ARC Raiders quests are not a single linear checklist. The current main tree contains 100 interconnected quests spread across five traders, multiple maps, and post-launch update branches. The fastest practical approach is to clear early Shani objectives first, keep every available trader chain active, combine location objectives on the same map, and prioritize quests that unlock permanent blueprints, keys, or high-value combat gear. This guide covers the quest order that matters, required items to save, and the rewards worth targeting first.
ARC Raiders quest order: the short answer
Follow the quest tree, not the quest list’s display order. Several quests unlock in parallel, and forcing yourself to finish one trader’s entire chain before touching another usually creates unnecessary raids. Your efficient progression order is:
- Finish the starter Shani branches to learn looting, ARC kills, Field Depots, Raider Hatches, and basic supply interactions.
- Complete easy cross-map objectives while building materials for Tian Wen, Celeste, Apollo, and Lance.
- Stack map-specific quests before deploying. A Dam Battlegrounds run should include every active Dam objective, not one objective at a time.
- Push prerequisite chains with blueprint, key, or Tier III equipment rewards before cosmetic-only branches.
- Clear update questlines as they become available, particularly Flashpoint and Riven Tides, because they are gated behind older main quests rather than simply appearing for every new Raider.
As of the latest quest-content update, Riven Tides, the established quest databases list 100 quests in the main interconnected tree. Embark’s July 7, 2026 live update fixed a quest-menu issue but did not announce additional quests, so the Riven Tides quest total remains the current practical benchmark. Read the official Live Update 1.36.0 notes.
How quest requirements and progress work
Quest requirements come in four forms: actions completed Topside, items you must obtain, items you must deliver, and prior quests that unlock the next node. The quest screen is the authority for your active objective text; use it before every deployment because some objectives need a specific interaction, photograph, scan, or delivery rather than merely visiting the right landmark.
| Requirement type | What to do | Common failure point |
|---|---|---|
| Location objective | Reach the named building, room, roof, landmark, or map zone and interact when prompted. | Entering the general POI but missing the exact interactable. |
| ARC elimination | Destroy the specified ARC, sometimes with a required weapon, grenade, or utility. | Using the wrong damage source or failing to loot the required component afterward. |
| Item collection | Find or craft the stated materials and safely retain them for turn-in. | Selling, crafting with, or losing a required item before delivery. |
| Map interaction | Use a terminal, repair point, supply station, scanner, crate, call station, or quest object. | Arriving without the required quest item, such as a LiDAR Scanner or Precision Gimbal. |
| Quest prerequisite | Finish the earlier node in the chain, then check the trader tabs again. | Assuming a new update quest is level-gated when it is actually chain-gated. |
Do not dismantle uncommon quest materials just because they look like ordinary loot. Wires, Batteries, ARC Alloy, Duct Tape, Steel Springs, Magnets, Mechanical Components, Electrical Components, Mod Components, medical supplies, and ARC-specific parts recur throughout the tree. Keep a protected reserve instead of converting every stack into workshop progress.
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Best early quest order and rewards
Your opening goal is to finish the simple quests that provide usable gear while naturally teaching extraction fundamentals. These are low-risk objectives that can be completed on almost any available map.
| Quest | Trader | Main requirement | Why complete it early |
|---|---|---|---|
| Picking Up the Pieces | Shani | Visit a loot-category area and loot containers. | Rewards a Rattler III and Medium Ammo. |
| Trash Into Treasure | Shani | Obtain 6 Wires and 1 Battery. | Rewards a Tactical Mk. 1 and Adrenaline Shots. |
| Clearer Skies | Shani | Destroy 3 ARC enemies and obtain 3 ARC Alloy. | Rewards a Light Shield and Sterilized Bandages. |
| Off the Radar | Shani | Visit a Field Depot and repair its roof antenna. | Leads into later Riven Tides branches. |
| A Bad Feeling | Celeste | Find and search an ARC Probe or Courier. | Introduces ARC-loot objectives and material rewards. |
| Hatch Repairs | Shani | Repair hydraulic pipes by a Raider Hatch and find the Hatch Key. | Rewards Binoculars and a Raider Hatch Key. |
| Down to Earth | Shani | Use a Field Depot and deliver a Field Crate to its Supply Station. | Rewards a Combat Mk. 1 and Medium Shield. |
Complete The Right Tool and The Trifecta as soon as their targets are convenient. The Right Tool asks you to destroy a Fireball, Hornet, and Turret, while The Trifecta requires components from a Wasp, Hornet, and Snitch. The latter rewards a Dam Control Tower Key, Raider Hatch Key, Defibrillators, and an Origin Outfit color, making it an efficient early objective even if you are not focused on cosmetics.
