The Outpost is one of the most important additions in the ARC Raiders Frozen Trail update. It gives every Raider a personal Topside base, additional rooms to customize, a new Research Station, and a path toward the fifth weapon quality tier through Amplified Weapons.
However, the Outpost is not unlocked automatically after installing Update 2.0. You must reach the required character level, complete the three-stage Sheltered Retreat Project, gather specific construction materials, and finish a combat objective before the base becomes available.
This ARC Raiders Outpost guide explains how to unlock the Outpost, where to take the farmland house photo, every Sheltered Retreat requirement, how Research Points work, what each Research Station level needs, and which upgrades should receive your resources first.
Quick answer: Reach Raider Level 18, activate Sheltered Retreat from the Outpost tab, photograph a farmland house near Ruined Homestead on Blue Gate, deliver the requested building materials, then deal 800 damage to flying ARC and 300 damage to a Bully. Completing all three stages unlocks the Outpost and access to its Research Station.
Guide status: reviewed on October 11, 2026 for the live Frozen Trail 2.0 version. Exact recipes and balance values may change through Live Updates, so confirm the requirement displayed in your current in-game menu before consuming rare materials.
The Outpost is a customizable extension of your Raider Den positioned between the Rust Belt and Pendola Pass. It combines two different types of progression:
The current Frozen Trail version does not let you freely walk around the Outpost. You interact with its rooms, furniture positions, modules, and stations through the Outpost interface. Embark has described the system as the beginning of a feature intended to grow further, but no date has been confirmed for a fully walkable base.
Important distinction: Outpost modules and Research Station levels are related, but they are not the same upgrade. Modules expand your personal space, while Research is the functional progression system used for targeted research and weapon amplification.
| Requirement | What You Need | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Raider level | Level 18 | Makes the Sheltered Retreat Project available |
| Project | Sheltered Retreat | The three-stage Outpost unlock chain |
| Camera | Basic or Advanced Camera | Required to photograph the farmland house |
| Map access | Blue Gate | Ruined Homestead contains qualifying houses |
| Construction resources | Planks, Sheet Metal, ARC Alloy and Advanced Electrical Components | Completes the second Project stage |
| Combat | Flying ARC and Bully damage | Secures the construction site in the final stage |
After reaching level 18, open the Outpost tab at the top of the menu and accept Sheltered Retreat. Do this before deploying. Reaching the correct location with a Camera will not complete the objective if the Project is not active.
You can inspect the later stages before completing the first one. Use that preview to reserve the construction materials instead of selling or recycling them while you work on the photo objective.
The first Outpost objective asks you to photograph a surviving farmland house. Deploy to Blue Gate and travel toward Ruined Homestead in the southern area near Olive Grove. Several farmhouse structures around the location can qualify; you do not need to enter one specific room.
The Camera can be purchased from Shani, crafted at the Workbench, or found Topside. Completing this stage awards the Advanced Camera Blueprint.
If the photo does not count: confirm that Sheltered Retreat is active, the Camera is an actual usable gadget rather than binoculars, and the house is inside the Ruined Homestead farmland area. Move farther back if the complete structure does not fit the frame.
The second stage is a fixed delivery objective. Hand in the following resources:
| Material | Quantity | Useful Search Areas |
|---|---|---|
| Planks | 3 | Residential and Old World locations; Celeste may also trade them |
| Sheet Metal | 5 | Industrial and technological areas; check Celeste’s offers |
| ARC Alloy | 10 | ARC enemies and ARC-related loot |
| Advanced Electrical Components | 3 | Technological and electrical loot zones |
Delivering the complete set finishes the construction-material stage and awards the Red Light Stick Blueprint. The materials must reach your inventory through a successful extraction or another valid acquisition method before they can be contributed.
If you are missing a supported resource, the ARC Raiders Materials service lets you choose listed materials and quantities. Check the live order form first because the service covers the selected items, not every Outpost requirement automatically.
The final Sheltered Retreat stage is a combat objective designed to distract and damage the ARC threatening construction. You must deal:
The flying ARC portion can be completed wherever qualifying enemies appear; Spaceport can offer straightforward opportunities. The Bully was introduced with Frozen Trail and can be found on Pendola Pass. Use cover and avoid treating it like a stationary damage target. It aggressively pushes Raider positions and punishes players who remain exposed.
You only need to satisfy the tracked damage requirements. Build your loadout around reliable damage and extraction rather than carrying expensive equipment that is unnecessary for the objective.
Completing the stage awards a Hotel Chair Design, 15 Planks and 5 Durable Cloth, then establishes your Outpost.
| Outpost Feature | What It Does | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| Base Outpost | Provides the personal Topside base interface | Automatic after the Project |
| Research Station | Turns research loot into controlled progression toward selected research | Highest functional priority |
| Modules | Add rooms and customization space | Build as needed for Outpost level and designs |
| Furniture crafting | Lets learned Designs become placeable furniture | Cosmetic and collection priority |
| Weapon Amplification | Opens fifth-quality branches for supported weapons after full progression | Late-game target |
The Research Station is the Outpost’s main gameplay feature. Certain items found Topside contain Research Points. After extracting with those items, visit the station and select an available research target. Depending on the project, completion may require points, specific materials, or an additional gameplay objective.
