ARC Raiders Expedition Guide: Routes & 5M Stash

ARC Raiders handles progression wipes differently than other extraction shooters. Instead of forcing everyone back to zero, Embark Studios built Expedition Project – a voluntary reset system where you construct a caravan, load it with supplies, and send your Raider beyond the Rust Belt.

Complete all stages before the departure window, and you earn permanent account rewards plus temporary buffs that stack across consecutive completions.

This guide covers every stage requirement, efficient farming routes, and strategies to maximize your stash value before departure. Rushing to complete Expedition 2 (departure window opens late February 2026) or planning ahead for future cycles? You'll find everything needed to finish the project without wasting hours on inefficient farming.

How Expedition Project Works

Expedition Project unlocks at level 20 through the Projects tab in your Raider menu. Each cycle runs approximately 60 days for the construction and supply phases with a 7-day departure window. Miss that window and you lose access to temporary buffs until the next cycle – though your contributed materials and stage progress carry over.

Completing an Expedition resets most character progression:

• Player level and skill points
• Inventory and stash items
• Blueprints
• Coins
• Workshop benches (reset to level 1, stations stay unlocked)
• Raider Den progress
• Active quests

But you keep:

• Unlocked maps
• Workshop station unlocks (not levels)
• Codex entries
• Raider Tokens and Cred
• Raider Decks progress
• Leaderboard standings
• Trials progress
• All cosmetics
• Permanent skill points and stash slots from Expeditions

Expedition Project Rewards

Permanent Unlocks (Kept Forever)

• Patchwork Raider outfit (exclusive cosmetic)
• Scrappy Janitor Cap
• Expeditions Indicator icon
• +12 Stash slots
• Up to 5 bonus Skill Points (based on stash value at departure)

Temporary Buffs (Until Next Expedition)

• 10% repair efficiency
• 5% XP boost
• 6% more materials from Scrappy

Temporary buffs stack up to 3x through consecutive completions. Missing one departure resets the stack – maintaining momentum matters once you start the cycle.

Expedition Timeline and Schedule

Each Expedition follows a predictable pattern:

• Days 1-53: Construction and Supply phases (Stages 1-5 available)
• Days 54-60: Departure window opens
• Day 60: Expedition departs, progress resets

Expedition 1 ran from October 30 through December 22, 2025.

Expedition 2 began immediately after, with departure window expected around February 22, 2026, and changed some of the material requirements. Plan your farming schedule around these dates – rushing the final week creates unnecessary stress when materials could accumulate passively over two months.

Stage 1: Foundation

Requirements

	150x Metal Parts Recycle almost anything – industrial debris, broken electronics
	200x Plastic Parts Recycle household items, toys, containers throughout all maps Ruined Riot Shield and ARC Synthetic Resin works best
	80x ARC Alloy Drops from ARC enemies on Dam, Spaceport, Buried City, Blue Gate
	15x Steel Spring Purchase from Celeste or find near industrial machinery Salvaging Turbo Pump provides 3 Steel Spring

Where to farm

ARC Alloy requires killing ARC enemies – focus on lower-tier ones like Ticks and Pops for efficient farming. Any map works, but Dam Battlegrounds has the highest ARC density in accessible areas

Steel Springs require targeted farming. Dam Battlegrounds offers the best route:

• Power Generation Complex: Check the basement and side rooms. Gray reinforced crates in the lower turbine rooms consistently spawn 3-5 springs per run. Watch for PvP – footsteps echo on the metal grating above you.
• Water Treatment: Smaller area but dense loot. Toolboxes and lockers in maintenance side rooms spawn springs reliably. Safer for solo players with fewer long sightlines.
• The Blue Gate Warehouse: Backup option if Dam is contested. Industrial materials spawn frequently here.

Alternatively, purchase Steel Springs from Celeste – 10 per day at 6 Seeds each. If you have Seeds stockpiled, buying daily covers the 15 requirement in two days without farming.

Metal and Plastic Parts accumulate naturally through regular play.

Stage 2: Core Systems

Requirements

	35x Durable Cloth Craft at Workshop or purchase from Celeste
	30x Wires Recycle: Broken Handheld Radio, Power Cable, Portable TV or Projector
	30x Electrical Components Craft at Refiner or loot from tech facilities
	4x Cooling Coils Dam Battlegrounds: Hydroponic Dome Complex, Power Generation Complex, Water Treatment Control

Where to farm

Farming mostly takes at the same place as Stage 1.

