Hardcore Tarkov Was a Failure and It Makes Me Sad

(Intro)

Was the hardcore wipe for EFT a failure? Hardcore Tarkov has had a very tumultuous reputation since it was released with the most recent wipe. Tons of opinions across the community, ranging from this being the most fun wipe players have had, to the absolute worst how did BSG think this was a good idea. It’s been crazy to see so many different people talking about the handling of this wipe as a whole. And it’s barely been two weeks. Which is crazy because with all the changes coming from BSG, it’s felt like two months. But we’ve barely scratched the surface, and yet we kind of know what to expect for the foreseeable future. And while everyone else has and their opinions, my own is that this wipe had the potential to be one of the most impactful shake ups to the game since it was launched. I stand by the idea that Tarkov has needed a shake up on this scale for a long time. Something that would definitely make players hesitant to try it but would eventually give way to a difficult but enjoyable experience that truly tests the metal of an EFT players. It could’ve been amazing; and yet it’s only been okay. A complete failure? Depends on who you ask. But let’s talk about how BSG could’ve changed the game to preserve the hardcore experience while also making respectable and reasonable changes that many would’ve agreed with, and where do we go from here in regard to a more hardcore experience.

(Transit had so much potential)

The first and most glaring mishandling was the transit system. I will defend this hill, that transit if the mechanic itself was more flushed out, could’ve been an awesome experience. Limiting our playable area to a handful of maps, would’ve been okay if all the issues that transit had before this wipe were resolved a long time ago. Players spawning on top of each other, longer than average queue times, and incentives for players to even want to use the mechanic in the first place. BSGs original plan was to slowly roll out more maps as time went on, while having players get around EFT with the transit points. And this would’ve been fine if some concessions were made to allow alternate ways of getting to where you wanted to go. Having the available maps at the start have as many places to transit to as possible would’ve at least removed the headache of having to transit more than once. If people had to only go through one extra loading screen, there would’ve still been complaints, but the general population would’ve at least been more receptive to the idea, If that idea was simply off the table, than random maps opening up as you go through a raid would’ve at least made playing feel more dynamic. Or again, an idea I pitched in the previous video, allowing the useless flare colors to have sone purpose by opening more maps if you use them. There were plenty of ways transit could’ve been smoothly added into the game and stuck around for more than two days. But sadly, we will never get the chance to experience that style of game again. And I had a couple of awesome transit related experiences, especially with one trying to get a LEDX out of a raid safely. The stories that people could’ve shared. But if open world is off the table, then I think sadly forcing transit use is also off as well.

(Secure container and insurance)

The secure container changes were questionable at best. It’s weird that for years many players were telling them to restrict allowing any items inside the container whilst you’re in raid. And yet, BSG did the exact opposite of that; restricting what can go inside the container at all. And it was mainly medical items, expect stimulants. That’s one where the community was right all along; just make it so that almost any item can go in the container, but once you’re in raid, nothing can go in. Find a flash drive? You got to get out with it. Find a stack of good ammo from a loot crate? No boofing that for yourself. It was a very simple change that would’ve made most players go, yeah that makes sense okay I can work with that. But the complete opposite happened, and it left players scratching their heads and asking why. Same goes for insurance. It would’ve just been easier to turn off the mechanic entirely. Instead, we had tons of players reflexively hit insure all on their starting gear and spend six figures, effectively losing all their money on day one. No insurance I think is still fair in a hardcore scenario; it makes you unable to fraud your gear and you have to make big decisions on what you potentially sacrifice should you find something better in raid. What would’ve also made this more interesting is if Fence, you know the useless vendor, started selling dropped player gear on his market for more money. That way, if you just so happened to check his inventory, you might find an armor, or stripped weapon you can grab and kit up yourself. But we will be talking about Fence more in depth in the coming days. Both of these systems were clear cut, and it was obvious what BSG had to do for this to be right. And they still messed to up.

