After months of teasers and delays, the long-awaited Icebreaker map has finally been released to live servers. The release included an event, a brand-new chapter in Tarkov’s story, and a new Radiation mechanic. Getting to the ship is quite an arduous journey, and the ship itself is probably the most tense and high-stakes map in the game. Here's your guide to unlocking the latest map as well as a quick guide for everything you need to know while on the ship.
Complete Icebreaker Unlock Guide
Unlock Requirements for Icebreaker
There are 2 known ways to start the Boreas quest. The first is to find a poster featuring the titular Icebreaker ship from maps like Shoreline or Streets of Tarkov. The poster is mainly orange and prominently features the ship. Taking the poster automatically starts the Boreas quest.
The second known way to start the Boreas questline is to have an Intelligence Center Level 3. Doing this method would unlock the map much later for players since this Hideout upgrade is mainly reserved for late-game players. However, players with their Intel Center at Level 3 can simply enter their hideout and interact with the radio. This prompts a short dialogue after they can speak to Mechanic to proceed with the quest.
How to enter the Icebreaker map
Once Boreas has been completed or has progressed through the quest enough, players can enter the ship via transit on Shoreline. The transit spot is located on the pier and has a steep entry fee of 400,000 Roubles.
Icebreaker Map Guide
The Wedge (New Boss) and The Goons
Icebreaker features a brand new boss who, by the looks of it, is a Black Division operative. Armed with an MP7 and extremely good armor, The Wedge is bound to be a close-range menace for players. Other than having a new boss, the infamous trio of Knight, Bird Eye, and Big Pipe also makes an appearance on the ship to punish ill-equipped players.
Radiation and Extraction
Aside from adding a brand-new boss, the ship also has environmental hazards, mainly radiation. The brand-new radiation hazard can quickly make gunfights even tenser thanks to a constant drain on your HP. Thanks to the radiation mechanic, items like Golden Star Balm have shot up in price because of the item's 400-second radiation removal.
Extraction on the ship is simple yet extremely difficult. Players need to bring a Handheld RSP 30 Green Flare and 2500 Euros to the helipad on the south side of the ship. A notification will pop up to notify players that they are in the right area. Currently, this is the only known extraction for the map; it is always active and can only be activated once.
No Insurance
Icebreaker follows the same pattern as other high-stakes maps like Labs and the Labyrinth, with Insurance being disabled while on the map. In essence, should the player die on the ship, the gear they bring is permanently lost unless an ally can bring it out of the raid for them.
