Escape From Tarkov: How to Break the Defective Wall and Unlock the Gym (2024)

In the latest 0.13 patch, you will notice that Escape From Tarkov added a new upgrade in the hideout: the Defective Wall.

At first, this wall occasionally leaks and provides negative debuffs until players mop the floor with a fleece fabric.

However, the defective wall is more than a nuisance that causes debuffs. Instead, players can break it and even unlock a new hideout upgrade behind it.

In this guide, I will explain how to break down the defective wall in Escape from Tarkov and unlock the Gym upgrade.

How to Break the Defective Wall in Escape From Tarkov

If you want to remove the continuous negative debuffs caused by the defective wall, you’ll have to break it down.

Specifically, the defective wall will need to be upgraded 5 times in total to break it down. Here are all the upgrades.

• Level 2 – 1x Fleece fabric – 12 hours
• Level 3 – 1x Fleece fabric – 24 hours
• Level 4 – 1x Fierce blow sledgehammer – 3 hours
• Level 5 – 1x Fleece fabric, 1x Toolset, 1x Metal cutting scissors – 3 hours
• Level 6 – 2x Corrugated hose, 1x Duct tape, 1x Toolset, 1x Pliers elite, 5x Metal spare parts, 1x Xenomorph sealing foam, 2x Bundle of wires, 2x light bulb – 12 hours

After getting the defective wall to level 6, it will break down completely and you’ll be able to construct the gym.

How to Get the Sledgehammer in Escape From Tarkov

Most items required for the defective wall can be found almost anywhere in the game: hidden stashes, loose loot, filing cabinets, toolboxes, and more.

However, there is a new item there that’s harder to get: the Sledgehammer.

This is a 2×5 size technical item that can be found in various locations along Tarkov. Specifically, players will need to search the large wooden technical supply crates and pray to the RNG gods until they get it.

Alternatively, you can find the Sledgehammer in loose loot technical spawns, such as the OLI store in Interchange.

Also, keep in mind that the Sledgehammer is extremely heavy, and extracting with it won’t be easy.

Technical supply crates can be found in the following maps.

• Customs
• Reserve
• Lighthouse
• Streets of Tarkov

Now that you’ve collected all items and upgraded the wall, let’s see how to build the gym.

How to Build the Gym in Escape From Tarkov

After reaching Level 6 on the defective wall, you’ll be able to construct a new upgrade called the gym. To build it, you’ll need the following items

• 1x Toolset
• 1x Electric drill
• 1x Metal cutting scissors
• 3x Screw nuts
• 3x Bolts
• 1x WD-40 (100ml)
• 1x Insulating tape

With the gym built, let’s see what to do with it.

How to Use the Gym in Escape From Tarkov

The gym is a unique feature in Escape from Tarkov that allows players to work out and train their strength and endurance without having to go into a raid.

Get into first-person perspective, interact with the gym to start working out, and get ready for some quick-time events.

Players will have to left-click when the outer bar lines up with the circle and becomes green. It’s fairly tricky, so expect to fail it a few times.

As for bonuses, whenever you succeed in a skill check, you’ll get either Strength or Endurance (chosen randomly for each rep).

Based on your current level of Strength and Endurance, you’ll get the following bonuses.

• Level 0-9 = 0.9 XP for each successful skill check
• Level 10-24 = 0.6 XP for each successful skill check
• Level 25+ = 0.3 XP for each successful skill check

Also, keep in mind that after working out once, you will get medium muscle pain for 24 hours, which reduces gym benefits gained by 50%.

After working out one more time, you’ll get severe muscle pain, which prevents you from gaining any points from training at the gym. Thus, train twice in short succession and then wait for 24 hours before training again.

Wrapping up

To sum up, that’s everything you need to know on how to break down the defective wall and use the gym in Escape from Tarkov.

Gather all the required items to upgrade the defective wall to level 6, build the gym, and then start working out every day to increase your strength and endurance.

If you’re looking for a more relaxed and story-focused game, consider checking out our list of the best JRPGs like Chained Echoes.

What do you think about the defective wall in Escape from Tarkov? Is it a breath of fresh air as a new hideout upgrade, or is it another way to make the game harder through its debuffs? Let us know in the comments below.