Geko's Better Progression 1.1.3

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What if EFT's progression wasn’t built and balanced around pay-to-win? What if you could actually level up skills? This mod (gently) reworks the entire progression system for smoother, more meaningful growth—fully customizable down to the tiniest detail.

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  • Version 1.1.3

    - Improved error handling in the case of some other mod adding a trade for an item that doesn't exist

  • Version 1.1.2

    • Fixed a bug where skill buffs were not being updated correctly on game start
      • Thanks to Big_Daddio_Paddio and Seriy500 for the report
  • Version 1.1.1

    • Fixed stupid ass typo that broke the Ref reputation gains on PMC kill
      • Thanks to DevilFlippy for the report
  • Version 1.1.0

    CONFIG FILES FROM PAST VERSIONS OF THE MOD ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THIS VERSION


    • Added workaround to breaking SPT bug in more recent versions that would strip guns and cause other oddities when the algorithmical rebalancing was enabled
      • Thanks to DevilFlippy and DirtyWindshield for the report
    • Improved Secure Container grid changing logic to no longer overwrite container filters with default ones
      • This should help with mods such as Gilded Key Storage that modified the allowed items in containers. Previously the compatibility with such mods depended on load order, now it should work regardless of order
      • Thanks to JulioZer for the report
    • Secure Container grid sizes are now considerably easier to customize in the config file

    Images

  • Version 1.0.1

    - Fixed a breaking bug with FiR requirements in repeatable quests

    - Now requires SPT 3.11.1 or above (3.11.0 is no longer supported)

  • Version 1.0.0

  • Hey o/


    Seems like there's some sort of issue with crafting recipes not being added to hideout once corresponding quest is completed, just a snippet of what the server log spits out at me, only noticed this being an issue after completing Wet Job - Part 6 for the M61 ammo craft. I've read previous comments as well and I do see that its a known issue for you, so this is primarily just for highlighting that this one is also affected, I don't know if its affecting any and all ammo crafts (I assume it is based on what the workaround fix is) or just some.

    Either way, thanks again for the nice mod <3

  • Wiping profile but not creating a new profile doesnt seem to give skill points on level up.

    • My mod's save data does not wipe with the profile. Either create a brand new one instead or go in the mod's bepinex folder and delete the save data file you'll find there

  • Here is a problem, some quests need stuff like Shemagh, but i cant buy them from the market, which means it is impossible for me to complete the quest, what can i do?

    • You will have to find those items in raid (IIRC you need it found in raid in vanilla EFT anyway so not much changes here)

      If you really hate the idea you can always whitelist the item to make it available for sale on the flea market in my mod's config

  • Is it possible to keep the bigger containers but remove the weird shapes (for example the beta is a 2x1 2x2 2x1 and i just want it to be a 6x2)

    • Yes, you can change it to whatever you'd like in the config file

    • Alright thanks. I will take another closer look I kinda glanced over the config and didn't see anything.

  • hello geko, loving the mod so far. 1 issue (that was 100% my fault) ive been using the algorithmic quest progression by dewardiandev. that mod affects the order that quests appear, how much would that affect how i get my secure cases. i can send the default config if you would want. but im not sure how my game would be affected if i was to remove that mod now

    • Unfortunately i can't help you here, i can't realistically know how all mods on the portal work and interact with mine

    • \user\mods\DewardianDev-AlgorithmicQuestingProgression\config\QuestConfigs\MainQuests.json
      open this file, and change quest "setup" and "The Higher They Fly“ upper,
      for example:

      see where the "setup" and "The Higher They Fly“ are?

      in this way, it only affect order but not the quest( I have already make this change)

    • same with other quest that you currently have NOT accepted

  • Frist of all great mod, love it!

    Unforutnately 3 things occured, that i wanted to adress/ask about.


    1. After reaching level 45 in mag drills or something like that i was unable to load and unload bullets into magazines. I guess this was due to the buff of Mag Drills being too high (something above 80 % reload speed). After changing the config file the issue was resolved. Maybe something that should be adapted so nobody else has issues.


