Escape from Tarkov Guide: How to Complete Guardian of Nature Quest

Q: What comes after Guardian of Nature?

Finishing this quest unlocks Adaptive Diplomacy, the next step in the Tarkov Hospitality event chain. That quest sends you after Ref's camps directly and requires PMC kills on Shoreline, Customs, or Woods, all without touching his cleanup crew. The stakes go up, and you'll want to be comfortable on those maps before diving in. If you're newer to the game and finding the Woods navigation tricky, the Escape from Tarkov beginner's guide covers map awareness and survival basics that will make event quests like this much more manageable. For players who want to run the quest without burning PMC gear, brushing up on Scav run strategies is worth the time, though note that quest items picked up on a Scav cannot be handed in to Jaeger. You'll need your PMC for this one. For the full range of event quests and other Tarkov content, the Escape from Tarkov guides collection has everything organized in one place.

The Tarkov Hospitality event is live in Escape from Tarkov, and Guardian of Nature is the quest that kicks the whole thing off. It ties directly into a crossover with Tarkov Arena, where players collectively determine the order in which new maps get added to that game. Before any of that happens, though, you need to track down a single document on Woods. The quest looks simple on paper, but the exact location of the intel trips up a lot of players.

What is the Guardian of Nature quest?

Guardian of Nature is the opening quest of the Tarkov Hospitality event, issued by Jaeger. The event pits Ref against the traders, and this first quest sets the stage by sending you after intelligence on Ref's plans. The optional objectives listed in the quest description are not required for completion. They hint at where Ref's cleanup crew will spawn in later quests, so you can skim them for context, but finishing the main objective is all that matters here.

Escape from Tarkov Guide: How to Complete Guardian of Nature Quest

Where to find information on Ref's plans

The document you need is at the EMERCOM Camp on Woods. This is one of the map's central loot areas, sitting alongside the lake on the road between the Sawmill and the RUAF extraction point. If you've spent any time on Woods, you've almost certainly passed through it before.

warning

EMERCOM Camp is a high-traffic area. Expect other PMCs to be contesting it, and there's a real chance of running into Partizan as well. Go in with a plan, not just a direction.

Once you reach the camp, head inside from the large mountain side. Look for a black medical storage box in the left corner of the camp, near a large green container. The document sitting on top of that box is the intel you're after.

Escape from Tarkov Guide: How to Complete Guardian of Nature Quest

Step-by-step breakdown

Load into a raid on Woods
Navigate to the EMERCOM Camp near the lake, between Sawmill and the RUAF extraction
Enter the camp from the mountain side
Find the black medical storage box in the left corner, next to the green container
Pick up the document on top of the box
Extract successfully to hand the item in to Jaeger

info

The document is a quest item, so it goes into your quest item slot and won't take up regular inventory space. You still need to extract alive to keep it.

What are the Guardian of Nature quest rewards?

Completing Guardian of Nature and handing the document to Jaeger nets you a solid package for an early event quest.

Loading table...

The Remington M700 is a capable bolt-action rifle, and getting it handed to you along with magazines and matching ammunition is a clean head start for the event. After turning this quest in, Ref issues the follow-up task, which requires you to kill 5 PMCs on Shoreline, Customs, or Woods without eliminating any of his cleanup crew.

How to approach the EMERCOM Camp safely

The camp's central position on Woods makes it one of the most contested spots on the map. A few things worth knowing before you push in:

Ref's cleanup crew may be present. They are generally neutral to PMCs, but that can change depending on your actions. Don't fire into groups without identifying your targets.
Partizan has a chance to be patrolling the area. He's a dangerous scav boss and not worth engaging unless you're specifically geared for it.
The fastest route from most spawn points is along the road toward Sawmill. Cutting through the treeline gives you cover while you approach.
Once you have the document, extracting via RUAF Roadblock is a short run from the camp, making it one of the cleanest exits available.

info

This quest can be completed in a single raid if you spawn reasonably close to EMERCOM Camp and the area isn't too heavily contested. Budget about 5 to 10 minutes if things go smoothly.

What comes after Guardian of Nature?

Finishing this quest unlocks Adaptive Diplomacy, the next step in the Tarkov Hospitality event chain. That quest sends you after Ref's camps directly and requires PMC kills on Shoreline, Customs, or Woods, all without touching his cleanup crew. The stakes go up, and you'll want to be comfortable on those maps before diving in.

If you're newer to the game and finding the Woods navigation tricky, the Escape from Tarkov beginner's guide covers map awareness and survival basics that will make event quests like this much more manageable. For players who want to run the quest without burning PMC gear, brushing up on Scav run strategies is worth the time, though note that quest items picked up on a Scav cannot be handed in to Jaeger. You'll need your PMC for this one.

For the full range of event quests and other Tarkov content, the Escape from Tarkov guides collection has everything organized in one place.