Raiders, how's ARC Raider experience after February Shrouded Sky update? How's it like navigating the map under hurricane conditions?
Want to know how to get more loot? Follow this guide to find out!
Controlled Access Zone
Controlled Access Zone is located in Dam Battlegrounds, near Breach and Pipeline Tower. This is a new area added in version 1.17.0, blending an industrial-style interior with vertical passageways. The cascading staircases seem designed to create a maze-like navigation experience for first-time visitors.
Upon entering the zone, you'll immediately recognize it as a Red Zone, meaning the danger level is high, but the quality of loot will be much better.
A word of caution: entering the core rooms of Controlled Access Zone requires a four-player team, so if you're a solo player, quickly find three friends to explore with you!
Puzzle Solving
Once you're ready to open the room, you'll need to find the power cell and take it upstairs to insert it into the designated slot. It could appear anywhere on the lower floors of the building, but due to the vast area, a thorough search is necessary.
Insert the battery into the slot to activate the door's system. You'll then find four separate buttons in the room. Only by pressing all four buttons simultaneously can the final lock on the room be unlocked. Timing is crucial; if someone presses a button prematurely, the system will reset, and you'll have to start over.
When all four buttons are pressed simultaneously, the main door will open. After entering the door, you'll need to submit one Leaper Pulse Unit and 12 Metal Parts to access the deeper Controlled Access Zone.
Leaper Pulse Units can be obtained by defeating Leapers, which typically roam the area near Controlled Access Zone. Metal Parts are common crafting materials and are usually easy to collect.
Loot
Controlled Access Zone offers a variety of rewards, but frankly, they're not particularly lucrative. Here you can find:
- Weapon crates
- General loot containers
- Blueprints
- High-tier weapons, including rare drops such as Volcano
While the loot is significantly better than in regular areas, entering this zone requires a considerable investment of time and effort, making it worthwhile.
Key-Locked Room
Even after completing the main puzzle, you'll find an additional key-locked room in this area. This door requires a Controlled Access Zone key to open, but keys don't always spawn in this area. Currently, this room isn't accessible; explore the game further to discover what treasures it holds.
Hurricane Map Conditions
Besides Controlled Access Zone being officially recognized as a high-value area by ARC Raiders, you're probably also curious about the new map conditions. Will hurricane conditions yield even more rewards? The answer is definitely yes! You'll notice a significantly higher density of loot, especially in some prime locations.
This guide will use Buried City as an example to demonstrate how to obtain more loot under these conditions.
Spawning in Plaza Rosa remains one of the best choices. Under hurricane conditions, the blueprint drop rate is significantly higher, and level 2 Augments spawn frequently, offering countless Medical bags, defibrillators, and advanced components to collect.
A successful Shrouded Sky raid typically yields 60,000-70,000 coins and multiple weapons. With luck, rare blueprints and components can also be plentiful. While shield damage and unavoidable stamina depletion are significant, the profits are substantial if the route is well-planned.
However, be aware that the zipline movement and jumping that were once commonplace in Buried City are now fraught with danger. A single misjudgment can result in a fatal fall. Additionally, minimize outdoor movement time. If you must be outdoors, remove your shield, as debris from the strong winds will damage it, causing it to glow and make noise.
Additionally, in Patch Notes 1.17.0, the developers specifically mentioned that the chance of finding rare loot in chimneys in Buried City under Bird City map conditions will be reduced. This means you won't need to pay much attention to this map condition anymore.
First Wave Raiders Caches
Besides the two methods mentioned above for obtaining a large amount of loot in ARC Raiders, you can also use hurricane conditions to find First Wave Raiders Caches on various maps. These chests are visually marked with a blue environmental effect, and you'll have a very high chance of obtaining powerful weapon blueprints.
Dam Battlegrounds and Buried City have the highest cache density. During hurricanes, you can explore these two maps more often; you might find some unexpected treasures.
Friendly Reminder
After increasing the loot spawn rate, the developers also ruthlessly nerfed some weapons. Stitcher, Kettle, and Venator were all affected, with reduced headshot damage and base damage. However, the Jupiter and Aphelion received a slight buff to their aiming speed.
This means you'll need to adapt to these weapon changes quickly, as there are still many malicious intruders and troublesome ARC Enemies in high-yield areas and map conditions. That's all for this episode of ARC Raiders. Have fun playing!
