The best ARC Raiders Workshop path is to build your economy before chasing luxury crafts: prioritize the Refiner, then secure reliable shields and healing through the Gear Bench and Medical Lab. After that, choose the Gunsmith for weapon depth, Utility Station for extraction tools and mobility, or Explosives Station for ARC damage and area control. As of August 2, 2026, the current live build is Update 1.39.0; its changes do not alter Workshop upgrade requirements, so the material plan below remains the practical route for current progression.
The important rule is simple: do not sell, recycle, or use a Workshop component until you have checked every upcoming station level. Basic resources are replaceable. ARC parts, old electronics, medical items, and industrial components are what usually stall a Workshop run.
Best Workshop Upgrade Order in ARC Raiders
There is no single order that fits every player, but this is the strongest general progression route for solo players, duos, and squads building a dependable crafting loop.
- Refiner Level 1 — unlocks core processed materials, including Mechanical Components, Electrical Components, Durable Cloth, and Crude Explosives.
- Gear Bench Level 1 — gives you access to medium protection and early augments, which makes risky material runs more survivable.
- Medical Lab Level 1 — improves your ability to sustain raids with crafted healing and shield recovery.
- Gunsmith Level 1 — opens a broader selection of weapons and first-tier attachments for inexpensive repeatable kits.
- Refiner Level 2 — the key mid-game breakpoint. It lets you produce advanced components needed across several Level 3 upgrades.
- Gear Bench Level 2 — a major survivability milestone because it unlocks Heavy Shield and Mk. 2 augments.
- Medical Lab Level 2 — prioritize this earlier if you play solo, revive teammates often, or lose runs to attrition rather than direct fights.
- Utility Station Level 2 — valuable for Raider Hatch Keys, Ziplines, Smoke Grenades, and Lure Grenades.
- Gunsmith Level 2 — take it next if weapon blueprints and attachments are your main progression bottleneck.
- Explosives Station Level 2 — best for players actively farming ARCs, defending extracts, or running coordinated PvP kits.
- Level 3 stations — finish these according to the rare ARC parts you have already extracted rather than forcing dangerous farms for one missing component.
This order is an editorial recommendation, not an official requirement. If you already own valuable weapon blueprints, push the Gunsmith sooner. If your group is regularly hunting tougher ARCs, the Explosives Station becomes more valuable. If you are playing low-risk loot and extraction runs, the Utility Station can move ahead of the Gunsmith.
Workshop Upgrade Materials: Every Station and Level
The base Workbench unlocks after you complete one round and handles basic weapons, ammunition, Bandages, Shield Rechargers, and a few entry-level utility items. It is not upgraded like the six specialist stations. Each specialist station has three levels, and a blueprint still requires the appropriate station level before you can craft its item.
| Station | Level 1 materials | Level 2 materials | Level 3 materials | Main progression value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gunsmith | 20 Metal Parts; 30 Rubber Parts | 3 Rusted Tools; 5 Mechanical Components; 8 Wasp Drivers | 3 Rusted Gear; 5 Advanced Mechanical Components; 4 Sentinel Firing Cores | Weapons and weapon attachments |
| Gear Bench | 25 Plastic Parts; 30 Fabric | 3 Power Cables; 5 Electrical Components; 5 Hornet Drivers | 3 Industrial Batteries; 5 Advanced Electrical Components; 6 Bastion Cells | Shields and augments |
| Medical Lab | 50 Fabric; 6 ARC Alloy | 2 Cracked Bioscanners; 5 Durable Cloth; 8 Tick Pods | 3 Rusted Shut Medical Kits; 8 Antiseptic; 5 Surveyor Vaults | Healing, revives, and stronger shield recovery |
| Explosives Station | 50 Chemicals; 6 ARC Alloy | 3 Synthesized Fuel; 5 Crude Explosives; 5 Pop Triggers | 3 Laboratory Reagents; 5 Explosive Compound; 3 Rocketeer Drivers | Grenades, mines, and anti-ARC tools |
| Utility Station | 50 Plastic Parts; 6 ARC Alloy | 2 Damaged Heat Sinks; 5 Electrical Components; 6 Snitch Scanners | 3 Fried Motherboards; 5 Advanced Electrical Components; 4 Leaper Pulse Units | Mobility, information, extraction, and defensive tools |
| Refiner | 60 Metal Parts; 5 ARC Powercells | 3 Toasters; 5 ARC Motion Cores; 8 Fireball Burners | 3 Motors; 10 ARC Circuitry; 6 Bombardier Cells | Processed and advanced crafting materials |
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What Each Station Unlocks and When to Prioritize It
Refiner: the economy station
The Refiner deserves early attention because it turns raw loot into the components other upgrades require. At Level 1, it can make Durable Cloth, Electrical Components, Mechanical Components, and Crude Explosives. Level 2 adds Advanced Electrical Components, Advanced Mechanical Components, Antiseptic, ARC Circuitry, gun parts, and Explosive Compound.
