Earlier today a new update to Escape From Tarkov mysteriously added new items that fans quickly discovered were part of a new ARG experience and eventually led to a new quest line called The Tarkov Mystery. Now we know that the quest line introduces some new features and can be changed based on how you play.
The first quest in The Tarkov Mystery quest line requires you to find the new encrypted flash drive item that was added to the game in the most recent update and hand it over to Skier. From there you will unlock more quests to do with the event, and this is where things start to get interesting.
According to a press release from Battlestate Games, the new Tarkov Mystery quest line features branching possibilities where the decisions you make will impact not only what quests you get to complete, but also whether you complete the quest line successfully or not.
A list of quest features in the press release shows that it includes the choice of which side of the conflict to go down, decisions that affect the course of progression and most interestingly, decisions late in the quest line that can lead to the failure of the quest.
This means that you could make it through most of the quest line successfully and then one wrong move could see you fail the whole thing. In turn that could mean you miss out on the exclusive rewards that are being offered to those who complete the quest line, which include an in-game achievement, a unique item that can be displayed in the hall of fame and other bonuses and rewards that are yet to be revealed.
Trying out new features is nothing new when it comes to late wipe events, but the fact that you can fail this quest line based on your own decisions towards the end will surely catch some players out and leave them disappointed, so my advice would be to triple check every quest description to make sure you complete everything possible.
How to complete The Tarkov Mystery quest
The Tarkov Mystery quest is the first quest in the new quest line that has been added to Escape From Tarkov in the latest event. On paper, it may seem confusing, but it is actually very easy to complete. Here’s how.
The Tarkov Mystery quest can be unlocked through Skier providing you have already completed the Burning Rubber quest from him. If you haven’t you will need to complete that quest before you can start The Tarkov Mystery.
Once you have unlocked the quest, all you have to do is find an Encrypted Flash Drive in a raid and hand it over to Skier. Fortunately, these drives are a new item that was added in the most recent patch and seem to have a much higher spawn rate than the standard flash drives. Searching every container you can find will usually throw up a flash drive or two within a couple of raids, so make sure to keep your eyes open when looting.
After you have found the Encrypted Flash Drive simply head to Skier’s quests in the menu and hand it over to complete the quest. At this point, the next quest in the quest line will unlock.
