Are LVPO's in Tarkov Unhealthy for the Game?

LVOP or Low variable power optic is a style of scope that usually has two magnifications that can be adjusted to either or. And Tarkov has plenty of these choices on offer. The Burris 1-4x, the Razor 1-6x, Vudu 1-6x and Schmitt and Bender 1-8x. These scopes are highly sought after and can be extremely powerful in the right hands, on the right weapon. But that begs the question: are these kinds of scopes too powerful in the game? Because let’s be real for a moment: you see one of these on a gun, or in the world, where is that optic going? In your butt. You’re taking out your CMS kit, or your splint and ammo to put that sucker in there, because not only are they powerful optics, but because they are so popular, they sell for ludicrous amounts on the flea market. Everyone wants an LVPO on their gun. But why? What makes them so powerful and versatile that people are willing to shell out a quarter of a million rubles to have access to it? Let’s go over what makes them so strong, whether or not their presence in the game should be reduced, and if so, how?

LVPO’s aren’t as old as some other optics and attachments present in the game. Most are more modern additions with their ability to have two magnifications swappable at any time. That level of flexibility is very potent. There are other optics in the game that have two togglable zoom levels, but most of them don’t have a base level starting at 1x. For example, the Hensolt, an optic I thoroughly enjoy using, has its magnifications at a 4-16x zoom level. Not ideal when you want to be sweeping across certain locations but can very much still get the job done on maps with longer than average sightlines. I’ve also learned to enjoy the other optics Tarkov has to offer. Whether they are hybrid scopes, or optics with larger zoom levels because the scopes we all enjoy, the common LVPO’s, have become too expensive to run. And the reason is simple: versatility. Having a 1-6x or a 1-8x allows you to cover pretty much all your distances with relative ease. I’ve always been fascinated by how people are so effective with 1x on a LVPO. I find myself struggling to land shots for some reason. Maybe because I don’t use them as often as others, but either way, to have a long-range scope with the ability to also tackle others as if you have a traditional red dot, is powerful indeed. And everyone seems to be in agreement these are strong because everyone wants to get their hands on them.

I know in reality not everyone is running around with one of these things strapped to their gun, because of their rarity and hefty price, but it’s that same price tag that makes it feel like everyone has one. It’s some ass backwards mental gymnastics I know; hear me out. But for the sake of posterity, if we wanted to reduce how often we see LVPO’s in Tarkov, there are a couple ways of tackling it. The first, and most obvious, is to simply remove them from the flea. But it quickly becomes a rabbit hole if we go with this method. This way, you either find them in raid, or barter for the ones available. Again, this is just playing devil's advocate for the sake of conversation. To give a little back with how much we’re taking by locking them off the flea, it would make sense to add barters for most of the popular optics. But then, all that does is make those barter items the new hot ticket items to buy. And with how BSG handles the vendors, those scopes would instantly sell out every trader reset. So, unless you were camping the vendors, you’d most likely never be able to just open the game randomly and make a bater transaction. So, while yes, we kind of solved the problem, you also just created new ones that honestly might be worse than just leaving the scopes on the flea. Another alternative would be to limit which kinds of weapons can fit LVPO’s. But honestly, I’m trying to play Devil’s Advocate and even I hate this idea. It goes against the spirit of Tarkov, which is that weapons can be built almost however you like. There are some restrictions of course, but limiting optics to something like DMR’s or bolt actions exclusively feels wrong. So, that idea goes in the trash. Perhaps a happy medium would be that you can’t put scopes in your secure container. That way when you find one, if you really want it, you need to leave the raid with it. Plus, this way you can’t spoof your own scopes whenever you’re in a situation where you know you’re going to die.

Another more divisive adjustment to LVPO’s would be to add an animation of your PMC adjusting the scope’s magnification. It would just be a generic hand movement on a part of the scope. And while asking BSG for more of their time to be put into animations for the minute is rather selfish, at least this way, there is a mandatory delay between swapping from one zoom level to another. It would be quick, maybe less than a second. And you could even still be zoomed in while you do it. But this way, you can’t spam between the zoom levels with zero recourse for it. It would also make the click and sway whenever you do swap zoom levels make more sense when it happens. I know it’s to simulate the scope being changed, by at that point just add your hand doing the motion. Kind of like for how we have helmet flashlights now. That animation is simple, generic, and fast. But this way, you feel like you’re doing it, instead of the game assisting on that front. I know I’m not the only one who has suggested this idea, and that it’s been said by many members of the community for years now. This might be the first time you’ve heard someone bring it up. It doesn’t solve every problem, but bringing in an optic like this without any backup red dot or anything to speed the process now comes with a risk. You need to be on the right zoom level all the time and that extra half second to swap might be enough for the person you’re looking at to spot you and take you out.

To answer the question of are LVPO’s healthy for Tarkov, the answer is... yeah. Technically they are. Ultimately people are always going to gravitate to what’s the best, the most damage, the fastest. It doesn’t matter what safeguards are put in place. So, whether it’s LVPO’s or if those got removed and everyone ran ELCAN’s, Bravo’s and HAMR scopes, it doesn’t really matter. People are using the best come hell or high water. Could there be some adjustments made to how they behave so that maybe they are a little more cumbersome to use? Of course, and I would be really interested to see what those kinds of changes would do to Tarkov. Making them harder to acquire, unable to be saved with the secure container, or not as snappy to swap between zoom levels. Any of these by themselves would make a massive difference. But until we see those changes get added into the game, if you do get your hands on one, just know you’re running around with a powerful piece of kit that would sell for six figures on the flea. So, you know, no pressure. Thank you very much for taking the time out of your day to watch this video. Let me know in the comments your thoughts on LVPO’s and optics in general I hope to see you in future ones.