Is Tarkov Going in the Wrong Direction? 

Today's updates have changed the game in EXACTLY the ways I wanted. Just got done a 9 hour stream of fun and excitement - the first in a LONG time. It actually felt like 2018 in all of the best ways, without laser beam recoil and bunny hopping like everyone is afraid of. It's not perfect, but god damn it's sure as hell a start! Thank you for all of the support from the community and those that spoke up in agreement, it was everyone coming together to help make these changes happen. Keep the feedback to Nikita and BSG constructive and good things will come.

Tarkov feels like a full time job made for streamers rather than fans.

“Realism” should not overshadow good gameplay mechanics, Tarkov’s realism was its best when it was in the interest of providing immersion rather than limiting our fun.

Imo the reason why old Tarkov looked and felt so much more fun was because it felt like the player was in control of a trained military operative, using whatever he can find. Currently, it feels more like the player is controlling some random bloke trying to figure out how survival works, let alone guns.

Man, you single-handedly made devs to actually hear the community and explained in detail every pain we had to cope with for recent 4-5 wipes. Kudos for that!

Well said. I'm constantly toe dipping in Tarkov these days... Every time I attempt to re-commit because of the awesome moments I can and have captured over the years, I just know it's only a matter of time before I take another huge break because of the time commitment and overly punishing nature of what Nikita perceives to be "realism" chipping away at my enjoyment of the game and willingness to endure the nonsense of it all. *sigh* launches EFT

You put so much time and thought into this message and it shows, and resonates well. I really hope the devs have already watched at this point. Thank you for making this

I'm glad you brought up HUDs. People act like it's so unrealistic when it just translates info that you would realistically be aware of if you were physically present.

Old tarkov looks so fun and looks like a fight to survive even when wounded you still fight like hell

Would love a part 2 of this where you talk about how the game doesn't value your time, the meta of things, economy, and all the other things you didn't get to

Damn, you've managed to make me miss a Tarkov era I didn't even experience. Great video

I like the SQUAD implementation of stamina. When stamina is zero you dony stop running, you are just little slower

I’m a new player and remember the very first thing I though when I entered my first raid is “wow the stamina system in this game really sucks, it would really benefit from some kind of adrenaline mechanic, but the game is in early access so they probably just haven’t added it yet” but now I realize they should have and could have added something like this a while ago, nice to see some people with real influence share this opinion.

The vector .45 literally has a built in feature to mitigate recoil, but Tarkov makes it seem like your pmc drags the weapon upwards himself

This man turned every ragequit anyone playing tarkov has every had and turned it into a valid and understandable argument. Well played, with any luck this will wake up some of the community and get this game back on the right track.

Tarkov veteran here. Played since the 2nd wipe. Put easily over 5000+ hours into this game. It was something special. No matter how many times I died, I would get back up and try try again. Even when I felt cheated in some way, I kept going knowing that there was always more to learn and a better strat to play. Never took breaks and played heavily during the begging of every wipe. Even the bad ones. More and more I kept getting shit on and I just kept telling my self "I need to get better" "I just got out played" "maybe next time" I averaged 50% survival rate over 300-1000 raids. Best being 65% at one point. But now my survival rate is 6% no that's not a typo. 6%.... No matter how well I play. No matter how nasty of a shot I get off. No matter how hard I try. I'm not rewarded for my hard work and I don't get any better. I tried to convince my self that it was all the better gamers joining the game. That I was just not following meta. That maybe I fell off as a player and need to try twice as hard. But I never got better. That was half the intrigue of the game for me. The feeling of becoming a more grizzled PMC. The feeling of slowly earning your way up to the top. Not just through sheer hours, but through analysis and hard work. You felt your self get better, even when you didn't have a number like level to tell you you got better. That's all gone now. Not only do I feel like I sank to the bottom of the barrel. Not only do I feel like no matter how much I play I'm not getting better, I'm getting worse. But worst of all, I'm not having fun. Dying over and over again just to eventually make it out was a terrific feeling of success. Knowing you traversed the hellscape that is Tarkov enough time to make some progress in your character and in your game skills. It felt amazing. Challenging to say the least, but it was a rewarding feeling. I never felt more defeated in my recent games. I kept attributing it to my fault. When i did eventually get some extractions. They felt bland and based off luck. After watching this video, I can safely say its the game and not the player. My boy Veritas, the man, the myth, the legend. Who pummeled me more times than once in-game. The guy who I watched calmly and methodically devour whole squads from day one, is now having the same troubles I have. I think I can put the AK down and give it a rest until the game gets fixed to a better state. I don't think its a skill issue when someone who is probably in the top 500 players like Veritas is struggling landing a headshot, controlling his recoil, not getting 1 tapped with class 4 on, or running 50 meters with midclass gear and getting winded. RIP Tarkov. May the devs cast a revive on you one day. Until then, you will be missed.

