ARC Raiders Complete Workshop Upgrade Guide 2026 — Every Station, Every Item, Every Location

There's a moment in every ARC Raiders player's journey where the game stops feeling fun and starts feeling frustrating. Your loadouts aren't keeping up with the enemies. Your crafted gear is behind. Raiders with better kit are wiping you consistently, and you don't understand why. In almost every case, the answer is the same: you're not upgrading your Workshop fast enough, and you're accidentally scrapping the materials you need.

This guide exists to fix that. We're going to walk through every Workshop station in the Raider Den, every upgrade level with full material requirements, every item source and farming location, and the one upgrade order mistake that wastes dozens of hours of grinding. After reading this, you'll never accidentally sell a Wasp Driver or a Sentinel Firing Core again — and your Workshop progression will accelerate dramatically.

Let's start with the most important concept the game never explains clearly.

🔧 How the Workshop System Works

Your Workshop is located in your Raider Den in Speranza — the safe base you return to between raids. It contains seven crafting stations plus the Scrappy companion system and the Caravan, which represents the game's ultimate endgame goal.

Here's what most players don't understand: you're not just grinding levels by playing. You're building a crafting infrastructure. Every station you upgrade unlocks new recipes, better gear tiers, and stronger loadout options. The stations are:

  1. 🔧 Scrappy — Your animal companion / bonus loot system
  2. 🔫 Gunsmith — Weapon crafting and weapon-tier unlocks
  3. ⚗️ Refiner — Material conversion (the most important station)
  4. 🧪 Medical Lab — Healing items, shields, medical gear
  5. 🎽 Gear Bench — Armor, shields, and wearable gear
  6. 💣 Explosives Station — Grenades, mines, explosive utility
  7. 🛠️ Utility Station — Tactical tools, utility gear, scanners
  8. 🚐 Caravan — The Expedition endgame structure (6 stages)

Each station upgrades to Level 3 (Scrappy goes to Level 5, Caravan goes to Stage 6). Every upgrade requires specific materials gathered from Topside raids.

Critical Rule: Materials consumed in Workshop upgrades are permanently gone. Failed extractions mean you lose them. Never bring upgrade materials Topside unless absolutely necessary — always stash them first.

⚡ The Most Important Advice in This Guide: Upgrade the Refiner First

This is the single most impactful decision you can make in Workshop progression, and almost every early guide gets it wrong.
​

Most players instinctively upgrade the Gunsmith first because they want better weapons, or the Medical Lab because they want to survive longer. Both are wrong if your Refiner is still at Level 1.

Why the Refiner must come first:

  • Level 2 Refiner unlocks the ability to craft advanced components from basic ones
  • Many Level 2 and Level 3 upgrades across all other stations require Advanced Mechanical Components, Advanced Electrical Components, and Advanced Chemical components — all of which are produced by the Refiner
  • Without Level 2 Refiner, you'll be spending hours hunting these advanced components from Topside containers, which have very low drop rates
  • With Level 2 Refiner, you simply craft them from common materials you accumulate naturally

The correct early-game upgrade priority:

  1. Refiner to Level 2 (immediately)
  2. Gunsmith to Level 1, then Level 2
  3. Medical Lab to Level 1, then Level 2
  4. Gear Bench to Level 1, then Level 2
  5. Explosives + Utility Stations to Level 1
  6. All stations to Level 3 simultaneously (late game)

Now let's go through every station in full detail.

🐾 SCRAPPY — Upgrade Guide (Levels 1–5)

Vibrant key art featuring ARC Raiders' central female protagonist flanked by two male characters against a neon cosmic background 

Scrappy is your companion animal in the Raider Den — a scavenging creature that passively brings you extra loot between sessions and can be leveled up through very specific items found Topside. Scrappy upgrades unlock passive loot bonuses, improved item quality from companion drops, and expanded item variety.

