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How Seasonal Wipes Work in Extraction Shooters—and What Progress Usually Resets

Extraction-shooter wipes are not universal: they can reset one seasonal character, apply only to a mode, be optional, or describe a one-time event. Here is how to identify the trigger, scope, lost progression and retained records.
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There is no universal extraction-shooter wipe. A reset may affect one seasonal character, a single game mode, or only players who opt into a project. The practical rule is to identify the game, mode, trigger and each progression category separately. In the clearest current examples, Escape from Tarkov automatically resets seasonal-character progression every four to six months, ARC Raiders is designing a voluntary Expedition reset on an approximately eight-week cycle, and Hunt: Showdown’s often-cited wipe was a one-time prelaunch event in 2019.

What a “wipe” means in an extraction shooter

In an extraction shooter, a wipe is a deliberate reset of some progress so players start a mode, season or server period from an earlier state. The word sounds absolute, but the implementation rarely is. Developers can reset a character’s level and inventory while preserving cosmetics, achievements or account-wide unlocks. They can reset one mode while leaving other profiles untouched, or let a player choose whether to reset at all.

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That is why “the game wipes every season” is incomplete. A useful description answers five questions:

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  • What triggers it? A fixed season, major update, scheduled window or player decision.
  • What is in scope? An account, a seasonal character, a mode, an inventory or selected progression tracks.
  • What is lost? Levels, skills, quests, currency, equipment, crafting access or other character progress.
  • What remains? Cosmetics, achievements, rankings, rewards, battle-pass progress or account unlocks.
  • Who controls it? The developer, a schedule or the individual player.

Those distinctions determine whether a wipe is a routine seasonal refresh, an optional prestige-style decision or a historical server reset that should not be used to describe the current game.

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Why developers use seasonal resets

A reset gives a season a common starting line. When long-term players retain every weapon, level and economic advantage indefinitely, new players can face a large gap before they understand the game. Resetting selected character progress can renew the early-game economy, make low-tier equipment relevant again and give players a reason to pursue a new set of objectives.

The trade-off is obvious: a reset can erase time invested in skills, quests, gear and crafting. The most player-friendly systems separate that temporary character progression from permanent account records. The examples below show three different solutions rather than one genre standard.

Escape from Tarkov: a seasonal-character reset, not an all-profile wipe

Battlestate Games’ Patch 1.1.0.0 introduced the Seasons system and its first season, KORD BREACH. The announcement defines Seasonal Characters as separate from characters in the PvP Zone and PvE Zone. Seasonal-character progression automatically resets every four to six months, when a major content update starts a new season.

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The scope matters. Saying “all Tarkov progress wipes” would misstate the announcement, which explicitly distinguishes the seasonal profile from the PvP Zone and PvE Zone profiles. A player must therefore check which profile they are using before assuming a reset will affect it.

What the seasonal reset changes

The reset applies to progression on the seasonal character. The announcement does not describe every item-level consequence in a single universal list, so players should use the current season’s rules for operational details rather than infer them from the word “wipe.” The confirmed cadence is the seasonal progression reset tied to the major update and new season.

What seasonal rewards do—and do not—carry over

Seasonal rewards are unique trader offers unlocked by level or task conditions. Rewards that were already unlocked become permanently available across PvP Zone, PvE Zone and PvP Season. Rewards that remained locked when the KORD BREACH season ended become permanently unobtainable. This creates an important asymmetry: an unlocked offer is a lasting account-style unlock, while an unfinished unlock condition can expire with the season.

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Battle Pass progression is shared across the named modes. That is a separate track from seasonal-character progression and from the trader rewards. A reset of one track should not be described as a reset of all three.

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Tarkov Arena is a separate case

An official Escape from Tarkov Telegram post describes a different reset list for Arena. It says character level, skills and weapon mastery, Ref task progress and trader reputation reset. Battle Pass and Tactical Map progress, earned rewards, Armory progress and achievements remain.

This is Arena-specific information and should not be generalized to the main game’s seasonal characters. The captured channel page does not establish the post’s publication date, so treat it as a mode-specific rule to verify against the live Arena announcement rather than as a dated statement about every Tarkov profile.

ARC Raiders: an optional Expedition reset

In a developer post dated October 9, 2025, ARC Raiders design director Virgil described the Expedition Project as a voluntary character reset. The studio said it did not intend mandatory wipes and was developing the project for players who wanted a fresh progression cycle.

