Arc Raiders Cargo Rewards Explained by U4GM

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The ARC Frigate Cargo in Arc Raiders contains valuable upgrade materials, including Amplification Modules, but reaching it requires completing the ship's Power Core sequence and releasing the Cargo. Boarding alone does not unlock it. Leave space among your ARC Raiders Items for the materials you collect during the run.

Which rewards are worth keeping

Amplification Modules support weapon upgrades, with Mk. I through Mk. V corresponding to different weapon rarity tiers. Collecting a module is only part of that progression: using Amplifications also requires Gunsmith Level 4 and Research Station Level 4. A Cargo run can therefore supply materials for upgrades you have not unlocked yet.

The Frigate Inductor is another useful find because one is required for the Research Station Level 4 upgrade, alongside three Thermal Shakers and three ARC Data Modules. Keep your first Inductor for that upgrade if you still need it. The Inductor can also appear in circular breach containers elsewhere aboard the Frigate, so releasing the Cargo is not a requirement for obtaining one.

Accessible ship containers can also hold Amplification Modules, ARC Data Modules, and other ARC materials. These are possible finds, not a fixed reward package for boarding. Searching the exterior containers is a smaller commitment than completing the full Cargo sequence, particularly when your main objective is a specific upgrade material.

How to unlock and release the Cargo

Start by selecting a destination with the ARC Frigate condition active. During this condition, Free Loadouts are unavailable, locked loot doors are inactive, Raider Hatches cannot be used, and overall surface loot value is reduced. Plan around the ship encounter rather than a normal surface looting route.

Board a circular Reclaimer platform beneath the ship and activate Disrupt to ride upward. Once aboard, work through the internal Power Cores; reaching the roof does not complete the Cargo requirements. A movement tool can help with traversal, but the central core mechanism requires three Raiders operating its controls together.

Destroy the exposed core sections and check the lower interior before returning to the Cargo controls. One easily missed core sits near the bottom behind a red-lit hatch. The release mechanism uses two Raiders operating opposite panels, with the interaction repeated until the Cargo detaches. An inactive release mechanism means the ship's required sequence is not yet complete.

Collecting loot is not extraction

Ride the released Cargo to the surface and search its containers, then travel to an available extraction point. Descending from the Frigate does not return your collected materials to safety by itself. For an upgrade-material run, accessible breach containers can provide a stopping point without committing to the entire Cargo objective.

Before deploying, choose between searching accessible containers and attempting the full Cargo release. Check your ammunition, healing supplies, movement equipment, and available inventory space; apply the same checklist when reviewing cheap ARC Items for your loadout. Set your objective before boarding so that extra looting does not consume the time reserved for leaving.