For a broader view of which guns are worth preserving instead of selling after these early rewards, see the ARC Raiders weapons and gadgets guide.
Mid-game quest priorities: keys, blueprints, and combat gear
Once you have several active traders, stop treating quests as isolated errands. Build deployments around map clusters and preserve the required hand-in items before leaving Speranza. Mid-game quests increasingly send you to named buildings in Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, and The Blue Gate.
High-value chains to prioritize
- Greasing Her Palms: Visit Rocket Assembly on Spaceport, the Water Treatment Control locked room on Dam Battlegrounds, and the barricaded sixth floor of the Space Travel Building in Buried City. Its Lure Grenade Blueprint is a meaningful permanent reward.
- What We Left Behind: Combines Buried City’s Raider Camp, Dam Battlegrounds’ South Swamp Outpost, and Bilguun’s Hideout on Spaceport. It rewards weapon attachments, including Muzzle Brake II, Stable Stock II, and Vertical Grip II.
- Doctor’s Orders: Keep Durable Cloth, Great Mullein, a Syringe, and Antiseptic for the delivery. The Surge Shield Recharger and healing supplies are immediately useful for difficult objective runs.
- Industrial Espionage: A Buried City Tian Wen quest with a Burletta Blueprint reward. Do not overlook it if you want more reliable crafted weapon options.
- Source of the Contamination: A Dam Battlegrounds Celeste quest that rewards a Renegade I, Stable Stock III, and Medium Ammo.
- The Major’s Footlocker: This Tian Wen chain is especially valuable because it rewards the Hullcracker Blueprint. It follows A Symbol of Unification, so do not abandon that prerequisite line when you reach it.
Not every quest should be rushed with premium gear. A location scan, photograph, or item delivery often has no combat requirement. Bring a dependable but replaceable kit, healing, shield recovery, and an extraction plan. Upgrade to heavier gear only when your active objective requires a dangerous locked room, a major ARC kill, or repeated travel through contested areas.
Map-stacking rules for faster quest completion
The safest “best route” depends on spawn location, available extraction points, map condition, active ARC threats, and other Raiders. Instead of memorizing one route, use a map-first decision rule: deploy only when you have at least two compatible objectives for that map, then extract immediately after completing the highest-value requirement if the raid becomes crowded.
| Map | Common quest focus | Preparation rule |
|---|---|---|
| Dam Battlegrounds | Water Treatment, Victory Ridge, South Swamp Outpost, Control Tower, hydroponics. | Bring quest items before deployment; several chains require specific Dam interactions. |
| Buried City | Parking Garage camp, Old Town, Space Travel Building, Outskirts, City Center. | Expect short-range PvP around enclosed buildings; do not overstay after an interaction. |
| Spaceport | Rocket Assembly, Fuel Control, Departure Building, underground tunnels, Trench Tower. | Stack terminal and building objectives; carry the exact scanner, key, or delivery item required. |
| The Blue Gate | Barren Clearing, Pilgrim’s Peak, Water Treatment, MANTIKOR facilities. | Check for branch-specific objectives before loading in; several update quests begin here. |
| Stella Montis | J. Kozma Ventures containers, Androids, Rovers, Security Bridge, research areas. | Plan for interior engagements and keep an exit route after completing document or computer objectives. |
| Riven Tides | Hotel, defensive objectives, special map interactions, Precision Gimbal uses. | Only deploy with the relevant quest branch active; Riven Tides is not a substitute location for older map-specific objectives. |
For weather-driven map planning and route discipline, use the dedicated ARC Raiders Shrouded Sky map guide. Conditions can change how safely you can cross open ground, but they do not remove the need to meet the exact quest condition.
