The March update for ARC Raiders brought a wealth of new content and hinted at a Flashpoint mode theme and potential upcoming additions - much of which leaked beforehand, leaving some players feeling a bit cheated.
However, whether you follow all the rumors or not, you shouldn't miss the current game objectives.
One mission in particular, A Rising Tide, is worth your time: it's straightforward to complete, rewards you with generous ARC Raiders Items, and reveals a small part of the game's lore.
Below is a clear and detailed guide covering everything you need to successfully complete A Rising Tide, including location details, common traps, and tips to avoid frustration.
Overview and Background
Following the cancellation of Heartwood Project, a dam engineer has been rehired to lead a massive reconstruction effort. Your role in A Rising Tide is to assist this engineer, traveling between Buried City and Dam Battlegrounds. This mission chain is relatively short but requires specific routes to trigger objectives; taking the wrong path may stall your progress.
Step 1 - Find the Barricaded Apartment
Your first objective is to reach the foreman's apartment. This building is located on the left side of the map, south of Roman Forum; it's the northernmost of two adjacent buildings. The fastest way to enter is via the zipline on the south-facing roof, although you can also take the stairs if you prefer the ground route. To reach the zipline: Go to the roof of the south-facing apartment, find the zipline leading to the eastern edge, slide to the platform on the right, and then jump onto the wooden walkway connecting the two platforms. Follow the walkway into the apartment building.
Step 2 - Obtain the Electronic Log
Inside the apartment, find the large electronic device on the table - this is the foreman's electronic log. Interact with it to record your visit and update the mission objective. After obtaining the log, your next objective will become Dam Battlegrounds.
Note: Simply entering the apartment or looting containers without interacting with this device will not advance the mission objective. Please ensure you see a confirmation message indicating the log has been read.
Step 3 - Reaching Controlled Access Zone of Dam Battlegrounds
You must evacuate Buried City and head to Power Generation Complex, north of Dam Battlegrounds. A crucial detail: to trigger the next step, you must reach the entrance to Power Generation Complex before entering Controlled Access Zone.
Players entering from other directions may sometimes miss this step and not see the objective marker. The game expects you to enter from Power Generation Complex side.
There are several ways to enter Controlled Access Zone. You can use the zipline across the swamp below to enter from inside Power Generation Complex, or use the external ladder entrance.
Using the ladder is the quickest and easiest way: Head to the previously marked ladder location on the map, climb down, and proceed along the lower level.
At the bottom, you'll find a large, damaged ARC device hanging from the ceiling, interact with this area to get instructions for the next step.
Step 4 - Finding Reconstruction Clues
From the lower corridor you descended to earlier, find the room connected to your previous path. If other players have already been here during your game, the room may already be open, in which case you can enter directly.
If the room remains locked, you'll need to find and install a fuel cell to unlock it. Fuel cells spawn in several specific locations within this area:
Directly in the water, placed inside the lootable Arc machines.
Go through a door with continuously flowing water, on the ground just before the zipline at the end of the corridor.
Go up the zipline; before reaching the top, jump to a lower platform and check the locked door ahead - fuel cells sometimes spawn there.
Once you find the fuel cell, pick it up and take it back up the stairs to the locked door. Place the fuel cell in the container near the east wall, and the door will unlock, allowing you to enter the room with the whiteboard.
Step 5 - Photograph Whiteboard Map
Enter the newly opened room; you'll see an open door through the window. Go through this door, and you'll find a whiteboard hanging on the wall. The whiteboard displays a diagram showing how Dam Battlegrounds power Spaceport and other facilities.
You must photograph the whiteboard to complete the mission objective. Make sure your camera or interactive features recognize the photo; you'll receive a confirmation message after the photo is saved to the mission log.
Complete and Return
After taking the whiteboard photo, you can evacuate. Upon completion of the mission, you'll receive rewards such as weapons and materials.
The mission will take you to many areas rarely visited by players, so you'll encounter plenty of environmental narratives and collectible logs - these cleverly weave the gameplay into the larger story of ARC Raiders, providing excellent background information.
Of course, you might encounter some bugs that require reloading or repeated attempts to fix. Don't worry, just try a few more times.
