'Escape From Tarkov': how to break the defective wall and unlock the gym

Here's how to get through your hideout's dodgy wall

While many Escape From Tarkov players are currently digging into the hardcore shooter's new Streets of Tarkov map, others have been captivated by the mystery of their hideout's newly-defective wall. If you’re also wondering what it does, here's how to break down the defective wall and what you can find behind it.

The defective wall was added to players’ hideouts in December's patch 13, and causes significant debuffs to players’ health and energy regeneration, along with a hit to exp gains and fuel consumption. As a result, you will need to spend fleece fabric mopping the floor until the wall is removed.

The first step to finding out what's behind the defective wall and stopping it from negatively affecting your PMC is knocking it down. To do you, you need to loot the Fierce Blow Sledgehammer from tool spawns in-raid, or buy it from another player on the Flea Market.

The Fierce Blow Sledgehammer will knock down the first part of the wall, however it takes several upgrades to get through. The second stage requires a Toolset and Metal Cutting Scissors, and takes three hours to complete.

Upgrade three needs much more from players, and you’ll need to acquire the following items to kick off this 12-hour upgrade:

Finally, there's just one more upgrade before you can get the hidden hideout compartment – a gym – up and running. This one only takes four hours to craft, but requires the following items:

Once that's completed, you will unlock a gym for your hideout – which allows your PMC to train strength through a series of quick-time events. While the gym uses energy and hydration and applies a ‘Severe Muscle Pain’ debuff, it offers a way to gain strength and endurance experience outside of raids.

Outside of the gym, the latest Escape From Tarkov patch offers plenty of new content to dive into – including Streets of Tarkov, a densely-packed map that can be confusing at first. To increase your odds of surviving on the map, here are six tips to making the most of Streets.

Additional images by Alex France.