Flashpoint, Shrouded Sky, and Riven Tides quest branches
Later quest content is attached to the wider progression tree. If a newly added quest does not appear, inspect your completed nodes instead of assuming it is unavailable.
Flashpoint progression
Flashpoint adds nine main-line quests. The most useful dependency routes are straightforward:
- Dormant Barons unlocks Clamoring for Attention.
- The Trifecta unlocks Dust on the Wires, which leads to Waking the Grid.
- Worth Your Salt or Dust on the Wires leads into Fragmented Logs, then Furtive Meetings, then Last Entry.
- The Clean Dream unlocks Outstanding Balance, followed by Settled in Full.
- The League unlocks Test Case.
Important Flashpoint rewards include the Aphelion from Furtive Meetings, the Yellow Light Stick Blueprint from Last Entry, Extended Medium Mag III and Silencer II from Outstanding Balance, 30 Raider Tokens from Settled in Full, and the Fireworks Box Blueprint from Test Case.
Shrouded Sky progression
The Shrouded Sky branch includes Stable Housing, Keeping an Eye Out, A Dead End, Worth Your Salt, and A Rising Tide. These quests are map-specific and interaction-heavy. Stable Housing requires retrieving and delivering Project Heartwood Blueprints in Stella Montis, while A Dead End requires the Dusty Film Reel from The Blue Gate. Worth Your Salt awards the Vita Spray Blueprint, making it a strong practical target rather than a purely narrative detour.
Riven Tides progression
Riven Tides adds six quests. The most direct chain is Last Entry → Line in the Sand → Safe Harbor → A Wrench in the Works. Safe Harbor requires a Precision Gimbal and rewards a Surge Coil, Heavy Gun Parts, and a Horizontal Grip. A Wrench in the Works then rewards Mechanical Components and Mod Components.
Two Riven Tides branches begin from older early quests: Off the Radar → Battening Down and Off the Radar → Shoring Up Defenses. Battening Down rewards Riven Tides Hotel Keycard No. 107, while Shoring Up Defenses requires ARC Alloy. Safe Passage → Collision Course is another separate branch with a Canto I, Extended Medium Mag III, and Muzzle Brake II reward.
Quest items you should keep in your stash
Maintain a small quest reserve so a new prerequisite does not force you into a low-value farming session. Keep these items whenever stash space allows:
- Wires, Batteries, ARC Alloy, Duct Tape, Steel Springs, and Metal Parts.
- Magnets, Mechanical Components, Electrical Components, Advanced Mechanical Components, and Mod Components.
- Medical supplies, including Syringes, Antiseptic, Durable Cloth, and Great Mullein.
- ARC components such as Wasp Drivers, Hornet Drivers, Snitch Scanners, Surveyor Vaults, Leaper Pulse Units, and Baron Husk loot.
- Quest tools such as LiDAR Scanners, Precision Gimbals, Rotary Encoders, and other named devices until their associated quest is fully turned in.
If you need materials for both quests and crafting, prioritize the quest turn-in first when it unlocks a blueprint, key, weapon, or critical utility. Consumable rewards are helpful, but permanent blueprints and access items have more long-term value after repeated losses.
Common ARC Raiders quest mistakes
- Doing one quest per raid: Build a map-specific objective list before queuing.
- Ignoring prerequisite chains: A locked new quest is often waiting on one older mission, not character level alone.
- Bringing the wrong utility: Some objectives specifically require grenades, scanners, or quest devices.
- Using a high-value kit for a simple interaction: Let the objective’s risk determine your loadout, not the reward icon.
- Forgetting the delivery step: Finding a component and extracting with it is not always enough; check whether the trader needs it turned in.
- Resetting without a plan: Expedition progression can reset quest progress alongside other Raider progression, so finish the blueprints and quest rewards you value before committing.
Final quest priority checklist
Start with Picking Up the Pieces, Trash Into Treasure, Clearer Skies, Off the Radar, Hatch Repairs, Down to Earth, The Right Tool, and The Trifecta. From there, clear cross-map objectives in batches and focus on Greasing Her Palms, Industrial Espionage, Source of the Contamination, The Major’s Footlocker, Worth Your Salt, and the Flashpoint/Riven Tides chains that lead to permanent blueprints, keys, and Tier III equipment.
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