85% through the hardcore suffering
TL;DR - Current Hardcore Status (Week 2):
- ▸ No Flea Market (still bartering with Fence)
- ▸ 4 traders at Level 2, 3 still locked
- ▸ Transit exploit = free extracts (Alt-F4)
- ▸ Insurance costs 3-5x (nobody uses it)
- ▸ No meds/ammo in secure container
- ▸ XP gains still heavily nerfed
- ▸ Arena: 750k/day + free XP still works
- ▸ Ref's GP coin trades = instant gear
The suffering is real, but Arena players are living their best life.
Welcome to "HARDCORE WIPE #17" - Day 149
The suffering is real. The traders are slowly unlocking. The transit bugs persist. This is fine.
📍 Current Wipe Status - Week 2
Trader Progression:
- ✅ Prapor - Level 2 UNLOCKED
- ✅ Therapist - Level 2 UNLOCKED
- ✅ Mechanic - Level 2 UNLOCKED
- ✅ Peacekeeper - Level 2 UNLOCKED (Today!)
- 🔒 Skier - Still capped at Level 1
- 🔒 Jaeger - Still capped at Level 1
- 🔒 Ragman - Still capped at Level 1
Key Changes Still Active:
- ❌ No Flea Market
- 💸 Insurance costs 3-5x normal
- 🚫 No meds/ammo in secure container
- 🐛 Transit exploit still works (Alt-F4 = free extract)
- 🎮 Arena: 750k rubles/day transfer still active
- 💰 Ref's GP coin trades fully available
- 📉 XP gains still heavily nerfed
Last updated: December 5, 2025 - BSG continues their "wavelike" torture by slowly unlocking traders while keeping the economy brutally restricted.
Well, they actually did it. The madlads at BSG launched the hardcore wipe on July 9th, 2025, and it's every bit as painful as promised. We're now two weeks into this masochistic experiment, and Nikita's "wavelike" approach is in full effect—slowly drip-feeding us trader levels like we're addicts begging for our next fix. The economy is absolutely cooked, but hey, at least the Arena players are living their best life with unlimited rubles and XP transfers!
The "Wavelike" Progress So Far: Two weeks in and BSG's "wavelike" approach is in full swing. They're slowly unlocking traders (4 down, 3 to go) while keeping the economy in shambles. The transit exploit remains unfixed (classic BSG), Arena transfers are breaking the "hardcore" economy, and we're all running PS ammo because that's all we can buy. But hey, at least Peacekeeper Level 2 means we can get... slightly better ammo? The real wave we're waiting for: when will they realize Arena players having unlimited money completely defeats the purpose of a hardcore wipe?
Here's what we're currently dealing with in this "hardcore" experience:
Economy & Trading
Flea Market? What Flea Market?
That's right, the flea is GONE. No more easy mode buying that meta kit off some sweaty Chad. Want that slick? Better go find it yourself, you filthy casual. BSG finally figured out how to make us actually play the game instead of playing the market. The economy is about to be more broken than my will to live after dying to the same extract camper three times in a row.
Traders Are Broke AF
Therapist is rationing bandages, Prapor's hoarding his AKs, and don't even get me started on what Jaeger wants you to do for a bottle of water. Everything costs more, traders buy for less, and good luck finding anything decent. It's like they all invested in crypto and lost everything.
Container Stacking Nerf
Remember your beautiful 50-deep backpack stack? Kiss it goodbye! BSG is implementing a stacking limit because apparently some of you hoarders broke the game by stuffing 7+ containers inside each other like demented Russian nesting dolls. Now PvE players who've been living their best hoarding life will watch their precious stash get thanos-snapped. Don't worry though—BSG promises "compensation" for lost items. I'm sure that'll totally make up for your 47 THICC cases full of meta gear.
Core Gameplay
Transit System: Buggy Bus Simulator
Remember that notoriously buggy transit system nobody uses? Well now it's MANDATORY! Want to do a quest on Reserve? Better transit through Customs first. And maybe Woods. Hope you enjoy tripling your queue times for every raid! But wait, it gets better: you might spawn next to a 5-man squad after transit because the game forgot who you queued with. Or get stuck in an infinite loading screen. Or spawn in with your duo partner surrounded by enemies wondering "which one's my buddy?" It's Russian roulette meets public transportation meets battle royale. The transit system barely works when it's optional—making it mandatory is like forcing everyone to use the in-game VOIP that crashes your game. Peak game design.
100% Boss Spawn Rate
Remember when finding Killa was exciting? Well, now he's ALWAYS there. Every. Single. Raid. Same with all the other bosses. It's like BSG said, "You know what? Let's turn every map into a boss farming simulator." Can't wait to get head-eyes'd by Reshala's guards for the 500th time.
Secure Container Nerfed
Your precious gamma/epsilon/kappa? Yeah, it's basically a fancy keychain now. No ammo, no meds, no currency. What CAN you put in it? Probably just your tears and broken dreams. "Secure" container my ass—the only thing secure is BSG's commitment to making us suffer.
XP Gains Nerfed
Killing PMCs gives you pocket change XP now. But surviving? That's where the money is. Too bad you won't survive because the AI is cranked to 11 and everyone's running around like it's Call of Duty because they have nothing to lose. "Wavelike" progression my ass—it's more like drowning in quicksand.
Alternative Modes
Scav Runs Get Nerfed
Think you'll just scav run your way through the hardcore wipe? Think again! BSG is planning nerfs to player scav runs to "better balance them with the hardcore nature." Translation: your free loot runs are about to become as painful as your PMC runs. No more risk-free shopping trips to Interchange. Now even your scav will suffer. Because why should anything in Tarkov be enjoyable?
Arena XP and Ref Get Nerfed
Thought you'd grind Arena for easy XP and transfer money to your PMC? Nikita says NYET! Arena XP transfers are getting nerfed, money/GP coin transfers will likely be restricted or unavailable, and even Ref (the Arena trader) is getting the nerf bat. No more cheesing your way to level 42 by playing Team Deathmatch. BSG saw people actually having fun in Arena and said "we can't have that." The one game mode that wasn't pure suffering? Fixed! Can't escape from Tarkov, even in the mode literally designed to escape from Tarkov.
Progression & Meta
Hideout Requires Your Firstborn
Building your hideout now requires approximately 47,000 more items than before. But hey, at least you don't need FIR status anymore! So you can shove those graphics cards up your prison wallet and actually use them. Small victories, right? Wrong. You'll need so many items that you'll be collecting toilet paper until 2026.
The "Maybe Final" Wipe
Here's the kicker—this MIGHT be the last wipe before 1.0. That's right, after years of "soon™" and "planned™", we might actually see a full release. Or it's another carrot on a stick while they develop Streets of Tarkov 2: Electric Boogaloo. Place your bets!
So here we are, two weeks into this "hardcore" experiment. The economy is absolutely destroyed, insurance is a luxury only the Arena-rich can afford, and we're all running around with PS ammo because that's all Prapor Level 2 sells. But hey, at least the transit exploit means we can Alt-F4 our way to safety when things get too spicy!
The real question now: When will BSG realize that Arena players transferring 750k rubles daily completely breaks the "hardcore" economy? Or that Ref's GP coin trades are giving Arena mains instant access to end-game gear while the rest of us are fighting over toilet paper? Probably around the same time they fix the transit system. So... never.
Good luck out there, you beautiful, masochistic bastards. May your PS ammo penetrate something other than air, and may your transit loads actually complete. (Spoiler: they won't.)
Estimated Next Wipe: January 2026
Based on typical wipe cycles. Actual date depends on how much more suffering BSG wants to inflict.