ARC Raiders Latest Update 1.2.0 Stella Montis Guide | All Missions, Best Loadouts, Locations, And Loot Tips

Trials are weekly recurring missions in ARC Raiders, requiring players to complete them weekly to earn rewards. The game developers reset Trials weekly, and these missions include, but are not limited to, finding a specific item, defeating an ARC, or achieving certain achievements.

Trials also have a rating system; to get the best rewards, you need to strive for a three-star rating in every ARC Raiders Trial mission. Since its release, Trials have been a hot topic and highly popular among players.

However, over time, more and more players have become disappointed with Trials. Originally intended to keep players engaged and reward their efforts, the current missions have made it increasingly difficult for solo and casual players to compete, leading more and more players to ignore Trials and stop participating.

Trial mission "Throw Snowballs at Rocketeers," released in Week 10, seems to have brought player discussions about the trials to a fever pitch. Therefore, I'd like to delve deeper into the trial system in ARC Raiders, including its mission mechanics, existing flaws, and suggestions for improvement.

Balance

First and foremost is the balance of solo players completing Trials. I believe nearly half of ARC Raiders players experience the game solo, except for certain missions that are too difficult and require a group. Most players generally choose to act alone.

Therefore, the gap and imbalance between solo and group players in Trials becomes quite apparent. The advantage of group players is obvious, as all members share mission progress, essentially meaning three or four people complete a mission together. This is unfair to solo players.

For example, if a mission requires you to defeat an ARC, it becomes much easier for team players because the enemy's strength doesn't adjust to the team size. The more players there are, the faster the kill speed, and the safer the players themselves are.

There are also gathering missions where the number of plants on the map is limited, and many are scattered. Team players can flexibly allocate tasks, explore more areas, and gather resources much faster - something solo players can't do.

However, the biggest problem lies here: solo players' mission progress is nowhere near as fast as team players'. But the trial ultimately compares the scores of solo players with those who primarily participate in the trial in teams. After a week, the score difference is obvious.

This scoring system has caused dissatisfaction among many solo players, with many posting complaints and saying they've almost given up on participating in the trial missions.

Suggestions

Regarding this balance issue between solo and group players, I think studios could implement a tiered system. Either directly separate solo and group players, comparing solo players against each other and group players against each other.

Alternatively, adjust the difficulty of quests, appropriately increasing the difficulty for group players. For example, the kill difficulty in ARC could be adjusted based on the number of players challenging the quest, and the required completion amount for gathering quests could also be adjusted. Separating solo and group players would prevent unfairness.

Trial missions are tedious and boring

Most of the Trials seem to require only enough time to complete perfectly, but not everyone can dedicate enough time to the game, especially working players. While ARC Raiders has done a good job in other aspects, adequately considering time constraints, this is the case with Trials.

Take the previous Wasp defeating mission as an example. The best way to get a high score was to spend several hours collecting enough Snitch Scanners, then take them to the trial map and throw them to detonate, thus continuously spawning Wasps.

The same applies to gathering missions; they offer no challenge and are simply tedious. These missions require players to invest a significant amount of time to achieve high scores.

However, the problem is that many players cannot dedicate that much time to the game; they have other things to do in real life. Most trial missions are designed based on the time players spend in the game, not actual gameplay skills.

Suggestions

Perhaps the studio could try changing the trial scoring mechanism, moving beyond simply repeating mission objectives to award points based on player performance.

More missions that test players' skills could be released, with scores based on in-game performance. I believe this would be welcomed by players with limited time.

Randomness of leaderboard

The key to the trials lies in the randomness of the leaderboard. Although the trial tasks reset weekly, not all players log in immediately on the reset day. Some players choose to log in a day or two later.

This is because the game system matches players with others in real time and generates a leaderboard containing 100 players during the trial. To get rewards on the leaderboard, you need to climb as high as possible.

However, the problem is that if you log in on the reset day, good luck! Your leaderboard will be filled with the best players in the game. If you're a casual player, this is terrible. But if you can wait a day or two, your trial will be much easier. This is essentially a bug in the leaderboard generation; I also choose to wait a day or two before logging in to complete the tasks.

However, not everyone can freely choose when to log in. If you happen to only have time on the trial reset day, then you're really out of luck.

Suggestions

Perhaps the official team could adjust the leaderboard generation mechanism. The system could group players based on their performance in previous trials or average daily playtime to generate leaderboards. This would prevent casual players from competing with skilled players on the same leaderboard.