You and those soldiers openend my eyes. I will never pretend to know what is realistic in such scenarios ever again.

I hope Nikita sees this and considers this feedback. Great job, Veritas. Keep up the good work and don't forget that there are those of us that value your take.

Jesus. Jaw dropped with how spot on and well put together this is. This hits every frustration Ive had but didnt know how to voice outside of "recoil sucks" "movement sucks". Said it best with the OG's dont want old tarkov back. We want the fun and feeling of old tarkov. I truly truly miss being extremely excited for wipes and grinding.

The montage in the end made me so full of all kinds of emotions. Nostalgia trip. Good Work

9 months later and just saw this video, it’s one of the best I’ve ever seen. Very educated, full of backed up opinions and counter arguments to valid arguments, keep up the work. This is amazing

I always use to joke with my friends about how "I am a high skilled operator that doesn't know how to climb a small fence, and me taking a shot and just giving up on life". This video really hit that spot, keep up the good work and we hope BSG will take consideration to this.

Man, as a dude who played Tarkov back when the only mode was FACTORY BOTS I wish the game developed differently. I stopped playing a long time ago and honestly, it's guys like you still pushing the game that give me hope. Don't give up man. I hope this video forces people to listen.

man watching the old clips i experiences this like "ahhhh" feeling.

Absolutely amazing points! Especially the weapon control, and stamina not being able to reach cover and just sit there and take it. I gave up on this game when I "Died" to my energy reaching zero because I didn't eat anything in 30 minutes in the raid.

Nikita is going to see this and be like “oh yeah there is a hud that shows you what part of your body is injured…now let’s make it where you have to sit there and examine yourself for 30 seconds to figure out where you are injured”

Dude, the end of the video is like 3 exclamation marks to your argument!

You are a bastion for some of the most crucial changes this game needs to survive. Take care mate

awesome video man some of the best solo pvp i watched in a while

I've been with this game since alpha and this video made me feel like I just said goodbye to an old friend

You know it really is insane how many sights were basically rendered useless by the recoil. Just watching the last segment of the video is mind blowing. Hopefully we can get back to something similar in the future. Great video!

Looking back on this video after 11 months I am so happy they pretty much fixed a lot of these issues that you talk out

Thank you for making this video!

Playing Tarkov today feels like I'm trying to control my entire body in real life with a mouse and keyboard

Just coming by again to say, you did it. I'm 100% giving you credit for bringing REAL examples in a very well laid out and clearly explained way to get BSG to listen, and they actually did. I know you're obviously not the only one talking about this stuff, but you took it from complaints with no support to real world examples that are time and time again proven. Good shit man.

Honest to god brother, keep this content coming, you've literally been speaking my thoughts out loud the entire duration of this video. I'm a Marine combat veteran and everything you spoke on is 100% accurate. Tarkov is headed in the wrong direction and I hope that through your influence that BSG makes the necessary changes to put EFT back on track. This is my favorite game of all time and to hear your thoughts on these things gives me a glimmer of hope for Tarkov's future, thank you man, you're awesome.

This wipe is my first wipe and from the 100 hours that I've put into this game so far I'd have to say I am astounded that there were so many things removed that I thought would have made the game way more interesting and always question why my friends teaching me the game never use certain aspects of the game like blindfiring. I hope it continues to get better and I'm glad they finally fixed the covert movement that should have never been broken in the first place. I'm glad the recoil patch helped so much bc learning to aim as a new player felt impossible to control full auto fire bc of how much recoil my supposed "operator" receives when we know that's not how firearms work.

I like to always use the term "believable" vs "realistic"...and right now Tarkov is neither.

I was lucky enough to play a little bit of Tarkov in those days, and love the hell out of it. It just cannot hold my attention anymore. Great video.

thank you for taking on this task and making this video that ,in my opinion, really takes care of the most important faults in tarkov right now.

You have made one of the most clear cut videos explaining exactly how so many of us feel about the direction of the game.. thank you veritas. I hope Nikita and the BSG team see this and reflect on some of the changes they have made!