Durable Cloth is best crafted rather than farmed. Build it at Refiner 1 using 14 Fabric per cloth – Fabric is one of the most common materials in the game, found everywhere in Commercial and Residential zones. You can also purchase Durable Cloth directly from Celeste or recycle Ripped Safety Vests (1 cloth each) and Spring Cushions (2 cloth each).

Medical buildings in Dam Battlegrounds and Buried City drop Durable Cloth directly. The Hospital in Buried City (high-value Medical zone) offers the best direct farming, though expect heavy traffic.

Wires spawn in Electrical and Technological areas:

• Power Generation Complex (Dam): Interior hallways and electrical panels on building exteriors. Computers and server boxes consistently drop wires.
• Control Tower (Dam): Both Electrical and Technological loot. Thorough facility hallway search yields 5-10 wires per run.
• Research & Administration (Dam): Upper floors accessed via yellow zipline behind the main desk. Check every computer, server box, and CRT monitor.

Power Cables found in these areas recycle into 3 wires each – grab them even if they seem like junk.

Cooling Coils spawn less frequently than other Stage 2 items, so prioritize industrial zones and check every locker you pass.

Electrical Components craft at Refiner using basic materials, or loot directly from tech facilities. Crafting is more reliable than farming.

Cooling Coils are the Stage 2 bottleneck. Unlike common industrial items, they spawn inconsistently and require specific locations:

• Hydroponic Dome Complex (Dam): Highest spawn chance but also highest risk. Multiple domed structures with lockers, breachable metal containers, and metal shelves. Expect heavy player and ARC traffic.
• Power Generation Complex (Dam): Medium spawn rate, close to Hydroponic for route efficiency. Check basement industrial crates and utility lockers.
• Water Treatment Control (Dam): Lower spawn rate but safer. Hit this after Power Generation on a combined route.

On Spaceport, check Rocket Assembly, Vehicle Maintenance, Container Storage, and Shipping Warehouse. Vehicle Maintenance and Container Storage sit close together – efficient for combined runs balancing risk and spawn rates.

Skip the entire Expedition grind with LevelUpper's Expedition Boost – we complete all 5 stages and maximize your stash value for departure.

Stage 3: Framework

Requirements

	4x Light Bulbs Electrical Substation car (Dam), Generator Hall car (Dam)
	30x Battery Recycle electronics or buy from Celeste (5 Seeds each)
	10x Shredder Gyro Kill Shredders on Stella Montis (exclusive drop)
	1x Exodus Modules Assembly Workshop, Business Center on Stella Montis

Where to farm

Light Bulbs have guaranteed spawns that make farming trivial once you know them:

• Electrical Substation (Dam, southern map): White car parked outside the facility on the south side, between the broken wire fence and the building. Breach the hood – near 100% Light Bulb spawn. Safe area with minimal Raider activity.
• Generator Hall extraction point (Dam, northern map): Car near the buses, southeast of the North Complex Elevator extraction. Breach the hood for 1-2 Light Bulbs. More dangerous – Rocketeers patrol here.
• Blue Gate backup: Pilgrim's Peak in the northeast. Grapple toward the top, jump into the room below the summit. Two red lockers – one contains a guaranteed Light Bulb. Less contested than Dam spots.

Route both Dam locations in one run (opposite ends of map – stick to edges to avoid fights) and you'll have all 4 bulbs in 2-3 runs.

Batteries accumulate through recycling and purchasing faster than farming. Buy from Celeste (5 Seeds each), recycle Industrial Batteries (yields 2 regular Batteries), or recycle Recording Panels, Oscilloscopes, and Computers. The Stella Montis Control Room near Cargo Dock B has insane battery density – server stacks spawn 10-15 batteries per container.

Shredder Gyro is the Expedition 2 bottleneck. Shredders only spawn on Stella Montis, and you need 10 Gyros (meaning 10 kills minimum).

Shredder spawn locations on Stella Montis:

• Lobby entrance and Lobby Metro platform
• Business Center (top floor, open space with lockers)
• Assembly Workshop and Assembly area
• Cargo Docks A and B
• Cultural Archives
• Corridor above Sandbox

Shredders are medium-sized floating ARCs that excel in close quarters. They fire 4-round shrapnel bursts and a charged concentrated blast. Fighting them in hallways is suicide.

Shredder killing strategy: Use Trigger Nades – two kills a Shredder. Lure it toward a doorway it can't fit through (domes, small buildings, electrical substations), tag its eye to draw aggro, retreat inside, and throw Trigger Nades from safety. If you lack grenades, focus fire on the eye from cover. The charged blast has a wind-up animation – back off when you see it preparing.