Rewards not enticing enough

The first three problems seem to stem from players' time commitment, while the remaining issue lies in the trial rewards. A large part of the reason players tirelessly invest time and effort in trials is for the rewards.

The simplest and most effective way for the official team to maintain player engagement is through generous rewards. Players who complete all tasks and achieve a three-star rating within a week can obtain 15 ARC Raiders items, but most of these are cosmetic items, which may not be very appealing to some players.

In fact, the studio could adjust the weekly rewards in real-time. If the tasks are difficult, the quality of the reward items could be appropriately increased. This would not only make the reward system more interesting but also make players feel they are getting more value for their money.

Of course, all the suggestions above are just personal opinions, but these issues with Trial system do exist. Perhaps as ARC Raiders develops further, the development team will refine all the game's mechanics based on player feedback.

Ultimately, we all hope that all raiders can have a perfect gaming experience. Let's look forward to it together!

In ARC Raiders, Mushrooms play an indispensable role as a crucial natural resource. In the latest Flickering Flames Event, players need to collect 7 Mushrooms to complete the task. In addition, it’s a core resource for upgrading Scrappy; you’ll need 12 Mushrooms to upgrade it to the highest level.

As the game progresses into the mid-to-late stages, players will face more complex challenges and higher difficulty tasks, at which point the importance of Mushrooms becomes even more pronounced.

Whether unlocking new skill modules, improving combat efficiency, or completing specific high-level crafting projects, Mushrooms are widely used as a basic but rare raw material in various advanced crafting recipes.

Although Mushrooms are very difficult to find, they do have fixed spawn points, and the most common gathering location is Spaceport. This guide will tell you how to efficiently collect Mushrooms in Spaceport.

Why Spaceport?

Based on extensive practical testing and community experience, the fastest and safest method is to collect Mushrooms using the fixed spawn points located on Spaceport map. These spawn points are stable and unaffected by the game’s random mechanisms, effectively providing you with a continuous supply of Mushrooms.

Compared to other gathering locations that may have enemy ambushes and dangerous environments, Spaceport itself is a relatively safe map area.

It rarely has high-intensity enemy patrols, allowing players to explore and gather resources safely, which not only improves gathering efficiency but also saves time spent on combat preparation and recovery.

More importantly, the fixed spawn points in Spaceport have a certain regeneration cycle; as long as you reasonably manage your gathering rhythm, you can achieve a long-term sustainable resource supply.

However, while it’s easy to harvest Mushrooms at Spaceport gathering points, you also need to be wary of the risk of others collecting them.

Gathering Method

To obtain Mushrooms in Spaceport without being attacked by enemies or other players, you need to follow these steps:

1. Prepare Equipment

Before entering Spaceport, you need to create an empty Custom Loadout. This will give you a Safe Pocket, ensuring that your Mushrooms remain safe even if other players kill you. Note that a free loadout is not viable, as it does not provide a hidden Safe Pocket. You can also prepare one or two Adrenaline Shots. This way, even if your spawn point is too far from the spawn location, you can use them to help you get ahead of other looters and obtain Mushrooms.

2. Entering Spaceport

Once ready, if possible, you should wait for map conditions such as Hidden Bunker and Launch Tower Loot in Spaceport to activate before entering the map. At this time, most players are distracted by missions and abandon collecting Mushrooms, which is your best opportunity to collect them.

If you don’t know when Hidden Bunker opens, you can follow EZG.com, as we will continuously monitor the opening times of all new missions or events in ARC Raiders.

3. Finding Spawn Points

Mushrooms are commonly found near damp water sources and pipes. When you encounter these areas, you need to pay attention to whether there are any Mushrooms you need.

There is also a small green trench area at the entrance of the trenches on the northeast side of Spaceport. Jump into the trench, and you will find a tree with 3 Mushrooms. This is a fixed spawn point for Mushrooms. Be vigilant while collecting Mushrooms, as others may also be collecting them here.

In addition, there are also spawn points for this material in the underground pipes around the center of the map. You can also go there to collect them.

Immediately put the collected Mushrooms into your Safe Pocket to prevent others from stealing them. After all, they are very precious.

4. Surrender to Save Time

If you are unfortunately attacked and your health is rapidly decreasing, the wisest course of action is not to frantically try to escape to the extraction point marked on the map, as you are likely to be intercepted or killed by enemies again along the way.

