Loot system overview
ARC Raiders rewards squads that understand how tiered loot zones work on the Dam Battlegrounds. Containers spawn in fixed locations, but the loot tables change with zone risk, key requirements, and dynamic events.
- Static containers: toolboxes, lockers, and crates appear in the same spots every raid.
- Zone tiers: higher-risk regions pull from better loot pools.
- Locked rooms: require keys but always contain high-tier gear.
- ARC drops & airdrops: roaming events that guarantee legendary materials.
Risk vs reward
Red zones pay the best, but extraction becomes harder. Bring lightweight builds when farming high-tier loot so you can reposition quickly if PvP squads collapse on you.
Loot tiers & rarity
| Tier | Example zones | Loot focus | Recommended approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier S | Power Plant vaults, ARC uplinks | Legendary weapons, rare cores | Full squad, keycards, smoke/EMP |
| Tier A | Research campus, control room | Epic weapons, crafting materials | Duo or trio with balanced loadouts |
| Tier B | Apartment district, rail yards | Blue weapons, shield parts | Solo or duo speed-farming |
| Tier C | Outskirts, swamps | Basic meds, plastics, quest items | Fast solo runs for quests |
Farming efficiently means rotating through tiers: hit a Tier A zone for guaranteed weapon parts, then finish the raid in Tier B/C to bank basic materials without unnecessary firefights.
Power Plant – high tier
The Alcantara Power Plant is the most lucrative zone on the map. Expect multiple enemy squads plus ARC patrols guarding vaults and high-voltage rooms.
- Vault Ring: four locked cages with guaranteed legendary drops. Requires Master Power Plant Key.
- Turbine Hall: elevated catwalks that spawn epic rifles and batteries for bench upgrades.
- Main Control: computers drop advanced schematics and rare circuits.
Survival plan
Enter through the maintenance tunnels to avoid roof campers, deploy smokes on ladders, and always leave one player watching extraction routes while others loot.
Apartment district
The eastern apartment district mixes mid-tier loot with plenty of vertical cover, ideal for balanced squads or duos learning rotations.
- Roof supply clusters: med bags, shield cells, and mid-tier weapons.
- Market square: high density of static containers; perfect for quick plastics and fabric runs.
- Parking garages: spawn vehicle batteries and combat stimulants.
Route suggestion: spawn on the south road, clear garages → market → rooftops, then exit via nearby helipad before power squads rotate over.
Research center materials
The research center houses the best crafting materials in Dam Battlegrounds. Expect laser grids, drones, and plenty of AI resistance.
- Biotech labs: chemicals and med station upgrades.
- Fabrication wing: rare alloys, electronic parts, schematic drops.
- ARC specimen vault: cores and uplink intel required for late-game quests.
Key management
Carry two Research Keycards so you can split the team and clear both wings simultaneously, reducing the time you spend exposed to third parties.
Secret caches
Hidden caches are scattered around the Dam for players who memorize environmental clues. These locations respawn every raid.
- Collapsed monorail: crawlspace under the tracks holds a golden crate.
- Water control caverns: dive beneath the turbines to find waterproof lockers with rare meds.
- Forest bunker: a keypad-locked shelter on the north ridge containing guaranteed weapon mods.
Screenshot every cache you discover and share it with the squad—rotating through two or three hidden stashes per raid drastically improves profit consistency.
Optimized farming routes
Efficient farming means linking zones together. Below are sample circuits that balance risk, loot quality, and extraction access.
| Route | Path | Focus | Extraction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Sprint | South spawn → Tunnels → Power Plant Vaults → West Hatch | Legendary weapons & cores | West maintenance hatch |
| Material Loop | Apartments → Market → Research Labs → River Hatch | Crafting materials & schematics | River hatch or ARC uplink |
| Low-Risk Harvest | Rail Yard → Swamp shacks → Forest caches | Plastics, fabrics, quest items | North helipad |
Timing advice
Run Power Sprint within the first 10 minutes, Material Loop mid-raid, and finish with Low-Risk Harvest once storms start shrinking the map.
Efficient looting tips
- Travel light: leave heavy armor at home when farming so you can sprint between zones.
- Color-code stash tabs: dedicate one tab per farming route to see which resources are low.
- Use recon tools: drones, audio decoys, and signal detectors reveal campers before you walk into traps.
- Extract early: banking two solid runs is better than losing everything to greed on a third.
Combine this loot guide with our extraction tips to ensure every profitable run actually reaches the dropship.