The Icebreaker event is coming soon.
Credit: Battlestate Games
On the recent TarkovTV stream, the Escape From Tarkov development team revealed the first official details of the hotly anticipated Icebreaker event, revealing that it is due to launch sometime this month.
The icebreaker event will be the largest event in Escape From Tarkov history, and will feature a brand new location in the form of a cargo ship. This location will become a permanent addition to Tarkov after the event ends, and it seems to feature some very unique mechanics.
In the short but revealing trailer for the event that was shown on the TarkovTV stream, we got a look at new features such as doors that are locked via a keypad and require you to enter a code to get through, and the potential of new air support options.
The Icebreaker location and event will be a new storyline chapter, adding to the story content that was added with Tarkov’s official launch last year. There’s no word on how this will play into the story, but it was referred to as a singleplayer experience in a multiplayer game, so the map being a similar thing to how the Terminal map works would not be a surprise.
While no official launch date was revealed for the Escape From Tarkov icebreaker event, it was confirmed that it will arrive sometime in May. Given there are smaller plans for the next few days, which we will get to in a second, a launch at the end of May looks more likely.
It was also confirmed in the TarkovTV stream that there will be a new mini event on the Customs map running for the next few days. Two of the game’s bosses will have 100% spawn chances on the map, and AI scavs will be replaced by their guards. Player scav numbers will be reduced, and all AI will attack the player scavs.
It was also announced that the season system, which is to replace wipes, will likely arrive in July, although the development team was keen to reiterate that this could change and arrive sooner or later depending how development goes. These seasons will add a special season character for you to use, which is essentially like starting a new wipe where everyone playing on those seasonal servers has to start from scratch. This will not wipe your core PvP character, which has led to some players worrying about splitting the player base even further.
These servers for the seasonal characters will feature unique modifiers, making things harder to easier for players. Some examples shown were the options for no insurance, and the potential for your player to be allergic to some foods and drinks. While positive options include things such as there being no Found in Raid requirement for hideout items or the option to start the season with the Kappa container already unlocked. Some of these modifiers you will be able to choose for your character, while others will be global for everyone.
All of these events combined seem to paint a very strong picture for the next few months of Escape From Tarkov. With the Icebreaker event set to add major new content, and then the addition of the seasons and the first post launch wipe, of sorts, coming just a few weeks later, things are about to massively change in Tarkov.