    2. After reaching level 51 in a skill (Mag Drills in my example), the skill will not level anymore and i you do not recieve any skillpoints back. The Config states though that you do get the points back when you "naturally" would level up.


    3. Additionally, jus as i wanted to check that. When you do remove skillpoints manually from a skill that is level 51 with the option that is available in the config. It will not level anymore, even if it shows the progress bar.


    Could you maybe check that? I'm not sure if any of my mods is confilcting, but i doubt that, as is do not use any mods that change the skill system.


    Thanks!

    • 1. Yeah, known bug, it's an issue on how BSG handles the mag buff but i should still lower the default buff in the config to avoid that. Eventually however i would like to patch BSG's spaghetti code that causes the problem in the first place

      2. That is bizzarre. Visually you won't be seeing any progress but last i checked the game should still be tracking XP in the background and giving you back the points when it fills out a level. Are you absolutely positive that doesn't happen and that you're not just confused by the lack of visual progress?

      3. Wasn't aware of that, i will add it to my to do list for when i find the time to get back to working on the mod. In the meantime you can go into the bepinex folder of my mod and delete the save data, that will just deallocate all points you have allocated and should fix the issue

      Thanks for the reports!

      Heart 1
    • Thanks for the fast reply!

      Some additional information first: We (my friends and me) are using a dedicated server and using the mod on it. Idk if this could have any influence.

      I'm 100 % sure that the progress for the skill withouth the skillpoints was always shown (level 25 e. g.) even though my level was higher through skillpoint use.


      1. That would be great, hope it isnt too much of a pain in the ass to do so.


      2. I just checked it again, Mag Drills level 51 (with 5x exp multiplier and fast to reload mag). Usually it took maybe 2 - 3 minutes reloading to level up (after level 40). Now 10 minutes and nothing.

      The Profile shows the skill though as if it were level 2X something.

      "Id": "MagDrills",

      "Progress": 2101.84424,

      "PointsEarnedDuringSession": 0.064,

      "LastAccess": 1750967784

      Is there a file i could cross check for the progress of the profile? Maybe i can find some more information there. Anything/any file that could help you?


      3. Didn't test it again, but maybe it has to do with #2.


      4. Is it normal that you can remove points from skills that have not been leveled up with the additional skillpoints? Forgot to ask that. I could imagine this could lead to some additional problems too, but maybe I'm wrong.


      But as mentioned, maybe this has to do with the mod being on the dedicated Fika server?

    • Ah i just remembered what i noticed as well.


      5. When a skill levels up naturally it lost its boost from the skillpoints. Here again mag Drills. Actuall level 40. Natural level 15. Natural level 16 -> Reloading as if i were level 16, not level 41. The skill shows the bonuses as if it is level 16. But the level shown is level 41.


      Edit: Just did some more testing. The issues still occured with only Geko as a mod installed and on the single player SPT,

    • Mod is not made with FIKA in mind, that might be causing some weirdness but i couldn't tell you for sure

    • Hmh. As mentioned I tested it "offline" as well withouth any additional mods, but it still persisted. Question is if the files are already altered in some way that influences that. Maybe I could test it again with a fresh profile, if i find the time.


      Still great mod though and i love it. Makes it a bit more RPG like.

  • Interesting design, enjoying the mod so far.

    For those who are trying to figure out whitelist on flea market items, you can find their identifiers inside \SPT_Data\Server\database\locales\global\en.json

    Heart 1
  • Hey, just a minor question, appreciate the mod btw. Its been great using it so far :D


    Is there a reason for why the Waist Pouch you start with can't actually hold a wallet?

    • Not really and it shouldn't be my mod's doing. I was entirely unaware that that was a thing at all. Either it's some other mod you have or just how the base game waist pouch works, not sure

      Heart 1
    • Ah fair enough, I'll fiddle about and see if I can't figure it out :D Not really an issue either tbf and once again. Thanks for the work <3

      Heart 1
    • Must be something else, I'm able to store basic wallet inside starter pouch. Are you using any mods which add the likes of ammo belts by chance? Could see a conflict there.