The post describes a repeating cycle of roughly eight weeks. Completing the project makes a character reset available; incomplete project progress carries to the next completion window. The post also warns that benefits and details were still being finalized and could change, so its categories should not be treated as permanent live instructions without checking current game materials.

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Progress listed as lost

  • Character levels.
  • Skills.
  • Items and inventory.
  • Workshop progress.
  • Crafting capabilities.

These are character-level advantages. Losing them means the selected character returns to an earlier progression state after an Expedition.

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Progress listed as retained

  • Cosmetics.
  • Awards.
  • Achievements.
  • Rankings.

The post also says some onboarding steps and features are available from the start after an Expedition. That does not mean every unlock is permanent; it means the post identifies specific retained records and immediate access that the design intended to provide.

“Players who have less time to dedicate to the game don’t have their progress reset outside of their control.”

— Virgil, ARC Raiders design director, developer post dated October 9, 2025

The quotation explains the studio’s stated rationale for making the reset voluntary. It is a design intention, not statistical evidence and not a promise that no future reset system could ever be added.

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Hunt: Showdown’s 2019 wipe is a historical example

Crytek’s August 6, 2019 announcement described a server wipe ahead of Hunt: Showdown’s full launch. That event reset money, Hunters, inventory and statistics. Prestige remained, and the announcement described permanent prestige rewards.

This is useful as an example of category-by-category handling, but it is not evidence of Hunt’s current seasonal policy. The event was tied to a specific prelaunch transition. A current player should not assume that a 2019 server reset is repeated every season or still governs live progression.

Comparison: trigger, scope and retention

Game or mode Trigger and cadence Scope described by the official material Progress lost Progress retained Player control and certainty
Escape from Tarkov seasonal characters Automatic reset every four to six months with a major content update and new season; Battlestate Games, Patch 1.1.0.0, 2026 Seasonal Characters; separate from PvP Zone and PvE Zone characters Seasonal-character progression; the announcement does not provide one universal item-by-item list Unlocked seasonal rewards become permanently available across PvP Zone, PvE Zone and PvP Season; Battle Pass progression is shared across the named modes Mandatory for the seasonal profile; profile boundaries are explicit
Escape from Tarkov Arena Reset details described in an official Telegram post; publication date not established by the captured page Arena-specific character and progression tracks Character level, skills and weapon mastery, Ref task progress, trader reputation Battle Pass and Tactical Map progress, earned rewards, Armory progress, achievements Mode-specific; do not generalize to the main game
ARC Raiders Expedition Project Voluntary reset after completing the project; roughly eight-week repeating cycle; October 9, 2025 developer post The character selected for the Expedition Levels, skills, items and inventory, workshop and crafting capabilities Cosmetics, awards, achievements, rankings; some onboarding steps and features available from the start Optional; the post says details and benefits were subject to change, and incomplete project progress carries forward
Hunt: Showdown prelaunch event One server wipe before full launch; August 6, 2019 announcement The prelaunch server state Money, Hunters, inventory and statistics Prestige and permanent prestige rewards Historical event, not a statement of current seasonal policy

What usually resets—and what often survives

The comparison shows a pattern, but not a rule that can be applied blindly. Character power and short-term economy are the most likely categories to reset because they create the fresh-start effect. Cosmetics and achievement records are more likely to survive because they represent identity or historical completion rather than combat power.

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Commonly reset categories

  • Character level and skill points.
  • Weapon mastery or other combat progression.
  • Quests, tasks and reputation with traders or factions.
  • Currency, Hunters, equipment and stored inventory.
  • Workshop, crafting and other character-bound capabilities.
  • Mode-specific statistics, when the developer includes them in the reset list.

“Commonly” does not mean guaranteed. Hunt’s 2019 event reset statistics, while the Tarkov seasonal announcement does not provide a single universal inventory list. Always use the named game and mode’s own categories.

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Categories that may survive

  • Cosmetics and appearance items.
  • Achievements, awards and rankings.
  • Prestige or permanent prestige rewards.
  • Battle Pass progress or earned rewards.
  • Account-wide unlocks, such as Tarkov seasonal rewards already unlocked before the deadline.

