PvE - the E stands for Easy

As mentioned in my previous post, I started playing Tarkov again after a long break.  It was going as it ever did: lots of death.  The desync was becoming very trying and after a particularly frustrating fail I went and bought the PvE expansion and have been playing that now instead.

At the time of the switch, I was level 16 or so in PvP mode, with maybe 300,000 rubles in cash, and exactly 0 PMC kills. A new record low.  Even when I started playing EFT four years ago and was an absolute noob I had more PMC kills than that by the time I reached level 16.  Of course, Arena makes me level up faster, so the comparison is not equal.  

Nikita, if you are reading this, please bring back the ability to choose an individual server. Or at least give me the choice of prioritizing low ping at the expense of a longer wait time. 

So I've been playing PvE.   It's fun. It's far better than simply dying every time I draw near another player. But it's too easy.

As of today, I am Level 20 in PvE mode with a 69% survival rate and 49 AI PMCs killed and 5 bosses ( Reshala, one guard, three goons).  I have 6.4 million rubles and five of the traders have been raised to level 2. I have a Kill/Death ratio of 13.73!!

This is strange territory for me. Progression-wise, I'm still in familiar territory. I'm still mostly running quests that I've seen a few times before.  But 49 PMC kills? 6 million rubles? 13.7 K/D ?? That's crazy. 

The raids are lit. Having 15+ kills in a raid is not uncommon. On some maps, it's only a matter of enough ammo and my ability to pack magazines fast enough that stops me from just killing scavs non-stop.  

I still die, just less frequently. If I do something dumb, it'll likely end in my demise. The AI PMCs are sometimes crack vicious shots, even one can be very dangerous and if I expose myself to two simultaneously, then it's over. And the bosses are as they ever are (except I see them more frequently).  But most fights are manageable. Overall, it's easy.

I'm certainly not the first to make these observations, but some things I'd like to see in PvE mode:

• the PMCs and Scavs should take loot. In particular, the PMCs should be looting safes and stashes if they get there first.  And they should have that loot on their persons if killed.
• are the AI PMCs spawning in at the same spawn points as PVP players and moving around the map like regular PVP players?   It seems like they are monster-boxed/scripted.  Not sure how I feel about that.  They seem to just show up and oftentimes just disappear. On Shoreline, for example, you can find them at the weather station, but if you hang back they'll leave and move on. If you try to follow them, they just seem to disappear into thin air once they cross out of that area.
• the PMCs need to move more. They mostly just stand there, insta-firing. They never flank or reposition. 
• the PMCs should use grenades correctly ( to flush an opponent out of cover )
• if you break line-of-sight for long enough (maybe at a certain distance)  the PMCs will forget you are there - and even turn their back to you, just standing around. That's a weird dynamic. 
• insurance comes back all the time. Whereas in PvP the only thing that ever comes back is crappy armor or Kedrs, unless I die in a bush or have the wherewithal to ditch my gear.  Please fix this.
• Why two flea markets?  On one hand it makes sense, because the economic priorities between the two modes are very different. ( perfect insurance and uncontested loot means PvE players are fat and rich whereas PvP players don't always need every key - doors are often unlocked by others  ).  But on the other hand: currency is supposed to be fungible.
• tweak the scav spawning.  Given my 69% survival rate, I shouldn't be complaining, but scavs spawning into a closed door room with me, or spawning in just meters behind me is not an uncommon occurrence. I like the increased scav tempo - it's great - it makes looting a lot more challenging. But the spawn-next-to-me thing breaks realism too much.