Stella Montis is ARC Raiders’ dense, indoor research-facility map: excellent for compact loot runs, dangerous for close-range PvP, and unforgiving when you wait too long to plan an exit. The current live build is Update 1.39.0, released July 28, 2026. It does not introduce a Stella Montis overhaul, so the map’s core priorities remain the same: identify an extraction before committing to high-value rooms, use the upper and lower levels to break contact, and spend location keys only when you can extract soon afterward. Read the official Update 1.39.0 notes.
Stella Montis at a glance
Located in the northern mountains, Stella Montis is a mostly enclosed facility with a more vertical layout than the outdoor Rust Belt maps. It is unlocked after you have played 24 rounds. The map was introduced through the North Line update and remains a permanent destination rather than a limited-time event area. Embark’s North Line announcement confirms its role as the fifth map and the home of the close-range Shredder ARC.
| What matters | What to do |
|---|---|
| Two-level layout | Use drops, stairs, tunnels, lifts, and vertical routes to reset fights instead of re-peeking the same doorway. |
| Dense points of interest | Choose one primary loot zone and one backup zone. Trying to clear the entire facility creates unnecessary exposure. |
| Indoor combat | Bring a close-range answer, healing, shield recovery, and utility that protects a doorway or retreat route. |
| Extraction pressure | Mark a nearby extract or Raider Hatch early. Do not discover your route out only after your backpack is full. |
| Locked rooms | Put location keys in your Safe Pocket if possible and treat the room as a bonus stop, not the entire raid plan. |
Stella Montis can appear under its normal condition or as a Night Raid. Night conditions make navigation, sound discipline, and flashlight decisions more important, but they do not change the map’s fundamental route logic. The facility is also a frequent destination for quests, so expect other Raiders around prominent interior routes even when you are not chasing PvP.
How to read the Stella Montis layout
The fastest way to stop getting lost is to treat Stella Montis as a connected building rather than a flat map. The upper level holds many of the named loot areas and the strongest lines for moving between them. The lower level is your escape network: tunnels, metro approaches, airshaft access, and alternate paths that let you leave a contested zone without crossing its central entrance.
High-value zones and what to target
| Area | Best for | Main risk | Practical rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical Research | Medical supplies, technical loot, quest objectives | Frequent player traffic and tight interior angles | Loot quickly, then leave through a different route than the one you entered. |
| Assembly Workshops | Mechanical and weapon-related containers | Close-range pushes through connected rooms | Excellent stop when you have an Assembly Admin Key or a nearby hatch plan. |
| Robotic Sandbox | Research and tech-focused loot | ARC pressure and exposed transitions | Check the next level transition before opening containers. |
| Cultural Archives | Archive containers and Old World valuables | Long approach routes and key-room ambushes | Do not force an Archives Key run if your extraction route is across the map. |
| Seed Vault | Botanical containers, quest routes, lower-level access | Chokepoints and predictable extraction movement | Use it as a transition zone unless your raid specifically needs Seed Vault loot. |
| Lobby, Metro, and Loading Bay | Transit, extraction access, general containers | Raiders rotating toward or away from extracts | Slow down and listen before entering; this is where a quiet raid often becomes contested. |
Business Center and the Atrium are especially important as connectors. They are not always the highest-value stops by themselves, but they determine whether you can rotate from the western side of the facility toward Cultural Archives, Seed Vault, or the lower-level exits without running through a known fight.
Get any ARC Raiders service from ExpCarry: raids, dungeons, PvP, leveling, gold, farming, coaching, and custom orders.
Best Stella Montis loot routes
There is no universal best route because your spawn, active map condition, remaining raid time, available extraction points, key inventory, and nearby gunfire all matter. The reliable approach is to choose a route with one valuable objective, one flexible pivot, and one exit that does not require retracing your entire path.
1. Low-risk solo loot route: Assembly to hatch
This is the cleanest pattern when you spawn on or near the western side and have access to Assembly Workshops.
- Check the map and identify the closest available extraction option before looting.
- Enter Assembly Workshops and prioritize compact high-value containers over exhaustive room clearing.
- If you hear an active fight, rotate through an adjacent connector rather than holding the obvious workshop doorway.
- Use the Assembly-area Raider Hatch if you brought a Raider Hatch Key and the facility is becoming too loud.