"He's not that injured, he's got his finger blown off and he's got through and through to his leg." Got me

Great video bro!!!

Always impress us man. thank you thank you thank you

"Tarkov doesn't respect your time" - Been playing since 2018 and that is the most accurate thing you can say about this game right now.

Holy shit dude thank you SO MUCH for this video. People like me haven't had a voice in Tarkov over the reddit armchairs until now. This was VERY VERY VERY needed. I hope we see better things in the future.

Veritas, a man and passion for Tarkov, saying "last ditch effort". Should be the one single, powerful, meaningful and honest sign that this is the beginning of the end if not answered by BSG, and he is not alone.

I find it hard to understand how anyone can take issue with what you're doing. Well done for keeping these debates alive and enduring the flack you receive in the process. You're discussions/investigations are doing wonders for the health of this brilliant game and I applaud you! Thanks and respect.

This really made me consider what is meant by "the old game" never really played it beyond 2 years ago, but this all seems logical and makes perfect sense, hope Nikita sees this

I have been feeling like Tarkov hasn't been as fun for a long time. I thought I was just getting old. Watching the clips of the old Tarkov, now that looks like a fun game I could sink my limited time into. Fantastic video my guy.

Yup, I think you hit the nail on the head. I had similar feelings but didn't know how to put it into words.

just subbed you got the feelling of comming back to tarkov just right didn't think it was that bad tho

I feel like Tarkov hit a sweet spot at the release of Labs after the healing animations and single round loading were added that I miss for sure.

This is the most well spoken analysis of what's happened to the game over time, and I loved every bit of insight. My only complaint is that the devs will ignore literally everything you said and add a bowel movement mechanic or some stupid shit Edit: I'm so happy I was proven wrong just hours after posting. This is a pleasant surprise

This puts together all of the thoughts I didn’t know I had. It just felt so much better to win and lose fights back then. Playing the game was fun. I had also never thought about an adrenaline system, but it makes so much sense.

Great video, your videos are always informative and very thorough, I often think you go under appreciated thanks for being the way you are

Wow, this is spot on in so many ways and I actually defend Tarkov to my friends a lot of the time. This put so much into perspective to me. I feel like I've been in denial so bad!

As someone who didn't get to experience early Tarkov, thank you for explaining the nuances and differences over time in the game. It makes a lot more sense why it feels like my PMC turns into a quivering turnip as soon as they start taking enemy fire!

thanks for the video. Constructive criticism is what is needed for anything to go forward!

Hey Veritas. Posting this comment mainly to congratulate you for providing such valuable thoughts and insight throughout the Escape From Tarkov community. I, like yourself, have also been playing EFT since the days of old. I started in late 2017 around what I remember to be patch 0.7 and watching this video really made me reminisce a whole lot. I really, really miss the ability to sneak up on my opponents. In a way, EFT felt like a hide and seek simulator or at least it did to me. I would probably say that this is my biggest grief with the game. Back then I was always upset when I could hear, very clearly, footsteps through several layers of concrete and always found it odd that so many praised the game for having "realistic" sound. Maybe if they meant the actual sounds, which in many instances were based on actual real live sounds and the recording of these, they would have a point. But the way sounds travel in the game world is just ridiculous. I am not going to have long rant on this subject as it would be like trying to convince a misanthrope that humanity is flawed. What I wanted to point out was that at least back then, I could sneak around knowing that my opponents were totally unaware. This is in sense a representation of the very common "rock, paper & scissor" mechanics that many many games utilize. When I play now it feels more like rock , rock and rock. The one who has the best gear wins most engagements, almost without exception. Anyway.. I felt the urge to comment and that is what I did :) I am always looking forward to your next video and hope to see more great analysis in the future, be it in EFT or somewhere else. Peace!

This is my favourite video you've made, I really hope Nikita sees this, sits down and really has a think about the direction the game is going in. Thank you for everything you do for the community.

I agree with all of these points. I love the emphasis on the fact that my character should be able to control his body and weapon. What we have now is not realism or good for entertainment. The body armor used to extend time to kill for better back and forth engagements. Those fights were the ones that get your blood pumping and have you jumping up and down after winning a tough fight. Now it feels like if you kill someone, you just say "got one" and carry on with no emotion because they died in one shot.

thank you for the ending

This video opens up amazing conversation and puts a lot in perspective, amazing work Veritas I just subbed

with this video and treys video on recoil i really hope nikkitas eyes have been opened. this is the most vocal the community has been and something is eventually going to give.

