How to break the defective wall in Escape from Tarkov, and what’s behind it

Battlestate Games seems happy to continue to add new content that requires additional time and resources to Escape from Tarkov, with a new area available in the Hideout. At first named simply Defective Wall, players will need to consistently mop up the area around the wall with fleece fabric (consuming the time) or they’ll receive a debuff to stamina, experience, and health regeneration. As with most things in Escape from Tarkov, it isn’t as simple as finding a tool — removing this wall will require a heft of resources and time, but it may be worth the investment.

Related: How to start a cooperative raid in Escape from Tarkov

Breaking the defective wall, part 1

There are multiple parts to breaking apart the wall and getting to what’s behind it, with many segments of this hideout quest gated behind rare loot spawns in raids, or the flea market.

The first tool necessary is a specific hammer, called a Fierce Blow sledgehammer which takes up a 5×2 spot in your backpack when trying to exfil. This hammer can spawn in most randomized crates and caches in raids, but is a noticeably rare spawn. Upon managing to exfil with this massive tool, which weighs 5.5 kg, you can now break down the first part of the wall. This deconstruction takes a total of three hours, but that’s enough time for you to begin scouring raids for the second set of necessary tools.

Breaking the defective wall, part 2

Now that the wall is half torn down, it appears the hammer cannot remove the rest of the bricks. Players will need to find a Toolset and Metal Cutting Scissors to complete part 2 of the quest. Once again, rarer spawns, but ensure you’re searching in toolboxes located in most raids on the ground and benches. Once the parts have been exfiltrated from a raid, players will again need to begin construction and wait for three hours while the timer completes. This isn’t time to rest on your laurels, however: part 3 requires even more tools.

Breaking the defective wall, part 3

For part three, we’re going to need a plethora of tools:

• 2 Corrugated Hose
• 1 Duct Tape
• 1 Toolset
• 1 Pliers Elite
• 5 Mechanical Parts
• 1 Xenomorph Sealing Foam
• 2 Bundle of Wires
• 2 Light bulbs

Once you manage to complete this shopping list, it’s a whopping twelve hours of construction time until it’s completed. Once completed, take heart — you can now walk into the room and explore a new area of your hideout. The room, however, is not actually completed just yet.

Breaking the defective wall, part 4

At this point, the Defective Wall has been broken down and you can walk around in the area. Within the newly uncovered room, a gym can now be built. To build the gym, you’ll need a whole other shopping list of parts and pieces:

• 1 Toolset
• 1 Hand drill
• 1 Metal Cutting Scissors
• 3 Nuts
• 3 Bolts
• 1 WD-40
• 1 Masking Tape

This is a four hour craft, at which point you’re blissfully done with this Hideout side quest.

What does the defective wall unlock?

The defective wall within the Hideout in Escape from Tarkov unlocks a gym, which players can use in a quick time event similar to Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. By tapping left-click at the right time, players will slowly begin to workout, burning energy and hydration in exchange for a slow skill point gain. After completing a workout, a debuff will be applied to the torso called ‘Severe Muscle Pain’, and lasts a little less than a full day. The workout itself offers middling results — a small increase to strength or endurance, with multiple reps necessary for the next 0.05 increase. At the very least, you won’t constantly receive a debuff in the game now that the room is built.