Do not assume the Refiner removes the need to loot. It gives you flexibility when you are short on a processed component, but its recipes still consume resources. Treat it as a way to finish an upgrade efficiently, not as a reason to burn through your entire stash.
Gear Bench: your safest early investment
The Gear Bench is the best early survivability station. Its first level opens Medium Shield and Mk. 1 augments, while Level 2 introduces Heavy Shield and Mk. 2 augments. That matters more than a marginal weapon upgrade when your real problem is surviving ambushes, ARC pressure, or the final extraction.
Level 3 is a long-term goal built around Bastion Cells. Do not throw away Industrial Batteries or Advanced Electrical Components while you are working toward it. For more on choosing protection, weapons, and utility around your station level, see our ARC Raiders weapons and gadgets guide.
Medical Lab: move it up for solo play
Medical Lab Level 1 gives you Herbal Bandages, Adrenaline Shots, Shield Rechargers, and standard Bandages. Level 2 adds Defibrillators, Sterilized Bandages, and Surge Shield Rechargers. Those crafts directly improve your ability to reset after an ARC encounter or survive a drawn-out fight without immediately extracting.
Solo players should normally complete Medical Lab Level 2 before investing heavily in Gunsmith Level 2. A better gun can speed up a fight; a better healing reserve can save an entire loaded raid.
Gunsmith: prioritize it when blueprints are waiting
Gunsmith upgrades matter most when you have extracted weapon or attachment blueprints that your current station level cannot use. Level 1 supports early firearms and first-tier mods. Level 2 expands into weapons such as Osprey, Rascal, Torrente, Venator, and Arpeggio, plus stronger attachments. Level 3 is the expensive endgame tier and requires Sentinel Firing Cores.
Do not upgrade the Gunsmith simply because you found a rare blueprint. Ask whether you can afford the weapon’s ammunition, attachments, shield, meds, and replacement kit. A craft you cannot field repeatedly is rarely the best first investment.
Utility Station: extraction consistency and movement
Utility Station Level 2 is one of the most useful quality-of-life breakpoints in the Workshop. It opens Smoke Grenades, Lure Grenades, Raider Hatch Keys, and Ziplines. These are not just convenience items: smoke can cover a reset, a Zipline can create a safer rotation, and a Raider Hatch Key can give you another extraction option when a public exit is dangerous.
Level 3 adds high-value movement and survival tools, including Snap Hook, Photoelectric Cloak, Powered Descender, and Tagging Grenades. It is an excellent late-game target for players who value route control, stealth, and avoiding unfavorable PvP. Use the same extraction discipline explained in our ARC Raiders PvP fundamentals guide: disengaging safely protects more progress than forcing a bad fight.
Explosives Station: specialize for ARC farming or control
The Explosives Station is not mandatory as an early upgrade, but it becomes highly efficient when your plan involves clearing ARCs, defending a position, or creating space during an extraction. Level 1 provides Seeker Grenades, Gas Grenades, Pulse Mines, and Gas Mines. Level 2 adds Shrapnel Grenades, Snap Blast Grenades, Jolt Mines, and Trigger ’Nades. Level 3 is the premium tier for Wolfpack, Blaze Grenades, Heavy Fuze Grenades, mines, and other advanced explosive options.
Its Level 3 requirement, Rocketeer Drivers, is a strong reason not to sell ARC components casually. If you are specifically targeting elite ARC parts, prepare a route, cover, ammunition, healing, an exit plan, and a clear decision to leave once you obtain the component. Our ARC Raiders boss and elite guide covers the safer approach to high-threat ARC encounters.
