ARC Raiders’ quest board looks simple at first, then it starts eating your evenings. There are 100 quests in the current main ecosystem, spread across Shani, Tian Wen, Apollo, Celeste, and Lance, and most of them push you toward real map knowledge rather than menu ticking. You’ll be sent after keys, enemy parts, records, blueprints, research notes, and odd bits of old-world junk that suddenly matter a lot. That’s why keeping space for ARC Raiders Items is part of playing smart, not just hoarding. Expeditions reset quest progress too, so if you wipe your Raider, you’re not only rebuilding gear. You’re walking those chains again.
How quests open up through traders
Quests are picked up through trader menus, and accepted jobs show in your logbook and on the home screen. You can carry several unlocked quests at once, which is handy because a clean raid can sometimes finish two or three tasks without much extra risk. Shani tends to start the early push, with jobs around exploration, ARC machines, depots, and infrastructure. Tian Wen leans into weapons, caches, drops, and military salvage. Apollo is more about survival, explosives, settlements, and social odd jobs. Celeste covers ecology, farming, contamination, and repairs. Lance is your medical and research contact, so expect pharmacies, records, and strange lab gear.
Early jobs that teach the rhythm
The opening run is a decent tutorial without feeling like one. Picking Up The Pieces can be done anywhere and pays out a Rattler III with medium ammo, which is a nice nudge toward fighting back. Trash Into Treasure asks for a Battery and Wires, then hands over a Tactical Mk. 1 and Adrenaline Shots. A Bad Feeling sends you to search an ARC Probe or ARC Courier. A Better Use teaches Supply Drops by making you call one in and loot it across major maps. These aren’t glamorous quests, but they show the pattern: take the job, know the map, get out alive with the thing.
Where the better rewards start showing
Some quests are worth planning around because their rewards change what you can craft or carry later. The Major’s Footlocker on Dam Battlegrounds gives the Hullcracker Blueprint, and players often chase it even if they know an Expedition reset is coming. Industrial Espionage rewards the Burletta Blueprint in Buried City. Worth Your Salt gives the Vita Spray Blueprint at Spaceport. Sparks Fly unlocks the Trigger ‘Nade Blueprint, while Test Case pays out the Fireworks Box Blueprint. There are also useful keys in the chain, including Raider Hatch Key, Dam Control Tower Key, Dam Testing Annex Key, Buried City Town Hall Key, and the Riven Tides Hotel Keycard No. 107.
A Balanced Harvest and why players look it up
A Balanced Harvest is one of those quests that sounds harmless, then puts you in a busy building where other Raiders have the same idea. It’s a Celeste quest on Dam Battlegrounds, unlocked after Eyes In The Sky, and it has to be finished in one round. You need to reach Research & Administration, find Lab 1 above reception, and search the agricultural research traces on the central desk. The fast route is usually through reception, up the rope, right at the top, then into the first lab on the left. Watch for the metal detector at the room, since it can give away your position. The reward is practical: Advanced Mechanical Components, Medium Gun Parts, and Steel Spring.
What to keep before you sell it
The biggest mistake is treating named objects like scrap. Don’t dump Major Aiva’s Mementos, ESR Analyzer, LiDAR Scanner, Experimental Seed Sample, Dusty Film Reel, Precision Gimbal, Comet Igniter, Bastion Cell, or similar quest pieces unless you’re sure you won’t need them. Rare ARC drops can stall progress for a while, especially parts from tougher enemies. One-round quests also deserve clean planning: go in light, take the direct route, and leave before the area turns into a gunfight. Quest rewards won’t always be XP, but they do build your stash, unlock blueprints, and keep your ARC Raiders gear moving in the right direction between raids.
