I play customs almost exclusively. I’ve done enough tasks on other maps to unlock the things I need then I sacked the quests off and just play customs. It was far and away the best map. I’ve never found a LEDX or a Red, Blue or Purple key card. I haven’t been in a single marked room this wipe. I never rush or pop stims, I don’t run full auto or meta recoil builds or top tier ammo. Haven’t played labs since they fucked it up with the raider nerf and part time extracts. Haven’t played reserve once this wipe. You don’t need to. I’ve made it to level 45 and am in the position I can’t possibly go broke. I just play the best map in the game, customs. I play solo. Semi auto, Hunt PMCs using guile cunning and skill. It’s a rush and it’s the thing Tarkov provides that is unrivalled by any other game. It’s also the thing that a lot of our player base completely miss once they see streamers charging around spraying everything down, doing loot runs making millions of rubles in a few minutes etc. Many people have cheated themselves out of a beautiful tactical experience.
The lack of stacks of high value loot spawns and a tighter more linear experience is what made customs for me. Many people see customs as a rush to marked room and that’s about it. But there was so much more to it. You had to be careful. You will run in to other PMCs even if you’re not going to marked room or dorms. Now they added a huge area to it and put some bullshit high value spawn room in the map is fucked. You’ll now be able to go a whole raid and not see another PMC unless you’re rushing the new area for intelligence folders. Why the devs insist on exacerbating the rush rush rush culture in this game is beyond me. Customs was sweet, a sanctuary from the high value maps, a tactical masterpiece, it’s been robbed of its identity and I can’t see the benefit. Once the new wears off the chandeliers and everyone stops kissing up about how awesome it is, which it’s not, customs will go back to being less played map, but now less rewarding for those in it for the tactical combat not the fast loots.
It’s a sad day for this one old and slow playing dinosaur.
