New players have always had a rough time in Escape From Tarkov. They spawn in, an enemy they never spotted kills them, and they lose all the gear they carried in. After a long wait, the 1.2.0.0 update has arrived, and it offers newcomers a way through those early hours: an experienced player to stick close to.
That mentor role is the idea behind the new “EXFIL Brothers” program, which is easily the largest part of this PvE-focused patch for the extraction shooter. Veterans earn rewards for teaming up with new accounts and showing them how the game works, and both players are paid for it.
Operators and candidates
It’s an easy system to follow. Players who already have a level 30 character count as “operators.” A “candidate” is a newcomer whose account is seven days old or less.
When the two raid together, each gets a 5% XP bonus. The larger rewards arrive later. Each time the candidate reaches level 10, 20 and 30, both players receive “in-game roubles, bitcoins, and various cases,” according to the news release.
Operators also get a bit more. The veteran will earn rewards “based on the game edition purchased by the candidate, including TarCoin, posters, the operator upper, and the basic training hideout customization,” the release said. In other words, the pricier the edition your recruit buys, the bigger your share. Tarkov is still Tarkov.
Prestige comes to PvE, and it sticks
Prestige is finally available to PvE players, with six levels in all. Anything earned through it is permanent, so a wipe can’t erase it.
Among the rewards are TarCoin and unique versions of the NKVD Finka knife, the Akula dagger and the Gamma secure container. For players who have seen wipe after wipe clear out their progress, the fact that it lasts matters more than any one reward.
The bots got smarter about where they fight
The PMC bots have also been fully reworked, and once you’re in a raid this may be the change that stands out most.
“They are now distributed across the map more logically, with a greater concentration in quest areas,” the press release said. “They engage in firefights with each other less frequently, preferring to attack scavs instead. In addition, bot gear and weapon loadouts now vary depending on their level and faction. New PMC bot spawns have also been added to the Labyrinth location.”
Now think about that from a newcomer’s point of view. With more bots around quest areas, the places you have to go are now more crowded. Because bots fight each other less, you can’t rely on them to thin each other out. And since loadouts depend on level and faction, the bot that comes around the corner could be carrying almost anything.
That’s exactly why the game now rewards someone with a level 30 character for standing beside you when it happens.