VIDEO: See the PC Gaming Show segment above. Also on Youtube.
Battlestate Games just shared a trailer for their new Escape from Tarkov map. Shown during in the PC Gaming Show presentation, the gameplay footage reveals that EFT's next location will drop players into an eerie city that's taken a turn for the worst. One thing's for sure: it's a big update. According to head of PR Nikita Buyanov, this map is "the biggest and most detailed location ever".
Featuring cracked sidewalks and plenty of graffiti, the trailer shows a player entering one of the map's explorable buildings, creeping up narrow stairwells and through multiple rooms. In the accompanying interview, Buyanov outlined that the new level is the team's "attempt to simulate the realistic modern city". Although, it seems as though a major disruption has occurred in this town as it's streets are littered with abandoned cars, and there are stacks of rubbish everywhere.
Audio plays a huge part in EFT and the trailer gives players a good idea of what to expect from this zone. The debris strewn around what looks to be a pharmacy makes a notable crunchy sound when walked on. This is something that players will no doubt need to listen out for when searching the area after release. The trailer also demonstrates that power can be restored to some rooms by interacting with fuse boxes located on the stairs.
EFT matches are serious business, requiring sharp reactions and impeccable hearing, but Battlestate Games has left room for a little fun in this reveal. Towards the end of the trailer there's a cheeky framed photo that looks suspiciously similar to the Doge meme on the wall of a deserted living room. Catching sight of that will certainly brighten up lonely solo runs across the new map.
Buyanov also highlighted a key feature in Escape from Tarkov's 12.7 patch. While he described it as "more like a technical patch", it looks as though the size of the Customs map is about to grow significantly. The update will "enlarge the overall area by 30 or even 40 percent", so I can only imagine this expansion will make it even more treacherous to traverse.
Other additions in the upcoming patch include an overhaul of EFT's skill system, as well as a new boss called the Senator. Unfortunately we didn't catch a glimpse of the new boss, but Buyanov mentioned that he can "heal his partners and search for stashes". Judging by these abilities, I can't imagine the fight against this new threat being an easy one.
