Happy holidays in Escape from Tarkov have a peculiar meaning: survival. In the snow-covered chaos of the 2026 festive event, a warm greeting is less about cheer and more about not bleeding out in a ditch. That grim mood sets the stage for Missing in Action, the first quest of the event, handed out by Prapor. A squad of his men went on an important long-range mission to retrieve cargo from the field, but they have not returned. With a brutal blizzard hammering the region, those missing operators need more than thoughts and prayers. They need supplies. And that is where the player comes in. ❄️

The job sounds simple. Drop three care packages in separate locations across the Woods, Reserve, and Interchange maps. Each package contains a bottle of vodka, a pack of buckwheat, and an Iskra field ration. Simple, of course, is a relative term in Tarkov. What could possibly go wrong while carrying fragile bottles through sniper lanes and Scav-infested buildings?

What Does Prapor Actually Require?

Prapor provides three full sets of the required items to get the player started. However, if any of those items are lost, the player must source replacements. The good news is that the items for Missing in Action do not need to be found in raid. That means they can be purchased from the Flea Market or from Fence when available. All three items are also commonly found in Ration Crates across every map, so looting food containers is a reasonable backup plan.

The pack of Arseniy buckwheat cannot be crafted. That is an important detail for anyone hoping to mass-produce the care packages. The bottle of Tarkovskaya vodka can be crafted in the level 3 Nutrition Unit. The recipe requires five bottles of water and one bottle of Fierce Hatchling moonshine. The Iskra ration pack can be crafted in the level 1 Nutrition Unit using two packs of Army crackers, a small can of beef stew, and a can of squash spread. Alternatively, it can be bought from Jaeger at loyalty level 2 after completing The Survival Path - Thrifty quest.

Stashing each item takes five seconds. That may not sound like long, but five seconds in the open can feel like an eternity when a blizzard is howling and other players are hunting. The smart move is to put as many of the required items as possible into the secure container. That way, if the raid goes sideways, the player avoids having to craft or purchase replacements at a premium later. 🎁

Should the Player Do Everything in One Raid?

It is possible to complete Missing in Action in a single raid by using transits between the three maps. Is that wise? Most likely not. A player who tries to chain Woods, Reserve, and Interchange together in one run will probably end up dead with broken bottles of vodka rattling around in their backpack. The quest does not require a single-raid completion, and the order of the stash placements does not matter. The quest is completed once the last item is placed. Players do not need to extract from the raid or stay alive between attempts. That flexibility makes it much more reasonable to treat each map as its own small operation.

Stash Locations at a Glance

Map	Stash Location	Key Landmark
Woods	Scav House	Near Outskirts extract and transit to Reserve; two boxes in the corner
Reserve	Westernmost guard barracks	Northwestern corner, north of train station; building marked B; small room on the right; desks by Air Force posters
Interchange	Smuggler's Camp	Expanded 1.0 area; near Path to River flare extract; metal shack by generator and yellow van with red star graffiti

Woods: The Scav House Drop

The Woods stashing location for Missing in Action is the Scav House, located right by the Outskirts extract and the transit point to Reserve. The player should approach the two boxes in the corner to trigger the prompt and place the items. It is a straightforward drop, but the area is not always quiet. Outskirts extract traffic and transit campers can turn a simple delivery into a firefight. Does that mean players should skip it? No, but they should clear angles before starting the five-second stash animation.

Reserve: Western Guard Barracks

The dropoff point in Reserve is in the westernmost guard barracks building. It sits in the northwestern corner of the map, north of the train station. The building of interest is marked with a B on the outside. After entering the barracks, players should look for the small room on their right-hand side. The stashing point is the pair of desks on the floor by the Air Force posters. Reserve is a map where sound matters, and the barracks often attracts players looking for loot or quest progress. A quiet approach through the northwestern edge can make the difference.

Interchange: Smuggler's Camp

The Interchange stash for Missing in Action is located in the expanded part of the map introduced with the 1.0 update. It is adjacent to the Path to River flare extract, in the new Smuggler's Camp. Players should look for the small metal shack near the generator and the yellow van marked with the red star graffiti. The items go on the right side of that shack. This area may be less familiar to veterans returning after a break, so it helps to check the map layout before committing. What better time to learn the new corners of Interchange than during a festive event?

Rewards and What Comes Next

Once the final item is placed, Missing in Action is complete. The rewards are 5,000 XP points and 0.01 reputation with Prapor, 21,000 roubles, a modified AK-12 assault rifle with three old pattern magazines, and a box containing 120 7N40 rounds for the new gun. That is a solid payout for a quest that mostly involves travel and careful item management. 🔫

The quest also unlocks Clearing the Way, which the player starts by talking to Skier. That means Missing in Action is not just a holiday errand. It is a gateway to more tasks and more reasons to keep pushing through the snow.

So, what is the best approach? Keep the items in the secure container, treat each map separately, avoid unnecessary transits, and remember that the order of placement does not matter. In the cheerful snowscape of Tarkov, happy holidays still means staying alive. Missing in Action may be a delivery quest, but it is also a reminder that even a bottle of vodka can be a matter of life and death.