Unlike the crafting stations, Scrappy uses non-combat items found in residential areas — food, household items, comfort objects. This means farming for Scrappy upgrades happens in completely different zones than your combat material farming.
​

Scrappy Level 1 — Fledgling

Requirements: None (automatically starts at this level)
​
Unlocks: Basic companion loot drops between sessions

Scrappy Level 2 — Forager

Requirements:

  • 🐕 1× Dog Collar

Where to find Dog Collar:

  • Residential homes on Blue Gate Village — wardrobes, shelves, side tables
  • Buried City East Housing apartments — household containers
  • Any map with residential POIs — look in wardrobes and bookshelves
    ​​

Tip: Dog Collars appear in civilian household containers. They're relatively common once you know to look for them in houses rather than military or industrial zones.
​

Scrappy Level 3 — Scavenger

Requirements:

  • 🍋 3× Lemon
  • 🍑 3× Apricot

Where to find Lemons & Apricots:

  • Outdoor market stalls and abandoned shops on Blue Gate Village
  • Kitchen containers and food storage areas in Buried City residential zones
  • Roadside stands and market areas on Dam Battlegrounds civilian sections
    ​​

Tip: Food items spawn consistently in kitchens and market areas. Lemons and Apricots are common in the same zones — you'll typically find both in a single pass through Blue Gate Village.
​

Scrappy Level 4 — Treasure Hunter

Requirements:

  • 🌵 6× Prickly Pear
  • 🫒 6× Olives
  • 🛏️ 1× Cat Bed

Where to find Prickly Pears:

  • Outdoor areas with cacti on Blue Gate (arid exterior zones) and Dam Battlegrounds wilderness sections
  • Ground-level outdoor containers near vegetation
    ​

Where to find Olives:

  • Kitchen and pantry containers across all residential maps
  • Small markets and food storage rooms in Blue Gate Village
    ​

Where to find Cat Bed:

  • Rare household item — residential interiors on Blue Gate Village and Buried City apartments
  • Bedrooms specifically, not general living areas​
    ​

Tip: The Cat Bed is the bottleneck here. Farm Blue Gate Village bedroom interiors specifically — wardrobes, under beds, bedroom shelves. Multiple runs may be needed.
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Scrappy Level 5 — Master Hoarder

Requirements:

  • 🍄 12× Mushroom
  • 🍑 12× Apricot
  • 🛋️ 3× Very Comfortable Pillow

Where to find Mushrooms:

  • Damp indoor areas, basements, and abandoned food storage — Buried City Hospital lower floors, Blue Gate underground sections
  • Also found occasionally in forested exterior areas of Dam Battlegrounds
    ​

Where to find Very Comfortable Pillows:

  • High-quality residential furniture containers — bedrooms and living rooms in Blue Gate Village upscale homes and Buried City nicer apartment blocks
  • Not found in military or industrial zones — strictly residential​
    ​

Tip: Very Comfortable Pillows are notably harder to find than standard pillows. Look for areas of the map with slightly better-quality housing — upper-floor apartments in Buried City, larger homes in Blue Gate.
​

🔫 GUNSMITH — Upgrade Guide (Levels 1–3)

The Gunsmith is where weapons are crafted. Each level unlocks new weapon recipes and higher-tier crafting options. Level 3 opens access to the best craftable weapons in the game.

Gunsmith Level 1

Requirements:

  • ⚙️ 20× Metal Parts
  • 🔧 30× Rubber Parts

Where to find Metal & Rubber Parts:

  • Found everywhere — industrial containers, scrap piles, vehicle wrecks, shelves
  • Dam Battlegrounds Power Generation Complex and Testing Annex are best early-game farming zones
  • Dismantle low-value gear and weapons you don't need

Unlocks: Basic weapon crafting recipes — starter weapons and consumable ammo crafting

Gunsmith Level 2

Requirements:

  • 🔩 3× Rusted Tools
  • ⚙️ 5× Mechanical Components
  • 🐝 8× Wasp Driver

Where to find Rusted Tools:

  • Tool sheds, workshops, maintenance rooms across all maps
  • Dam Battlegrounds Power Generation Complex maintenance sections
  • Spaceport maintenance areas and storage
    ​​

Where to find Mechanical Components:

  • Industrial and mechanical containers — factories, engine rooms, maintenance areas
  • Stella Montis Assembly Workshops is one of the best sources
  • Also craftable from basic materials at Refiner Level 1

Where to find Wasp Driver (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap):

