8 December 2025

Escape from Tarkov Trolls Players With Terrible Free Bundle

By newsgame

Battlestate Games has released a new Escape from Tarkov promo code, but this time around, its reward appears to be a joke. The latest free bundle offers what some players may consider one of the worst possible combinations of Escape from Tarkov items.

Over the years, Battlestate has been relatively consistent at giving away freebies to its fans. In many cases, such promotional offers were relayed by Escape from Tarkov director and Battlestate boss Nikita Buyanov.

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Continuing this trend, Buyanov took to Twitter on December 7 to share another Escape from Tarkov promo code. While he described it as a “special promo,” the offer turned out to be a joke. The associated code, “PAY2WIN,” is clearly sarcastic, as its contents are neither paid nor do they meaningfully increase one’s chances of winning in any scenario. Although some fans have previously alleged that certain aspects of Escape from Tarkov are pay-to-win, this isn’t a widely agreed-upon view, and it’s unclear whether Buyanov intended the code as a nod to that criticism.

Escape from Tarkov ‘Pay-to-Win’ Free Bundle Contents

Escape from Tarkov PAY2WIN joke bundle contents screenshot — A screenshot of the joke free bundle launched in *Escape from Tarkov* in early December 2025, redeemable with promo code “PAY2WIN.”

Item	Why It’s Bad
12x 12/70 Dual Sabot slug	Fails vs Class 4+ armor; niche PvE at best.
UZRGM Fuze	Component only; can’t be used as a grenade.
GP coin	Trivial cash value.
Rye Croutons	Minor energy gain; costs hydration.
Tac-Kek FAST MT helmet (Replica)	Armor class 1 (meaning no real protection)
Transformer Bag (T-Bag)	Among smallest bags; poor carry efficiency.
TOZ-106	Slow cycling, tiny mags, weak ammo pool.
20x1mm toy gun (Blicky)	Meme item; 20 m/s velocity, terrible ballistics.

The newly shared code ultimately grants a bundle comprised of 12 Dual Sabot slugs, a grenade fuze, a single GP coin, Croutons, a Tac-Kek FAST MT (Replica) helmet, a Transformer Bag, a TOZ-106 bolt-action shotgun, and the so-called “Blicky” toy pistol. As veteran Escape from Tarkov players can attest, this is arguably one of the worst possible item combinations a free bundle could possibly offer.

What Makes Escape from Tarkov’s Joke Bundle So Bad?

On the combat side, the 12/70 Dual Sabot slugs have just 17 Penetration Power, which is nowhere near enough versus Class 4+ plates that most players wear, making their 85 Damage rating largely moot. The TOZ-106 is not much more useful, being a bolt-action shotgun with a tiny 2-4-round magazine that cycles slowly and has access to a weak ammo pool, thus being a terrible pick for even the most price-conscious Escape from Tarkov PvP builds. Rounding out the bundle’s list of weapons and ammo is the 20x1mm toy gun—also known as Blicky—a meme item with downright abysmal ballistic properties.

Looking at the defensive side of things, the Tac-Kek FAST MT found in this bundle is a replica with no ballistic rating, as the Armor Class of 1 makes it as useless as helmets in Escape from Tarkov get. Meanwhile, the included T-Bag provides just nine slots, thus being one of the least efficient carry options in the hit extraction shooter. The provisions and trinkets featured in the bundle aren’t much help, either: Croutons restore a minuscule 20 Energy at the cost of -10 Hydration, the UZRGM fuze is a crafting part that can’t be thrown on its own, and the GP coin is mere barter fodder.

Buyanov did not clarify for how long the “pay-to-win” promo code will remain available to redeem. Since it doesn’t yield anything but a joke bundle, it’s possible that Battlestate plans to keep it active indefinitely, or at least for much longer compared to the typical Escape from Tarkov freebie.