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GINX TV > Reviews > Escape from Tarkov

Is Escape From Tarkov Worth Playing In 2023? An Honest Opinion From A Hardcore Player

What's it like to play Escape From Tarkov in 2023?
Is Escape From Tarkov Worth Playing In 2023? An Honest Opinion From A Hardcore Player

Escape from Tarkov has been in development for around eleven years, beginning growth in 2012 after Nikita Buyanov and his team at Battlestate Games concluded their venture on the title "Contract Wars," taking much inspiration forward to the current title, Escape from Tarkov. Since 2016, Escape from Tarkov has remained fully unreleased, having developers work on the title whilst players enjoy the unfinished game in closed-alpha and now closed-beta. 

Since the release of Escape from Tarkov in 2016, the game has worked in cycles. Having developers reset players' progress every five to seven months, allowing people to grow, develop, and learn, then resetting their progress to enable replayability and introduce new content in updates alongside the reset. However, players typically grow bored of the title after two to three months after reset, having players grind Tarkov relentlessly following a reset (known as wipe) and then grow distant from the title after achieving substantial progress.

Currently, we are five months deep into patch 0.13 which was released on December 28, 2022, meaning most players already obtained their reset "kick" out of Escape from Tarkov by late March. Having players gravitate back to different titles and patiently wait for the Battlestate Games developers to reset Escape from Tarkov in late June, resetting all player progress and releasing a large update alongside the wipe 0.14. 

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Escape from Tarkov in 2023

Escape from Tarkov remains one of the top realistic FPS titles on the market, developed by Battlestate Games and successfully competing against triple-A titles. The game remains ultra-realistic, exciting, and a blast with friends. Players have recently started slanting the game due to audio issues, lack of updates, and initiative to known issues. The developers have remained loyal to the innovation of new concepts, although appearing careless of known bugs and needed fixes.

Escape from Tarkov gunplay in 2023: the gunplay in Escape from Tarkov is unbeatable, especially within 2023, having hundreds of weapons with literally thousands of customization varieties per weapon. Weapons are intricately designed, having each firearm completely unique and distinguishable from the next, having separate realistic sounds, aesthetics, designs, and feels to each weapon. Each caliber of weapon obtains several different ammunition variants, dealing different levels of damage and capability to the next, causing different health impacts on the victims such as lost limbs, heavy/light bleeding, or fracturing bones. Fortunately, this system works perfectly, adding depth and fun to the title. 

Escape from Tarkov movement in 2023: After adding "inertia" in patch 0.12, players are no longer able to run around defying physics. Inertia essentially prevents players from completing impossible movements, for example: if sprinting 15kmph forward, you cannot instantaneously switch direction and sprint 15kmph backward, you have to gradually slow down and switch direction. This completely eliminates "gamified" physics, forcing players to plan realistic movements to execute objectives. Players can no longer jiggle peek, therefore raising chances of death through irresponsibly executed movement. Therefore expect to be thrown off when first playing Escape from Tarkov, as the movement system has completely changed. Whereas most dislike the new feature, it adds to the sense of realism and it's commendable. 

Healing in Escape from Tarkov in 2023: the healing system is detailed, having players use separate medical equipment to address different types of wounds. Such as using bandages for bleeding, splints for broken bones, morphine for pain reduction, and painkillers to momentarily block ongoing body pain. The healing system currently works great, with several developments over the last year making the system more realistic, the developers have smashed it and ultimately made the experience more enjoyable and realistic. To note, it can take a few in-game minutes to heal your character back to health and you'll need the correct equipment to do so, therefore the typical Call of Duty player may not obtain the patience for that! 

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Escape from Tarkov: gameplay, updates, and wipes 

Escape from Tarkov is arguably the best realistic FPS on the market and I advocate the purchase of this title relentlessly. The developers at Battlestate Games have created an immersive, realistic, competitive, and intricate FPS title, Escape from Tarkov was a concept we all dreamed of growing up and it's been executed perfectly. From clearing out the Shoreline Hospital on the hunt for scavenger boss Sanitar to locating cultists in the desolate night of Woods, Escape from Tarkov provides an experience that is unmatched by many others. 

Updates within Escape from Tarkov often release every month, fixing bugs and making balancing changes. Larger releases such as weapons, maps, armor, and other additions happen once every five-ish months, allowing the chance for players to become bored of their current content. Additionally, Battlestate Games developers have been known to release pointless updates instead of addressing game-breaking bugs. For example, releasing the AUG weapon instead of addressing an audio issue causes players to hear players across the map walking/shooting or not hearing players at all despite being within a few meters away. 

The Escape from Tarkov wipes functions perfectly, players have several months to grow, complete tasks, and level up until the game resets with the following of a large update. However, by the end of those five-seven months, the player base has lost interest and waits for the next update. The Escape from Tarkov servers are always busy, there is never a lack of players, but the majority of players only remain active during the first three months of the wipe and then popularity massively decreases until the next large update and reset. 

The reason why the wipe functions, is due to the level of commitment Escape from Tarkov players obtain. Lowering wipe times to three-four months would possibly destroy the game due to regular Tarkov players losing their progress, making it much harder to complete already hard tasks like obtaining the "Kappa" container or completing "The Stylish One" Task. When most players lose interest after the third month, players experience a two-four month "cool-down" period, enabling them to build excitement and anticipation for the next wipe, ultimately fueling their desire to play. This cycle creates a consistent and reoccurring player base, from personal experience, I have been repeating this cycle since the age of fifteen, I'm now twenty-one, proving the wipe cycle works. 


For more Escape From Tarkov news, be sure to check out our dedicated section or take a look at some of our Guides & Tutorials just below:

 

Escape From Tarkov Wipe News, Latest Patch Notes and More
Escape From Tarkov Map Extraction Guides
Escape From Tarkov Gameplay Guides
Escape From Tarkov Best Weapons, Armor and More
Escape From Tarkov Gunsmith Walkthrough