  • Dropped exclusively by Wasp ARC enemies — the fast-flying drone units
  • Farm Wasps specifically in open outdoor areas where they patrol: Blue Gate exterior, Dam Battlegrounds open sections, Spaceport tarmac areas
  • One of the most important "do not scrap" items — many players lose these early
    ​​

Unlocks: Intermediate weapon crafting — mid-tier weapons, weapon parts recipes

Gunsmith Level 3

Requirements:

  • ⚙️ 3× Rusted Gear
  • 🔬 5× Advanced Mechanical Components
  • 🤖 4× Sentinel Firing Core (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)

Where to find Rusted Gear:

  • Derelict machinery, old industrial equipment in Dam Battlegrounds and Buried City industrial zones
  • Hidden inside locked containers and breach rooms
    ​​

Where to find Advanced Mechanical Components:

  • Crafted at Refiner Level 2 (this is why Refiner first matters)
  • Can also drop from high-tier containers in Stella Montis and Dam Battlegrounds during Night Raids

Where to find Sentinel Firing Core (⚠️ Boss Drop):

  • Dropped exclusively by Sentinel ARC enemies — large, heavily armored units
  • Sentinels spawn most frequently during Electromagnetic Storm events and Night Raids
  • Best farming locations: Stella Montis Assembly Workshops, Dam Battlegrounds Testing Annex during events​
    ​

Unlocks: High-tier weapon crafting — endgame weapons, legendary blueprint prerequisites

⚗️ REFINER — Upgrade Guide (Levels 1–3)

The Refiner is your material conversion engine. It transforms basic materials into advanced components needed for all other stations. This is the most important station in the entire Workshop — upgrade it before anything else.

Refiner Level 1

Requirements:

  • 🧱 30× Metal Parts
  • 🧪 20× Chemicals

Unlocks: Basic material conversion recipes — turning raw scrap into usable crafting components

Where to find Chemicals:

  • Laboratory containers, chemical storage, hazmat areas
  • Buried City Hospital chemical supply rooms
  • Spaceport lab areas and fuel storage
    ​

Refiner Level 2

Requirements:

  • 🔬 3× Processed Alloy
  • ⚡ 5× Electrical Components
  • 🧪 8× Chemical Compound

Where to find Processed Alloy:

  • Crafted at Refiner Level 1 from Metal Parts + ARC Alloy
  • Can also drop from high-tier industrial containers in Stella Montis and Dam Battlegrounds

Where to find Electrical Components:

  • Electronics areas, server rooms, control panels
  • Spaceport Control Tower and Departure Building electronics sections
  • Buried City Library technical rooms
    ​

Where to find Chemical Compound:

  • Laboratory areas, pharmacy sections, chemical labs
  • Buried City Hospital pharmacy and lab floors
  • Blue Gate underground technical sections
    ​

Unlocks: Advanced component crafting — Advanced Mechanical, Electrical, and Chemical components. This single unlock saves you dozens of hours of rare material hunting.
​

Refiner Level 3

Requirements:

  • 🔩 3× Precision Parts
  • 🏭 5× Industrial Components
  • 🤖 3× ARC Core Fragment (⚠️ Boss Drop)

Where to find Precision Parts:

  • Crafted at Refiner Level 2, or drop from high-tier mechanical containers
  • Stella Montis Manufacturing area is the best natural drop zone
    ​

Where to find Industrial Components:

  • Heavy industrial areas — Dam Battlegrounds Power Generation Complex, Stella Montis factory sections
  • Also craftable from basic parts at Refiner Level 2

Where to find ARC Core Fragment (⚠️ Boss Drop):

  • Dropped by boss-tier ARC enemies — specifically high-level Bastions and Sentinels
  • Electromagnetic Storm events on Dam Battlegrounds and Stella Montis are best for boss ARC farming
  • Night Raid on Buried City red-zone areas also triggers high-density boss ARC spawns​
    ​

Unlocks: Maximum material efficiency — everything can now be crafted rather than exclusively scavenged. The foundation of endgame Workshop independence.
​

🧪 MEDICAL LAB — Upgrade Guide (Levels 1–3)

The Medical Lab crafts healing items, shields, and medical utility. Priority 2 after Refiner and Gunsmith — you need this station leveled to craft the consumables that keep you alive on longer runs.