I remember getting into this game around 2017-2018, been waiting 3 years for someone to make a video like this. I'd love to see the game come back around and be able to enjoy it again.

Honestly I wish I got into it earlier, this combat system seems like something that I feel I would have some semblance of chance... new tarkov is really really hard for me to get into for a lot of reasons.... Thank you for telling me about this and its amazing to see the game like this

your 100 percent right on every point in this video and i have been feeling the same way for a while keep up the good work

That's why you, Veritas, are the best content creator of this game. I really admire your work and your way of analyzing in a "design based" way. Thank you! PS: That COD footage really shows a realistic recoil system... imagine if Tarkov had that recoil. People would think twice before crossing a street doing zigzags and hops because they would be hit multiple times, the tarkov way. Actually, a "COD recoil and movement" could achieve the desired slow, tactical paced combat Nikita wants!

BRO THIS IS HOW IVE FELT THESE LAST 2 YEARS, perfect video mate. Love the multiple perspectives and concise points. Hope Nikita watches this

I think there should be an "adrenaline" aspect of the game, where if you are taking indirect fire you have a sort of "meter" (this would not be a visible icon, or actual bar). Taking a non-fatal hit would heavily increase this meter, which significantly increases your speed and holds off the pain effect for a certain amount of time (based on where your adrenaline 'count' is per the meter).

Pure Love! Please do part 2 with the topics you mentioned at 29:40

I think in order to realistically recreate any sort of combat situation to the extent EFT wants to, there needs to be a third slider - adrenaline. Like Veritas said, it doesn't matter if your character is tired, thirsty, hungry, etc., they are a trained combatant, in a combat environment, and guess what happens when you start taking fire? Your mind, as soon as it realizes what is happening, releases an incredible amount of adrenaline, BECAUSE YOU GOT TO MOVE OR DIE. Until we see a representation of your character's current adrenaline level that ties into all the systems, we just wont get there. Delaying your character's recoil control is NOT the answer. Don't even get me started on bushes. You walk into a bush, and it doesn't slow down your momentum. No. It just DROPS your movement speed as if your character somehow all of a sudden forgot how to walk fast because branches. The blind fire... USELESS. Might as well just cut it out to free up controls. The fact that you have to WAIT for your character to STOP MOVING before you can press the key (otherwise it just wont work, you have to let it go, then press it again) is just dumb.

It took sowr3cked making a video and getting a petition signed by thousands of people for Jagex to realize they went down the wrong path with their game. I am full copium mode hoping bsg can have a similar awakening. One quote from back then when we got the 2007scape poll is "its not our fault they got it right the first time" and I think that resonates heavily with what bsg has been doing with tarkov. They achieved something so special very early on and have tried building on top of that to the extent that they've made their game objectively less enjoyable to play. I pray that they can scrounge up the tiny amount of humility required to admit that a few steps backward are what's required for tarkov to be back on the right path.

thankyou for this. all I want is that old feeling of the "adrenaline" of getting hit and using pain meds to stay in the fight until you could get away or win

This is well done! It’s interesting because there still isn’t anything like Tarkov imo and I love it

Great explanation - to add, a core element I miss is the feeling that I was so immersed in the raid with my own adrenaline and physically moving my body as I move my character and having that autonomy to survive. I still duck and dive the few times I've played this raid, but it feels disconnected when I have that rush but my character just drags hopelessly to die to the following few shots.

One thing I feel is shared by a lot of the old players is that we never really could get "tired" of old Tarkov. We had our bad raids or even our bad days, but we kept on playing. Nowadays though, I feel as if I can't sit down and play for more than an hour before I'm just tired of the game. It never used to seem like a chore to play like it does now.

7 months later and this video becomes is still horrendously accurate, really too tragic it wont change for the better

This video opened my eyes, thanks

What an amazing video, that's why I stopped playing this game, I love some of the moments tarkov broght to me, those memories will stay forever, but I think that we need to have fun, it's still a video game. The realism portion was on point

Thank you yet again veritas for being the voice so many of us just simply dont have. you litterally said what i think most of us feel

dude, this is so gold. haven't played the old tarkov or this wipe what so ever, but i wish more people would see this video and most importantly Nikita himself. Gold video, 10/10.

i feel this so hard never played tarkov before so this is my first wipe started 30 days in and immediately knew as a security armed guard myself that i can out preform my PMC i can outshoot outrun and endure more (accidently shot myself in the leg in my off time once lol) what rlly stuck with me was when i found a t6 armor that i took to dorms so i could finish one of the 3000 quests there and got instakilled made me realize that armor is legit worthless to the point that what i do most often now in no armor no helm factory runs because then at least im playing R6 without the toxicity

The hero we need but don’t deserve. Congratulations on cracking through. I fully believe your willingness to put this together facilitated a step in the right direction. I just hope they keep moving.