Trigger Nades craft cheaply at Level 2 Explosives Bench: 1 Crude Explosive + 1 Processor. Stella Montis spawns Processors everywhere, so you can craft mid-raid if needed.

Exodus Modules drop from Exodus POIs – look for the eye-and-half-moon icon on your map:

• Assembly Workshop (Stella Montis): Highest confirmed spawn rate. Every drawer, locker, and container can hold Exodus Modules. The breachable room on the top-right side of Loading Bay also spawns them.
• Business Center top floor: Open space with many containers. Loot left-to-right methodically.
• Rocket Assembly (Spaceport): Older spawn point, still reliable. Container near the rocket spawns modules almost every run.

You can also purchase 1 Exodus Module daily from Celeste for 20 Assorted Seeds (requires level 20). Or recycle Geiger Counters, Ion Sputters, and Spectrum Analyzers – they yield Exodus Modules.

Don't want to grind Stella Montis for Shredder Gyros and Exodus loot? ARC Raiders Expedition Boost completes all 5 stages and handles the toughest farming for you.

Stage 4: Outfitting

Requirements

	5x Frequency Modulation Box Assembly Workshop, Medical Research on Stella Montis
	5x Advanced Electrical Components Craft at Level 2 Refiner (5 Electrical Components each)
	3x Ion Sputters Assembly, Business Center, Medical Research on Stella Montis
	3x Leaper Pulse Unit Kill Leapers on Dam, Spaceport, Buried City, Blue Gate

Where to farm

Stage 4 is where most players hit walls. Three items require Stella Montis farming in contested high-tier zones.

Frequency Modulation Boxes only spawn in Exodus POIs on Stella Montis. They cannot be farmed casually – you need specific zones.

• Assembly Workshop (Stella Montis): Highest confirmed spawn rate. Loot every container, locker, and drawer. Don't skip locked or interior sections.
• Medical Research (Stella Montis, southwest): Extremely dense with lootables – breachable containers, server racks, shelved items. Also high PvP traffic.

If Stella Montis is too contested, Spaceport's Rocket Assembly offers a backup option, but spawn rates are lower.

Naked run strategy: Enter Stella Montis without gear (no shield, augments, or guns). You get a Safe Pocket automatically. Loot Exodus areas, find a Frequency Mod Box, put it in Safe Pocket, surrender. Zero gear risk, guaranteed progress. Repeat until you have all 5.

Advanced Electrical Components craft at Level 2 Refiner using 5 Electrical Components each. Total cost: 25 Electrical Components for 5 Advanced ones.

If your Refiner isn't Level 2, you need to upgrade first. ARC Raiders Workshop Boost handles station upgrades quickly, unlocking all crafting recipes including Advanced Electrical Components.

Ion Sputters are exclusive to Stella Montis Exodus zones:

• Assembly: Exodus-typed area with high spawn rates. Containers, shelves, breachable boxes throughout. Sweep every room including upper platform containers.
• Business Center: Exodus-typed, stacked with containers in corridors and office spaces. High spawn density but contested during peak hours.
• Medical Research: Not Exodus-typed but insane Epic-tier drop rates. Lockers, breachable containers, server racks everywhere. Best overall consistency for Ion Sputters despite classification.
• Assembly Workshop (northwest): Community favorite, compact with high loot density.

Farming route: Assembly → Business Center → Medical Research → optional Assembly Workshop. Sweep in one run, extract via Lobby Metro or Assembly Workshops Hatch.

Leaper Pulse Units come from killing Leapers – large spider-like ARCs that jump and crush. Unlike Shredders, Leapers spawn on multiple maps.

Confirmed Leaper spawns on Dam Battlegrounds:

• East of Hydroponic Dome Complex: Open area outside the domes. Position yourself inside a dome doorway for safe cover – Leapers can't enter.
• Water Treatment Control elevator area: Leaper patrols near the elevator. Fight from the electrical substation building south of the elevator.
• Between Research & Administration and Testing Annex: Wide concrete area. Appears frequently during electromagnetic storms.

Other maps:

• Spaceport: Center map near Launch Towers, east of Container Storage. High ARC density overall.
• Buried City: Solar panels in southern reaches, Space Travel Building area.
• Blue Gate: Ruined villages and orchard areas.

