Escape From Tarkov Update To Rework The Interchange Map

Despite having been released in Early Access form almost three years ago, Escape From Tarkov is still in beta. The big disadvantage of playing a game that's still in beta is that sometimes things change a whole lot. In the case of Tarkov, that means they’ll soon have to rethink their strategies for the Interchange map.

While the preliminary patch notes don't detail what changes are being made to the shopping center-themed map, PCGamesn has picked up that new exfil points are being added, meaning players will have a new set of exits to memorize.

The 0.12.4 patch will also add a number of features to make Tarkov's survival mechanics even more punishing. A new addition to the stamina system is 'fatigue'--if your character spends too much time with low stamina, the fatigue debuff will cause you to use energy more quickly.

Stamina has also been split into leg stamina and arm stamina, meaning you'll have to balance out actions that use the upper body and the lower body to prevent stamina from draining. To add to this is a new weight mechanic, which will make characters slower, more stamina-hungry and louder when overburdened. Here are the full patch notes for these updates:

• New mechanics, overweight. The character receives various debuffs while carrying a certain amount of weight (increased equipment noise, movement speed limits, increased stamina consumption, etc.)
• Fatigue effect debuff has been added, which appears if the character keeps the stamina at a low level for a long time. Energy consumption increases with this effect.
• Now The character's stamina indicator is divided into arms and legs. The arm's stamina is consumed when aiming, throwing grenades and fighting with melee weapons. The legs stamina is consumed during sprinting, jumping, changing body positions, etc. Also, the legs stamina starts to drain when the hand's stamina drops to zero.

More controversially, Battlestate Games has raised the level requirement for the flea market from PMC level 5 to level 15. Players under that level won't be able to access the market after the patch goes live, even if they could beforehand. Though the change may be punishing to new players, others have welcomed the change as a way to control hackers and cash farming behaviour.

The patch doesn't have a release date yet, but if you want to get some practice in before Escape From Tarkov becomes even more challenging, check out our guide to the game's sometimes tricky controls.