Tarkov Halloween event adds virus outbreak and melee mode

Battlestate Games announced on October 29 that a Halloween event has started in Escape from Tarkov and Escape from Tarkov: Arena, according to gamemeca.com. In the main game, a dangerous virus has spread and aggressive infected now appear in large numbers.

The outbreak areas are The Infected Lab and Infected Factory, which players reach through a separate map selection tab. Only small player groups can enter these zones, and insurance is disabled there.

A new quest line lets players either strengthen quarantine in standard areas or enter the isolated outbreak zones to search for vaccine components. Infected enemies bring distinct behaviours including fast, slow and ranged attacks, with rebalanced combat and ambush attacks. The scythe-wielding infected Tagilla returns to raids, infected Black Division agents also appear, and night raids have become more dangerous due to increased Cultist activity.

Players who complete the story quest line and eliminate infected earn a commemorative achievement and rewards including an exclusive event poster and in-game resources.

Melee-only mode in Arena

Escape from Tarkov: Arena adds CheckPoint: Bloodlust, a 5v5 team mode inspired by classic slasher films in which firearms are banned and only melee weapons are used. Players wear masks inspired by horror movie killers. The mode gives double XP for matches and kills, a 1.5x battle pass progression bonus and cash rewards, and completing a special quest line grants the 'Mask Off' achievement.