Instead, you should immediately pause your current combat actions and open the main menu of the game interface, selecting Surrender.

Subsequently, you will be safely teleported back to the main lobby interface, returning to the starting area of ​​the game. Most importantly, after this series of operations, all the items and resources you previously collected, especially those precious mushrooms, will be completely intact in your Safe Pocket.

Other Ways

Besides a few locations in Spaceport, scavenging baskets are the most reliable way to find Mushrooms. You can usually find two baskets in the locked room in Stella Montis, or you might also find them hidden in the bushes. It's worth noting that during the Lush Blooms event, your chances of finding baskets are significantly increased!

Also, according to some players, Mushrooms can also be found near pipes and some watery areas in Dam Battlegrounds, but the locations are somewhat complex and require players to have a certain familiarity with the map to find them.

The above are the methods and ways of collecting Mushrooms. If you still find it difficult, you can also directly buy ARC Raiders items from EZG.com. Good luck in the game!

In the perilous Rust Belt of ARC Raiders, survival is a constant battle, with hostile forces, deadly traps, and extreme environmental challenges lurking around every corner. Any ill-equipped player can be mercilessly eliminated in an instant.

To progress in this wasteland, players must equip themselves with the best weapon systems, the most robust protective gear, and the necessary materials to upgrade their weapons, giving them a fighting chance in intense firefights and resource struggles.

However, acquiring these top-tier weapons and equipment in the game is difficult. Players often need to invest a significant amount of time exploring, collecting, and crafting to obtain even one or two ideal pieces of equipment.

In such a demanding game environment, a detailed and reliable guide is crucial. This article will introduce various methods for finding, crafting, and acquiring the best weapons in ARC Raiders, helping new players navigate the challenging initial stages.

Looting

First, let’s introduce the most traditional method: searching the map. While this method is time-consuming and dangerous, it also helps you understand the map environment better and is the most direct way to explore.

1. Finding High-Value Areas

Each map has areas marked with red borders, usually located in the dangerous central areas of the map. These rooms may contain high-level ARC Raiders Items, including weapons and keycards. Note that these high-value areas do not respawn regularly, so you should go there early to collect items before others snatch them up.

2. Using Keycards

In ARC Raiders, keycards can unlock rooms containing valuable resources and high-level weapons. Here, you can acquire highly accurate sniper rifles or powerful automatic assault rifles.

However, be aware that keycards are often hidden in high-value areas or various hidden corners of the map. They are not easy to find. Using them at the right time requires careful planning.

3. Searching Weapon Crates

Weapon crates may also contain valuable materials or high-level firearms. Their spawn locations are very unpredictable; you can use the in-game interactive map to track their most likely locations.

Crafting

When you look at ARC Raiders weapon rankings, you’ll find that many top-performing firearms are quite common, with Ferro and Anvil, frequently used in both PvE and PvP modes, having a very high drop rate.

This is because in the game, better doesn’t necessarily mean rarer. You need to study each weapon and know which gun is best suited for which situation, so you can craft a more suitable equipment combination using the materials you already have in your inventory.

Besides scavenging for weapons on the ground, you can also craft high-performance weapons at Speranza’s home. Here are some common methods:

1. Upgrading Gunsmith Station

Upgrading the advanced Gunsmith is a crucial strategic investment. It not only significantly improves your weapon crafting capabilities but also unlocks more powerful and advanced weapons, such as Renegade and Hullcracker. Therefore, investing in upgrading Gunsmith is essential.

However, upgrading Gunsmith Station requires a large amount of materials. These materials need to be obtained by completing high-risk missions, exploring dangerous areas, or defeating powerful enemies, which may require some time and effort to collect.

2. Upgrading Ferro

Ferro is considered one of the most practical weapons in ARC Raiders and can be crafted at Gunsmith Station using common and easily obtainable materials. Furthermore, it supports upgrades and modifications to further improve reload speed and durability, significantly enhancing overall performance.

3. Making Good Use of Weapon Attachments

Weapon attachments are very important in the game. A compensator can greatly reduce weapon recoil, allowing you to shoot more stably and accurately. Therefore, making full use of common attachments is crucial; often a small attachment can greatly improve a weapon’s performance.