Medical Lab Level 1

Requirements:

  • 🧵 50× Fabric
  • 🔩 6× ARC Alloy

Where to find Fabric:

  • Clothing stores, wardrobes, residential containers, hospital linen storage
  • Blue Gate Village clothes shops and homes
  • Buried City residential blocks — very common in wardrobes
    ​​

Where to find ARC Alloy:

  • Dropped by ARC enemies when defeated, especially standard-tier units like Wasps and Ticks
  • Also found in ARC debris fields and crash sites across all maps
  • Common early-game ARC farming in outdoor areas of Dam Battlegrounds

Unlocks: Basic medical crafting — Bandages, Basic Medkits, standard healing items

Medical Lab Level 2

Requirements:

  • 📡 2× Cracked Bioscanner (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)
  • 🧶 5× Durable Cloth
  • 🕷️ 8× Tick Pod (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)

Where to find Cracked Bioscanner:

  • Found in medical and scientific containers — hospital diagnostic rooms, research labs
  • Buried City Hospital radiology and diagnostic wing is the best source
  • Stella Montis medical research sections
    ​​

Where to find Durable Cloth:

  • Industrial clothing, military bags, reinforced fabric containers
  • Military supply areas on Dam Battlegrounds and Spaceport storage sections
  • Can be crafted at Refiner Level 1 from Fabric
    ​

Where to find Tick Pod (⚠️ Enemy Drop — Do NOT Scrap):

  • Dropped by Tick ARC enemies — the small, fast-crawling spider-like units
  • Ticks swarm in enclosed spaces: indoor areas of Buried City, tunnels in Blue Gate underground, basement sections of most POIs
  • Farm by clearing indoor areas specifically — Tick density is highest indoors
    ​​

Unlocks: Intermediate healing — Herbal Medkit, Shield Recharger crafting, improved medical items

Medical Lab Level 3

Requirements:

  • 🧰 3× Rusted Shut Medical Kit (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)
  • 🧴 8× Antiseptic
  • 🏦 5× Surveyor Vault (⚠️ Boss Drop)

Where to find Rusted Shut Medical Kit:

  • Rare medical containers — hospital storage rooms, paramedic caches, abandoned clinics
  • Buried City Hospital supply closets and locked medical storage
  • Dam Battlegrounds first-aid stations in the administration building
    ​​

Where to find Antiseptic:

  • Hospital containers, pharmacy sections, first-aid kits
  • Common in Buried City Hospital across all floors
  • Also found in residential medicine cabinets throughout all maps
    ​

Where to find Surveyor Vault (⚠️ Boss Drop):

  • Dropped exclusively by Surveyor ARC enemies — medium-sized scouting units
  • Surveyors patrol perimeters of larger POIs and appear during Cold Snap events
  • Best farming: Blue Gate exterior perimeter roads and Dam Battlegrounds outer sections during Cold Snap​
    ​

Unlocks: Advanced medical crafting — Vita Spray, Defibrillator, high-tier healing consumables. This is the level that enables true sustained raiding.
​

🎽 GEAR BENCH — Upgrade Guide (Levels 1–3)

The Gear Bench crafts shields, armor, and wearable protection gear. Essential for surviving mid-game and endgame ARC encounters.

Gear Bench Level 1

Requirements:

  • 🧱 25× Plastic Parts
  • 🧵 30× Fabric

Where to find Plastic Parts:

  • Consumer goods, plastic containers, household items
  • Blue Gate Village shops and homes — very common
  • Buried City commercial areas and markets
    ​​

Unlocks: Basic gear crafting — Light Shield, basic armor pieces

Gear Bench Level 2

Requirements:

  • 🔌 3× Power Cable (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)
  • ⚡ 5× Electrical Components
  • 🐝 5× Hornet Driver (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)

Where to find Power Cable:

  • Electrical maintenance areas, server rooms, construction zones
  • Spaceport Departure Building electrical corridors
  • Dam Battlegrounds Power Generation Complex wiring sections
    ​​

