Advantages for streamers and a terrible progression system: The community is not holding back with criticism for the release of EFT: Arena
Escape from Tarkov is considered the poster child for mercilessly realistic shooters – no game simulates weapons, ammunition and hits in such detail, a headshot usually means the end.
The new spin-off EFT: Arena aims to pack the acclaimed gunplay into crisp team battles on small maps so that players can sneak around less and fight more. But less than 24 hours after its release, it is already attracting massive criticism from the community.
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What’s going wrong in Escape From Tarkov: Arena
Access in waves
All pre-orders of EFT: Arena (costing €38) and buyers of the Edge of Darkness version of the main game (€155) were supposed to get access to the game as soon as it was released. However, the majority of players are currently still waiting in vain
It is particularly annoying that countless Twitch streamers, some of whom have only spent a few hours in Tarkov, were given immediate access – presumably to advertise the game for free.
Meanwhile, thousands of players, some of whom bought their EoD edition six years ago, are still waiting for the redemptive access email, even though developer Battlestate Games had announced that veterans would be the first to be unlocked.
Unfair progression system
A little waiting time shouldn’t really be a problem, but in EFT: Arena, all players who start early have a massive head start Those who start early or play intensively can also quickly unlock higher quality equipment and weapons, giving them an unfair advantage over new players
The matchmaking is based on the rank of the players, possible equipment is not taken into account and is only purchased after entering the server. Newcomers are limited to weak loadouts without armor and may have to compete against overpowered enemieswho can hardly be harmed by their small-caliber weapons.
Some players even go so far as to consider Arena dead because of the progression system:
The mode is already dead… why play it? To be beaten down by less skilled players who have top equipment with them?
How could you fix that?
Some players suggest revising the progression system and introducing a Counter-Strike-like economic system. This would mean that players could earn money depending on their performance in the individual rounds and use it to buy equipment.
Such a change could help to make the game fairer and more balanced, but it would remove the so-called meta-progression – i.e. unlocking stronger loadouts through play.