Retention can still have conditions. Tarkov’s KORD BREACH announcement says locked seasonal rewards become unobtainable at the end of that season, so “rewards survive” would be too broad. The relevant question is whether the reward was already unlocked.

How to check a wipe before you invest time

  1. Identify the exact mode and profile. Write down whether you are playing a seasonal character, a main PvP or PvE profile, Arena or another separate mode.
  2. Find the trigger. Look for wording such as “major content update,” “new season,” “completed project” or “prelaunch server wipe.” A scheduled reset and a voluntary reset require different preparation.
  3. Make two lists. Put every item under “character progress” or “account record.” Include levels, skills, quests, reputation, currency, inventory, crafting, cosmetics, achievements, rankings, battle-pass progress and rewards.
  4. Check each category in the official announcement. Do not infer that an item survives because another game preserves it, and do not infer that an entire account resets because one character does.
  5. Record deadlines and conditions. An unlock may need to be earned before a season ends. In ARC Raiders’ described design, incomplete Expedition preparation carries to the next window; that is different from a deadline that permanently removes an unfinished reward.
  6. Separate confirmed rules from changeable plans. A dated developer post can describe an intended system while warning that benefits may change. Recheck live patch notes or help pages before making a final decision.
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How to prepare for a mandatory wipe

Preparation is about converting expiring progress into permanent value where the game allows it. In Tarkov’s seasonal system, prioritize trader offers whose unlock conditions you can actually complete before the season ends, because locked KORD BREACH rewards become unobtainable. Keep a record of which rewards are already unlocked rather than assuming every seasonal offer will transfer.

For a mode with a published reset list, spend temporary resources on goals that produce retained records only when that trade-off makes sense. If levels, inventory and crafting are lost but achievements or rankings remain, a player focused on long-term records may pursue those retained goals instead of stockpiling equipment that will disappear.

Do not treat the same preparation plan as universal. A seasonal Tarkov character, Tarkov Arena profile and an optional ARC Raiders Expedition have different scopes and different player choices.

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How to decide whether an optional reset is worthwhile

An optional reset is a trade: you surrender character power and stored resources in exchange for the benefits attached to a fresh cycle. Before confirming one, ask:

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  • Which exact levels, skills, items, workshop progress and crafting capabilities will disappear?
  • Which cosmetics, awards, achievements and rankings will remain?
  • Are the project’s benefits finalized, or does the developer still describe them as subject to change?
  • Will unfinished preparation carry forward to the next completion window?
  • Do you have enough time to rebuild the character before the next cycle?

ARC Raiders’ described Expedition system answers some of these questions but explicitly leaves room for design changes. That makes the decision less about a universal “best time to wipe” and more about whether the current live benefits justify losing the listed character progress.

Common mistakes when explaining wipes

Calling every reset an account wipe

A seasonal character can be independent of other profiles. Tarkov’s announcement is a direct example: seasonal, PvP Zone and PvE Zone characters are separate.

Mixing modes

Arena’s reset list cannot be used to describe Tarkov’s main seasonal characters. Mode names belong in the headline, instructions and comparison.

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Treating a historical event as a current policy

Hunt’s August 2019 prelaunch wipe documents that event only. It does not establish a recurring seasonal schedule.

Assuming cosmetics are the only permanent items

Achievements, rankings, prestige, battle-pass progress and already-unlocked rewards can also survive, depending on the game. Tarkov’s unlocked seasonal trader rewards are a particularly important example.

Presenting a planned system as immutable

ARC Raiders’ developer post gives an intended Expedition design and an approximate cycle, while noting that details could change. Date the statement and verify the live rules before giving operational advice.

The practical answer to “what gets wiped?”

The safest answer is always conditional: the game’s named mode and reset announcement decide. Tarkov’s seasonal character progression is scheduled to reset every four to six months, but other Tarkov profiles are separate and unlocked seasonal rewards persist across the named modes. ARC Raiders’ described Expedition reset is voluntary and removes listed character progress while retaining cosmetics and several account-level records. Hunt’s money, Hunters, inventory and statistics reset in a specific 2019 prelaunch event, while prestige remained.

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Those examples are deliberately different. They show why “wipe” is a label, not a complete rule. Before a season ends or an optional reset is confirmed, make a category-by-category list, attach each claim to the exact mode and date, and treat any stated future design as changeable until the current official materials say otherwise.

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