Escape from Tarkov dev reveals patch 12.6 full wipe coming “very soon”

Battlestate Games lead developer Nikita Buyanov has revealed Escape from Tarkov’s highly-anticipated full server wipe, now locked for Patch 12.6, could be closer than fans originally thought ⁠— it could even drop as early as mid-May.

Server wipes are Escape from Tarkov’s biggest moments. For much of the time, the hardcore FPS is based around stockpiling loot and weapons. The man with the biggest armory, and so the biggest arsenal, reigns supreme in Tarkov.

Every so often, however, Battlestate Games tips the entire ecosystem on its head. Because the title is still in a “beta” state, they introduce server resets to bring everyone back to square one. These are deployed at random intervals.

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Usually, Tarkov players have a vague idea of when the next wipe is coming, and the mid-2020 overhaul is no different. The devs have said 12.6 will send the title back to its out-of-the-box state, but no clear timeframe had been penned in.

• Read more: Tarkov fans call on devs to fix major map exploit

Brace yourselves though Tarkov fans ⁠— it’s much sooner than expected. According to Nikita, who spoke to famed Australian Tarkov streamer Pestily in a livestream while Patch 12.5 was deploying to live servers, it will be “very soon.”

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Tarkov’s full Patch 12.6 wipe is fast approaching

Escape from Tarkov players can expect the highly-anticipated 12.6 patch, along with its big server overhaul, to arrive sometime in mid-May, Buyanov revealed. This is far earlier than the theorized late-June date many had been expecting.

“I saw somebody said that it (the server wipe) will be months after 12.5. That is just not true,” Nikita said. “12.6 is ready. We’re doing primary testing. We just have a few issues to fix. It will not be months… it may even be less than a month.”

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The Battlestate Games helmsman went on to reveal Tarkov’s developers had already entered a “freeze period” for Patch 12.6. What that means, he explained, is when the patch is ready to ship, they stop all work on it and run hundreds of tests.

• Read more: Escape From Tarkov patch 12.5: Therapist service, more

“The content is done,” he continued, and added once they hit the freeze period there’s “only a small amount of time before it lands on live servers” for players. “Right now, 12.6’s testing is underway. It’s on the way… very soon.”

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What else is coming to Tarkov in Patch 12.6?

Buyanov also confirmed a few other 12.6 details outside the headlining server wipe, which includes damage and penetration buffs for 9mm and .366 ammo, the AS VAL and VSS will both be nerfed, and Jager quests will “become easier.”

He also confirmed players would have access to “two or three more lines in their stash,” a change that will play a big role post-wipe. He also teased “significant changes” coming to player hideouts, and small economy tweaks.

• Read more: Pestily reveals fastest Escape from Tarkov level-up methods

Finally, Nikita revealed Escape from Tarkov would be getting opt-in testing servers, to give Battlestate access to more post-patch data in terms of what is working, and what is causing major bugs in the game’s live state.

For now, Patch 12.6 is still on the horizon though. BSG recently dropped Patch 12.5, which included a new-look Therapist service to heal your PMC directly after raids, zoom mechanics tweaks, and more. Read the full patch notes here.