Escape from Tarkov changes its ending after requests to make it easier, but does the exact opposite

With the momentous launch of Escape From Tarkov 1.0 towards the end of last year, fans of one of the best FPS games around could finally achieve what it says on the tin. A series of endings were added to the game, which allow you to escape from the ravaged city of Tarkov after an intense PvE mission. However, Battlestate Games has just made a key change to EFT's ending after requests from fans, but appears to have carried out the exact opposite of what players were asking for.

Escape From Tarkov's Terminal mission can be played either solo or co-operatively, with a max squad size of five. If you have been walking along the Tarkov path for years with a few pals, then it seems fitting that you can take on this long-awaited mission together. However, not everyone in your squad is guaranteed to actually escape - be warned, some light spoilers ahead if you've somehow managed to dodge them thus far. Regardless of which cinematic ending you're set to get, at the end of Terminal you reach a boat which is ready to whisk you away from Tarkov, but there are only limited seats available. Depending on the size of your squad, the amount of free seats would range from between one and three, meaning that some of your teammates would be left behind.

Streamer 'Velion' recently called on Battlestate chief Nikita Buyanov to ease this and make it so that all members of a squad can extract at the same time, and for a moment, it seemed as if prayers had already been answered - "it's changed already," Buyanov simply responded to the streamer on Saturday January 3.

As it turns out, Buyanov's response is a little cheeky here, as the 'change' is actually the opposite of what Velion was calling for. As highlighted by fellow Tarkov streamer Paul 'Pestily' Licari on X, and backed up by a couple of other community members in his comments, it appears things have become even stricter.

"Hey I watched multiple runs of Terminal yesterday and even with five people getting to the end it's always one seat now?" Pestily says in response to Buyanov's previous comment. "I understand 'changed' can mean multiple things but only one? Bruh…"

Battlestate has a reputation for keeping its players guessing and for ensuring that Tarkov remains a punishing, hardcore experience, so this kind of move isn't totally unexpected. However, to see a suggestion, imply that it's been listened to, and go in completely the opposite direction is… brave. Admittedly, achieving your Tarkov ending and clearing Terminal isn't meant to be easy, but I can certainly see this rubbing some players up the wrong way.