      UPDATE: Actually yeah, you can't put WZ wallet, but you can put regular wallet.

      Heart 1
    • Ah fair enough, didn't have a regular wallet at the time and by the time I got one I had already gotten Alpha container. Thanks thou <3

  • Hi,


    Just noticed that I would stop gaining skill points after prestige. Not sure what config to change or is there something else needed to be updated. Can't find a fix after googling around. Otherwise, awesome mod that has given me a breath of freshness.


    Thanks!

    • Mod was developed without prestige in mind as i made it back when it didn't exist. I'll look into fixing that but in the meantime the easiest fix is to just delete my mod's save file when you prestige (in the bepinex folder). I haven't tested it but that should do the trick since what's happening is basically my mod not being aware that you prestiged and still remembering all the points you had already allocated

      Heart 1
  • Hi,


    I'm trying to add additional trades for late game, and I'm having trouble finding what the IDs for "_id", "rewardId" and "targetId" do and where to look for the correct values for new trades. Can you point me to where you got the correct IDs for the RGN impact grenade trade included in the mod?

    • If you don't know what you're doing i would advise against messing with the advanced configs as you can easily cause bugs and stuff but here's an explanation anyway:

      Ok so, each trade is made up of three parts: the actual trade, the barter scheme and the loyalty level

      The key for the trade itself is the trade ID and can be set arbitrarily, you can use Tarkynator's ID Generator to get one. The _id inside the trade itself must be the same as the one you just generated that we will henceforward refer to as the trade ID. The _tpl is the table ID of the actual item you want to put for sale which you can find on Tarkynator or inside the SPT files as instructed in the first block of comments of the main config file of my mod.

      Barter scheme and loyalty level both need to use the trade ID as the key so that the game knows what trade they correspond to. Inside the barter scheme there's one more _tpl which is the ID of the currency to be asked for trade

      You mentioned rewardid and targetid but these are for quest rewards, not for trades, you're probably looking at the wrong file. Although if it's quest rewards that you want then the _id inside an item reward is another arbitrary id that points to the reward entry itself. The item you want to reward is specified by _tpl as before. target needs to be the same as the aforementioned _id

    • Thanks, with the instructions You provided I've managed to add 5.45x39mm BS gs to Prapor LL4 after a quest Gendarmerie - Mall cop. I think I know what I'm doing (mostly) and even if I didn't, I have backups of your original config so if I mess something up really badly I can fall back on that. The only thing that really confused me was those ids I didn't recognize, and it turns out those were for the arbitrarily added. Generating them with Tarkynator's ID Generator solves my problem completely.


      Now all I have left is to add every locked ammo, which is probably going to take a while but that's a commitment I'm willing to make.

      Thumbs Up 1
  • Geko's Better Progression might be incompatible with Friendly PMC. The error below appears when both mods are active, but goes away when I disable Friendly PMC

    ——————————————

    • Thanks for letting me know. The error is very bizzarre and I'm not sure i can do much to fix it sadly, it seems like Friendly PMC (if that's truly the cause) does something weird with item quest locks

      I added this to the "Other Mods" section on the mod page for others to know

  • Yo, I was just curious if there was a way to make the Massivesoft Guns mod work with the algorithmic balancing. I've got your mod at the bottom of the load order after it in the list and the 100-round 7.62x51 drums and whatnot the mod adds are still on Mechanic loyalty 1. And sorry if there's an easy fix for this i'm not seeing.

    • Actually, I just realized something. The mod seems to load after the algorithmic balancing process regardless of load order. So it's likely his mod, not yours, if I was to infer off of that.

    • I'll add that my mod doesn't affect attachments unless they are part of some weapon's default build (in which case they are put at the same tier of said weapon)

  • Hi, I have an issue where after completing Tarkov Shooter Part 3 I was unable to craft .336 TKM AP-M Ammo. I assumed it was locked behind Level or Workbench level after looking at the configs, but I'm now level 32 with a level 3 Workbench and still can't craft the ammo. Am I missing something?

