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Battlestate Games has been talking about making the next big step in the continued development of its flagship title, Escape From Tarkov, for quite a long time now. This big step is now finally being realized with the announcement of a standalone version of the game that will focus specifically on combat.
The newly-revealed Escape From Tarkov: Arena is going to deliver a gameplay experience that's more akin to a regular PvP multiplayer game, albeit one that still retains virtually all of Tarkov's calling cards, such as its weapon customization. There's a wealth of information already available about the game, and one of the most important bits is its pricing model.
Namely, Escape From Tarkov: Arena will be a paid standalone product that pits players against one another (and AI bots) in gladiatorial arenas, though it will be given out for free to owners of the $140 Edge of Darkness EFT owners. It is described as a session-based multiplayer FPS that does feature all the "beloved hardcore game mechanics" of Escape From Tarkov, but cuts out many of the base game's battle royale and survival mechanics. In effect, Arena too should be one of the hardest competitive multiplayer games on the market.
While the majority of Escape From Tarkov PvP guides should apply to Arena as well once it comes out, Battlestate Games has explained that the game will have its own progression system that will be separate from EFT itself. To that end, players probably won't need to source every single piece of their usable gear from raids, although it's been stated that they will have the option to use their EFT character in Arena, too, if they want.
It has been implied that the vast majority of item stats will simply transfer over from EFT to Arena once it comes out, which means that, for example, knowing how to choose the right armor in Escape From Tarkov will still be important for players. To that end, while Tarkov might attract a bigger audience than ever before with this new standalone multiplayer experience, fighting against EFT veterans may prove troublesome for them at first.
Now that Call of Duty is reportedly adding the DMZ mode and Tarkov is getting what looks reasonably similar to a COD-style multiplayer mode, the coming months and years should be particularly interesting for PvP gamers. BSG is expected to release more details about EFT: Arena in the near future, and the specific price of the game is still unknown, though it's likely going to be cheaper than the $44.99 base game.
Escape From Tarkov is now available on PC, with the standalone Arena getting a closed beta in Fall 2022.