New Escape From Tarkov update makes enemies and bosses more realistic

The damage system. The weapon ballistics. The dynamic weather and environment. Escape From Tarkov has earned its reputation as one of the most realistic, toughest FPS games on PC. But with EFT 1.0 in the pipeline, as well as the eventual Steam launch, Battlestate is still in the process of making its flagship shooter more grounded and true to reality. Most recently, the developer introduced a welcome new rotation system, whereby selected bosses would spawn with 100% certainty on specific weekends. Now, BSG has again responded to player feedback by altering movement noise, to give Tarkov that extra bit of realism.

One of the latest Escape From Tarkov updates implemented a player suggestion that certain bosses should have designated, 100% spawn times, providing a useful heads up for people who want to mine those particular loot pools. Now, another EFT fan makes a suggestion to Battlestate, explaining that because certain enemies and bosses have silent footsteps, and don’t make any noise when approaching the player, it gives them an unfair and unrealistic advantage in the FPS game.

“When dealing with AI there should always be an option for counterplay,” an EFT player simply called ‘J’ explains. “Silent footsteps on any AI is not healthy game design. It makes the player feel helpless and forces them to cheese, like waiting behind cover or inside a room. This isn’t fun.”

J suggests that the Cultist enemies, who you’ll find at night, often around Woods and Shoreline, should not have silent footsteps. Likewise, players should be able to hear both Birdeye, the rogue boss, and Partizan, who can jump you in Woods, Shoreline, Customs, or the Lighthouse.

In response, BSG goes even further. As well as nerfing the silent footsteps of Partizan, Birdeye, and the Cultists, the developer has also updated the scav boss, Shturman. “Removed silent walking for Birdeye, Shturman, Partizan, and Cultists,” BSG says. “They should now walk about 20 to 35% quieter than the rest.”

So, while these bosses and enemies still have a slight advantage, given that they move more quietly than their AI contemporaries, you shouldn’t get one-shotted anymore by somebody you couldn’t even hear. Of course, the silent footsteps gave the Cultists et al a little more mystique and extra gameplay challenge, but when the real thrill of EFT comes from its realism, taking away that kind of superpower makes more sense. Hopefully we’ll see some more of these surgical changes ahead of Tarkov 1.0.

In the meantime, you might want to try the best survival games, or maybe the best multiplayer games on PC.

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