    • It's a known issue, it's in my priority list for when i'll go back to working on this mod. In the meantime you can disable the crafting tier rebalancing in the ammo module inside the configs of the mod

      Thumbs Up 2
    • Thank you, glad to know!

  • Hi Geko!

    I'm loving this mod.
    I have a question: I reset my level back to 1 in the hopes of quickly gaining new skill points to add to my skills. This, however, did not work. Where can I add skill points manually? I tried looking in my profile.json file, located within the "user" folder, and could not find anything.

    Thank you very much!

    • In the bepinex folder for my mod you should find a save data file. It's written in json so it should be easy enough to edit. Beware though that you might get oddities in game if you mess with it

    • Thank you for the reply.

      If I am correct, the file name is "skill_levels_savedata.json."
      I see there are skills with numbers next to them in which I assume are the amount of points I put into that skill.

      Is there a section within this .json where I can add skill points that can be allocated to other skills, or can I only edit the skills of which I have already put points into?

    • The points available for allocation aren't an actual number that is saved somewhere, they are calculated dynamically as (level * pointsPerLevel) - totalAllocatedPoints

      If you add new entries to the json corresponding to any skill you can cheat in any amount of points into any skill

    • Thank you very much for your help.


      I went ahead and changed the value of the "skillPointsPerLevel" within the config.json as a work around, so I gain a few more skill points.

  • Hey, absolutely love this mod, but is it normal that modded weapons aren't getting balanced? I tried loading this mod both before and after all the weapon mods I have but they seem to not care, is there any other config I haven't noticed besides the weapon global delta?

    Correction, only some weapon mods have this problem, not all

    • If my mod loads after it should work. That said weapons of brand new calibers will need extra adjustments in the config files since the mod doesn't know how strong that caliber is

      Have you tried doing something silly like setting the global delta to a very high value to double check if they are actually being affected or not? Cause if that applies then everything else also should and it could be that the weapon just happened to remain in the same tier it already was in. You can tweak my mod's config to change the balance of cases like that

    • thanks a lot for the consideration, I did try to put the delta only up to 4 so I will try both that and fidgeting with the configs too, cant wait to play this mod when the realism mod finally updates

  • I think I already know the answer but want to confirm before I give up on it. This is incompatible with AQP - Algorithmic Quest Progression, right? I would love to be able to have both.

    • I honestly have no idea but i suspect it should be fine. I think that at worst you'll have some kinks here and there that you can iron out by tweaking the respective configs. But again, no actual idea, i haven't tried

  • Hey, I opened the source of the mod and I think there’s a bug that happens specifically when applying skill points and possibly affects other skills too, not just Mag Drills.


    In AdditionalSkillLevels.cs, the SkillClass.Level getter is patched to add the delta from AdditionalLevels, which makes the displayed level go up (like showing level 28 even if the base was 12). But I noticed that the actual bonuses applied still follow the original base level.


    So after assigning points, the game says “Skill leveled to 12” and bonuses stay at that level, even though the visual level is higher. I think this happens because EFT’s bonus logic and internal systems don’t use the patched Level value — they still rely on the native XP level from progress.


    Unless the bonus and event logic are also patched to use the augmented level, the bonuses will stay out of sync with what’s shown.

    It only happens first time you enter a raid after allocating skill points while outside the raid, possibly could happen even when you allocate points during the raid.

    • Reentering raid or the game fixes it.

    • From what i understand It's not because of what you said, it actually happens because EFT caches buff values and you have to call an update function to make them notice the skill level change. I do call it but I probably messed up somewhere and am not calling said update function in all the places where i should

      Thumbs Up 1
    • Yep you are right, that was my first thought but now i can confirm this is the case. Good luck fixing, and yet again really sick mod, changes the way i look at Tarkov.

