When is the Best Time to Get into Tarkov?

(Intro)

For anyone who is curious about EFT, whether you are thinking about buying the game, or wondering if you should jump back into it, there is no better time to play Tarkov, than right now. With the rapid approach of the 1.0 release later this year, it seems as though we won’t be getting anymore wipes until then. Which means no more opportunities to play when everyone is on the same playing field. For some people, the idea of jumping into the game this late into a wipe cycle can evoke two camps of thought: they will either love the difficulty of going up against geared players, or stress at having to compete with people who are so well equipped. And my advice would be to simply take the game and its moments as they come. Tarkov is such a uniquely open game regarding how things during a raid can play out. You could have the perfect plan to complete a bunch of tasks, or some specific parts of the map you want to loot and explore. And all it takes is one other player, or AI to throw everything in chaos; being adaptable on the fly is one of the strongest skills to have when playing. And you’ll experience moments like that regardless of what part of the wipe we are currently in. Mistakes are bound to happen and that’s okay; this game encourages losing through experience and learning from them. And you’d be surprised by how many players are at a lower level. I’d had plenty of lobbies recently where the average level was anywhere from fifteen to thirty. So, if you want to get into Tarkov for any reason, now is the best time to do so.

(You versus the geared players)

There is an almost guarantee that you will run into heavily geared players in your EFT travels these days. Most of the people playing are very high leveled, or even deep into at least one prestige. Only the most dedicated of player is still around actively running raids. And while that might seem like a bad thing, especially if you are new or haven’t played in a while, that’s actually a good thing. With more geared players running around, it means you have a higher likelihood of being able to either snatch some left-over loot from a fight you weren’t present for, or better yet, besting one of those players yourself and taking their loot yourself. It may seem impossible, similar to a David versus Goliath circumstance, but with some good positioning, and map awareness, you can easily ambush a player and catch them off guard, reaping the benefits of their death in the process. There is always the chance that someone might take pity on a new player and assist with whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish. For all the fighting people enjoy doing, if there is something that puts a smile on everyone’s face, it’s being able to successful help a low leveled PMC with a quest or giving them free gear. I can speak from experience, I love helping new players; a lot of people don’t communicate in EFT these days with VOIP, and anytime someone does play ball, I am more than happy to oblige. You’re chances of being successful aren’t as bleak as you might think; it’s going to suck; I won’t lie to you. There is a lot of death and learning you’ll have to do, but you will get better, and you will survive more and more as time goes on.

(1.0 Could be drastically different)

We still don’t know exactly what 1.0 is going to entail. We are expecting it be at the end of this year, which even that is still subject to change. I’d like to hold BSG accountable on this general release window, but they’ve never been good with timelines, so we will just have to wait and see. In the meantime, we can only speculate what 1.0 is going to feel like upon booting it up the first time. Will the game be drastically different? Will it be more of the same with some extra fluff added to it? Or something in between? As much as I would like to guess on where it might land, at this point, I kind of just want to see it. But even still, now is your last chance to play the game we know and love. Because at any point, it could be something totally different. So, if you’re someone who has been curious about what people have been playing for essentially almost a decade now, I would recommend jumping on and experiencing it for yourself. Because once 1.0 comes out, we won’t be able to roll that version back and get the game we currently have. It’s still weird to even say that we are close to 1.0; we were expecting Streets for so many years, and it was only recently in the grand scheme of things that we finally got that map. Being able to say we’re at the end is both cathartic but also kind of sad. This project people have been supporting for so long is nearing its end; finally, BSG can wrap things up and move on to their next project. Which I still wonder if it’s Russia: 2028. Essentially the single player version of EFT set in the same universe. Or, if they are sick of this idea and want to do something totally different. Either way, I am curious what it might end up being.

(There is no perfect moment)

A lot of people ask players of Tarkov when the best or perfect time to jump into the game is. Naturally, people will usually say when the game wipes because that way you are on the most even playing field with everyone else. But these days, with how optimized the routing is with Tarkov, even that doesn’t last too long. A week or two, max at this point. People doing marathons to get to the end game again, you know, exactly where they were days before the game wiped. But to be honest, there is no singular perfect moment to jump into the game. If you’re new, you have to learn regardless of what point the game is currently in; dying is a major part of that learning process, and it’s something that you will continue to do even after thousands of hours in the game. And if you are simply returning after a hiatus for whatever reason, you will at least be familiar with most of the game's mechanics and the day to today ongoings. I imagine there are plenty of people who bailed on the game for one or more reasons and are simply waiting for that 1.0 release to at least try the game again and see what’s new. Again, we don’t know how involved it’s all going to be. I would love to say it will feel like a different game in terms of progression, and how we navigate the world, but they have been tight lipped about stuff related to that and don’t want to ruin the surprise, in true BSG fashion. Like I said at the start, if you have even the tiniest inclination to jump back into EFT, you might as well do it now. What have you got to lose?

(Outro)

The best time to get back into Tarkov, is right now. Whether you’ve been gone for a couple weeks, months or years, with how long this wipe cycle is most likely going to be, it means the sooner you get back into it now, the more prepared you will be when the game does wipe for potentially the final time. 1.0 grows closer each passing day, and hopefully it meets the requests of all the players who have supported this game and have been patiently waiting to see the end result play out. Whether or not there is future support for this game in the name of extra content and DLCs, we will have to wait and hear it from the big man himself. Otherwise, if you like Tarkov, or are curious about playing it, just do yourself a favor and play it sooner rather than later. You will thank yourself down the line. 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 best time to get back into Tarkov if you have that desire, if you think we will see 1.0 later this year and be sure to subscribe for more videos about the coming one and offs of this game that has been around for almost an entire decade. I hope to see you in future ones.