The story of Escape From Tarkov is one of mystery and survival. It begins with a PMC lying in the TerraGroup offices after a mysterious blast cripples the city's communications. After navigating the Tour questline, which unlocks Mechanic, the PMC wonders about the explosion. The answers lie in the Blue Fire quest, where the PMC becomes a detective, tracking down information about the 'blue fire' incident that changed Tarkov forever.

There are two ways to start the Blue Fire quest. The first is to enter the marked room in the back of Chekannaya Street 13 on the Streets of Tarkov map. This requires the Mysterious Room Marked Key, a rare spawn in filing cabinets and scavs, also available on the Flea Market for millions of roubles. The second way is to read any of the leaflets plastered by the doors of EMERCOM tents on the Interchange and Woods maps. It is highly recommended to complete the Tour questline first, as you need access to traders and locations not available at the start.

The quest deals with technology beyond a mercenary's pay grade, so a specialist is needed. Visit Mechanic and ask about the EMP blast. He provides some information but requires you to retrieve a fragment of the device that caused the explosion. A device that powerful doesn't disappear without a trace, so you must go to the Streets of Tarkov to find a piece.

The fragment can be found in two locations, both locked behind rare and expensive keys. The Mysterious Room Marked Key opens a marked room in Chekannaya Street 13, where the fragment sits in a flower pot in the corner. Alternatively, the Car Dealership Closed Section Key opens the upper section of the LexOs car dealership, where the fragment is in a bin on the central table. The most reliable way to get this key is to assault the dealership and kill the boss Kaban. Once you have the fragment in your quest inventory, extract and talk to Mechanic.

Mechanic needs more information, so he asks you to install a hacking device in the main TerraGroup server room. That means a trip to The Lab, the most inhospitable location in Escape From Tarkov. Equip the device in a special slot to avoid losing it if you die, then go down. The server rack is in room B12, accessible also from B21 on the next floor. Approach the rack, ensure surroundings are clear, and start planting. The process takes 60 seconds, and any interruption means starting over. Once back topside, speak to Mechanic again.

Mechanic offers to take the fragment for 1.5 million roubles. Keeping it earns the Better Served achievement, but selling it does not affect story progression. Choose wisely based on your cash needs.

The final chapter plays out in the Streets of Tarkov. Head to the main post office building on Primorsky Avenue, opposite the Pinewood Hotel. Search for cassette tapes. One is behind the reception, on a blood-stained desk by a dead scav. The tapes contain answering machine messages from a courier who abandoned his cargo due to the city's situation. That's your next target.

The blue postman's van is parked right outside the building on Primorsky Avenue. To open it, you need the Rus Post Car Key, which is guaranteed to spawn behind the van's rear right tyre and can also be found as random loot. Open the rear of the van and pick up the Object 1156 blueprints document. After reading them, extract from Streets of Tarkov to complete the Blue Fire questline.

For a quick reference, here is a summary of the key steps:

Step	Objective	Location	Key/Item Required
1	Start quest	Streets of Tarkov (Chekannaya 13) or EMERCOM tents	Mysterious Room Marked Key or reading leaflets
2	Get fragment	Streets of Tarkov (Chekannaya 13 or LexOs dealership)	Mysterious Room Marked Key or Car Dealership Closed Section Key
3	Install hacking device	The Lab (room B12)	Hacking device (special slot)
4	Choose to sell or keep fragment	N/A	N/A
5	Find cassette tapes	Streets of Tarkov (post office)	None
6	Retrieve blueprints	Streets of Tarkov (postman van)	Rus Post Car Key

The Blue Fire questline is a deep dive into Tarkov's lore, offering valuable rewards and achievements. With this guide, even the most mysterious corners of the city can be navigated. Stay tuned for more 2026 updates.

If you habitually spend millions of roubles on marked keys, you already know how volatile a game's economy can be — a single key can make or break an entire wipe's worth of loot runs, and prices shift the moment a new patch drops. That same curiosity about fluctuating key values tends to follow players into other titles, especially newer releases where the market is still settling.

For anyone wondering how other shooters price their access keys, the price comparison here breaks down what Star Wars: Zero Company keys currently cost and how the numbers are trending. It's a handy reference for the same instinct that sends you sprinting to a van's rear tyre for a guaranteed key spawn.