Escape from Tarkov’s 14.1 Update Brings Welcome Changes

Battlestate Games has deployed the 14.1 patch in Escape from Tarkov, taking the game offline and introducing a string of community-led changes. At the top of the table sits the removal of snow, which will find its way out of Escape from Tarkov over the coming days as the weather brightens up – finally. There are also extensive changes coming to the armour systems that were introduced with the last major update (0.14). It also seems like Battlestate Games is preparing to introduce the game’s first-ever microtransactions, too.

At the base of the patch notes, there’s a reference to players being able to purchase ‘additional stash lines’. Until now, this hasn’t been possible, and the size of a player’s stash is determined by the ‘version’ of Escape from Tarkov that they own. With the recent removal of the highest tier of Tarkov – Edge of Darkness – it seems like Battlestate is now making it possible for players to seek out those additional benefits that the version provided.

No More Snow

The biggest change coming to Escape from Tarkov in the 14.1 patch is the removal of snow, returning Norvinsk to scenes of green. For more than a month, players have been contending with heavy snowfall in Escape from Tarkov, obscuring their vision somewhat and introducing crunchy footsteps that make it hard to hear anything around them. It added an extra challenge to the already hardcore title, but for some, it was a nice change to the game’s established aesthetic.

With 0.14.1.0, snow will be retired and spring weather will come about. It’s expected that we’ll see snow return later this year, though.

In the patch notes for 0.14.1, it was revealed that dozens of changes are being made to the new mechanics introduced in 0.14. For instance, armour penetration has been reworked, as have hitboxes and recoil parameters for certain weapons. The BTR that was added to Streets of Tarkov weeks ago has been tweaked – much to the delight of players – and empty containers will now be less likely to spawn dynamically.

There have been tweaks made to audio systems on certain maps, and almost one hundred fixes have been applied across the board.

But What About The Microtransactions?

Escape from Tarkov has never featured microtransactions of any kind. Players are bound to buy their copy of the game, and that’s it. Of course, there were varying tiers of the game to buy, and most players typically opted for the highest tier – Edge of Darkness – but that’s the norm for most games. Battlestate Games has never leant towards the use of microtransactions to bolster its offering – despite the game having a perfect foundation for doing so. There are many ways that microtransactions could be featured in Escape from Tarkov.

Now, Battlestate Games is preparing to allow players to unlock extra lines in their stash by buying them with real-world money. It’s assumed that this is a permanent fixture, so once players have purchased those lines, even a game ‘wipe’ won’t remove them. They’ll be short-lived microtransactions, but they’re there nonetheless. It was also revealed that players with a lower version of the game will be able to buy into the ‘offline’ co-op practice modes that were made available several months ago.

It’s likely not the start of a trend in Tarkov, but it is a big change.

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