[2021] A look back at the last year of Tarkov content and updates

There's been a lot of salt the last week about networking and other ongoing issues so I thought it would be a good time to reflect back on all the positive updates and changes BSG has made just in the last 12 months. This list doesn't even include the huge 0.12 Reserve and Hideout update which was only 15 months ago so this should give some perspective on what regular content updates from BSG looks like over a long period of time.

Map updates

• Reserve expansion: huge new underground area with raiders, tons of loot and new D2 extract mechanic
• Customs expansion: huge new area north of construction, overhauled loot on construction side of the map with multiple new points of interest (stronghold, crackhouse, USEC stash, warehouses)
• Interchange rework: overhauled lighting (including destructible lights), added ultra medical room, two new keycard locations and two new extracts
• Woods expansion: over double the size of the original woods map, tons of loot and new points of interest (Emercom camp, USEC stash, abandoned village, scav camp, bridge extract+village, sniper mountain)
• Shoreline: added scav boss Sanitar and tape key room
• Labs: added new Sanitar keycard room

Content updates

• New cultist faction with unique AI and tactics
• New simulants: MULE, meldonin, AHF1-M, 3-(b-TG), L1, P22, obdolbos, xTG-12 antidote, SJ9 thermal
• New guns: RFB, MCX, PPSH, UMP, Vector, 590A1, KS-23M, MK-18, GL-40, M1911, M45A1
• New ammo and calibers: .338, .45, 23x75, .300, 7n31, .366 AP, m993, 40x46 grenades
• New armor: Korund, Hexgrid, Slick, FORT defender, Tac-Kek, Bastion, Caiman, Rys-T
• New rigs: AACPC, LBT-1961, thunderbolt, GC-BSS-Mk1
• New bags: LBT daypack, LBT field medpack, F4 terminator, F5 switchblade, Sanitar bag, tourist backpack
• New attachments: too many to list

Gameplay and balance

• Massively improved AI behavior
• FIR flea market to eliminate scalpers and make RMT more difficult
• New crafting recipes to allow for alternate path for FIR items
• Rebalanced attachment stats for ergo and recoil
• Rebalanced skills to level more naturally
• Added in-raid cooldown to prevent skill abuse (people used to glitch 51 str/end in one raid...)
• Overhauled starting loadouts with different gear for USEC and BEAR
• Overhauled quests and leveling, starting quests require fewer items but must be FIR (new players can now complete a lot of the starter quests while playing scav)
• Added weight system that gives more depth to creating a loadout and how you loot around the map
• New status effects (stims, overweight, toxin)
• Buffed thorax to 85 HP (basically eliminated the m80/7n1 thorax meta)
• Heavy bleed system with blood trails and new medical items
• Added binaural audio (praying this gets fixed by unity soon)

UI

• Added post raid healing screen with detailed damage stats
• Added tabs at the bottom for easily navigating between character/hideout/traders/flea
• Added preview showing all group members in the lobby
• New idle animations when loading into the raid
• Added menu to load magazines from stash/containers
• Added new clothing pieces and quests to obtain some of them
• Character voice and head selection

Networking and matchmaking

• MASSIVELY improved server infrastructure, no more 15+ minute queues at peak times
• Added ping lock to prevent players from playing with high ping outside their region
• Virtually eliminated stutters (fingers crossed...)
• Eliminated late spawns, everyone now spawns at the start of the raid
• Added packet encryption (WIP, not sure if it's on/off)

tldr: BSG has a proven track record of updating the game with new content and improvements over a long period of time. If you're not enjoying the current state of Tarkov, take a break and you'd be surprised how fresh the game feels after 6-12 months.

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