Where to find the pocket watch in Escape from Tarkov
Here is how you complete the quest "Background Check" in Escape from Tarkov.
Once you’re done with Ground Zero, the next set of quests will take you to Escape from Tarkov's Customs map. One of the quests that requires more legwork is “Background Check” which asks you to find the bronze pocket watch. In this guide, we will show you where to find the watch and how to get the key that opens the truck it is in.
Where to find the machinery key
Source: Battlestate Games
Getting the machinery key might be the hardest part of this quest. It is guaranteed to spawn once per raid in the three-story dormitory in the southern part of the map. The dorms are a dangerous place to go to because it's always swarming with scavs and other players. If you want to try and get the key without risking gear, try finding it as a scav instead.
Source: Battlestate Games
To find the key, you head to the three-story dorm and go up to the second floor. You’ll find a makeshift barricade on the northern end of the corridor, which you have to climb on to enter room 205. Here you’ll find two blue jackets next to the wardrobe. The machinery key will always be in both jackets twice. If you’ve looted it as a PMC, make sure to put it in your secured container before you leave the building.
Bronze pocket watch location
Source: Battlestate Games
The bronze pocket watch can be found in the fuel truck in the area with all the fuel tanks in the center of the map. Because of its proximity to everything else, there will at least be a few scavs, the sniper scav, on the factory building, and other players around. That is why we highly recommend bringing at least one other player or going at night. Before you proceed, make sure to check the area around the fuel tanks for scavs and get rid of the sniper scav.
Source: Battlestate Games
After making it past the walls, you can find the truck right next to the small, half-finished building. If you have the machinery key on you, just climb on the little box next to the truck and open the door. You should find the bronze pocket watch next to the seat. Now you only need to extract from Customs alive to complete the quest.
Source: Battlestate Games
Depending on where you spawned that may be more difficult. If you came from the western corner of the map, you’ll probably be able to extract by using the RUAF roadblock to the north just up the street. You can also try and head south along the river to see if the Smuggler’s boat is available, which you can tell depending on if the campfire next to the Sniper roadblock is lit.
If you came from the eastern part of the map, you’ll have it much worse. If you have 5,000 roubles on you, you can try and go for the Dorms Van extract behind the three-story dorms building. By hitting “O” twice on your keyboard, you can check if it's still available. All the other extraction points are deep in scav territory and you probably want to avoid getting into fights that early in your Escape from Tarkov career. You can try sneaking past the construction zone to the south and head to the fenced-off old gas station behind the train tracks.
Source: Battlestate Games
Safer is taking the long way around through the forest in the southwestern part of the map far away from any major point of interest. You can sneak past the gas station and the military checkpoint and enter the factory complex through the hole in the wall next to the Scav Checkpoint. From here you can head north and go to the ZB-1011 exit. Just be careful when using the street, players love to camp that road from the bushes next to the train tracks.
And that is how you complete the quest “Background Check”. For more Escape from Tarkov make sure to visit our dedicated guide page.
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