12.12 for Tarkov is out; how is it?

Now that patch 12.12 for Tarkov has been out for a couple weeks, combined with the Twitch Drops event just starting, it makes sense now to have a discussion about the state of the game and what the general consensus is with how this patch feels, plays, and the overall outlook for the game is.

I can certainly say this is the most substantial patch we’ve gotten in a long time. I’d argue it’s even bigger than patch .12 when reserve was released back in October of 2019. We got a new map, new mechanics, overall huge gameplay changes, new guns, gear, etc. This was a loaded patch. And it makes sense, the last wipe we got was at the beginning of this year. I’m just glad that everything they wanted to get in this patch made it. There weren’t any huge additions that got cut due to time constraints. As for the additions, I think the most substantial change that was added was VOIP. This single mechanic has unanimously been acclaimed by the community to be the single greatest addition to Tarkov, maybe ever. Everyone loves it, it has been implemented exactly how it needed to be. It’s off by default so if you don’t want to engage with it (and I honestly don’t see why you wouldn’t want to) you don’t have to. But it has brought so much life to raids now; you don’t always have to end a confrontation with bullets. Sometimes you can just talk your way out of a situation. Especially since at the start, everyone was questing so no one wanted to die. Scaving has become even more interesting now, since people are way likely to want to cooperate and trade with one another. It just got easier as well.

Now with the addition of Lighthouse, and more specifically, the Rogues, cooperation amongst scavs and even PMC’s is at an all-time high. The Rogues being as “difficult” as they are, with the loot they have, has brought a substantial amount of people looking for a fight. And with that, people are willing to work together and split the loot across each other should be come out victorious. Now, it isn’t easy. The Rogues cheat; a lot. They shoot through walls, have insane aim and reaction speeds, and have turrets. It’s definitely a little artificially difficult, but because they have a 100% spawn rate, it’s forgiven, at least to me. The map itself is certainly interesting. It's way bigger than I think most were expecting and that’s a good thing. BSG always kills it with the design and layouts of their map and this one is no exception. Honestly, I have done more scav runs on it than PMC runs, but I’ll get there.

Inertia. Something we all knew was coming eventually, and is finally here. How is it? Well... it’s different. First raid it was like trying to learn how to walk all over again. “AD” strafing is almost entirely gone, and now with the extra weight that has been added to the character, combined with changed stamina and strength skills, everything needs to be relearned. So, in all honesty, if you’re a brand-new player to the game, you actually might have an easier time with the game than someone like myself who has been playing since 2017. Everything was already so slow and deliberate before, and now that dial has been turned up to eleven. In addition to making the game slower, grenades cannot just be thrown anymore. You need to pull it out, pull the pin, and throw it. And that goes for ALL grenades. A very welcome addition as well to the game.

And of course, there were tons of bug fixes and changes overall. However, I must admit that the stability of this patch has been all over the place. And that’s in part due to the popularity of this patch and how much it’s blown up since wipe day. And with the drops event going on right now, these issues will most likely persist. So just be patient and enjoy the game as best as you can. Overall, this patch has been really important for Tarkov; setting the groundwork for future patches to come. And with the looming .13 patch hopefully next year, that’s when Tarkov will truly become the game we all hope it becomes.