‘Escape From Tarkov’ Patch Notes Make Major PvE Change

Tarkov is making some changes.

Credit: Battlestate Games / Mike Stubbs

The latest set of Escape From Tarkov patch notes have been released, with the 0.16.9.0 update set to make a major change to the PvE mode and bring back the flea market.

Released earlier today, the patch notes for the 0.16.9.0 update reveal a few major changes to the Escape From Tarkov ecosystem, with the biggest change coming to cross progression between Escape From Tarkov: Arena, and the PvE mode in the main game. For those playing the PvP mode, transferring items, money and using the same character across the main game and Arena has long been possible, but it has been locked away for PvE players due to potential balance issues it could create.

But the new Tarkov patch finally opens up that cross progression for PvE players, with some caveats. Unlike the PvP mode, this cross progression only works one way, with Arena progression transferring to the PvE mode but not the other way round. This means you can earn cash, XP and items in Arena and send them to your PvE account, but anything you earn in the PvE mode cannot be transferred to Arena.

The full Escape From Tarkov patch notes have the full rundown of how this actually works, but on paper it seems like the smartest way of doing it. It should avoid the issue of any PvE players being able to transfer millions of dollars to Arena or even the PvP Tarkov experience at the start of a new wipe.

Ref has also been added to the PvE mode as a trader with this update, giving those who have done just about everything possible in the mode something new to do. He works largely the same as his PvP counterpart, and comes with some new task lines for you to play through.

Outside of the PvE crossover with Arena, the other major change in the Tarkov patch notes is the return of the flea market, which has been disabled since the start of the hardcore wipe. Now it is back, but again with some caveats. You will only be able to access the flea market when you hit level 35 in game, and even then you will only be able to list one found in raid item at a time. This will no doubt prove controversial with fans, as the lack of a flea market has been one of the better changes the dev team has tried out in recent months.

The rest of the patch notes include a ton of AI changes, some balance changes for the hardcore wipe, which is still proving controversial despite a lot of the most egregious changes being reverted already, and a big list of bug fixes.

As we get closer and closer to the launch of Escape From Tarkov we can likely expect to see more patches like this going forward, with the aim of fixing all the smaller issues before the major 1.0 patch shakes everything up. There is still no confirmed release date, but the team is still targeting a launch before the end of the year.