Where to find Hornet Driver (⚠️ Enemy Drop — Do NOT Scrap):

  • Dropped by Hornet ARC enemies — fast-moving winged units slightly larger than Wasps
  • Found in outdoor areas and elevated positions across all maps
  • High concentration during Night Raids when ARC enemy density increases

Unlocks: Improved shields, medium armor crafting, augment component crafting

Gear Bench Level 3

Requirements:

  • 🔋 3× Industrial Battery (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)
  • ⚡ 5× Advanced Electrical Components
  • 🤖 6× Bastion Cell (⚠️ Boss Drop)

Where to find Industrial Battery:

  • Heavy machinery areas, vehicle sections, power substations
  • Dam Battlegrounds Power Generation Complex — best natural source
  • Spaceport tarmac vehicle areas and launch equipment
    ​​

Where to find Advanced Electrical Components:

  • Crafted at Refiner Level 2 — this is the key reason you upgrade Refiner first
  • Can also drop from high-tier electronics containers in Spaceport and Stella Montis

Where to find Bastion Cell (⚠️ Boss Drop):

  • Dropped by Bastion ARC enemies — heavy armored units that require sustained damage to defeat
  • Found at major POIs during Electromagnetic Storm events and in high-ARC-density zones
  • Best farming: Stella Montis Assembly Workshops during Storm or Night Raid, Dam Battlegrounds Testing Annex​
    ​

Unlocks: High-tier armor crafting, Heavy Shield, legendary gear tier prerequisites

💣 EXPLOSIVES STATION — Upgrade Guide (Levels 1–3)

The Explosives Station crafts grenades, mines, and explosive utility. Essential for ARC encounters and aggressive PvP play. Several of the game's best grenades — including Wolfpack and Seeker — require this station.

Explosives Station Level 1

Requirements:

  • 🧪 50× Chemicals
  • 🔩 6× ARC Alloy

Unlocks: Basic grenade crafting — Impact Grenade, Smoke Grenade, basic mines
​

Explosives Station Level 2

Requirements:

  • ⛽ 3× Synthesized Fuel (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)
  • 💣 5× Crude Explosives
  • 🎯 5× Pop Trigger (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)

Where to find Synthesized Fuel:

  • Crafted at Refiner Level 1 from Chemicals + other materials, OR found in fuel storage areas
  • Spaceport fuel depot and launch preparation areas
  • Dam Battlegrounds fuel storage sections near Power Generation
    ​​

Where to find Crude Explosives:

  • Military supply areas, demolition caches, industrial storage
  • Dam Battlegrounds military section and armory areas
  • Occasional drop from armored ARC enemies
    ​

Where to find Pop Trigger (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap):

  • Found inside weapon cases and military containers
  • Dam Battlegrounds armory and weapons testing areas
  • Spaceport security checkpoints and weapons lockers
    ​​

Unlocks: Mid-tier explosive crafting — Blaze Grenade, Explosive Mine, Gas Mine

Explosives Station Level 3

Requirements:

  • 🧬 3× Laboratory Reagents (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)
  • 💥 5× Explosive Compound
  • 🚀 3× Rocketeer Driver (⚠️ Boss Drop)

Where to find Laboratory Reagents:

  • Scientific research areas — Buried City Library science wing, Stella Montis Research sections
  • Spaceport laboratory sections near the control tower
    ​​

Where to find Explosive Compound:

  • Crafted at Refiner Level 2 from Crude Explosives + Chemicals
  • Also found in specialized military containers in Dam Battlegrounds

Where to find Rocketeer Driver (⚠️ Boss Drop):

  • Dropped exclusively by Rocketeer ARC enemies — long-range missile-firing units
  • Rocketeers patrol open areas and elevated positions — Stella Montis rooftops, Dam Battlegrounds outer perimeter
  • Particularly common during Electromagnetic Storm events​
    ​

Unlocks: High-tier explosive crafting — Wolfpack, Seeker Grenade, Jolt Mine, premium grenades
​

🛠️ UTILITY STATION — Upgrade Guide (Levels 1–3)

The Utility Station crafts tactical tools, scanners, and specialist utility items. This includes cloaking gear, scan devices, and the tools that separate good Raiders from elite ones.

