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Icebreaker is one of Tarkov‘s most demanding endgame maps to access. Getting in requires completing the Boreas questline, a multi-stage series of tasks that spans several maps and forces players to make branching decisions that directly affect both entry and extraction. Without both branches complete, Icebreaker effectively becomes a one-way trip.
In this guide, we’ll cover:
- How to start the Boreas questline
- All Paradigm Shipping poster spawn locations
- How to unlock Icebreaker Infill and Exfill
- AMG-10 fluid locations
- The fastest progression path
- Common bugs and progression blockers
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Recommended Progression Route
| Paradigm Poster / Hideout Radio |
| ↓ |
| Woods Tower Repair |
| ↓ |
| Lighthouse Documents |
| ↓ |
| Infill Branch + Exfill Branch |
| ↓ |
| AMG-10 Fluid + Green Flare + 2,500 Euros |
| ↓ |
| Icebreaker Access |
Before Starting the Boreas Questline
Before beginning the Icebreaker unlock process, have the following ready:
- One Toolset
- 400,000 Roubles for the Shoreline transit
- 2,500 Euros for helicopter extraction on Icebreaker itself
- Reserve access for AMG-10 farming
- Familiarity with Shoreline and Lighthouse map layouts
- Extra inventory space for quest items
- Icebreaker raids last 40 minutes, so players should budget supplies and ammunition carefully
- Remember: Insurance does not function on Icebreaker. Any gear lost during the raid is permanently gone.
A full Icebreaker run gets expensive fast once transit fees, extraction costs, and gear stack up – expect to spend over 1,000,000 Roubles per attempt. Icebreaker runs as a closed PvE instance for solo players or pre-made squads only; random players will not be added to the raid.
How to Start the Boreas Questline in Escape from Tarkov
There are two ways to unlock the Boreas questline. Both methods work in PvE and PvP.
Method A: Finding the Paradigm Shipping Poster
Players without an upgraded Hideout need to find and extract with a Paradigm Shipping poster. The poster is a loose quest item that spawns randomly across multiple locations. Successfully extracting with it activates the Boreas questline. Players struggling to find it can also purchase the Paradigm Shipping poster directly from the Flea Market.
Important: The Paradigm Shipping poster cannot be placed inside a secure container. Dying before extraction means the poster is permanently lost and the search starts over.
Ground Zero spawn locations:
- TerraGroup Building Parking Lot. Check the walls throughout the parking structure.
- TerraGroup Main Lobby. Look along both staircases going upstairs and on the walls at the back of the lobby near the deceased scientist.
- TerraGroup Main Entrance Exterior. Inspect the outer walls immediately surrounding the front entrance.
- Vehicle Extract Middle Building. The poster can spawn on the wall next to the broken wall section inside the central building near the vehicle extract.
- Basement and Connected Stairwells. Search the walls while descending the basement stairs, then check each entrance to the adjoining buildings. Ascend the staircases and inspect the walls and lobby areas.
Lighthouse spawn location:
- The poster has a high chance of spawning around the train station area.
The poster can take multiple raids to locate. Avoid unnecessary fights while carrying it since dying resets the search. Ground Zero is generally the fastest and most reliable map for farming the poster. After extraction, progression requires speaking specifically to Mechanic – visiting other traders will not advance the questline.
Method B: The Hideout Radio
Players with Intelligence Center Level 3 can skip the poster search entirely. To use this method, physically enter the Hideout and approach the Intelligence Center manually – the radio interaction does not appear through the standard menu interface. Interact with the radio to receive the distress transmission and begin the quest. Players who recently prestiged, wiped, or have not yet upgraded their Hideout will need to use the poster method instead.
How to Repair the Woods Cellular Tower for Boreas
The first field objective requires restoring communications on Woods.
- Required item: one Toolset
- Location: Head to the Scav bunker area near Prapor’s convoy by the lake
- Action: Find the base of the cellular tower and interact with the white control panel using the Toolset. Surviving the raid after completing the repair is not required for quest progression. Unlike the poster, the Toolset can safely be stored inside a secure container during this task
Toolset Price Warning: Due to demand from the Boreas questline, Toolsets often spike heavily on the Flea Market after major updates. Secure one early before prices climb.
Tactical note: The tower area is exposed and commonly contested by snipers. Bosses like Birdeye may also patrol nearby. The Woods signal tower area is also a known Goons spawn location, making the repair significantly more dangerous during active boss rotations. Approach from cover, complete the repair quickly, and reposition immediately after interacting with the control panel. Do not linger.
Securing the Paradigm Shipping Documentation on Lighthouse
The next objective sends players to the Lighthouse to retrieve the Paradigm Shipping documents.
- Location: Find the hangar or warehouse building near the train yard. After locating the Paradigm Shipping documents inside the Lighthouse warehouse, interact with and read the paper before leaving the raid.
- Retrieval: Enter the hangar and look behind the boxes on the right-hand side for a small desk or table. The Paradigm Shipping documentation spawns here as a distinct red file folder.
Some players additionally report progression issues if the document is not confirmed through the in-game Handbook menu after extraction. As a precaution, open the Handbook, navigate to the documents section, and select the file to confirm it is registered.