Leaper killing strategy: They're weak to heavy ammo and fire damage. Tag the eye to draw aggro, retreat to a doorway they can't fit through, throw Blaze Grenades on their face while unloading heavy ammo. Keep fire damage applied constantly. Target leg joints if fighting in the open – destroying legs cripples their jump.

Stage 5: Load Stage

Requirements

Where to Farm

Combat Items (200k): Craft cheap guns like Rattlers or Kettles specifically for donation. Epic weapon mods and purple attachments carry high value if you've been hoarding them.

Survival Items (100k): Bandages and basic Shields craft cheaply and add up fast. Smallest category – usually fills naturally while grinding other stages.

Provisions (150k): Trinkets (Playing Cards, Albums, Statuettes) have no crafting use, so dump them here. Buried City farming produces massive Provision value from its Commercial and Residential zones.

Materials (300k): Your accumulated crafting stockpile goes here. If you've been playing actively, you likely have 300k in materials sitting in stash already. Buried City runs produce both Provisions and Materials efficiently.

Stage 6: Departure

No materials required. Once Stages 1-5 complete, wait for the 7-day departure window (late February 2026 for Expedition 2). Click "Depart" to send your Raider beyond the Rust Belt, triggering reset and reward distribution.

Your final stash value (items plus coins) at departure determines bonus skill points: 1 skill point per 1000000 value, maximum 5 points. This mechanic creates the real endgame grind. Skip the tedious grind entirely with ARC Raiders Expedition Boost – we complete all 5 stages and maximize your stash value for departure.

How to Hit 5M Stash Value

ARC Raiders Expedition rewards extend beyond Load Stage. At departure, your combined stash value (items plus coins) grants bonus skill points: 1 point per 1000000 value, maximum 5 points. Hitting 5000000 before departing gives your next Raider a massive head start.

Most players finish Stage 5 around 750k, then realize they're nowhere near 5M. Here's how to bridge that gap.

Lush Bloom Event Farming | Fruit Basket Farm

When Lush Bloom events activate, fruit baskets spawn near Raider Camps across Dam Battlegrounds and Spaceport. Each basket contains items worth approximately 10000 coins. Chain 7-15 baskets per run.

Route: Check interactive maps showing basket spawn markers. Plan routes connecting Raider Camp locations. Loot and leave – don't overstay for fights. Bad spawns net 20-25k per run; solid runs hit 30-35k; great Lush Bloom runs reach 70-120k.

Stella Montis Runs | Containers Farm

Stella Montis offers consistent value through toolboxes, blue cabinets, and backpack containers. Map layout supports fast looting with multiple extraction options.

Route: Sweep toolboxes and blue cabinets. Hit breach engines (one crouch vault). Clear 4 breach rooms then extract via Lobby Metro. Learn the Assembly→Metro jump for instant extraction. With Looting Mk.2 perk and Raider Hatch Keys, expect 50-80k in 6-10 minute runs.

Best loot locations on Stella Montis:

• Medical Research: Highest value but heavy PvP. Vita Sprays, blue bandages, rare workshop materials, new Epic loot.
• Assembly Workshops: Great value, relatively safe. Close to Assembly Workshops Hatch for quick extraction.
• Control Room (near Cargo Dock B): Broken battery farm. Server stacks spawn 10-15 batteries per container.
• Cultural Archives: Warehouse boxes and old-world commercial loot for raw coin value.

Essential Loadout for Value Farming

Keep Shield Recharger and Raider Hatch Key in your Safe Pocket. These protect your escape when runs go sideways.

Crafting recipes to maintain:

• Shield Recharger: 5x Rubber Parts + 1x ARC Powercell
• Raider Hatch Key: 3x Sensors + 1x Advanced Electrical Components
• Looting Mk.2 augment: Essential perk – increases container loot quality

Scrappy passively supplies basic components for Bandages and Shield Rechargers. Use passive income to keep survival kits stocked without dedicated farming.

Grinding 5M stash value manually takes 10-17 hours of focused farming. ARC Raiders Expedition Boost handles all stages plus stash value optimization, delivering maximum skill points at departure.

Is the Expedition Worth It?

For players who enjoy fresh starts and long-term account building, yes. The permanent +12 stash slots and up to 5 bonus skill points compound across every future Raider. Temporary buffs accelerate early progression significantly when stacked.

For casual players happy with current progress, skipping remains viable. No forced wipes exist – your Raider persists indefinitely without participating.

The grind becomes worthwhile when you treat it as a 60-day project rather than a weekend rush. Stockpile materials passively, farm value during events, and arrive at the departure window prepared.