      Heart 1
  • hey so quick question I'm getting an error message chain repeating "[gekos_betterprogression-1.1.3] Trader item [object Object] with table ID "code here" couldn't be found in the tables ! I don't know what's causing it or if it's just a bug and I do not know how to fix it

    • Some other mod adds a trade that has no item corresponding to it. Basically a trader is selling something that doesn't exist. It shouldn't be a problem, you can just safely ignore it (for the purposes of my mod, idk about others)

      Thumbs Up 1
  • how do i config this for my loyalty and skill points? I'm in the json5 file but idk what to put in the open spot

    • I'm not sure i understand what you're trying to do

  • Hi Geko,

    There's a bug with automaticallyRefundOverflows in Better Progression.

    When a skill like Mag Drills gets to ~45+, it starts showing “Level 1”, “Level 2” on level-up, and the tooltips says it’s a lower level.

    This isn’t just visual — the skill actually behaves like it's level 1 again (slow reloads, etc.), even though the XP bar and level number look correct. Disabling the setting fixes it.

    Looks like the refund logic breaks the actual skill level and not just the display.

    Thanks for the great mod.

    • Yeah i had a few reports of that, will look into it

      Thumbs Up 1
  • Hi, have been playing the mod. Occurred to me though that the waist pouch has a cultist circle recipe to recieve a kappa container. Is this intended?

    • As in you can sacrifice a waist pouch to get a kappa? My mod for sure doesn't add that but i'm not aware of it being in vanilla either

      EDIT: lmao the gif was not intentional, it just appears on its own in place of the world sacri/fice

    • I'm pretty sure something in our mod list has it backwards or something. It used to be that if you sac'd a kappa container it would give you a waist pouch. I don't think that's the case anymore in

      live tarkov.

  • hello, so the mod now works good for me except for the fact that I'm getting spammed by the notification "mag drills leveled up to 1" even though I maxed it out 'naturally' (not by allocating points to it)
    it's at every start of raid and also pops up randomly 12-15 times in a row giving me huge lags, any fix?

    • Hmmm i'm not sure why that could be happening, do you have any other mods that might reasonably mess with skills?

  • hello, love the mod so far. the economy never felt like a challenge in spt for me but this mod fixes that perfectly.


    i was curious if custom traders were affected by the algorithmic rebalance by default? i love the extra quests they add but i have a few that offer items that seem a little overpowered at the moment. i looked through the config.json but didnt see anything on this.


    anyways love your mod thanks for making it

    Heart 1
    • Yes they do get balanced by default but it's always just ammo and weapons that are affected (maybe i will add an armour module as well in the future but no promises). There is a blacklist option to disable the balancing on specific traders (even modded ones)

      For that to work however my mod has to load after the mods that add the traders so if it doesn't work you may want to double check the load order


  • By turning on EnableDeallocation, in-raid I seem to be able to just... remove all the skill points from a given skill completely. I have (with the help of rewarded Skill Points) ELITE Strength, I turned on De-allocation and decided to test it in-raid (where in all likelihood I... shouldn't be doing allocation in the first place) and... I was allowed to remove every Skill Point in Strength, both Allocation and Natural Progression.
    After checking outside of Raid, yep I can... just remove Skill Points from Naturally levelled Skills. This seems unintended, and for me it's just confusing. Based on the comment in the config file I was under the assumption that I could ONLY remove Invested/Allocated Skill Points given from the mod.

    Under another commenter you mentioned the Mod's save file, is that in .qodo as "history.sqlite"?

    Apologies, the Skill Levels Savedata is located within the BepInEx part of this mod's files, I should have checked all facets before questioning that.