Utility Station Level 1

Requirements:

  • 🧱 50× Plastic Parts
  • 🔩 6× ARC Alloy

Unlocks: Basic utility crafting — Light Sticks, simple tactical tools
​

Utility Station Level 2

Requirements:

  • 🌡️ 2× Damaged Heat Sink (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)
  • ⚡ 5× Electrical Components
  • 📡 6× Snitch Scanner (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)

Where to find Damaged Heat Sink:

  • Electronics and server areas — Spaceport Control Tower, Stella Montis tech sections
  • Computer rooms and server infrastructure across all maps
    ​​

Where to find Snitch Scanner:

  • Security checkpoints, surveillance rooms, ARC drop zones
  • Blue Gate underground security area and Confiscation Room
  • Spaceport security sections and checkpoint areas​
    ​

Unlocks: Mid-tier utility crafting — Barricade Kit, improved tactical items, scanner tools

Utility Station Level 3

Requirements:

  • 🔧 3× Motor (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)
  • 🤖 10× ARC Circuitry (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)
  • 🤖 6× Bombardier Cell (⚠️ Boss Drop)

Where to find Motor:

  • Mechanical areas, vehicle sections, industrial machinery
  • Dam Battlegrounds Power Generation Complex machinery
  • Stella Montis Assembly Workshops industrial equipment
    ​​

Where to find ARC Circuitry (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap — you need 10):

  • Dropped by various ARC enemies, especially mid-tier units
  • Found inside ARC wreckage and debris fields across all maps
  • Also found in electronics containers and ARC repair stations

Where to find Bombardier Cell (⚠️ Boss Drop):

  • Dropped by Bombardier ARC enemies — heavy artillery units that fire explosive rounds
  • Found at major combat zones and during high-intensity events
  • Best farming: Dam Battlegrounds Testing Annex during Electromagnetic Storm, Stella Montis during Night Raid​
    ​

Unlocks: High-tier utility — Scan Mines, cloaking devices, advanced tactical tools

🚐 CARAVAN — Complete Build Guide (Stages 1–6)

The Caravan is the Expedition endgame system — building and loading it represents the ultimate goal of your time in the Rust Belt. Once your Caravan is complete and departs, your Raider "wins" the Expedition and progress partially resets.

⚠️ Critical Warning: All materials committed to Caravan stages cannot be retrieved. Do not contribute unless you're ready to commit permanently.

Stage 1/6 — Foundation

"Building the base structure and frame of the caravan"

Requirements:

  • 🔧 150× Metal Parts
  • ⚫ 200× Rubber Parts
  • 🔩 80× ARC Alloy
  • 🔧 15× Steel Spring (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)

Where to find Steel Spring:

  • Mechanical machinery, old vehicles, industrial equipment
  • Dam Battlegrounds vehicle areas and machinery sections
  • Stella Montis factory floor equipment​
    ​

Stage 2/6 — Core Systems

"Connecting wiring, ventilation, and essential power systems"

Requirements:

  • 🧶 35× Durable Cloth
  • ⚡ 30× Wires
  • 🔌 30× Electrical Components
  • 🌀 5× Cooling Fan (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)

Where to find Wires:

  • Electrical areas, maintenance sections, junction boxes
  • Common throughout Spaceport and Stella Montis electrical areas​
    ​

Where to find Cooling Fan:

  • Server rooms, industrial cooling systems, electronics areas
  • Spaceport Control Tower server sections
  • Stella Montis factory cooling infrastructure
    ​​

Stage 3/6 — Interior Fittings

"Adding storage, workbenches, utilities, and personal touches"

Requirements:

  • 💡 5× Light Bulb (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)
  • 🔋 30× Battery
  • 📡 20× Sensors
  • 🚀 1× Exodus Modules (⚠️ Very Rare — Do NOT Scrap)

Where to find Light Bulb:

  • Residential areas, hardware shops, storage rooms
  • Blue Gate Village shops and homes — common in hardware-type containers​
    ​

Where to find Battery:

  • Electronics containers, tool storage, residential areas
  • Found almost everywhere — prioritize high-density loot zones like Dam Battlegrounds and Spaceport​

