ARC Raiders Raider Hatch Key — Location, Use, and Value

The Raider Hatch Key is a consumable utility item in ARC Raiders that grants access to Raider Hatches — sealed extraction points scattered across multiple maps.
It does not unlock loot rooms. Instead, it opens a secure exit, making it one of the most strategically powerful “keys” in the game.

Once used, the key is consumed.

Before anything else:

• Always place the Raider Hatch Key in your Safe Pocket

• Raider Hatches are one-way exits once opened

• You cannot reuse the same hatch after activation

• If you die before reaching the hatch, the key is lost

Only take it out of your Safe Pocket if you’re protecting something more valuable (for example, a Buried City Town Hall Key) and you need that slot for the higher-priority item.

How to Get a Raider Hatch Key

Raider Hatch Keys enter circulation through normal gameplay and early-to-mid progression. They are not tied to a single activity or farm route.

You can obtain Raider Hatch Keys through several sources:

• Crafting
  Raider Hatch Keys can be crafted once you have access to a Level 2 Utility Workbench or Field Crafting. Crafting requires basic utility components rather than rare materials, making this a reliable option once unlocked.

• Security Trader (Shani)
  Raider Hatch Keys can be purchased directly from Shani using currency earned through regular play. This is the most consistent non-RNG source and becomes especially relevant once you start valuing controlled extractions.

• Loot and PvP
  Keys can drop from Raider Stashes, interior containers, lockers, and storage furniture. They can also be looted from other players during PvP encounters.

• Quest Rewards
  Several early progression quests introduce Raider Hatch Keys as rewards, effectively teaching their use as part of normal extraction flow.

There is no dedicated or repeatable farm route for Raider Hatch Keys. Like most utility items in ARC Raiders, they appear naturally over time through looting, PvP, trading, and progression systems.

If you want to accelerate progression across quests, materials, and utility items, LevelUpper’s ARC Raiders Boosting Hub covers progression entirely through normal in-raid gameplay and extraction.

About Raider Hatches

Raider Hatches are fixed extraction structures placed deliberately away from high-value loot zones.

They are not designed to be contested objectives and usually sit outside primary PvP routes.

Key characteristics of Raider Hatch locations:

• Positioned far from major loot clusters and locked rooms

• Typically outside standard extraction choke points

• Known locations, but not inherently dangerous

• Risk comes from player traps or ambushes

Raider Hatches are rarely fought over for loot. If they are contested, it’s almost always because another player anticipates someone extracting — not because the location itself is valuable.

What the Raider Hatch Key Enables

Using a Raider Hatch Key opens a sealed hatch and immediately extracts you from the raid.

There are no timers, no conditions, and no follow-up interaction. Once the hatch is opened, the raid ends.

The key provides no loot and no progression on its own. Its value is purely in securing what you already have.

Why the Raider Hatch Key Matters

Most keys in ARC Raiders increase potential reward.
The Raider Hatch Key increases certainty.

Using one allows you to:

• Lock in valuable loot without routing to standard extractions

• Exit safely after completing a dangerous objective

• Avoid late-raid PvP without slowing down your run

This makes it fundamentally different from room keys, as it helps you keep what you earned.

Practical Use Cases

The Raider Hatch Key is a reactive tool.

It’s best used when:

• You’re carrying high-value loot and don’t want to risk standard extraction

• You’ve completed a dangerous objective and want a guaranteed exit

• Player movement on the map has become unpredictable

• You want to end a run cleanly without crossing the map

It’s a safety lever you pull when continuing the raid stops being worth the risk.

Quest Interaction: Hatch Repairs

The Raider Hatch Key is introduced as part of Shani’s Hatch Repairs quest. In this quest, you’re asked to repair a leaking hydraulic pipe next to a Raider Hatch, which also spawns a key in a nearby container you can collect. Once you have the key and return to Shani, the quest completes and you keep the key for future use.

This quest teaches the Raider Hatch mechanic and gives you your first key without requiring you to use it immediately, so you can decide when extraction makes the most sense.

See our Raider Hatch Quest Walkthrough for step-by-step instructions on completing this objective without wasting the key.

Raider Hatch Extraction Locations

Raider Hatch extraction points exist on every major map. Each hatch has a fixed world location and can be opened using a Raider Hatch Key.

Dam Battlegrounds

Sunroof Hatch
In the trees slightly above Ben Welder’s Sunroof (positioned above the location name on the map).

Good Old Baron’s Hatch
West of Electrical Substation, north of the Water Towers, in the pump house–style structure.

Pump House Hatch
Inside the pump house south of East Broken Ridge.

Spillway Hatch
Beneath a rock formation south of the Red Lakes berm, east of the dam.

Spaceport

West Elevator Hatch
West of the Departure Building.

South Elevator Hatch
South-east of the Departure Building, west of Control Tower A6.

Central Elevator Hatch
East of the Arrival Building, north of the Launch Towers.

East Elevator Hatch
In the East Plains, east of Container Storage.

Buried City

Market Ruins Hatch
Inside the Market Ruins building.

Highway Overpass Hatch
South side of the Town Hall building.

Train Station Hatch
Located at Marano Station.

Old Town Hatch
In Old Town, near the Abandoned Highway Camp.

Blue Gate

Lucky Hatch
In the Village, on the eastern border of the area — last building on the east side.

Reinforced Hatch
North of Adorned Wreckage.

Fragrant Hatch
East of Highway Collapse, south of Gate Approach, north of Olive Grove, slightly west.

Abandoned Housing Hatch
Inside the Abandoned Housing Project, third building on the right from the bottom.

Stella Montis

Assembly Workshop Hatch (Upper Level)
Bottom-right corner of the Assembly Workshop (easternmost side).

Eastern Tunnel Hatch
Bottom floor, in the eastern tunnel leading toward the Seed Vault.

Robotics Sandbox Hatch
Bottom floor, on the southern edge of Robotics Sandbox B.

Final Thoughts & Ranking

Unlike traditional room keys, the Raider Hatch Key doesn’t compete on loot volume, room size, or container density. Its value comes from control. It converts a risky, variable endgame into a guaranteed outcome, which is something no other key can do consistently.

Tier Placement

In our ranking, The Raider Hatch Key is a strong A-tier utility key. It does not unlock loot rooms, but it consistently saves runs, preserves progress, and stabilizes high-risk playstyles. While it doesn’t generate value on its own, it protects value better than any other item in the game.

It stops short of S-tier only because it doesn’t directly increase loot volume. In practice, however, it’s one of the most used and most impactful keys in daily gameplay.

For a full breakdown of every key item, see our ARC Raiders Keys Ranked from Worst to Best tier list.

Reader Discount: Use code LUBLOG10 at LevelUpper for 10% off.