- If the hatch is not your best option, move toward the lower level only after confirming your alternate exit route.
This route works because it limits your backtracking. Its weakness is that Assembly Workshops can become a collision point for Raiders moving toward the same hatch, so do not stand directly on the hatch approach while deciding what to do.
2. Medical Research value run: fast in, fast out
Medical Research is valuable because it concentrates medical and technical containers in a small area, but that same density attracts players and quest runners. Treat it as a timed stop, not a base to defend.
- Enter with enough healing and shield recovery to survive a short, sudden fight.
- Loot the nearest useful rooms first; do not cross the entire wing for one ordinary container.
- If you have the Medical Storage Key, open the room only after listening for movement and identifying the direction you will leave.
- After looting, rotate toward Lobby, Loading Bay, or the lower paths rather than returning through the entrance if shots started behind you.
A suppressed weapon is not required, but a compact weapon, a fast secondary, a mine, or a barricade is more valuable here than an over-specialized long-range kit. For current indoor weapon options and utility choices, see the ARC Raiders weapons and gadgets guide.
3. East-side route: Cultural Archives to Seed Vault
Use this route when you spawn near the eastern side, need Archives or Seed Vault quest progress, or already have a short exit path. It is less forgiving when the lobby is active because the long interior rotations can force you through several predictable corridors.
- Start in Cultural Archives only if the area is quiet or you have a clear reason to go there.
- Take archive containers and complete any objective without lingering in exposed hallways.
- Move toward Seed Vault through the closest safe connector; avoid routing through the Atrium if it is already contested.
- Choose between the Eastern Tunnel hatch, the nearby airshaft route, or a metro rotation based on what is active and how much attention you have drawn.
The key decision is whether to extract immediately after Archives. Community reports regularly disagree about the value of the Archives room because locked-room loot is still randomized. The correct decision is not based on the key’s rarity alone: use it when the room is close to your spawn or exit, not when opening it would force a long cross-map carry.
All Stella Montis keys and where to use them
Stella Montis has four location-specific keys. They are single-use access items, so a successful door opening is not a guarantee of a profitable raid. Loot can vary, and the real value of a key is the chance to access protected containers without spending extra time searching exposed public rooms.
| Key | Door location | When to bring it | Route advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stella Montis Assembly Admin Key | Assembly Workshops, on the lower side of the area | When Assembly is close to your spawn or planned hatch route | Open it early, loot quickly, then avoid holding the workshop entrance. |
| Stella Montis Medical Storage Key | Medical Research North Wing | When your raid already includes Medical Research | Keep a retreat lane through the wing; do not open the room with no healing left. |
| Stella Montis Archives Key | Seed Vault’s eastern tunnel area, at the storage-room door after the pipe crossing | When you can approach from the east or have a close extraction plan | Do not cross the facility solely for the room unless the raid is quiet and time is plentiful. |
| Stella Montis Security Checkpoint Key | Lobby / Metro area, behind the security reception route | When you are already rotating through Lobby or Metro | Expect traffic: this room sits near transit and extraction movement. |
Keys can be found through normal in-raid loot, including searchable containers and other Raiders. Their drop sources are not fixed enough to justify farming one named desk or room. Keep a key until you can pair it with a sensible route; selling or wasting it because you feel compelled to run the map immediately is usually the wrong trade.
For every key type across the Rust Belt, including when to save a location key versus use it, consult the ARC Raiders keycard and locked rooms guide.
Stella Montis extraction points and rules
Extraction is the map’s real win condition. A backpack full of loot is only valuable if you leave with it. Stella Montis uses Metro extraction access, an airshaft extraction route, and Raider Hatches. Exact availability can vary by raid, so always verify active icons on your in-game map rather than assuming every route is open.
| Extraction type | Stella Montis locations | Strength | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro | Lower-level Cargo Bay / Lobby network, with multiple approaches | Useful for western and central rotations; ARC pathing can be less direct around its vertical access points | Transit routes are predictable and commonly crossed by other Raiders. |
| Airshaft | Lower-level route between Robotic Sandbox and Seed Vault, near Eastern Tunnel access | Fast option for east-side loot runs | Its approaches can funnel players into narrow lanes; clear the immediate area before activating it. |
| Raider Hatch | Assembly Workshops, Eastern Tunnel, and Robotic Sandbox areas | Quiet, short extraction window; ideal for high-value loot | Requires a single-use Raider Hatch Key, and another Raider can still reach the hatch during the opening window. |
Raider Hatches are usually the best extraction option when you are carrying an unlearned Blueprint, a location-key haul, or a quest item that is not safely stored. They are quiet compared with a public extract, but they are not private. Do not activate one while a teammate is still far away, and do not assume the absence of an alarm means no one is watching the approach.