Where to find Sensors:

  • Technical and scientific containers — Spaceport research areas, Stella Montis tech sections
  • ARC enemy drops — sensors are sometimes salvaged from ARC wreckage
    ​

Where to find Exodus Modules (⚠️ Very Rare):

  • Found in high-tier locked containers and breach rooms
  • Best sources: Stella Montis Cultural Archives top floor, Dam Battlegrounds locked laboratory rooms
  • Night Raid or Electromagnetic Storm dramatically increases chances

Stage 4/6 — Comfort & Stability

Requirements:

  • 🌡️ 5× Humidifier (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)
  • ⚡ 5× Advanced Electrical Components
  • 🧲 3× Magnetic Accelerator (⚠️ Do NOT Scrap)
  • ⚡ 3× Leaper Pulse Unit (⚠️ Boss Drop)

Where to find Humidifier:

  • High-quality residential interiors — larger homes and upscale apartments in Blue Gate and Buried City​
    ​

Where to find Magnetic Accelerator:

  • Advanced technical areas — Stella Montis research sections, Spaceport launch preparation areas
  • Also found in high-tier breach rooms during Night Raid
    ​​

Where to find Leaper Pulse Unit (⚠️ Boss Drop):

  • Dropped by Leaper ARC enemies — fast, high-mobility units that leap unpredictably
  • Found across all maps but especially active during Night Raids
  • Best farming: Blue Gate underground areas and Buried City vertical-movement zones during Night Raid​
    ​

Stages 5–6/6 — Provisions & Departure

(Requirements vary per player progression and are partially randomized within ranges)

Stage 5 is focused on combat gear and provisions — expect to contribute large quantities of crafted weapons, shields, grenades, and medical supplies from your Workshop.

Stage 6 is the final loading stage before Expedition departure — requiring a full complement of survival materials, high-tier gear, and specific rare components based on your accumulated Workshop progress.

Both stages are designed to consume a meaningful portion of your stash — this is the game's way of ensuring the Expedition feels like a genuine achievement rather than a passive accumulation.

📋 Master "DO NOT SCRAP" List

This is arguably the most valuable section of this guide. Every item below is required for Workshop or Caravan upgrades — do not scrap, sell, or recycle any of these until you've checked your upgrade requirements.
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🐝 Enemy Drops — Save Every Single One

ItemEnemy SourceUsed For🐝 Wasp Driver | Wasp ARC | Gunsmith Level 2
🐝 Hornet Driver | Hornet ARC | Gear Bench Level 2
🕷️ Tick Pod | Tick ARC | Medical Lab Level 2
🤖 Sentinel Firing Core | Sentinel ARC (boss) | Gunsmith Level 3
🤖 Bastion Cell | Bastion ARC (boss) | Gear Bench Level 3
🚀 Rocketeer Driver | Rocketeer ARC | Explosives Station Level 3
🤖 Bombardier Cell | Bombardier ARC (boss) | Utility Station Level 3
🏦 Surveyor Vault | Surveyor ARC | Medical Lab Level 3
⚡ Leaper Pulse Unit | Leaper ARC | Caravan Stage 4
🔩 ARC Core Fragment | Boss ARCs | Refiner Level 3
🤖 ARC Circuitry | Multiple ARC types | Utility Station Level 3 × 10

🏠 Environment / Container Drops — Save These

ItemFound InUsed For🐕 Dog Collar | Residential containers | Scrappy Level 2
🛏️ Cat Bed | Bedroom interiors | Scrappy Level 4
🛋️ Very Comfortable Pillow | Upscale residential | Scrappy Level 5
📡 Cracked Bioscanner | Medical/scientific | Medical Lab Level 2
🧰 Rusted Shut Medical Kit | Hospital storage | Medical Lab Level 3
🔌 Power Cable | Electrical areas | Gear Bench Level 2
🔋 Industrial Battery | Heavy machinery | Gear Bench Level 3
🌡️ Damaged Heat Sink | Server rooms | Utility Station Level 2
📡 Snitch Scanner | Security areas | Utility Station Level 2
🔧 Motor | Industrial machinery | Utility Station Level 3
⛽ Synthesized Fuel | Fuel storage / Refiner | Explosives Station Level 2
🎯 Pop Trigger | Military containers | Explosives Station Level 2
🧬 Laboratory Reagents | Research areas | Explosives Station Level 3
🔧 Steel Spring | Vehicle/machinery | Caravan Stage 1
🌀 Cooling Fan | Server/cooling systems | Caravan Stage 2
💡 Light Bulb | Residential/hardware | Caravan Stage 3
🚀 Exodus Modules | High-tier breach rooms | Caravan Stage 3
🧲 Magnetic Accelerator | Advanced tech areas | Caravan Stage 4
🌡️ Humidifier | Upscale residential | Caravan Stage 4