Easier Methods

If you find the early-game resource and equipment gathering too troublesome, you can also use the following simpler methods:

1. Trading Seeds for Blueprints

Weapon Blueprints are a crucial resource that can help you craft rarer weapons. However, obtaining these Blueprints is difficult; they are often hidden in the most dangerous areas of the map and have a very low drop rate.

But you can also post on forums to trade seeds that activate special missions and other functions with advanced players for their extra Blueprints, which can save you a lot of time.

2. Obtaining Weapons from Merchants

One trader in ARC Raiders, Tian Wen, is Speranza’s weaponsmith, skilled in crafting various powerful weapons. You can obtain high-level weapons such as the Anvil, Renegade, or IL Torro from her using ARC Raiders Coins.

3. Complete Harvester Event

If you want to quickly obtain high-level weapons from raids, you can check out Harvester Event. Completing this event will reward you with blueprints for two legendary weapons: Equalizer and Jupiter.

4. Enter Stella Montis with Free Gear

Stella Montis is one of the main PvP maps in ARC Raiders. If you don’t have much gear, you can enter the map with free equipment and acquire weapons from defeated players. Many experienced PvP players focus primarily on their opponents’ upgraded gear, so there are often a lot of abandoned equipment remnants left on the battlefield.

Therefore, you can quickly pick up high-value weapons and attachments after the battle ends, allowing you to acquire advanced firearms more quickly.

These methods are very suitable for players who are new to ARC Raiders. If you want to quickly overcome the initial stage of having inferior equipment and insufficient firepower, and want to gain an advantage in PvP, you can try these methods; they will provide significant help.

Scrappy, your noisy and enthusiastic companion in ARC Raiders, regularly goes out to gather resources while you're on raids, and I believe no one can dislike him.

This rooster will give you a big surprise when he returns home after your raid, with resources he's collected throughout the map, including Metal Parts, Chemicals, and various Seeds - all extra income for you in the game.

Scrappy can also be trained and upgraded in the game. If you want to improve his speed and quality of resource gathering, you must improve his plundering ability. Next, I will introduce Scrappy's upgrade information and where to obtain the necessary resources for upgrades.

Levels And Required Resources

Scrappy has different levels in ARC Raiders, and specific resources are required to advance to the next level.

• Fledgling: This is its initial tier;
• Forager: 1 Dog Collar;
• Scavenger: 3 Lemons, 3 Apricots;
• Treasure Hunter: 6 Prickly Pears, 6 Olives, 1 Cat Bed;
• Master Hoarder: 12 Mushrooms, 12 Apricots, 3 Very Comfortable Pillows.

Dog Collar Drop Locations

Dog Collars are rare items favored by Scrappy. Unlike most items on the list, they don't have a fixed drop location, so you might need to search several containers, preferably near residential areas.

You can spend time searching carefully in these locations:

• The Blue Gate: Village, Ruined Homestead, Raider's Refuge;
• Buried City: Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Plaza Rosa, Red Tower;
• Dam Battlegrounds: Pale Apartments, Ruby Residence.

Lemon Drop Locations

Lemons are obtained by interacting with lemon trees. You can kick the tree to make the lemons fall to the ground, which you can then pick up. Lemon trees are relatively small, like shrubs, with bright green leaves; you'll need to pay attention to them on the map.

You can find lemons in these locations:

• Buried City: Marano Park, Old Town;
• Spaceport: Staff Parking, East Plains;
• The Blue Gate: Olive Grove, Village, Ruined Homestead.

Among them, Olive Grove at The Blue Gate is the best place to obtain various fruits. Here you can find not only lemons, but also apricots and olives, making it a top choice. However, be aware that this area is quite open, and ARCs and other raiders frequently appear, so be careful.

Olive Drop Locations

Olives have very few drop locations among ARC Raiders. Besides spawning in Wicker Baskets, they can only be obtained on one map.

• The Blue Gate: Olive Grove, Checkpoint, Village.

You can usually find all the lemons and olives you need in Olive Grove. If you're still short, search the containers near the village.

Apricot Drop Locations

Apricots, like lemons, are obtained by shaking them off trees. When collecting apricots, try to pick as many as possible, as they are needed not only for Scrappy level 3 but also for the highest level.

Focus on these locations:

• Dam Battlegrounds: Red Lakes;
• Buried City: Marano Park;
• Spaceport: East Plains;
• The Blue Gate: Olive Grove, Village.

