I started playing Tarkov in late 2019, and since then I’ve noticed the gradual but significant migration of game balance away from casual players and towards streamers and super hardcore players with time to spare. When I started playing there were two major features that made the game accessible. First, there were no flea market limitations at all. FiR was a non factor, and you could buy M995 for like 500 rubles per. It was madness. A player with all level one traders could find a lucky GPU, cram it, die to a Chad, then sell it on the flea and ball out with an Altyn and some juicelord gear. The implementation of FiR status on flea items meant that rushing loot spawns was less appealing. The further limitation of certain items not being allowed on the flea limited the amount of competitive gear low level players could rely on. That was the first significant feature that made the game accessible to casual players. The other was the 435 health pool.
The thorax health pool used to have 80 hit points rather than the current amount of 85. That five point difference was a massive one, as the 80hp thorax meant that players could be one tapped by high caliber rifles relatively easy. A Mosin with LPS was a very competitive weapon because it could one shot a PMC with level four armor. This very real threat from relatively low level players acted as a limit on the aggression of high level players and forced more cautious play style. With the addition of the 85hp thorax the balance of the game began to favor players who could afford better gear.
These are two examples of changes to game mechanics that are meant to favor dedicated players. I see the purpose of these changes. These changes were good for the game. Players should be rewarded for playing more with better gear. That’s a universal idea in game design. No problem what is the problem is that this idea that the game should favor dedicated players has been taken to a unhealthy degree. The gap between players who can play five hours a week and players who can play twenty+ hours a week has gotten larger and larger, to the degree that for many casual players reaching max level traders in a wipe is not likely.
The game is designed to favor streamers and sweats: people who can play twenty, thirty, or fourth hours a week. After three years of patch after patch that favors these players, maybe shifting focus towards more casual players would benefit the community.
