ARC Raiders Dam Testing Annex Key — Location and Loot Breakdown

The Dam Testing Annex Key is a single-use key in ARC Raiders. It’s used on the Dam Battlegrounds map and opens locked rooms inside the Testing Annex facility.

Before anything else:

• Always put the key in your Safe Pocket

• The locked door has red indicator lights

• Close the door after entering if you don’t want to get pushed

Once you use the key, it’s gone.

How to Get the Dam Testing Annex Key

This key is a random drop.

You can find it through normal gameplay while looting:

• residential interiors

• desks, drawers, and storage furniture

• backpacks and containers

• other players

Keys show up more often in amber / orange map zones. That’s not because those zones “spawn keys,” but because they’re packed with interiors and searchable objects. Over time, most keys come from places like that.

There’s no fixed route or trick to force this key to drop.

If you don’t want to wait on RNG, LevelUpper offers ARC Raiders key delivery and boosting services. Everything is done in-raid through normal gameplay and extraction.

Night Raids

Night Raids matter for two simple reasons:

• keys drop more often

• locked rooms roll better loot

If you’re going to spend a single-use key, Night Raids are the right timing. Opening Testing Annex rooms during the day still works, but you’re getting less out of the same key.

Where the Testing Annex Key Is Used

The key is used inside the Testing Annex on the Dam Battlegrounds map.

Important things to know about the location:

• the area is active and often contested

• ARC units are common

• player traffic is frequent

Inside the Annex, there are two separate locked doors. Each door requires its own key.

Opening one door does not open the other.

Using One Key vs Two Keys

The two locked rooms are close to each other. If you have two Testing Annex Keys, it makes sense to bring both and open both rooms in the same run. You get more locked-room loot for roughly the same route and risk.

However, only one key can be placed in a safe pocket. If you die before reaching the doors, you’ll lose the second key.

Because of that, bringing two keys works best when you’re confident in your timing and your ability to get inside safely.

If you only have one key, opening a single room is still completely fine.

What the Testing Annex Rooms Contain

Each room contains several searchable objects and is medium-sized — larger than a side office, but smaller than a full complex.

Typical loot includes:

• cabinets and storage containers

• bags

• breachable containers

• consumables and utilities

• crafting materials and components

Loot is fully RNG-based. Some runs feel better than others. The value here comes from opening locked interior rooms, not from chasing one specific item.

Final Thoughts & Ranking

The Dam Testing Annex Key is best used when you’re already moving through the Dam interior and prepared to deal with resistance.

The rooms are straightforward, the doors are close together, and opening them fits naturally into a Dam run. If you can reach the Annex safely, using the key makes sense.

If this area isn’t part of your route, it’s fine to hold onto the key and use it later under better conditions.

Tier Placement

In our ARC Raiders key ranking, the Dam Testing Annex Key is placed in Tier B. Tier B keys provide reliable value and good container density, but don’t offer the scale or loot ceiling needed to define an entire run on their own. The Testing Annex fits this tier due to its dual-room setup and efficient routing, balanced by moderate room size and RNG-dependent payouts.

For a broader comparison across all maps, you can check our ARC Raiders Keys Ranked from Worst to Best guide, where each key links to its own breakdown.

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