Marano Park in Buried City is my top recommendation, as it has many apricot trees and some lemon trees. If you're lucky, a diligent search on this map might yield all the lemons and apricots you need.

Prickly Pear Drop Locations

To upgrade your Scrappy to Treasure Hunter, you need 6 Prickly Pears. You can generally find Prickly Pears near cacti, but unlike other fruits, you can't obtain many through interaction. So, if you don't see Prickly Pears around, leave quickly to avoid wasting time.

Prickly Pear Distribution Locations:

• Dam Battlegrounds: Red Lakes, Victory Ridge;
• Buried City: South side of the map;
• Spaceport: East of Container Storage.

Buried City is a good choice because the cacti on this map spawn at the edge, away from the battlefield, making your search safer. There's a large cactus patch south of Plaza Rosa.

Mushroom Drop Locations

Mushrooms are a rare resource in the game, and their spawn locations are also limited. You can generally only find them on Dam Battlegrounds map.

• Dam Battlegrounds: Formicai Hills, Swamp, Hydroponic Dome Complex.

The easiest place to find mushrooms is in the forest on Formicai Hills in the south of the map, where there are Scrap Yards and Wreckages. Mushrooms like to grow near these two areas.

We actually recommend searching for mushrooms on maps with Lush Blooms map mod activated, as you'll find a large amount of natural loot and Wicker Baskets. Wicker Baskets, in particular, provide a large quantity of mushrooms, as well as lemons, apricots, and olives.

Cat Bed & Very Comfortable Pillow Drop Locations

Cat beds and Very Comfortable Pillows are similar items, generally found only in residential or commercial loot areas. The best location is in the urban area of Buried City. You can search house by house; with luck, you might find both a cat bed and a pillow.

• Dam Battlegrounds: Ruby Residence, Pale Apartments;
• Buried City: Santa Maria Houses, Plaza Rosa, Grandioso Apartments, Red Tower;
• The Blue Gate: Village, Ruined Homestead, Abandoned Housing Project.

Outside Red Tower in Buried City, there are usually two cabinets. These cabinets often spawn cat beds and pillows. I found both items in one of these cabinets; you can use this as a reference.

The above information covers all the items needed for Scrappy upgrades. Transform your rooster into a Master Hoarder as soon as possible! For those of you struggling with resource shortages in the early stages of Expedition, this is the best source of extra items!

If you find searching for upgrade items throughout the game inefficient, you can directly buy cheap and reliable ARC Raiders items from EZG. They have everything you need. And right now, there's a Christmas sale; use XMAS code for a 10% discount.

A new Expedition has begun, and this time the final reward will include an extra 5 skill points, meaning players will receive 81 skill points and 12 inventory slots. While the rewards aren’t particularly generous, they still attract many players to participate in the event.

For players who have already accumulated a large amount of equipment and resources, giving up all their previously acquired skills, equipment, and blueprints is not a big deal. After Expedition reset, they can re-experience the game, challenge themselves, and improve their gaming skills.

For new ARC Raiders players, the game will be easier and more enjoyable after numerous high-level players reset their progress.

However, this Expedition is quite difficult to complete, requiring an investment of 5 million coins. Many players are concerned about how to quickly obtain rewards and resources in Expedition, and this article will answer these questions.

Important Matters

In Buried City, your main task is not only to farm a lot of money, but also to continuously pay attention to Lush Blooms event. This event drops many natural Expedition Guide, such as fruits, herbs, and seeds.

If you want to synthesize equipment as early as possible, you must collect as many of these natural items as possible. They can help you level up at Scrappy’s, which will provide you with more materials - the raw materials you need to upgrade your equipment later.

After collecting enough materials, you can craft equipment. Looting Mk. 2 is definitely a priority target after the reset.

It only requires a level two equipment workbench to craft, and the materials are five Hornet drivers, three power cables, and five electrical components. It has 22 item slots, three accessory slots, and two Safe Pockets, making it ideal for collecting items and recouping funds. This will make farming money much easier in the later stages.

In addition, in the early stages of equipment upgrades, I recommend upgrading your workbenches. Because after upgrading Refiner, Gunsmith, and Gear Bench to level three, crafting and upgrading equipment, making things according to blueprints, and even crafting minor items like carabiners will be much easier.

Once your infrastructure is upgraded, you can more confidently search for coins.

