The Tarkov Hospitality event pits players in the middle of a war between Ref and Jaeger, and Distributed Strike is where things get genuinely annoying. Escape from Tarkov sends you across three separate maps to hunt down members of Ref's cleanup crew, and every other player in the event is doing the exact same thing. Competition is fierce, spawns are contested, and knowing exactly where to go before you load in makes a real difference.
What is the Distributed Strike quest?
Distributed Strike is the third quest in the Tarkov Hospitality Arena crossover event. The premise ties directly into the event's story: Ref wants to bring back maps from the New Year's celebration (the Dorms area on Customs, the EMERCOM camp on Woods, and the smuggler base on Shoreline) and add them to Arena. Jaeger isn't happy about it, so he's sending you to eliminate Ref's cleanup crew members stationed at each of those three locations.
You need to kill 6 cleanup crew members at each location, for a total of 18 kills spread across three maps. These enemies are tougher than standard scavs, so don't expect quick headshots to always do the job cleanly.
Escape from Tarkov Guide: How to Complete Distributed Strike Quest
Where are Ref's camps in Escape from Tarkov?
Each of the three camps sits at a location that was temporarily added during the New Year's event. Here's a breakdown of exactly where to find them.
Ref's camp on Woods: EMERCOM camp
Head to the EMERCOM Camp near the lake, on the route toward the Sawmill. This is one of the main loot hubs on Woods, known for food and medical items. The cleanup crew spawns in and around the camp buildings. Because it's a well-traveled area, expect other players to be pushing it hard during the event.
Ref's camp on Customs: Dorms area
On Customs, the cleanup crew operates around Dorms, the pair of buildings along the main road near the vehicle extract. This is arguably the most contested location in the entire quest. Dorms is already one of the hottest drop zones on Customs under normal circumstances, and the event only amplifies that. Move carefully and clear rooms methodically.
Ref's camp on Shoreline: Smuggler's Base
Shoreline sends you to the Smuggler's Base in the top-right corner of the map. This location was added during the New Year's celebration and sits near a minefield, so watch your footing as you approach. The cleanup crew clusters around the base structures in that corner of the map.
Escape from Tarkov Guide: How to Complete Distributed Strike Quest
Distributed Strike rewards
Completing all three locations nets you a solid haul, especially the primary weapon reward.
The HK G28 is the standout here. It's a marksman rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm, and the M80 ammunition included with it is solid mid-tier ammo for the caliber. Combined with the 200,000 roubles, this is one of the better event quest payouts in recent memory.
Finishing Distributed Strike also unlocks the next quest in the chain: Dish Served Cold.
What comes after Distributed Strike?
Distributed Strike feeds directly into Dish Served Cold, which shifts the focus to Skier and involves planting jammers. The Tarkov Hospitality event is a short-form chain, so completing Distributed Strike quickly keeps you on pace with the broader event timeline.
If you're working through other event quests alongside this one, the Escape from Tarkov Casus Belli guide covering Pillager locations and the Stealing the Stolen quest walkthrough are worth bookmarking. The Bulldogs Under the Rug quest guide covers another multi-location objective with similar structure to Distributed Strike, so the approach translates well.
For the full list of active event quests and ongoing extraction shooter content, the complete Escape from Tarkov guides collection has everything organized by quest chain.