Research reduces complete dependence on random Blueprint drops, but it does not make every Blueprint available. Rare or endgame recipes can still have their own sources and requirements. Always inspect the live Research menu before recycling an item that contributes points or is needed directly by an upgrade.
The Research Station can progress through four levels. A station level requires the Outpost itself to have the matching level, so adding the required Outpost modules is part of the route to higher research.
| Research Level | Current Upgrade Materials | Progression Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 3 Mini Pumps, 35 Planks, 5 Battered Paperbacks | Establishes the station and initial research |
| Level 2 | 3 Calculators, 3 Raider Logbooks, 5 Skulker Targeters | Introduces requirements connected to new Frozen Trail enemies |
| Level 3 | 3 Differential Microphones, 3 Exodus Technical Handbooks, 6 Bully Fragmenters | Advances higher research and late-game preparation |
| Level 4 | 3 Thermal Shakers, 3 ARC Data Modules, 1 Frigate Inductor | Completes the Research Station progression required for weapon amplification access |
Keep these materials only if the live station shows the same recipe. Frozen Trail is new, and Live Updates may change costs or fix progression problems.
Completing Sheltered Retreat gives you the initial Outpost room. Building modules adds more rooms and increases the space available for furniture. Modules also support the Outpost-level progression needed to match higher Research Station levels.
Do not assume that every room directly adds stash capacity, Raider stats, passive income, or weapon storage. At launch, the confirmed value of modules is expanding the base, supporting Outpost progression, and unlocking part of the furniture collection. The functional crafting and weapon system remains the Research Station.
Before building a module, check three things:
Frozen Trail added 100 Furniture Designs. Designs work like Blueprints: learn the Design, gather its crafting materials, then place the finished furniture through the Outpost interface.
| Furniture Design Source | Number of Designs |
|---|---|
| Found Topside | 73 |
| Outpost upgrades | 22 |
| Frozen Trail Pass | 4 |
| Collector Set DLC | 1 |
| Total | 100 |
Because 95 of the 100 Designs come from gameplay or Outpost progression, regular raiding remains the main route for most of the collection. Treat Design items as extraction priorities if you want to complete your furniture catalog.
A fully upgraded Research Station provides access to Amplified Weapons, the fifth quality level introduced with Frozen Trail. Amplification is available for 15 weapons at launch, with additional weapons planned later.
This is not a simple damage upgrade. Amplified weapons use branching enhancements that can change how a gun behaves. Confirmed examples include:
The progression route is:
Best progression priority: Unlock the base first, raise Research only when your matching Outpost level allows it, and save rare new-ARC components for the upgrade shown in your current menu. Furniture can be developed alongside this route without consuming every high-value progression item immediately.
Outpost progression competes with regular Workshop upgrades for stash space. Reserve the materials required by your next visible step instead of storing every new item without a plan.
If your requirement crosses several objectives and is not covered by a fixed service, the ARC Raiders Hourly Service can be used for an agreed activity during booked time. Confirm the exact Outpost objective with support before ordering; gameplay time does not guarantee a random drop or unspecified quantity.
Deploying without activating the Project: the correct photo may not count if Sheltered Retreat is not tracked.
Forgetting the Camera: reaching Ruined Homestead is not enough. The objective requires a photograph taken with the Camera gadget.
Selling the construction materials: inspect later Project stages early and reserve the exact quantities.
Confusing modules with research: a new room does not automatically complete the next Research Station upgrade.
Spending new enemy components too early: Skulker, Bully, Frigate, and Emperor-related parts can be required by high-level progression.
Expecting Research to unlock every Blueprint: some research targets have extra requirements, and some rare Blueprints keep their specific source.
Assuming the Outpost is freely explorable: the launch version is managed through its interface rather than third-person movement inside the building.
You need Raider Level 18 to begin the Sheltered Retreat Project that unlocks the Outpost.
Deploy to Blue Gate and travel to Ruined Homestead near Olive Grove. Use a Camera to photograph a qualifying farmhouse after activating the Project.
Buy a Camera from Shani, craft one at the Workbench, or find one while raiding Topside. Place it in your loadout before entering Blue Gate.
The building-material stage requires 3 Planks, 5 Sheet Metal, 10 ARC Alloy, and 3 Advanced Electrical Components.
It uses Research Points and project-specific requirements to pursue selected research. A fully upgraded station also provides access to fifth-quality Amplified Weapon progression for supported guns.
No. In the current Frozen Trail version, rooms and furniture are managed through the Outpost interface. Embark has indicated that the feature may become more developed in the future.
There are 100 Designs: 73 found Topside, 22 unlocked through Outpost upgrades, four from the Frozen Trail Pass, and one from the Collector Set DLC.
Unlock and level the Outpost, fully upgrade the Research Station, then complete the research and material requirements for one of the 15 supported launch weapons.
The most efficient route is Level 18 → Sheltered Retreat → Research Station → required Outpost modules → Research Level 4 → Amplified Weapons. Complete cosmetic rooms and furniture at your preferred pace, but protect materials needed for functional progression.
The Outpost is worth building even if decoration is not your priority. Research gives you more control over progression, while weapon amplification creates a genuine late-game reason to hunt the new enemies and explore Pendola Pass, the Frigate, and the fallen Emperor.
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