Money Farming Route

Obtaining enough coins is essential throughout the entire Expedition. Arc Raiders Coins not only help you complete activities but also expand your inventory and allow you to purchase useful materials. Below, I’ll outline the fastest and easiest route to quickly collect more coins, blueprints, and other important items.

First, head to the small house to the right and slightly in front of Grandioso Apartment. You can jump in through the window and then check each floor for supplies.

After searching the third floor, you can jump from the third floor to the roof of the house directly in front of you, the one running north-south, which is the roof to the left of Santa Maria Houses. Of course, if you have exceptional jumping ability, you can try jumping directly into this house.

Entering through the right window of this house will begin your money-making journey.

Unlike earning coins by completing tasks on the map, this money-making route involves obtaining ARC Powercells from Arc Enemies. One of these materials and two batteries can generate energy ammo worth up to 5,000 coins. Even if you don’t generate ammo, ARC Powercells will significantly enhance your gameplay experience while running around the map.

As you collect coins, remember not to overlook the metal parts scattered on the ground, as these are one of the most important basic materials. We must rebuild our wealth, so every part must be cherished.

Once you’ve completed these steps, I believe your financial situation will gradually improve, and your inventory space will increase. You can focus on Cold Snap. This is a limited-time event where your chances of obtaining high-level loot increase. So, if you have sufficient funds and equipment, you can definitely try this event.

Some players believe that Cold Snap is very effective for farming blueprints, especially in Blue Gate map, where the chance of getting blueprints is very high, even after the developers nerfed the blueprint drop rate. Therefore, if you want to quickly regain your blueprints, Cold Snap is definitely the event you should participate in.

Weapons

At the beginning of Expedition, because everything is reset, everyone will focus on completing tasks, and those who haven’t been reset mostly won’t bother attacking those who have just been reset, as they won’t get much loot. Therefore, the recommended weapon here is the Pharaoh. It’s inexpensive to craft, requiring only 5 metal parts and 2 rubber parts. Upgrading it is also very simple, basically only requiring metal and mechanical parts, so even if you’ve just reset your progress, collecting these materials won’t be too difficult.

This easily obtainable weapon not only performs remarkably well in PvE battles, allowing you to take on Arc Enemies, but it can also be combined with another easily obtainable weapon, Stitcher, for PvP combat. I frequently used these two weapons in the early stages of the game, so I’m very familiar with their power and highly recommend them.

The above covers some important aspects of Expedition, including money-farming routes and essential weapons. Hopefully, this will help you progress smoothly in the game instead of constantly feeling lost.

The highly anticipated first major season event for ARC Raiders has officially begun, bringing great news to players, especially those returning after a long absence. Returning players will find more rewards and challenges to help them quickly adapt to the current version and seamlessly integrate into the intense combat environment.

Meanwhile, this major season also introduces brand-new items, multi-tiered challenge objectives, and two new event types, significantly enhancing the depth and sense of accomplishment in the game. Furthermore, ARC Raiders has added a new event, Flickering Flames, allowing players to invest their accumulated resources and earn generous rewards and items.

Each phase of Flickering Flames provides instant rewards for donated resources, including ARC Raiders Items, event experience points, and Raider Tokens that can be used for upcoming deck updates.

Of course, the difficulty of this Flickering Flames event has also increased, with the addition of a new natural item, Candleberries. Your task is to collect as many Candleberries as possible to help the underground community survive the harsh Rust Belt winter.

Phase 1

The first set of item requirements for Flickering Flames event is the simplest. The first three items are very common and easy to obtain; you can easily find them in your inventory or craft them from existing materials. The entire process won’t be too complicated.

Before you begin, since the main gameplay of this event involves collecting and donating enough materials to receive rewards, you must first ensure you have enough inventory space. If your inventory capacity is insufficient, you can use ARC Raiders Coins to expand it.

The last item, and the only one you need to collect, is Candleberries, which are more difficult to obtain than the first three. Currently, there are two main ways to obtain them: one is to automatically receive 180 of this material after earning 11,400 merits in Gathering Candleberries event.

The other is to go to the surface in Cold Snap map and collect them. However, if you want to successfully complete your gathering trip, you must be careful of the new Frostbite effect, which will severely affect your gathering speed. 

Item Requirements & Location

• Empty Wine Bottle x1 In Residential, Commercial
• Plastic Parts x25 In Recycling
• Durable Cloth x5 In Medical, Commercial, Crafting
• Candleberries x20 In Event, Nature

Rewards

• 5 Firecrackers
• 1,000 Merits
• 1,000 Merits
• 50 Raider Tokens

Note that Candleberries will randomly spawn at dense forest natural gathering points such as Grove in Buried City, or appear in picnic baskets during Lush Blooms event.

