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There are several different ways to start the quest chain:
Quest start from Intelligence Center Level 3
Quest start from the poster on Streets of Tarkov
Quest start from dialogue with Mr. KermanAfter that, you need to speak with Mechanic. Once you talk to him, he sends you to repair a communications tower. Take a and head to the Woods location, to the tower near the Scav Bunker. . Repair it (10 seconds), then return to Mechanic.
Place of repair communication tower at the Scav BunkerAfterwards, Mechanic sends you to Lighthouse. At the Rogue base railway depot, you need to retrieve a folder with documents from the desk. Read the contents of the folder in the Tasks tab under quest items.
Documents on the table in the depot on the Rogue baseNext, you need to find transportation to the Icebreaker. To do this, you must arrange passage with the BTR Driver and extraction from the Icebreaker with Prapor.
Depending on your choices in the storyline, Prapor may offer three different options:
Then Prapor sends you to the Reserve location to search for AMG-10 aviation oil. Possible spawn locations:
Spawn inside Helicopter in the courtyard
Spawn nearby next to the forklift
School building (“Black Bishop”) spawn in the basements on the shelveNext, go to the BTR Driver, who is supposed to help arrange transportation to the Icebreaker.
Depending on the completion of his questline and the decisions made during it, there are three possible outcomes:
After completing the tasks from both the BTR Driver and Prapor, you gain access to the Icebreaker. To enter, you need:
Before entering the raid, it's highly recommended to bring your best gear. On Icebreaker, you'll face heavily equipped enemies, so don't skimp on armor, meds, or ammunition. Bringing some provisions is also useful, along with a flashlight or night vision device, as certain sections of the ship are very poorly lit. Don't forget €2,500 for the helicopter extraction and a (if you forget it, you can pick one up near the start of the location).
Weapons chambered in 5.56×45 are strongly recommended. Black Division operatives frequently use the and its variants, allowing you to replenish ammunition during the raid by looting magazines from fallen enemies.
You have 40 minutes to complete the raid.
Icebreaker consists of multiple decks connected by compartments and corridors, so progression largely revolves around opening doors and clearing rooms.
You spawn on the nighttime version of the location. Near the starting area, you can find a green , as well as various tools and consumables. Advance carefully. You'll encounter both Renegades and Black Division units. These are extremely dangerous enemies equipped with top-tier armor, large health pools, and powerful weapons.
After the raid begins, move along the left side of the deck and open the blast door. Proceed through the next door, where you'll encounter enemies, including Knight and several Renegades. Continue through the corridors until you reach the Infirmary. Inside one of the rooms, you'll find the body of an engineer. Search it and take the keycard required for further progression. . Clear nearby compartments of Renegades to make navigation through the ship significantly easier later on.
First Door with the Renegades
Meeting Point with the Renegades and Knight
Path to the Engineer's Body
Keycard on the Engineer's BodyReturn to the main corridor and locate the intercom. Use it to contact a surviving crew member and receive a quest update.
Keep in mind that this dialogue can only be triggered once. Even if you die afterward, this step will remain completed.
Intercom for Contacting the ScientistWith the access card in hand, head down to the lower decks and find the door with a keypad. Use the keycard to unlock it. Upon entering, a cutscene will play, showing Black Division forces arriving aboard Icebreaker.
Continue through the corridors until you reach the Engine Room. Once you move into the central section, the first major enemy wave will appear. Expect roughly six Black Division operatives. Fight carefully using cover, peek corners whenever possible, make active use of grenades, and catch enemies while they're repositioning.
After clearing the area, be sure to loot the bodies. These enemies often carry unique equipment, gas masks, and other valuable items.
Engineer's C-1 Keycard Panel
Machine Room, first BD fightAfter securing the Engine Room, make your way to the upper levels of the ship. When you reach the helipad, be prepared for another Black Division squad positioned behind containers and crates.
Eliminate all hostiles before stepping onto the open platform.
This is one of the extraction points. To activate it, fire a from the center of the helipad. Approximately 40 seconds later, a helicopter will arrive.
If any enemies remain nearby, they may attack you while waiting for extraction.
Important: Do NOT shoot the helicopter after it arrives, or the extraction will be canceled.
Helicopter Route
HelipadIf you want to progress the story, do not leave immediately.
From the helipad, descend to the lower decks and move toward the bow of the ship. Along the way, you'll encounter additional Black Division patrols that must be eliminated. Circle around the front of the ship and reach the opposite side of the deck. More enemies may be present there.
Continue until you find a door wrapped in chains. This is your objective. Opening it requires an explosive charge (covered later). Interacting with the door will update the quest.
Deck Route
Chained DoorOnce all required actions are completed, return to the helipad and call in extraction using the green flare.
After successfully extracting, speak with Mechanic. This unlocks the next stage of the storyline involving the explosives and the events aboard Icebreaker. Mechanic will recommend speaking with Prapor, after which the becomes available for purchase for 170,000₽ (it can be placed in a Special Slot).
This also unlocks a questline from the BTR Driver, which eventually grants direct access to Icebreaker from the Hideout deployment screen. Begin this questline with and continue through the subsequent quests as they become available.
Extraction Helicopter
SZ-1 Charge (Prapor)Before your next trip to Icebreaker, bring an explosive charge and a gas mask.