Man this is the best Tarkov video I seen. I sat down and couldn't stop watching. You actually summarized my feelings to a video with explanation. I didn't experience the early days, it looks like it was a fun game that I realy want to play, not like the game we have today. I keep trying to play but quits because it is not fun. People thinks that the Arena will give us a place to experience a fun gunfight experience. The game is not ready for Arena with the current gungame condition. The condition as I describe it as a "Shooter that can't shoot". I usually play to max traders than start PVP. this is normally when I quit. now days I didn't get to lvl 15 . I got enough sooner. no need to suffer.

8 minutes in and this is such a great video so far! very very solid points here

Never watched you before, I don't really watch streamers unless a friend is showing me something or just kinda stumble upon a short enough video. Reddit led to this video though and actually took the time to watch it and I appreciate it truly. Brought up things that I've thought but didn't know I've thought, things I haven't realized truly til you pointed them out and thought all around it was a well made heart felt video. Keep up the good fight I think you truly did make a great impact with this video.

I have not played Tarkov "back then" and i didn't even realize some of the old features were in the game at one point, but this video really made me wish they make some changes. I like Tarkov the way it is now, but the ideas of the old Tarkov seem a lot more enticing and could make the game a lot less frustrating and a lot more fun to play. Thanks for the video, really well made!

I SWORE the no movement while blindfiring was a bug. Nobody talked about it and I just couldn't comprehend why BSG would do such a crazy thing. Thank you for this, I think you are the most helpful tarkhov youtuber. Another great video.

I remember how hectic it was spawning into customs when you could pick which side of the map you spawned on, some of my favourite fights happened then

Rewatching this video, now. With our newest patch. I can't help but feel a bit hopeful, a bit hopeful that it definetly isn't too late. And Tarkov is very well able to change for the better, I imagine this video back then must have felt like a cry for help. Hopefully we have reached stepping stones into making a better experience for us all. Thank you Veritas, like always. Loved and still do, getting your streamer item.

While I'm a very new player and never experienced anything before the current wipe, I still agree with lots of this stuff. I like the realism this game provides but some times it feels that it tried to be "too real" to the point that it feels like I'm controlling a toddler with 4 missing limbs instead of a highly training PMC - in turn breaking the "realism" and immersion feel of the game.

Man, alpha player here who hasn't felt the love for Tarkov in a while. This video really helped put into perspective how I feel. Those old clips bring back the love I had for the game. Thanks for caring

Thanks for the video! This really helped me get words for what I experience now. I started for 2 wipes back in 0.9 or 0.10 and skipped until this wipe. I have thousands of hours in fps games and I would say I'm pretty good in them but tarkov makes me feel I'm trash in fps games. I would love to get better in pvp but its not the same anymore.

As always, you've put together an insightful piece. I agree 100% with your list of wants for a game. Your comment about playing a game that respects our time was an eye opener to why I stopped grinding this wipe. Why play when it doesn't feel like our time is respected? Why play when central mechanics like audio are horribly broken? I love what this game was and hope your arguments are being truly considered. Recent changes suggest that may be happening. Thanks again for all you do!

it's fascinating to see Tarkov's differences from years ago. I started playing in 2020 so I didn't even realize how different this game looked and felt to play.

I'm only five minutes in, but I just gotta say that I've felt this way for so long, and have tried to express these feelings to friends and acquaintances i play the game with, and nobody ever felt the same way. It just feels really great to be somewhat validated on that stance/mindset/whatever for once. I think I'm really going to enjoy the rest of the video, especially because Veritas always does a great job explaining things in ways that everyone on whatever side of the argument can appreciate what he's saying without ever feeling offended (he understands everyones' opinions and point of view, and carefully caters to everyone, but not in an insecure "I'm just trying not to get cancelled" kind of a way, but because he's genuine about respecting each perspective).

It is so good to know that with the 0.14 patch I truly think that tarkov has taken this feedback and the game has truly improved it.

I am glad this video has so many views as it describes so well all the broken mechanics we hate.