How to Unlock Icebreaker Infill and Exfill
After securing the documentation, the questline splits into two mandatory branches: Infill, which unlocks entry to Icebreaker, and Exfill, which unlocks extraction.
Important: Players who enter Icebreaker without completing the Exfill branch will not have valid extraction options on the map. Both branches must be completed before deploying.
Do You Need Both Infill and Exfill?
Yes. Completing only the Infill branch gets you onto the map but leaves no extraction available. Both branches are required before entering Icebreaker for the first time.
Infill Branch: Unlocking Icebreaker Entry
This branch is handled through the BTR Driver on Woods.
- Step 1. Locate the BTR Driver on Woods at one of its checkpoint positions. The BTR Driver often appears around the middle portion of the raid, though timing can vary.
- Step 2. Choose a task path.
Mechanic’s Path (Recommended)
Eliminate 10 hostile targets inside designated smuggler zones. Any hostile target counts toward the 10 eliminations, including PMCs, AI Scavs, and other hostile NPCs encountered inside the zones.
- The objective can be completed on either Shoreline (Smuggler’s Path) or Interchange (Power Plant area).
- Most players prefer Shoreline due to faster target density.
Players who have already completed the quest Price of Independence may be able to bypass the 10-kill requirement entirely by returning to the Hideout after speaking with the BTR Driver.
Skier’s Path
Requires delivering specific ammunition types to the BTR Driver. Generally considered the slower and less recommended option.
The Transit
After completing the chosen path and reporting back, travel to Shoreline. The hovercraft transit is located at the Shoreline pier near the gas station and car extract. Boarding requires carrying 400,000 Roubles in your inventory at the time of transit.
Danger: Recent Icebreaker updates heavily increased the danger around the Shoreline transit route. Sanitar and his guards can now spawn directly near the pier, turning the hovercraft approach into a high-risk combat zone. Expect heavy resistance before reaching the hovercraft.
Exfill Branch: Unlocking Icebreaker Extraction
Extraction from Icebreaker requires arranging a helicopter evacuation through Prapor. How difficult this branch is depends on the choices made during the earlier Falling Skies task.
What Happens if You Kept the Armored Case?
- Option 1 (easiest): If the Armored Case was handed over to Prapor during Falling Skies, the only remaining step is finding and delivering the AMG-10 fluid.
- Option 2 (moderate): If the Armored Case was kept, players must locate and turn in three Military Power Filters found in raid, plus the AMG-10 fluid. These filters are rare but can be found in the bunkers on Woods or Reserve.
- Option 3 (hardest): If the case quest was ignored entirely, players must eliminate 30 Scavs, carry a flare, and deliver the AMG-10 fluid.
Helicopter extraction on Icebreaker requires 2,500 Euros during the raid itself. Have this ready before deploying. Icebreaker helicopter extraction also requires a Green Flare. After firing the flare at the helipad, wait for the “Route Safe” confirmation message before entering the extraction zone.
Both handheld RSP-30 Green flares and 26x75mm Green signal pistol rounds work for extraction.
AMG-10 Fluid Locations in Escape from Tarkov
AMG-10 fluid, often referred to by players as helicopter oil, is a canister item found as loose loot on Reserve. It has inconsistent spawn rates and may require multiple raids to locate. Two reliable spots:
The Central Helicopter
Walk inside the helicopter cabin parked directly opposite the White Pawn building. Check the floor and on top of the wooden crates inside.
Black Bishop Basement
Head to the basement of the school building. Search the shelves, tables, and floors across the basement rooms.
Since helicopter oil can take several raids to find, the Reserve sewer manhole extract is one of the safer ways to leave quickly after securing the item, especially if other players are hunting the same spawns.
Fastest Icebreaker Unlock Route
For players who want the most efficient path through the questline:
- Use Intelligence Center Level 3 to skip the poster search entirely.
- Choose Mechanic’s BTR taskline path for the Infill branch.
- Hand the Armored Case to Prapor during Falling Skies to keep the Exfill branch as simple as possible.
- Farm AMG-10 fluid at the Reserve helicopter spawn first, then Black Bishop Basement if needed.
- Have 400,000 Roubles ready for the Shoreline boat extract and 2,500 Euros for extraction on Icebreaker.
Estimated Completion Times
| Task | Estimated Time |
| Poster Search | 1 to 3 raids |
| Woods Tower Repair | 1 raid |
| Lighthouse Documents | 1 to 2 raids |
| Infill Unlock | 2 to 5 raids |
| Exfill Unlock | 2 to 6 raids |
Completion time depends heavily on loot RNG, raid traffic, and Flea Market prices.
Preparation and Performance Tips
Loadout
- Due to Icebreaker’s cramped hallways and tight interiors, most players prefer red dot sights over magnified optics.
- Smoke grenades are especially effective against Black Division AI enemies on Icebreaker, since dense smoke heavily disrupts their line of sight. The new boss encounter tied to Black Division forces aboard the ship adds further pressure in the late stages of a raid.
