Disease History Tarkov – Quest Summary Table
Detail | Description |
---|---|
Quest Title | Disease History |
Game | Escape from Tarkov |
Map | Reserve |
Quest Giver | Therapist (NPC) |
Required Level | 15 |
Key Items | Medical Record #1, Medical Record #2 |
Required Keys | RB-KSM, RB-SMP |
Objective | Retrieve two medical observation journals from locked rooms |
Reward | XP, Roubles, medical supplies, and a wall paint style |
Reference | escapefromtarkov.fandom.com/wiki/Disease_History |
The Disease History quest, which is located inside a damaged hospital on Tarkov’s Reserve map, doesn’t seem urgent until you start to understand what it actually means. This mission requires you to retrieve medical records that are concealed behind locked doors, in contrast to other missions where the objective is determined by kill counts or loot. On the surface, it seems like an easy task. But as you dig deeper, it becomes something much more disturbing—a terrifying reminder of how quickly militarization of science can undermine ethics.
One of Tarkov’s main characters, the Therapist, gives you the task of gathering these patient journals. Her questions suggest a moral dilemma, despite her quiet tone and delicate wording. She makes reference to TerraGroup, the game’s fictional conglomerate with a history of shady dealings, testing a new flu vaccine. The fictitious experiments of this company bear a striking resemblance to actual vaccine trials carried out in the past under dubious supervision. Tarkov blends amusement with eerie tidbits of believable history with astonishingly successful immersion.
You have to find two journals. Both are concealed behind locked doors on the second floor of White Bishop, a medical facility within the Reserve base, one in RB-KSM and the other in RB-SMP. These are relics, purposefully buried amid chaos, not merely data points for a task. There’s an emotional undertone to that alone—every time you walk through these doors, you get the feeling that someone wanted these discoveries to remain secret.
This goes beyond just navigating the digital landscape. Certain keys are needed for the rooms, and they must be acquired or exchanged. After that, the player has to endure fierce firefights, scav ambushes, and the possibility of losing everything if they die. It’s a very clear metaphor for the extent to which people—researchers, journalists, or whistleblowers—must go in order to uncover the truth that has been suppressed. That pursuit feels painfully real thanks to Tarkov.
Surprisingly, the game doesn’t reward your efforts with voice-acted confessions or dramatic cutscenes. Rather, you are left with the unadulterated joy of surviving, gathering the proof, and delivering it. However, it’s unclear what the therapist does with that information. Her remarks imply humanitarian application. However, her reference to her “Western clients” raises a silent alarm. Is she an additional layer in a convoluted hierarchy of exploitation, or is she a component of the solution?
This unrestricted morality is reminiscent of current concerns about medical trials, especially in underprivileged areas. A recurrent theme in world history is secrecy masquerading as science, such as the infamous Project MKUltra or the 1996 Kano meningitis case in Nigeria. Tarkov doesn’t have to say this directly. It merely allows players to experience the weight of managing information that, depending on who receives it first, could either be beneficial or detrimental.
Escape from Tarkov has significantly improved over time in its use of gameplay mechanics to depict genuine psychological tension. illness Players are forced into risk-reward situations, particularly in history. The medical journals must be taken out with you; they cannot be safely stored. They’re gone if you die. This makes a digital file emotionally more serious and dramatically increases the pressure. You begin to safeguard it as though it were personal—a sentiment that is reminiscent of activists transporting USB sticks across borders or researchers escaping conflict areas with important discoveries.
It is not surprising that content creators have taken up this quest. Affliktid and Joshybeast Tactical are two YouTube channels that have provided empathetic as well as informative breakdowns. In addition to guiding players through the steps, they highlight the stakes, the story, and the danger. For journalists getting ready to enter hostile areas, these walkthroughs—some of which are remarkably effective in less than two minutes—serve as briefings. This multi-layered intricacy is what attracts viewers.
Tarkov accomplishes something especially novel by relating strategy to ethics and disease to strategy. It changes the way that first-person shooters tell stories. Instead of using cutscenes to tell a story, it uses the quiet of a hospital hallway, the rustle of papers, and the creak of a door hinge. The message is much more potent because of that restraint.
The way that Disease History speaks to larger public issues is what makes it compelling outside of the screen. Recent pandemic years have brought topics like pharmaceutical accountability, health data privacy, and vaccine development into the mainstream. Tarkov takes advantage of this social context to create emotionally charged and thought-provoking gameplay. The player transforms into a reluctant archivist in addition to a soldier.
Disease History also appeals to many people’s anxieties about technology abuse. The notion of improper data handling is no longer implausible in a time when medical records and artificial intelligence coexist. Tarkov reintroduces a sense of fragility through its grounded, analog approach. No backups are available. No cloud saves. Only you, your choices, and your actions.
Comparing this subdued message to influential people who have changed society by revealing hidden facts helps it gain traction. Consider investigative journalists like Marie Colvin covering war zones or Edward Snowden risking exile for leaking intelligence. Here, a subtle but intentional parallel is made. With all the weight that goes along with it, you are collecting history rather than just objects.
This isn’t just another unmemorable side quest, either. Benefits like a Grizzly medical kit, pain relievers, and hideout upgrades can be obtained by finishing Disease History. Despite their apparent utility, these acquire symbolic significance within the quest. They imply that people who find the truth are frequently left to use what little they have left to heal themselves.
