Escape from Tarkov isn’t a game that crops up terribly often, but that’s primarily because its update cadence tends to be rather sporadic – its last patch landed this past September and its last big ticket addition was a city map in 2022, followed by a new boss added to that map in August 2023. That said, the survival shooter’s latest splashy update sees this year close out with another new area, a new boss, and more.
The new map is called Ground Zero, located in the center of the city of Tarkov and so named because it was the flashpoint for the current battle of the game’s fiction. This new area is meant for lower level players between one and 20, along with new player quests, new visual cues to help fresh arrivals, and a lockout of the area from higher-level PMCs, though scavs at any level can still enter.
Another major addition is another new boss named Kollontay that lurks in the Streets of Tarkov map. This new boss has a couple of guards that travel with him, tends to stay in one position, and will only close to melee range if he feels he has the upper hand. Speaking of bosses in the Streets of Tarkov map, the Kaban boss has also had a couple of guards added alongside him.
Finally of note is a Shoreline area rework that improves visuals, adds a new cattle farm, area optimizations, and more containers and stashes. And speaking of new goodies to find, the patch has added new items, new weapon mods, and five new weapons, among many other things.
