The Escape From Tarkov developer is reversing the path to PvE access for a limited time

Battlestate Games will now offer it all Escape from Tarkov The Edge of Darkness edition has a new PvE game mode with continuous progression for free at launch with no six-month window. The offline co-op mode was originally announced as an exclusive to the newly revealed EFT Unheard Edition, before player backlash saw Battlestate offer this new mode to EoD owners for a limited time, with all owners now getting free unlimited playtime. Limited at launch after a premium early access period.

A brand new statement from Battlestate Games COO Nikita Buyanov posted on the Escape From Tarkov Reddit on Saturday, April 27 aims to clarify the situation, while also changing who will get the upcoming offline PvE mode. Players can get early access to the new FPS game mode at a significant discount, but the full launch will be free for everyone.

“We noticed your dissatisfaction and decided that the PvE mode function will be available for free to all owners of the EoD version upon the release of the game, when the server infrastructure is optimized to the required capacity,” Boyanov wrote.

Edge of Darkness Edition buyers will also receive a 70% discount on early access to the PvE mode alone, with a 50% discount for EoD owners looking to upgrade to the Escape From Tarkov Unheard Edition. So everyone who owns the EoD Edition will get the new PvE mode for free, or you can purchase Early Access separately or via the Unheard Edition upgrade.

Players are criticizing Battlestate Games for pulling the EoD version from sale in January after it was thought to be the more premium version of EFT offering “free access to all subsequent DLC”, but Buyanov doesn't see the upcoming offline mode being DLC, As they explained in a Reddit statement.

“[The new] PvE game mode is not DLC. DLC in our understanding are the main additions to the game, including various functions and content released after the official release of the game as a themed DLC pack (for example, Scav Life DLC, which will add a lot of new mechanics and content Scav and settlement game).

“This specific functionality of the PvE mode is necessarily entirely present on a separate network infrastructure, because you mainly play on our servers, only in closed mode. At this point, it is not possible to launch [for] All players who carry EoD – at the moment we simply do not have the required amount of resources for this.

After initial backlash towards the Unheard Edition, Battlestate Games offered compensation in the form of new features to EoD owners, along with access to a new offline PvE mode for six months, but now all EoD owners will get it for free forever.

Despite pulling back further, many players are still criticizing Battlestate Games in the comments. One user is calling the whole thing “snake behaviour”, shedding a lot of light on how they believe the mode should be classified as DLC. “You say you can't give PvE to everyone because of the cost, but why make it PvE on your servers? Why not make it run on the user's computers and make it truly offline?

While all EoD players will now get access to the upcoming offline PvE mode for free, Battlestate has opted to offer early access at a higher price while doubling down on its efforts to not see the mode because the DLC has left an incredibly bad taste in many mouths.

As the EFT situation continues, we've got the best Battle Royale and multiplayer games you can try in the meantime instead.

You can also follow us on Google News For daily PC gaming news, reviews and guides, or get our website PCGN deal tracker To net yourself some deals.