Quests are how ARC Raiders paces your progression. They send you topside with a purpose, reward you with Coins, materials and unlocks, and gradually open up the game's systems and story. Done in a sensible order, they turn aimless raids into steady progress. This guide explains how quests work, who hands them out, which to prioritise early, and how Speranza's larger projects fit into the picture.
Who gives quests, and why do them
Speranza's residents give out quests, and completing them does three things at once: it pays you directly, it unlocks better options - vendors, recipes, services - and it teaches you the game's systems in a structured way. For a new Raider, quests are the single best source of guided progression, because they reward exactly the activities that build your account rather than leaving you to guess what to prioritise.
Do quests in a sensible order
Early quests tend to introduce core mechanics - looting, extracting, basic combat, crafting - and it pays to follow them roughly in order rather than skipping ahead to ones you are under-geared for. Many quests gate rewards or later quests behind them, so a tidy progression unlocks the game faster than cherry-picking. When a quest asks for a specific item or a particular map, that is usually a nudge toward content you are ready for.
| Quest type | Approach |
|---|---|
| Tutorial / intro quests | Do first - they unlock the basics and vendors |
| Item-collection quests | Hold the items; complete when you have them |
| Map-specific quests | Pair with a run on that map for efficiency |
| Projects | Longer-term goals - chip away alongside quests |
Projects: the bigger goals
Alongside standard quests, ARC Raiders has larger community-style projects - the Expedition, Sheltered Retreat, Avian Alarm, Weather Monitor and others - that act as longer-term objectives with bigger payoffs. These are worth chipping away at in the background while you do regular quests, since they reward sustained play and often unlock meaningful upgrades or content when completed.
Keeping quests moving
The main thing that stalls quest progress is getting stuck on one that needs a specific item or a dangerous map. When that happens, it is usually better to set it aside and keep other quests moving rather than throwing runs at a wall. Progress on several fronts keeps the rewards flowing, and the tricky quest often becomes trivial once you are better geared from the others.
If a quest or project is blocking you
If a particular quest or project is holding up your progression, they can be completed for you: Quests Boosting clears quest lines, and the project boosts - like Sheltered Retreat and Expedition - handle the longer goals. For how the rewards feed your account, see our money guide. It is all on the ARC Raiders services hub.
Pairing quests with your runs
The efficient way to clear quests is to stack them onto runs you were going to make anyway. If a quest wants an item from a particular map, do it on a run where you are already looting that map; if several quests want kills or extractions, knock them out together. Treating quests as a checklist to overlay on normal play - rather than special trips - means you are completing them for free while you earn Coins and materials, which is far faster than chasing each one in isolation.
Rewards worth prioritising
Not all quest rewards are equal. The ones that unlock vendors, recipes or workshop options are worth prioritising because they compound - they make everything afterward easier or cheaper. Pure Coin or item rewards are nice but one-off. When choosing which quest line to push, favour the ones that open up a system you will use for the rest of your account over the ones that just hand you a payout, and your progression accelerates.
Letting quests guide your early hours
For a new Raider, the smartest thing you can do is let the quest flow set your agenda. Rather than wondering what to do each session, follow the quests - they march you through the game's systems in a sensible order, introduce you to the maps gradually, and pay you for learning. This structure is especially valuable in an extraction game, where the open-ended "go loot" loop can feel aimless and punishing without direction. By anchoring your early hours to the quest lines, you build your account on exactly the activities that unlock more of the game, and you avoid the common trap of grinding runs that teach you little and unlock nothing. Once the core quests are behind you and the systems make sense, you can branch into the longer projects and chase your own goals with a solid foundation under you.
Quests as a map of the game
Beyond their rewards, quests double as a guided tour of everything ARC Raiders has to offer. They walk you onto each map, introduce you to the ARC machines, teach you crafting and extraction, and gradually reveal the systems that a brand-new Raider would otherwise stumble into blindly. Following them is the closest thing the game has to a structured tutorial that keeps paying out. Even experienced players returning after a break often find the quest flow the quickest way to re-learn what has changed. Treat the quest log as a checklist of the game's content as much as a source of rewards, and you will end up having seen and understood far more of ARC Raiders than a player who ignored it and ground the same comfortable map on repeat.
The bottom line
Quests are the backbone of ARC Raiders progression: do the early ones roughly in order, stack them onto runs you were making anyway, favour rewards that unlock systems, and keep several moving so a tough one never stalls you. For the longer goals, the projects reward sustained play. If a quest or project is blocking you, Quests Boosting and the project boosts are on the ARC Raiders services hub.
Related ARC Raiders guides
- ARC Raiders Quests Boosting
- ARC Raiders Sheltered Retreat project
- ARC Raiders Expedition project
- How to get money fast in ARC Raiders
- ARC Raiders workbench upgrades
- All ARC Raiders services
Frequently Asked Questions
Who gives quests in ARC Raiders?
Speranza's residents hand out quests. Completing them pays Coins, unlocks better vendors, recipes and services, and teaches the game's systems in a structured way - the best guided progression for new Raiders.
Should you do ARC Raiders quests in order?
Roughly, yes. Early quests introduce core mechanics and often gate later rewards or quests, so following them in order unlocks the game faster than skipping to ones you are under-geared for.
What are projects in ARC Raiders?
Projects like the Expedition, Sheltered Retreat and Avian Alarm are larger, longer-term objectives with bigger payoffs. Chip away at them in the background alongside regular quests.
What do I do if I'm stuck on a quest?
Set it aside and keep other quests moving rather than throwing runs at a wall. The tricky quest often becomes easy once you are better geared from completing the others.
Can you get quests done for you in ARC Raiders?
Yes - a quests boosting service can clear quest lines, and project boosts handle the longer-term goals, if a specific quest or project is blocking your progression.
Are quests the best way to progress early in ARC Raiders?
Yes. They pay you, unlock vendors and recipes, and teach the game's systems in order, which is far more efficient than aimless runs. Let the quest flow set your agenda for your first hours.
Do I have to finish every quest?
No, but the early lines are the best-guided progression and often gate later rewards. Push those, keep several moving at once, and branch into the longer projects once the core systems make sense.