    I also wanna say, man this mod is cool. I'm not sure what the impact of the Algorithm Rebalancing has at base (I never paid too much attention to Trader stock to begin with, but it seems to tier weapons of the same caliber and only offer them based on Loyalty Levels, as if that's the next "Tier" from the Trader to offer said gun which is REALLY COOL). The impact of not being able to Flea anything really made me re-consider what I take out of Raid, and overall streamlined my looting experience. Having a Full Container Progression built in for me is awesome, for Zero-Hero playthroughs having no container and having a Quest provide them all made me REALLY FOCUS questing. Being able to manually adjust and change individual Skill XP gain is an immense tool for tuning a specific feel of the game, Base Game Skill progression just doesn't make a lick of sense to me (it's terribly slow with INSANELY QUICK XP Falloff), and having Metabolism actually... y'know... not be at Elite before Level 20 just makes me happy. It's also more in depth compared to something offered from say, SVM, which I always love depth. You made the Config file easy to approach and digest with the comments you left in it, which is peak coding.

    Heart 1
    • Thanks, i'm really glad you're enjoying the mod so much!

      And yeah, unallocating natural points is unintended, i thought i had put a check in place to prevent that but i suppose i fucked something up at some point, i'll add it to the ever-growing todo list and will get to it once i have a bit more time. Thanks for the report!

      Thumbs Up 1
    • No worries, I understand modding is a passion project and will always take time. Take care of yourself outside of the project.

  • So it sounds like I can keep low tier equipment and guns throughout the whole play through, right?

    • I'm not sure i understand the question. You can tweak the settings in such a way that even late game you will only be able to purchase low tier equipment, yes, if that's what you were asking

    • Yes, sorry I am awful at explaining things. Would that keep PMC's with the same lvl of gear?

    • Depends on the mod you're using for PMC gear. Afaik the only one that bases PMC gear on trader level is ALP

  • How could i get money if flea market is totally disabled

  • Hmmm for scavs the skill distribution seemed inconsistent. As if first time i put points on pmcs the second time i started with those points where i distributed them and from after that it was always like that. I'm not sure maybe the spent points are shared?

    • Now that you mentioned it that could be the case, i never play scav on SPT so it just entirely escaped my mind

      Will add to the to-do list

    • Great, also wiping profile does not reset the skill per level.

      Lets say i gained skills up to lvl 15, after i wipe profile i can't gain skills until lvl 15 and they are not even refunded.

    • Yeah mod data is stored separately from the profile data because of how mods work. If you make a brand new profile then you should be fine, allocated points are bound to the profile ID. Otherwise you can go inside the mod folder and edit or delete the save file to obtain the same result

  • Hi, has anyone had this issue where 545 PP ammo cannot be crafted even after completing punisher pt3? I was thinking that it could be related to this mod because that is the only one I have that impact traders and progression. Please let me know if anything.

    • I had a few reports of quest-locked crafts not showing up. I've been rather busy these days so i haven't looked into it yet but you can temporarily disable the rebalancing of crafts in the config file and you should get the recipe back

      Thumbs Up 1
    • Thanks for the reply! Your mod is awesome btw, I understand you guys have a life too, so take that as simple feedback. It's alreay appreciated that you take the time to look into it. Have a great one!

      Heart 1
  • Kick ass mod, love the whole idea thanks alot!!!!!


    Silly question I'm sure but has anyone had ragman (only) not equipping clothing items after the install of this mod. any ideas related or unrelated idea's.


    (No clothing mod or mods installed)

  • hey,

    first of all, awesome mod!


    but I'd like to ask, if not to much, for a version with only the skill points and ref standing parts, or a way to only have that because that's what I'm interested in.

    I tried tweaking the config, but there's so much going on with the algo rebalance that it kept breaking the game for me...


    I have other mods but I'd like to keep the game as base as possible with being able to level up skills (with intellect being bugged and doesn't level up at all) and your points allocating is just genius.


    thanks, I hope it's possible and not too much trouble.

    Heart 1
    • The config is split in sections and each section you can just entirely disable by setting enable = false. It's always the first option in each section

      So you can just do that for every module you don't care about and then disable the remaining things in the misc section

    • oh yeah I saw, and it was actually the first thing I did, but still I had issues with the algo changes when running the server...


      I don't have the best hardware right now so maybe it took so long to run that it displayed an error or something.


      I'll try again with the enabling and see.


      thank you