​

⚡ Fastest Workshop Completion Route

Based on community optimization guides and timing breakdowns, here's the most efficient order to complete your Workshop:
​​

Hours 0–5 (Early Game)

  1. Run Blue Gate Village and Dam Battlegrounds Testing Annex for basic materials
  2. Unlock Refiner Level 1 immediately on your first return
  3. Unlock Gunsmith Level 1 and Medical Lab Level 1
  4. Save every Wasp Driver, Tick Pod, Hornet Driver you find
  5. Don't scrap anything unusual until you've checked the upgrade list

Hours 5–15 (Mid Game)

  1. Upgrade Refiner to Level 2 — this opens advanced component crafting
  2. Use Refiner to start producing Advanced Mechanical + Electrical Components passively
  3. Upgrade Gunsmith to Level 2, Gear Bench to Level 2, Medical Lab to Level 2
  4. Start farming Sentinels, Bastions, and Rocketeers during Electromagnetic Storm events for boss drops
  5. Begin Scrappy Level 3–4 with food item farming on residential maps

Hours 15–25 (Late Game)

  1. Push all stations to Level 3 using boss drops and Refiner-crafted advanced components
  2. Begin Caravan Stage 1–3 with accumulated Metal Parts, Rubber Parts, ARC Alloy
  3. Hunt Exodus Modules in Night Raid breach rooms for Caravan Stage 3
  4. Farm Leaper Pulse Units and ARC Core Fragments for Refiner Level 3 + Caravan Stage 4
  5. Full Workshop completion typically achievable around the 20–25 hour mark for focused players​

💰 What to Sell vs. What to Keep

A quick reference guide:
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✅ Safe to Sell/Scrap:

  • Duplicate weapons below the tier you're running
  • Ammo types you don't use
  • Low-tier crafting outputs (once you've upgraded past needing them)
  • Food items once Scrappy is fully leveled
  • Residential items not on the "Do Not Scrap" list

❌ Never Sell/Scrap (Until All Workshop Upgrades Are Complete):

  • Everything in the "DO NOT SCRAP" table above
  • Any ARC enemy drop with "Driver," "Cell," "Core," or "Unit" in the name
  • Any item with "Rusted," "Cracked," or "Damaged" in the name — these are upgrade materials
  • Anything found in a breach room or boss loot drop that you don't immediately recognize

When in doubt: Check your Workshop tab before scrapping anything unfamiliar. The UI shows exactly which items are required for pending upgrades.
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🏁 Final Thoughts: Workshop = Long-Term Power

The Workshop isn't glamorous. It doesn't give you the immediate dopamine of a great PvP fight or a clean extraction with high-value loot. But it's the engine that makes everything else in ARC Raiders possible. Every loadout upgrade, every crafted legendary, every sustained run that ends in extraction instead of a wipe — it's all supported by the Workshop progression you built quietly in the background.

The players who sprint to Workshop Level 3 across all stations within their first 20–25 hours have a permanently better experience than players who neglect it. They craft their own consumables, produce their own weapons, and never lose a run because they couldn't afford to re-equip.

Start with the Refiner. Save every ARC enemy drop. Check the "Do Not Scrap" list before clearing your stash. And keep upgrading — the Caravan isn't going to build itself.

Which Workshop station are you working on right now? Are you stuck on a specific boss drop like the Sentinel Firing Core or Bastion Cell? Drop your progress in the Farfosh comments — we'll help you figure out the fastest route to unlock it. 🔧