The recent Wipe brought the expected new features, but also some technical difficulties. As is often the case, the servers were overwhelmed, causing slowdowns, disconnections, and in some cases, loss of gear for players. Additionally, some users managed to access the Flea Market when it should have been disabled as per the patch notes, creating imbalances that further fueled the debate. Is this the worst Wipe ever?
Wipe Issues
On the first day of the Wipe, many players reported errors and bugs that resulted in the loss of items acquired during raids. Some even experienced a complete reset of their profiles, forcing them to start over.
Furthermore, the ability for some users to temporarily access the Flea Market raised criticisms of perceived unfair advantages, as they were able to keep items purchased before its deactivation. According to the patch notes, the Flea Market was expected to remain closed for two weeks (to slow player progress), which makes its temporary accessibility during this period a significant oversight.
Some community members called for an additional wipe to restore fairness, but the BSG decided against it. These problems were exacerbated by difficulties in accessing the servers and, in some cases, the inability to log in at all.
Battlestate Games acknowledged the issues and quickly got to work addressing them. Some of the difficulties were mitigated within the first hours, but this did not prevent the situation from becoming a hot topic among players.
The Worst Wipe Ever
I get it. I got issues too. Lost progress. Failed to connect... I had the full first day of the wipe experience (along with a lot of adrenaline, fun and some dopamine shots).
EFT is a game known for its technical complexity and the massive amount of data it manages. Every wipe represents a kind of "global reset," where hundreds of thousands of players become active at the same time, putting servers and game infrastructure under immense strain.
Harsher criticisms often seem to forget that these difficulties are not unique to Escape from Tarkov.
Maybe it’s because I’ve seen hundreds of major patches and online game launches over the past 25 years, but it’s clear that problems like overloaded servers, unexpected bugs, and login issues are more than normal—they’re predictable.
So while on one side I agree that the Flea Market was available was a serious oversight, that the many bugs at the launch of the wipe were frustrating and should have been tested and eliminated before releasing the patch, I also find it plausible that in some situations it's impossible to predict and fix every potential problem beforehand. This comes at the players’ expense, but if disruptions are limited and solved soon enough, it’s relatively acceptable.
Avoid the Drama Trap
It's understandable that some call it The Worst Wipe Ever. Undoubtedly, it does seem particularly bad compared to others. However, as with past controversies, some of the drama feels manufactured, designed to attract clicks, views, and cater to the frustrations and irritated reactions of followers, rather than genuinely addressing the severity of the situation. Personally, I find it more frustrating when issues are amplified by drama queens into exaggerated catastrophes for personal gain. This behavior sets a poor example and fosters unnecessary toxicity within the EFT community.
Also, remember there are many who are just pissed off for the changes that have been made to the Flea Market (will open only 2 weeks after wipe starts) and FiR requirement for hideout upgrades, which are a completely different story and I will write about them in another article.
So avoid the Drama Trap. Don’t let others’ criticisms dampen your enjoyment of the game, the excitement of exploring new content, or the unique experience of the wipe itself.
Official Message from BSG
In the meantime, today Battlestate Games released an official message thanking players for their feedback and for reporting issues encountered on the first day of Patch 0.16.
The studio announced that technical updates will soon be released to address the following issues:
Game client freezing when loading loot on Ground Zero
Known synchronization issues between EFT and EFT: Arena profiles
Raid progress in PVE ZONE not being counted
Backend error after leaving a raid in PVE ZONE
Game timer resetting to zero when playing as a Scav
Known issues interacting with the Hideout
Known issues visiting other players' Hideouts
Unlocking Jaeger despite meeting all requirements
Mechanic's "Getting Acquainted" task automatically failing if accepted before Patch 0.16 release
Returning certain item icon visuals to the previous version
28/12/2024 UPDATE
BSG has released two patches aimed at addressing the listed bugs and other issues. So far, it seems that most of the problems have been resolved.
However, criticisms of the 0.16 patch persist, with opinions sharply divided. Some players believe this is the best wipe ever, while others insist it's the worst. This image, taken from a Reddit thread, perfectly encapsulates the situation.
While some issues persist, it seems the major problem is performance. But there are discrepancies on this too. While a lot of players report drastic performance reductions, there are some (apparently also some with less powerful rigs) that report performance improvements!
Another point of controversy is the updated sound. Some like it, some love it. I personally like it (so far), although it seems the volume of all effects is lower and when moving it's sometimes difficult to hear others' sounds. In some cases I got surprised how good results does the added reverb gives.
Unfortunately, I also noticed the new system has bugs (weird noises) and the added reverb seem to cause weird effects with your own footsteps sound being reflected by walls and obstacles. Especially when using no headset (this while using Scavs, but I guess it's the same with the PMC).
01/01/2025 UPDATE
BSG installed a technical update to fix more issues:
Fixed an issue where the player has been teleporting in place without being able to move in any direction on various locations;
Fixed all known issues where players transitioning between locations could enter a raid with players outside their group;
Fixed an issue where kills from Aklys Defence Velociraptor .300 Blackout did not count towards progress of Punisher. Part 2 quest;
Reduced the sales limit for 7.62x51mm BCP FMJ rounds to 100 (120 for owners of The Unheard Edition) per restock;
Harris "S-BRM 6-9" bipods moved to Skier LL2;
BT10 V8 Atlas Bipods moved to Mechanic LL2;
NVG-57E night vision device added to Prapor LL1;
Adjusted spawn rates for barter items in the pockets on Scavs and player Scavs;
Adjusted spawn rates and conditions for armor and armored rigs on Scavs and player Scavs;
Adjusted spawn rates for ammunition on player Scavs;
Adjusted spawn rates for backpacks on Scavs.
The long journey towards a stable and clean wipe continues.
03/01/2025 UPDATE
BSG released another technical update:
Fixed an issue that caused players to freeze when interacting with BTR;
Fixed all known issues that led to incorrect playback or complete absence of environment sounds on various locations.
02/02/2025 UPDATE
While some issues have been addressed through the above-mentioned and other technical update patches, many still persist.
Even typically calm and neutral streamers—such as Pestily, who avoids outrage-driven content and does not chase views, likes, or subscriptions by fueling negativity—have condemned this wipe, reinforcing its reputation as the "Worst Wipe Ever."
The problems have been numerous, starting with the previously mentioned failure to lock the Flea Market at the beginning of the wipe, which was a bad omen for what was to come.
The most critical concern is undoubtedly performance. Compared to the previous wipe, performance has worsened for all players. While those with high-end PCs experience fewer issues, the problem affects everyone.
My theory is that this drop in performance is primarily due to the update to the Unity 2022 engine. Unfortunately, rather than delivering the expected improvements, it has instead degraded performance.
While some players had unrealistic expectations, those more informed knew that a game engine upgrade primarily provides new tools for developers, including those that could enhance performance in the future. However, immediate improvements were never guaranteed. That said, I did not expect such a drastic decline. On most maps, my FPS has been cut in half compared to the previous wipe.
It’s worth noting that experienced game developers had already expressed surprise that Escape from Tarkov was even running after the engine update, predicting far worse issues.
Evidently, updating the game engine is far more complex and challenging than many (including me) assumed.
Let's hope that the performance optimization patch promised by BSG arrives soon!
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