-2 is pretty much only where PvP fights occur now. Not because D-2 is bad, but quite the opposite. It was actually designed very well; too well, in fact. It almost feels like a mini-Labs in regards to how much every hallway and staircase flows. How much freedom you have to maneuver and out play other PMCs. It’s incredible once you get good at it. Reserve before, was interesting because there were so many buildings with multiple stories and windows to get an angle from. Most locations could scan a decent chunk of the map if you were at a high enough elevation in any particular building. It was a much more slow and methodical kind of PvP; where it wasn’t about who had better reaction speeds or better aim, but instead who had the better position. The entire dynamic of the map shifted with D-2; the above ground parts of the map can feel devoid of any engagement, if there are no scavs spawning, it can feel vast and empty. And while for completing quests that’s a good thing, ultimately if there are huge dead zones across a map because another part is being used more often, that is cause for some level of concern.

(Devils’ Advocate)

Some people might say that D-2 existing is a good thing for the map. Because it was so difficult to run around as a player, having a Thunderdome that attracts a chunk of the PMCs on the map into a hot zone takes some of the pressure away from other areas allowing people to walk around where they were unable to previously. And there is definitely an argument to be had that D-2 existing makes the map easier to play. My only problem with that isn’t even with D-2 at that point, but with the spawns. Reserve has some atrocious spawns; where by just looking either left or right, you have the chance of seeing another PMC running desperately for cover before having their head blown off. What makes this worse is that because entry points into D-2 are only on the eastern part of the map, if you get a spawn by the main train station, you are going to be late to the party. D-2 being as good as it is means people are fighting less above ground and that kind of sucks. Reserve again, shares some small similarities with Streets in that being able to start a fight with a player in one building and then reposition into another for a takedown is so engaging and will have you really thinking on the fly about how you want to approach this circumstance. Not saying you won’t being doing that in D-2, but how you have to critically think about your movement is different versus when you are underground.

(Outro)

So, is Reserve worse off with D-2 existing on the map? Well, all things considered I would generally say no. Having one more extraction that is basically gimmick-less, allowing people to fight in a more concentrated area whilst combating scavs and even raiders on some occasion, gives the map an extra layer of depth that it didn’t necessarily need, but is most welcome. However, there are some sticky points with D-2 existing that have to be acknowledged. People can fight down there, but if everyone is fighting down there, it makes most of the map moot. It’s a paradise for people who want to extract camp because it’s all just long, narrow hallways. It might be the most camped extract in the game next to Emercom on Interchange. It’s certainly not perfect, but it’s one of the most unique and interesting expansions BSG has done for any map. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your day to watch this video. Let me know down in the comment section below your thoughts on D-2, whether it’s good or bad for Reserve as a whole and be sure to subscribe for more videos about different parts and expansions on maps that may or may not make them play worse. I hope to see you in future ones.