Escape From Tarkov still remains the king of the extraction shooter – but with Delta Force’s huge global beta launch just around the corner, many are wondering if it’ll stay that way. The new free-to-play tactical shooter – which has the Operations extraction experience alongside the Battlefield-style Warfare mode – has generated a lot of hype, but it’s going in a different direction to Tarkov when it comes to one important aspect: wipes.
In most extraction FPS games, wipes will happen at regular intervals in order to keep things fresh. Instead of the best players hoarding unbeatable loot for all eternity, progress and inventories are cleared out and reset, with everyone starting again on a level playing field. Wipes are momentous occasions in Escape From Tarkov, and they’ll be present in Delta Force as well. However, they aren’t going to be mandatory, developer Team Jade has confirmed.
During a new livestream, game director Shadow Guo reveals that players will have the choice at the end of Delta Force’s three-month-long seasons as to whether they want to wipe their accounts or not. While there have been global wipes in between the game’s various playtests this year, that won’t be the case once it launches in its global beta state next week. Those who are maybe more casual or precious about the items they’ve accrued will be able to keep all of their progress and gear for the next season. Those looking for a challenge, though, will have the option to reset and start off a new season fresh.
For those that do choose to wipe, you’ll “receive some rewards after respawning” – Guo doesn’t explicitly say what those are, but I can imagine they’ll be very desirable. There’s another bonus, too. After resetting, you can “choose to spawn as a boss in-game and gain special strategy as a boss and also experience some new equipment,” according to Guo.
The only exception for those that don’t wipe is that all players will be forced to reset their safeboxes back to the basic two-slot version at the end of each season. This means if you want to increase its capacity again, you’ll have to re-do the missions that give you those upgrades.
This feels like a smart, ‘best of both worlds’ decision by Team Jade. Giving players the choice as to whether they should wipe or not means that for those with less time to invest in Delta Force, there’s less pressure to grind immediately after a wipe to stay ahead or to burn up the gear and resources you have at the end of a season. However, the fact that hardcore players that do want to wipe will be rewarded still gives them an incentive to put themselves at an early disadvantage.
Delta Force’s global open beta hits Steam on Thursday, December 5. I can’t wait to see how it performs and how its two free-to-play experiences are received. As a Battlefield fan, Warfare is definitely more my bag, but I’ll absolutely be giving Operations a spin as well.
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