Tarkov's Skill Ceiling is Infinite

(Intro)

Tarkov’s skill ceiling is arguably infinite. The game has so many complexities, mechanics, knowledge checks, and skill gaps that for those who are looking for places to improve in the game, there are tons of avenues to get better over the course of your time in this game. EFT is certainly up there regarding mechanical density and nuance that you will just figure out over time. But depending on what part of the game you want to improve, it will take a long time to fully figure those parts out. And some that you may never truly master. And that’s the best part; for all the bad that there is within this game, the amount you can invest into Tarkov and still discover new things about after thousands of hours is truly incredible. The fact that for someone looking to get better at fighting other players, that probably has the highest skill ceiling out of everything you could invest time into. If you’re able to look past the problems and enjoy the game for what it is, you will be learning potentially forever. So, let’s break down what about the mechanics in this game creates this infinite loop, the easiest and hardest things to learn, why fighting other players is so coveted by many and let’s hypothesize how much we will need to relearn when 1.0 happens.

(It’s overwhelming at first)

When you first start playing this game, there is so much that is not told to you as a new player. How pretty much anything works, how to look after your PMC, how to modify weapons. It’s all about trial and error. And while there is definitely a conversation about BSGs lack of onboarding support for new players, especially now that the game is much larger and closer to 1.0 than ever before, even if it did have some form of a tutorial or hints across the game, it would only be scratching the surface of what is to offer from EFT. Well, to be fair, BSG did release a series of tutorial videos about the basics of the game on their YouTube channel. Years later unfortunately; it should’ve been there much earlier on. But even after watching all eight of those, there is still plenty more to learn. Tarkov is just such an overwhelming game and just jumping headfirst into the fray has kind of been the experience for so many players for so many years. You either just figured it out as you went along, or if you had a friend get you into the game, they would usually teach you the ropes too. And even after dozens or even potentially hundreds of hours, things might still not click yet. You might be getting sent back to your stash so quickly, you haven’t had the chance to sharpen up on your PvP skills. Anyone that plays knows to shoot the bad guys, AI and other PMCs alike. But it takes a long time figure out what each enemy can look like, behaves like, and what to do in more specific circumstances.

(Fighting can’t be mastered)

If it’s one element of EFT that so many players emphasize as you spend more time in the game, it’s the ability to hold your own against other players and win more gunfights consistently. Tarkov fights, while having lots of similarities are also so much different from other first-person shooters. It isn’t always just about who snaps onto the others head first. It can be who has the better angle, who is making the least amount of noise, who knows how to take advantage of someone in a vulnerable position. It goes beyond just the initial encounter with the opposition; the maps play a huge factor into this as well. Knowing the maps like the back of your hand and having the insight of this particular window can be vaulted out of so you can sneak up or rush another player who might be here is important and can make or break certain fights. Or how you might see someone in the distance coming your way, so you setup an ambush from an elevated position to get the jump on them. Knowing all the little intricacies with each location you raid across, gives you a distinct advantage over those who might be less informed. There are so many ways to engage other players; so many ways to handle fights before and even after they happen. Winning gunfights against others is always satisfying, but there is something more inherently rewarding when it comes to completely outplaying someone else in all fronts, not just possessing better aim. Having a read on where they might go, the nooks and cranny's they will or will not investigate; a thousand people could be put into the same PvP situation and almost everyone will play it slightly different from one another. And I think there is a special charm in something like that. Not many other games can provide so many different tools and strategies to handle whatever circumstance you might find yourself in. Again, it isn’t always just about aim. And to be fair, Tarkov has always been more than just the fighting. It plays a big role of course, but survival and knowing how to stay alive has always been critical to a player's success as well.

(Survival: the hardest part)

While PvP might have the highest skill ceiling and area of player expression in EFT, survival is truly the element that separates good players from great ones. It’s never been easy; considering people to this day still have raids that last less than ten seconds. Which is not the fault of the player mind you, but it’s still wild how that can happen. Having the knowledge to safely explore maps, take the roads less traveled when it feels the safest to do so, being able to discern the noise and chatter as you navigate the raid, where people might be, where they might be going. This is only something you achieve if you dedicate the time to learning it. Noise in EFT takes a long time to discern and tell what each gun sounds like and the direction it might be headed. But if you can’t see it, hearing it is the next best thing because noise has always played such a vital role in this game. Even when the audio has been at its most broken, there is still plenty to glean from listening to it. Like I said, while PvP might have a ceiling that can never be reached, survival is without a doubt the hardest aspect of this game that players are still striving to achieve consistently, myself included. There are so many elements outside of your control. And even when you do everything right; you check your corners, you move deliberately and with purpose, and don’t get into unwanted fights, there might just be someone you didn’t account for that gets the better of you. And as frustrating as those losses can certainly feel, even if you lose in the first eight seconds, there is still always something to learn, Again, even if the spawns suck and that’s ninety nine percent of the reason why, the lesson could simply be to don’t move for a couple of seconds to let the other players around you get where they want to be. In instances like those, I usually prefer to be behind the pack, like the last one into a high traffic location. Because then at least there’s less of a likelihood someone sneaks up behind me. And if you can worry about one less angle or direction, that just means you can focus your attention elsewhere. Which means you’re one step closer to extraction. And that’s all that really matters at the end of the day.

(Outro)

Tarkov has an infinite wealth of knowledge to learn as you progress through the game. There is so much to understand about the systems, mechanics and functionality at the start. But once you’ve sunk your teeth into the game, it becomes more about the high-level topics like fighting other players, noise and pattern recognition, and consistent survival which is something I still struggle with to this day. There’s a reason so many players have poured thousands of hours into this game; there really is that much to learn. And again, ignoring all the crap that goes wrong with EFT, any game that can provide that level of experience and time investment has to be worth something, right? Otherwise, we wouldn’t have players testing their knowledge and experience with all different kinds of hardcore challenges; people would’ve dropped it years ago. But every situation is going to be different; it’s all about how you adapt and adjust your play and strategies on the fly. That’s what makes an effective Tarkov player, at least to me. 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 Tarkov’s skill ceiling being practically infinite, whether or not this is a good or bad thing and be sure to subscribe for more videos about the nuance and replay value of a game that has been in beta for the last six or seven years. I hope to see you in future ones.