Workshop Material Farming Priorities
You do not need a perfect route for every upgrade item. You need a loot policy that prevents accidental shortages and lets you pivot when the map, spawn, extraction options, or PvP pressure make a farm inefficient.
| Material group | Examples | Best approach |
|---|---|---|
| Basic resources | Metal Parts, Fabric, Plastic Parts, Chemicals, Rubber Parts | Loot consistently, collect Scrappy rewards, and avoid overfarming one resource while ignoring components. |
| Refined components | Mechanical Components, Electrical Components, Durable Cloth, Crude Explosives | Extract found items early; use the Refiner to close small gaps rather than crafting everything from scratch. |
| Industrial and medical items | Toasters, Motors, Power Cables, Industrial Batteries, Rusted Shut Medical Kits, Antiseptic | Keep them until every relevant station target is complete. These items are common causes of late upgrade stalls. |
| ARC parts | Wasp Drivers, Hornet Drivers, Tick Pods, Snitch Scanners, Fireball Burners | Pick them up whenever an ARC kill is safe; targeted farming is most efficient when you need several copies. |
| Elite ARC parts | Sentinel Firing Cores, Bastion Cells, Surveyor Vaults, Leaper Pulse Units, Bombardier Cells | Farm only with a planned loadout and extraction route. Leave after securing the material if PvP or ARC pressure rises. |
Scrappy is especially useful for basic Workshop resources. Collect from the nest regularly, because Scrappy stops gathering after its collection capacity is full. That passive supply will not replace raiding, but it reduces pressure on Metal Parts, Fabric, Plastic Parts, Chemicals, and Rubber Parts over time.
Blueprints: Why an Upgraded Station May Still Not Craft the Item You Want
Workshop level and blueprint ownership are separate gates. You must successfully extract with a blueprint, learn it back in Speranza, and have the required station level to craft that item. Locked-room loot containers and quest rewards are reliable blueprint sources, but a blueprint found during a raid is not yours until you extract.
- Put an important blueprint in your Safe Pocket when possible.
- Check which station and level the blueprint requires before changing your upgrade plan.
- Do not commit rare materials to a Level 3 station just because of one blueprint if you cannot yet support its full crafting cost.
- Prioritize blueprints for repeatable tools: healing, shields, utility, ammunition, and a dependable primary weapon.
Workshop Upgrade Mistakes That Waste Materials
Spending shared components before setting a target
Advanced Electrical Components are needed by both the Gear Bench and Utility Station at Level 3. ARC Alloy is shared by several Level 1 stations. Before you craft or sell something, pin your next one or two upgrades and reserve their materials first.
Farming a rare ARC part without an extraction plan
A rare component is only progress once it reaches Speranza. Before hunting a Sentinel, Bastion, Surveyor, Leaper, or Bombardier, check available extracts, map conditions, nearby player activity, and whether your current kit can survive a third-party push. If the situation turns bad after the drop, leave with the part instead of extending the raid for low-value loot.
Rushing Level 3 before your base kit is stable
A Level 3 station is powerful, but it does not fix a weak economy. Build a repeatable kit first: shield, healing, ammunition, a primary weapon you can replace, and at least one utility item that helps you reposition or disengage. The ARC Raiders keep-or-sell stash guide can help you reserve upgrade materials without turning your storage into unusable clutter.
Ignoring the Refiner because its first upgrade looks expensive
Refiner Level 1 costs 60 Metal Parts and 5 ARC Powercells, so it can feel expensive at the start. However, delaying it often creates a longer mid-game stall when several stations suddenly need processed components. If you cannot afford it immediately, keep its materials reserved while you establish Gear Bench and Medical Lab Level 1.
Current Patch and Seasonal Considerations
ARC Raiders is currently on Update 1.39.0, released July 28, 2026. The update focuses on matchmaking adjustments, fixes, UI improvements, and item behavior rather than Workshop costs or station recipes. Trials Season 5 began July 7 and is scheduled to end September 30, 2026, but Trials rewards and seasonal activity should be treated as bonus progression rather than a replacement for a reliable Workshop material plan. You can review the current official changes in Embark’s Update 1.39.0 patch notes.
Final Workshop Plan
For most players, the efficient answer is Refiner first, Gear Bench and Medical Lab next, then Gunsmith, Utility, and Explosives based on your preferred raid style. Protect rare upgrade items, use the Refiner to solve component shortages, and do not risk a full bag chasing one extra loot room after you have extracted the ARC part you needed.
If you want help accelerating targeted material runs, difficult ARC kills, or high-risk extractions, ExpCarry offers ARC Raiders carries and farming support for players who prefer guided self-play or progression assistance.