Extraction decision rules
- Extract now if you have a Blueprint, rare quest item, valuable key-room haul, or a full backpack and your nearest exit is available.
- Rotate to another exit if you hear multiple Raiders, an elite ARC, or sustained gunfire between you and the extract.
- Use a hatch key when it removes a dangerous cross-map rotation or protects an unusually valuable carry.
- Do not force Seed Vault or Metro access just because it was your original plan. A contested extract is rarely worth fighting through when another route remains available.
- Leave a downed teammate only as a last resort. If you can safely bring them into extraction, the squad preserves more value than by abandoning them for a marginally faster exit.
Never rely on old exploit videos or claims that an extraction point is safe because of past geometry issues. Embark has repeatedly patched map and extraction exploits, including Stella Montis issues. Play every extraction as a live PvPvE encounter: hold cover, protect alternate angles, and preserve a retreat route until the extraction completes.
Recommended loadouts for Stella Montis
Stella Montis rewards flexible kits. The facility has narrow rooms, stairwells, short exterior transitions, and enough ARC threats that a pure PvP setup can become inefficient. Bring a weapon package that covers both close interiors and armored targets, then choose utility for survival rather than raw damage alone.
Budget solo kit
- Primary: Kettle for sustainable mixed combat.
- Secondary: Anvil or Burletta for emergency close-range defense and deliberate shots from cover.
- Gadget: Snap Hook for vertical escape routes, or Photoelectric Cloak for stealth-focused loot runs.
- Utility: One grenade or mine, healing, and shield recovery.
- Objective: One loot zone, one extraction plan, no unnecessary ARC or Raider fights.
High-value key-room kit
- Primary: Tempest, Kettle, or Bettina depending on budget and expected ARC resistance.
- Secondary: Stitcher, Canto, or Anvil to prevent a close push after opening a door.
- Gadget: Snap Hook or Barricade Kit.
- Utility: Mine for the door approach, grenade for disengagement, full healing and shield recovery.
- Objective: Open one room, take only worthwhile loot, and extract through the nearest low-exposure option.
If a Shredder is blocking your route, do not chase it down a corridor. Fight from a doorway or hard-cover position, prioritize its thrusters, and break line of sight between damage windows. The ARC enemies and weak-points guide explains how to read armor and choose safer counters for each machine.
Common Stella Montis mistakes
- Looting before marking an exit: The lower-level network is easy to misread under pressure. Plan extraction at spawn, then update the plan after every major fight.
- Reusing the same doorway after being spotted: Stella Montis offers vertical and side routes. Change floors, take a tunnel, or rotate through a connector instead.
- Treating every key as a mandatory raid: A key room cannot compensate for losing an expensive kit during a cross-map push.
- Bringing only a long-range weapon: Long sightlines exist, but most decisive engagements happen in rooms, stairs, doorways, and extraction approaches.
- Overstaying after a profitable room: Once you have the item or value you needed, extraction is usually more efficient than trying to turn a successful run into a full-map clear.
- Ignoring sound near Lobby and Metro: These areas carry traffic from several directions. Pause, listen, and decide whether to bypass or hold an angle before moving through.
Final route priority for Stella Montis
For most raids, follow this order: mark an exit, loot one nearby high-value zone, use a key only when it fits that route, rotate through the lower level when pressure rises, and extract before the map forces you into a predictable final path. Assembly Workshops is the best low-commitment option when a hatch is nearby; Medical Research is excellent but commonly contested; Cultural Archives and Seed Vault are strongest when you already have east-side positioning and a realistic exit.
Stella Montis becomes far more manageable once you stop trying to memorize every container and instead memorize the building’s connections. If you want more help with solo route discipline, disengagement triggers, and protecting valuable loot before extraction, read the ARC Raiders solo survival and extraction guide. For players who prefer guided help with difficult objectives, high-value runs, or coordinated extractions, ExpCarry’s ARC Raiders services are available as an optional next step.
