Casus Belli
The "Casus belli" in-game event in Escape from Tarkov took place in April 2026. The plot focused on the trader Ref, whose supply convoys carrying gear for the new Arena season were ambushed and looted. The questline was available to all PvP players and PvE profiles created or wiped after the 1.0 release.
Key Event Features
- New Enemies — Pillagers. Groups of 3–4 bots wearing Arena-themed gear and carrying Ref's merchandise spawned across various locations. They behave like buffed Scavs.
- Unique Loot. Pillagers wear distinctive Atomic Defense "CQCM" ballistic masks, which are required for the first quest.
- Spawn Locations. Pillagers could be encountered on five maps: Customs, Interchange, Woods, Lighthouse, and Shoreline.
Common Pillager Encounter Zones
- Customs: Stronghold (Fortress) and the bridge area near the RUAF roadblock.
- Interchange: Power plant and the highway near the former co-op extraction.
- Shoreline: Scav island and the weather station/resort area.
- Lighthouse: Construction site by the main road.