(100% Bosses)

We have already talked at length about the bosses, so to keep it somewhat brief, they should’ve never been one hundred percent spawns at the start. It goes against the entire idea of hardcore and allows players to farm them for the good gear they drop, which wasn’t touched at all in spite of the constant spawn chance. So, start them at zero percent for the first day, at least. Then you can quickly give them percents each passing day until they hit about forty-five to fifty percent. That way, they are certainly around, but their presence invokes this thought in your head of is it worth to go looking for them to fight? Or do I just carry on with my questing and not risk it? Again, very simple to implement and people would’ve been happy with this rollout, but again, we somehow got the opposite of that. Them lowering the spawn rates now multiple times doesn’t do anything; the damage is already done. People have farmed the bosses. Leave the spawn rates alone and learn from this mistake.

(Hideout)

Another topic we’ve discussed already, but the hideout was fine as it was before this hardcore wipe. Just remove the FIR requirement… well, actually, if we couldn’t put anything in our container, I guess it wouldn’t have mattered. But still, remove that requirement anyways so anything can be used in the hideout, and if you are so worried about some of the ammo crafts being overused by players, remove those too. And boom, the hideout is functional, it’s optimal for those who want to invest into it, and it doesn’t feel like an absolute slog to get going like it currently does now.

(Traders)

Probably the only part of this hardcore experience most people have been okay with, the traders have been handled surprisingly well. No leveling them up for about a week, and their requirements have been raised somewhat, making you invest even more into them if you really want to see their upgrade wares. I think the only thing players would’ve benefited from seeing is way more barters for items that people care about. Simple barters for basic weapons, ammos and medications would’ve gone a long way. On top of that, updating the already existing barters to be more cost effective would’ve been greatly appreciated. There are some old ass barters in the game that are so wack, sale-wise they are never worth it. But how cool would it have been if you saw a kitted-up weapon from Mechanic that you wanted, and it was something like a couple of weapon parts and some tools? Again, nothing crazy but something to actively remember and even write down using the in-game notes so you can always take advantage of that barter option. I’m happy enough with the handling of the traders during hardcore, but it could’ve been that much better, ignoring Ref of course, he just shouldn’t exist this wipe.

(Was it a failure?)

I posed a rather dramatic question at the start of the video: was this hardcore experiment a failure? Because at the end of the day, that’s all this was: an experiment to limit test what players are okay with and what they will push back against. It would not surprise me this is being used as a testing ground for how some elements will play like in the 1.0 version. I also have some heavy transgressions about whether or not this game will be going 1.0 later this year. Something tells me it will be pushed back to 2026, but only time will tell. But the hardcore experience should’ve been handled better. I mean to be brutally honest, BSG for years now should’ve been testing many of these elements in small doses for a long time, just to get an idea of how to implement them properly so they don’t ruin certain parts of the game. That way, when it’s almost time for 1.0, they can put everything they’ve learned about hardcore into one huge proper wipe experience. Like they did here, but you know, with more grace and understanding of what players want out of a hardcore experience. So, to answer the question, no it wasn’t a failure, per say. But it has already been tamed down somewhat to a point that begs the question of what was the point if the entire process was going to get watered down as much as it did. The essence of what makes a hardcore wipe so interesting and enjoyable has been lost by the developers. It’s about amplifying the parts of the game that can lead to success; letting those moments shine through and giving players more opportunities to experience that instead of the obtuse and half assed restrictions and limitations we’ve felt across the game. I can only imagine they will continue to iterate and hopefully improve on hardcore as the wipe continues. Maybe then we can have a proper send off before the game full releases and we have to experience potentially a brand-new game all over again.

(Outro)

Hardcore Tarkov was kind of a mess at the start. It was all over the place, changes were being made left and right and not being relayed to players through the game or even the client. It was a drip feed of information by other players getting it onto platforms where more people will see it. The goal was to provide a more challenging experience that tested the knowledge and adaptability of the player to make the best decisions they possible can given any situation. But largely, it has been a mishmash and hodgepodge of half thought out changes, additions and redirections that left the player base feeling lost and somewhat bitter about the whole experience. It’s a shame hardcore had to go down like this; it was close to being an enjoyable experience even if it was harder. People like a challenge and having to overcome hardships. Because it makes the reward so much more satisfying than anything you could’ve experienced. 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 the hardcore wipe up to this point, whether or not it was a failure in your eyes and be sure to subscribe for more videos about the inevitable changes coming to the game that may or may not enhance the hardcore experience in a way that players actually agree upon. I hope to see you in future ones.