Battlestate Games has introduced a new $250 edition of Escape From Tarkov, offering access to a PvE mode with cooperative play and persistent progress that won’t be reset during game wipes. This announcement has stirred both excitement and frustration among players. Many are intrigued by the new mode’s features, particularly the ability to explore Tarkov’s setting with friends without the constant threat of PvP encounters and wipes that reset progress.
However, the catch is that this PvE mode is exclusively available in the expensive new edition, leaving players of the previously sold $150 Edge of Darkness Edition, which guaranteed “free access to all subsequent DLCs,” feeling left out. Battlestate Games argues that this new mode isn’t classified as DLC but rather a unique feature of the new edition, a distinction that hasn’t been well-received by the Tarkov community.
The issue is compounded by two factors: the steep $250 price tag of the new edition and the fact that Edge of Darkness Edition owners must pay an additional $100 to upgrade if they want access to the PvE mode. This decision has led to discontent among players, with the community manager, appl3z0r, clarifying that while players may view the mode as DLC, Battlestate defines it as a featured game mode specific to the new edition.