The best option is a Black Division gas mask looted from operatives, but any model that provides gas protection will work.
Once you reach the chained door, plant the charge and move to a safe distance. After the explosion, open the inner door, but don't rush inside.
Immediately beyond the doorway is a gas trap. You can either manually disable it or simply survive the exposure while wearing a gas mask. This marks the beginning of one of the most dangerous sections of Icebreaker.
Boss Corridor
Gas Tripwire
Boss Corridor SmokeAhead lies The Wedge, an elite unit even more dangerous than standard Black Division operatives.
These enemies possess lightning-fast aim, exceptional accuracy, and top-tier armor-piercing ammunition. A single mistake can result in instant death.
The boss usually spawns with 3–6 guards. They most commonly occupy the long corridor and the gymnasium on the right side. They frequently throw flashbangs, so stay alert.
Before entering the corridor, it's recommended to throw a grenade immediately, as the boss may already be positioned there.
At the time of writing, the most effective strategy is to engage the boss and guards through multiple smoke grenades. Make sure to set Volumetric Lighting to Ultra in the graphics settings, otherwise visibility inside smoke will be extremely poor. Use the smoke to bait enemies into pushing your position and eliminate them as they advance. There's a good chance this tactic will be adjusted in future patches, but it currently works well.
If you're lucky, you can also fire an down the corridor and potentially one-shot the boss and his entourage.
After eliminating the group, thoroughly search the area. Their bodies can contain various keycards and rare items required for future quests and valuable loot.
While on this floor, make sure to visit the kitchen. A gas cutter can be found there, and you'll need it much later to access one of the story routes. If you miss it now, you'll have to return to Icebreaker later. A CQ Crew Keycard can also spawn in the same area.
Gas Cutter Spawn
CQ Keycard SpawnContinue upward through the ship. To progress further, you must climb two decks above the boss area.
Along the way you'll encounter:
Codes for most doors can be found on nearby boards. These are usually random four-digit combinations.
Inside, you'll often find valuable loot and rare electronics.
Random Code BoardOn the fourth tier, you can locate an office containing documents. Access requires either a Crew Keycard or a C-1 Keycard. These documents may be useful for future story quests, making them worth collecting in advance.
Continue ascending toward the upper decks.
In one compartment you'll find a sealed door leading outside. Exit through it, climb the exterior staircase, and open the white door at the top.
Inside is a keypad-locked door. Visiting it for the first time updates the storyline, but not everyone will be able to open it immediately.
To obtain the code naturally through the questline:
If you've already completed those quests, the full code will be available immediately.
Alternatively, you can enter the static code directly:
312220
The Keypad After opening the door, continue through the corridor.
Roughly six Black Division operatives can spawn in the rooms ahead. Clear them and proceed toward the captain's area.
This section contains a large amount of valuable loot, including new electronic items needed later:
These items are required for future data decryption. Exit outside and climb the stairways to the top until you reach the bridge. At the top you'll see a hatch that must be opened using the gas cutter found earlier. Cut it open and jump inside.
Inside the bridge you'll find the captain's body. Nearby lies the C-1 High-Level Access Keycard. Make sure to take it.
Captain's Bridge Route
Captain's Bridge Route
Roof Hatch Opened with a Gas Torch
Captain's body with keycardAfter obtaining the captain's keycard, contact the Scientist through the intercom. Inform him about the death of the crew and the captain. You'll learn that the Scientist is ready to leave the ship, but ordinary extraction isn't acceptable to him.
To arrange evacuation, you'll need to work with the BTR Driver.
For the next stage, return to Icebreaker's upper levels.
Near the central staircase is the server section. The door requires the C-1 Keycard. Inside, locate three archive drives. Their locations are marked by the quest, making them difficult to miss. Valuable loot also spawns here. Also there's a quest document on the wall next to the server room, don't forget to pick it up.
After collecting all drives, return to the Hideout and hand them over to Mechanic for decryption.
Server Room with Drives and Quest LootAfter speaking with the BTR Driver, you'll discover that additional equipment is required for a safe evacuation.
You must provide:
You must also eliminate 20 enemies on Icebreaker.
Once all requirements are met, speak with the BTR Driver again for further instructions.
Your next objective is to inform the Scientist about the upcoming evacuation. Return to Icebreaker, contact him through the intercom, and relay the code phrase provided by the BTR Driver. Afterward, report back. In return, the BTR Driver will provide a single-use C-3 Keycard.
Before the next raid, bring a . Reach the Scientist's laboratory, use the C-3 card on the intercom, and enter. The Scientist will already be gone.
Inside you'll find:
Since the C-3 Keycard is single-use, loot everything thoroughly. It's highly recommended to listen to the cassette immediately, as it contains important information about Icebreaker's story.
Cassette Inside the Scientist's Room
LEDX Inside the Scientist's RoomTo fully process the archive drives, Mechanic requires additional hardware.
You'll need:
Most of these items are found exclusively on Icebreaker, usually behind locked doors and inside electronics-rich areas. Turn them in to Mechanic as you find them.
Once the decryption process is complete, he'll send the resulting files through in-game mail.
After receiving Mechanic's message, open the archive data and carefully study the documents. Reading the files completes the Icebreaker storyline and awards the achievement: "Cracks in the Ice".
Achievement for Completing the Storyline