Phase 2

The items in the second phase will be more difficult to obtain. In addition to the increased number of Candleberries, you will also need to find Candleholders in residential areas. Although this is a new item, the threat in residential areas is not very high, and they are not too difficult to find.

Industrial Batteries can be found on beginner maps such as Dam Battlegrounds. They have multiple spawn points, so you are very likely to find the materials you need in these areas with a very high spawn rate.

During the search for Candleholders, Red Light Stick Blueprint will randomly drop. Although the drop of this Blueprint at this stage is not very exciting, the high probability of dropping adds a sense of accomplishment to the player during the game.

Item Requirements & Location

• Candleholder x3 In Residential
• Light Bulb x3 In Electrical
• Industrial Battery x1 In Industrial
• Candleberries x50 In Event, Nature

Rewards

• Red Light Stick Blueprint
• 1,000 Merits
• 1,000 Merits
• 50 Raider Tokens

Phase 3

As the search area expands, the scarcity of items increases. The most difficult item in the third phase is Film Reels. They are difficult to find in Residential or Old World areas. My most recommended locations are the locked Town Hall in Buried City or Archives of Stella Montis.

The other two items, Duct Tape and Snap Blast Grenades, are relatively easier to obtain. If you really can’t find them, you can get them from Traders in Speranza, but be aware that Celeste only accepts seeds as exchange items. 

Item Requirements & Location

• Snap Blast Grenade x5 In Scavenging, Crafting, Trader
• Duct Tape x10 In Commercial, Residential, Trader
• Film Reel x1 In Residential, Old World
• Candleberries x60 In Event, Nature

Rewards

• 3 Trailblazer Grenades
• 1,000 Merits
• 1,000 Merits
• 50 Raider Tokens

Phase 4

As the event progresses past the halfway point, the items you need to collect become increasingly difficult to obtain. Coffee Pots are common in residential areas, and you may have already found one or two during your previous searches. If not, you can try your luck in the houses southeast of Buried City. Water Filters frequently spawn in Dam Battlegrounds and Blue Gate; you can check those locations.

In this phase, you can’t just stop at collecting items; you need to actively attack and loot at least 10 Fireballs to obtain Burners. The task will be easier if you loot Fireballs while collecting the other items on the list.

Item Requirements & Location

• Coffee Pot x2 In Residential
• Fireball Burner x10 In Fireball ARC
• Water Filter x2 In Industrial
• Candleberries x60 In Event, Nature

Rewards

• 1 Vita Spray
• 1,000 Merits
• 1,000 Merits
• 50 Raider Tokens

Phase 5

In the fifth phase of Flickering Flames, the most troublesome item to collect is Mushrooms, and you need to collect 7. You can go to maps like Dam Battlegrounds or the northern oasis of Spaceport to slowly search for them. They can spawn in any corner except the northeast corner of the map.

However, because of the limited number of spawn points for this item, if you find the search too slow, my best advice is to wait for Lush Blooms event, check more natural areas, or find baskets that provide more Mushrooms, which will allow you to collect many at once.

After finding Mushrooms, besides the consistently difficult Candleberries, the most challenging item remaining is Music Albums. Many high-rarity residential scavenging areas may contain them, just like when you were looking for Film Reels. But be sure to go early, otherwise, they might be looted by others.

After collecting Music Albums, you will have completed the entire Flickering Flames event. Music Albums can help you celebrate the completion of the event. 

Item Requirements & Location

• Mushrooms x7 In Nature
• Frying Pans x2 In Residential
• Music Albums x2 In Residential, Commercial
• Candleberries x70 In Event, Nature

Rewards

• 1 Snap Hook
• 1,000 Merits
• 1,000 Merits
• 50 Raider Tokens

The above details the items and rewards required for the five stages of Flickering Flames, and how you can find them faster. Upon completing all activities, you will receive the first-ever Raider Tool skin in ARC Raiders, which has high collectible value and symbolic significance.

Although completing the entire Flickering Flames quest doesn’t directly yield additional rewards or immediate tangible benefits, its strategic importance in the overall game progression cannot be underestimated. Players will gain a significant advantage in new real-time events.