Has Tarkov Gotten Easier or Harder?

(Intro)

Tarkov has always be defined by its difficulty. Whether someone finding it insufferably challenging or another person on-ramping into the game with relative ease, what made Tarkov so notorious back in the day was its general difficulty. Anyone you would hear talk about the game would always mention first and foremost that it was one of the hardest games they’d ever played, especially for an online FPS. And to an extent, even in 2025, I agree with them. However, the game has changed a lot over those years. Additions, mechanics, audiences, expectations; EFT is not what it once was, for better or worse. And one of the things that has changed so much was the perceived difficulty of the game. Once again, people who thought it was hard still think that some think the opposite is true, and some have flip flopped their opinion for a variety of reasons. So today, let’s dive into those reasons and see if the game has gotten more difficult, easier, stayed the same or perhaps a secret fourth option; it was always both.

(Defining ‘hard’ in Tarkov)

The most important part of this discussion is asking a simple but nuanced question: how do we define hard in Tarkov? Because there are a large variety of ways to tackle this. Do we just assess the moment-to-moment gameplay? Are we considering quests and their variance across the game? What about other mechanics outside of raids? And the answer is, yes; we need to look at everything. But to make this a little simpler, we will be looking at this from things inside the raid and outside the raid. This game has never been and will never be just one part that defines the whole. Tarkov has always been about every element coming together to present a circumstance that you need to figure out, adapt to and find success in as the player. And difficulty is no different. Some elements might be easier to understand and pick up, while others can still prove to be challenging for players even after years of experience. Challenge, difficulty, this could be its own dedicated video, not even related to EFT, but within this game, those philosophies are much different than other games and genres. As mentioned earlier, Tarkov was almost praised for its obtuse difficulty and challenge for many years. It was finally something that players had to think about, and take action based on what was happening. It was and has always been about trying to be proactive instead of reactive. Because the latter forces you on the back foot and in most circumstances, that leads back to your stash prematurely. But even talking outside of the raid, some mechanics have been added that make the overall experience maybe not harder, but more tedious and annoying for some. The simplest way to go over what is harder or easier, is to go over things from inside the raid and outside the raid. Because one has gotten significantly more challenging, and the other, much easier.

(Harder whilst in raid)

Being in active raids has proven to be more challenging now than maybe ever before. There were many patches where Tarkov raids could be boiled down to essentially, complete quests and fight other players. When the game was smaller and there wasn’t as much to do or look for, the thirty second loop of EFT was so much more straight forward and understandable. But now, you need to worry about the spawns, the AI, healing limbs with a surgical kit, repacking ammo, weapon durability, malfunctions, the bosses. It has become so much more about little pieces of knowledge that you are constantly having to worry about. General survival across the board is harder now. And the sting of loss and failure hurts so much more now than it ever has before. On top of having to loot around for things you need for the newer quests or things for your hideout if you are interested in leveling that up. On the flip side there are more ways to keep yourself going in raids should a problem arise, but in general, there’s just so much more to think about. For years, these newer mechanics that we have to deal with now people said it would ruin the game. And while that technically didn’t happen, it does add more layers to the game, which in turn makes it harder. But more layers can be seen as a good thing because now it involuntarily increases the skill ceiling for those who remember to engage with all these mechanics. I mean there were years where if you lost a limb in a raid, you had to leave because there was no way of fixing it. The surgical kits weren’t added until the reserve patch, 0.12. Meaning any time before that, your raid could be cut short just because you have a blacked limb. While easier, it does make the loop more one-dimensional. Either way, being raid has objectively gotten harder mainly due to players needing to think about more elements that can get them killed. Luckily, if that does happen, things have never been easier outside of the raid.

(Easier whilst out of raid)

While being in raids has become substantially more difficult with so many more elements you need to keep in mind, being out of raid has kind of done the opposite. Both in terms of the user interface improving as well making money, gearing up, and managing your inventory. I understand this part of the game for many isn’t nearly as important as what’s happening in a raid, but I still find this direct contrast interesting enough to include it. The first and most obvious way the game has gotten easier out of raid is the flea market. Any iteration of it, regardless of level unlock, number of offers allowed, found in raid only items or not, this is the means to the end. Anything you want, as long as you have the rubles, can be yours. Anything you don’t, well, just sell it. Someone will buy it eventually. The flea is a mechanic that basically guarantees nobody is broke in this game. Which means players can always afford kits, which means there is always gear being passed around while in raids. It also makes questing, and the hideout easier to manage because now there are ways to circumnavigate around any stop gaps you run into. There’s a reason to this day; it’s one of the most contentious mechanics to ever the be added into Tarkov. But there are some other, more recent changes that kind of give the flea a run for its money.

Arena and more specifically Ref as a trader also makes EFT easier while out of raid. Because now not only do you have a trader that deals in fully modified weapons that can be purchased for something other than rubles, but you have a bonus game mode that is stress-free, zero risk and all reward should you invest time into it. Money, experience, GP coins; it gives you everything you would need. And most importantly, reputation for Ref; meaning his elusive and lucrative loyalty level four inventory can be acquired without ever even opening up Tarkov. Whether you like it or not, it kind of trivializes the overall experience by making loot and gear something that doesn’t feel as coveted or valuable because if you die in raid, you can just by an entire new kit from Ref. Sure, they upped the cost of most items, but by the tail end of the hardcore wipe, they reduced those items by about half. Remember when BSG first nerfed Ref and his inventory? It took them three times to get the prices to an adequate place during the hardcore wipe. So now they sit somewhere roughly at the same price when they nerfed the prices for the second of three times. Confusing, I’m sorry. But just know they are cheaper than what they were by the end of hardcore. Regardless, there exists a way to get around the traditional way of buying gear. And that disruption can be felt across all of EFT. Because whether you like it or not, you’d be a fool to not take advantage of Ref and his wares. It just makes getting not only weapons and armor, but certain attachments leaps and bounds easier than trying to find them in raid. But even with all these extra concessions outside of the raid, has Tarkov truly gotten easier or harder as a whole?

(Has it truly gotten harder?)

To put it plainly, the newer of a player you are to EFT, the harder the game has become. If you are a veteran of this IP, at this point there isn’t much they can add that truly makes the knowledge check harder. But what I just said, the knowledge check part of the game; that can’t get much harder for OG players. But the actual live experience, that can and will always be difficult, for everyone. Because Tarkov doesn’t care if you know where every quest item is located, where the spawns are, or how to cheese all the AI and bosses. All it takes is someone being in the right place at the right time and boom; you’re back at your stash wondering if the guy that got you was cheating or not. So, the answer to the question isn’t so much the game has gotten harder, but more that the game was always hard. And it was always meant to be hard. Repetitive, tedious, monotonous, broken and unfun? No, of course, not (well technically yes to that as well but that’s from Nikita). But hard? Yeah, it was always supposed to be perceived as hard. And I’m okay with that.

(Outro)

Tarkov’s challenge and difficulty has been all over the place for years. And there are many factors that go into whether a player sees the game getting easier or harder. Depending on their time spent playing, when they started, how they go about their raids and how many of the mechanics both in and out of raids they find themselves using, everyone’s experience is going to differ here and there. But the consensus is that the game was always hard, it’s always going to be hard, but there have been some mechanics and additions that ease some of that stress and tension somewhat. For better or worse? That’s up for you to decide. 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 whether or not Tarkov to you has gotten harder or easier, what your personal experience has been like and be sure to subscribe for more videos about the perceived challenge of a game that was not only supposed to be hard, but was never meant to be fun, from the creator himself. I hope to see you in future ones.