- Gas masks are commonly used during Icebreaker raids. Certain areas contain radiation exposure zones, so carrying healing supplies is recommended.
Loot
Several rare electronic items found on Icebreaker are required later in the progression chain. Avoid immediately selling unfamiliar tech loot through the trader menu until you know what it is.
Graphics Settings
High volumetric lighting settings can create severe glare around the helipad and interior lighting on Icebreaker. Lowering volumetric lighting in the graphics settings noticeably improves visibility.
Useful Tips
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- Later progression unlocks the option to bypass Shoreline entirely and deploy directly to the Icebreaker map from the Hideout menu.
- Patch updates added a subtle crosshair indicator that expands when aiming near certain quest items, making some loose loot objectives easier to locate.
- The Mechanic’s smuggler territory elimination task and the BTR Driver checkpoint are entirely separate locations. Complete the kills before returning to report back.
- Icebreaker transition cutscenes do not pause the raid timer, so reposition immediately once control returns.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do you unlock the Icebreaker map in Escape from Tarkov?
To unlock Icebreaker, players must complete the Boreas questline. This involves repairing the Woods radio tower, retrieving Paradigm Shipping documents on Lighthouse, and completing both the Infill and Exfill branches. Unlocking only entry is not enough — both branches are required before deploying onto the map.
How do you start the Boreas questline in Tarkov?
The Boreas questline can be started in two ways:
- Find and extract with a Paradigm Shipping poster.
- Use the Hideout radio if you already have Intelligence Center Level 3.
Players using the Hideout method must physically enter the Hideout and interact with the radio manually.
Where does the Paradigm Shipping poster spawn in Tarkov?
The poster spawns randomly across Ground Zero and Lighthouse. Common Ground Zero locations include:
- TerraGroup parking structure
- Main lobby staircases
- Basement stairwells
- Vehicle extract building
On Lighthouse, it commonly appears around the train station area.
Can you buy the Paradigm Shipping poster on the Flea Market?
Yes. Players struggling to find the poster manually can purchase it directly from the Flea Market instead of farming Ground Zero repeatedly.
Do you need both Infill and Exfill unlocked for Icebreaker?
Yes. Unlocking only Infill allows players to enter Icebreaker, but without Exfill unlocked there will be no valid extraction available on the map.
Where is the radio tower for the Boreas repair job?
The radio tower is located near the Scav Bunker area on Woods, close to Prapor’s convoy by the lake. Players must interact with the white control panel at the base of the tower using a Toolset.
What happens if you enter Icebreaker without Exfill unlocked?
Players who enter Icebreaker without completing the Exfill branch will have no extraction available and will effectively be trapped on the map.
Where are the AMG-10 fluid / helicopter oil spawns in Tarkov?
Two reliable Reserve locations for AMG-10 fluid are:
- Inside the central helicopter opposite White Pawn
- The Black Bishop basement rooms
Players often refer to AMG-10 fluid as helicopter oil.
How do you extract from Icebreaker in Escape from Tarkov?
Icebreaker extraction requires:
- Exfill progression completed through Prapor
- 2,500 Euros
- A Green Flare
Players must fire the flare near the helipad and wait for the “Route Safe” confirmation before entering the extraction zone.
Do you need a Green Flare for Icebreaker extraction?
Yes. Icebreaker extraction requires a Green Flare. Both handheld RSP-30 Green flares and green signal pistol rounds work.
How much does Icebreaker extraction cost?
Extraction from Icebreaker costs 2,500 Euros per player during the raid itself. This is separate from the 400,000 Rouble Shoreline transit fee required to enter the map.
Where is the Shoreline hovercraft transit located?
The hovercraft transit is located at the Shoreline pier near the gas station and car extract.
What is the fastest way to unlock Icebreaker?
The fastest route is:
- Use Intelligence Center Level 3 to skip the poster search
- Choose Mechanic’s BTR path
- Hand the Armored Case to Prapor during Falling Skies
- Farm AMG-10 fluid on Reserve
This keeps both progression branches as short as possible.
Is Icebreaker PvE only in Tarkov?
Yes. Icebreaker operates as a PvE-only closed instance for solo players or pre-made groups.
Can random PMCs join Icebreaker raids?
No. Icebreaker raids do not add random PMCs. Only solo players and pre-made squads can deploy onto the map together.
What happens if you kept the Armored Case during Falling Skies?
Players who kept the Armored Case must additionally turn in three Military Power Filters alongside the AMG-10 fluid during the Exfill branch.
Where is the Lighthouse document location for Boreas?
The Paradigm Shipping documents are located inside the Lighthouse hangar near the train yard. The red file folder appears behind boxes on a small desk or table inside the warehouse.
What counts toward the smuggler elimination task?
Any hostile targets inside the designated smuggler zones count toward the elimination objective, including PMCs, AI Scavs, and hostile NPCs.
Can you keep the Toolset in your secure container during the Woods repair?
Yes. Unlike the Paradigm Shipping poster, the Toolset can safely remain inside a secure container during the Woods tower repair task.
Does insurance work on the Icebreaker map?
No. Insurance does not function on Icebreaker, meaning any gear lost during the raid is permanently gone.
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