Improving your strength stats in Escape From Tarkov is possibly the most infuriating thing ever. Carrying heavy gear or filling your backpack with empty fuel cans and junk is, at the moment, one of the only ways of pumping iron in game, but Battlestate Games is looking to change that in an upcoming update to the game’s Hideout.
That’s because the developer wants to add a Gym to the Hideout – a management system that gives you the option to craft items that you can use or sell on the flea market and buff your character’s stats. COO and lead developer Nikita Buyanov had hoped to show this off in the latest Tarkov TV show, but admits the development has been held up.
“We had planned to show you something in this podcast, but unfortunately we were late,” Buyanov says. He then goes on to explain there’ll be “new areas” for players to explore, including a gym that’ll allow you to “do exercises to level up your strength.”
It’s unclear how players will be able to get their hands on it at the moment and whether it’ll be available to those who have fully upgraded Hideouts, but giving players an option of upgrading their strength without going into raids like a pack horse will be a welcome addition all round.
However, there are some concerns that this training system could be abused by players. It’s hoped that the gym will offer diminishing returns to players who only train their strength in the Hideout, giving those an opportunity to level their skills on an even playing field.
It looks like we’ll have a little while to find out how it’ll all work, though.
With changes, like an improved party system, new guns, and repair kits on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to be an Escape From Tarkov player – especially if you love pouring over the Escape From Tarkov patch notes. And if you’re on the fence about this whole extraction shooter malarkey, then Battlestate Games’ efforts to make Escape From Tarkov arenas esports ready should be enough to turn your head.