- Emperor Modulator: A high-value advanced component used in top-tier crafting recipes and upgrades
- Best sources: ARC machine drops, high-tier loot containers, and deep facility areas on dangerous maps
- Farming rule: Only hunt it when your loadout and stash can absorb a failed raid
- Inventory priority: Store it immediately after extraction — never carry it into the next raid
- Team tip: Assign one squad member to carry objective-critical components while others cover
What Is the Emperor Modulator?
The Emperor Modulator in ARC Raiders belongs to the family of advanced mechanical components — the rare crafting materials that gate access to high-level weapons, augments, and workstation upgrades. Like other advanced ARC-derived components (ARC Alloy, Advanced Mechanical Components, Magnetic Components), it is not something you craft early. It is something you find, protect, and successfully extract.
Because advanced components sit near the top of the loot hierarchy, they reshape how you play a raid the moment one lands in your backpack. Every decision after the pickup — which fights to take, which route to walk, when to extract — should account for the fact that you are now carrying an item worth multiple ordinary runs.
The table below places the Emperor Modulator in context against other advanced components you will encounter:
| Component Tier | Examples | Primary Use | Keep or Sell? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced (top) | Emperor Modulator, rare ARC cores | High-tier weapons, augment crafting, late station upgrades | Always keep unless clearly surplus |
| Advanced (common) | ARC Alloy, Advanced Mechanical Components | High-level gear, station upgrades | Keep unless upgrade already done |
| Mid-tier | Batteries, Magnetic Components | Specialized equipment, mid-level recipes | Keep a working reserve |
| Basic | Metal Parts, Sheet Metal, Planks, Fabric | Early recipes, repairs, consumables | Keep reserve, sell excess |
Selling advanced components like the Emperor Modulator early in your progression is usually a poor trade. Replacing one can require several dangerous raids, while the crafting value it unlocks stays relevant for a long time.
Where to Find the Emperor Modulator
Advanced components concentrate where risk concentrates. Across the surface maps, three source types matter most: destroyed ARC machines, high-tier containers inside deep facilities, and mission or event rewards tied to difficult objectives.
| Source Type | Location Profile | Risk Level | Extraction Advice |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destroyed ARC machines | Heavy units like Bastions in open or facility zones | High | Loot fast, leave the area — the fight was loud |
| Deep facility interiors | Stella Montis complexes, Buried City central buildings | High | Plan return route before entering |
| Large industrial POIs | Dam Battlegrounds infrastructure, Spaceport terminals | Medium to high | Use covered approaches, rotate early |
| Event/trial rewards | Active seasonal objectives | Varies | Check event terms before deploying |
Heavy ARC machines are the most reliable single source, which creates a natural tension: the machines that drop advanced components are the same ones that announce your position to every Raider on the map. Treat each Bastion fight as a calculated trade between ammunition, healing, noise, and the reward.
Dam Battlegrounds
- Industrial structures and dense container clusters
- Medium to high danger
- Strong early choice for component runs
Buried City
- Dense interiors with many searchable rooms
- High danger, close-range fights
- Best with a squad and a close-range loadout
Spaceport
- Large facilities and long sightlines
- High danger, ranged pressure
- Move cover-to-cover, check elevated angles
Do not hunt the Emperor Modulator with gear you cannot afford to lose. Use dependable mid-tier weapons, one escape utility, and leave inventory space for the component itself.
Step-by-Step: A Safe Component Run
Follow this sequence when you specifically target advanced components like the Emperor Modulator. The flow assumes a mid-progression Raider with a functioning stash and basic crafting access.
Prepare an economical loadout
Bring an accurate mid-range primary, a compact close-range secondary, basic healing, and enough ammunition for one ARC engagement and one player encounter. Leave at least two open inventory slots.
Pick the map and route before deploying
Choose a map whose high-value zones match your weapon range. Mark a fallback extraction route in advance so you never have to improvise the return trip while carrying the component.
Approach quietly, listen first
Loot peripheral structures on the way in. Suppress unnecessary ARC fights — a Surveyor you bypass costs nothing, while one you shoot can pull a whole machine response toward your position.
Take only justified fights
Engage heavy ARC machines only when the drop potential justifies the ammunition and noise. Clear smaller machines first, keep hard cover between you and unknown sightlines, and hold a retreat direction at all times.
Extract immediately after the pickup
The moment an advanced component enters your pack, your priorities change. Rotate toward your planned extraction through covered terrain, pause and listen before the final interaction, and extract — even with a half-empty backpack.
Deposit the Emperor Modulator into storage the moment you return to the hub. Advanced components carried into subsequent raids are pure uncompensated risk.
Using the Modulator: Crafting Priorities
When an Emperor Modulator is sitting in your stash, spend it deliberately. Advanced components are scarce enough that the order of your crafting and upgrade decisions matters.
| Priority | Target | Why It Comes First |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Workstation upgrades that unlock new recipe tiers | Multiplies the value of every future material |
| 2 | A repeatable blueprint you already own | Turns one component into a craftable, replaceable item |
| 3 | Best-in-class weapon or augment for your main build | Direct power, but the item is lost if the build changes |
| 4 | Duplicate or experimental crafts | Only when you have a surplus |
Match the spending decision to your build role. A PvE ARC Hunter gets more value from combat-tier crafting; a Hauler build gets more from capacity and workstation upgrades that improve every subsequent run.
Before spending the modulator, review which blueprints you have already learned. Crafting an item whose blueprint you can farm cheaply later is usually worse than unlocking a workstation tier you cannot replace.
Component Run Checklist:
- Economical loadout with two open inventory slots
- Map and fallback extraction route chosen in advance
- Peripheral looting done before entering high-value zones
- Heavy ARC fight taken only with cover and retreat planned
- Immediate extraction after securing the component
- Modulator deposited into storage on return
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
Most lost Emperor Modulators are not taken in fair fights — they are lost to planning failures. The table below covers the mistakes that cost players the most advanced components:
| Mistake | Consequence | Prevention |
|---|---|---|
| Fighting a Bastion with light ammunition | Prolonged loud fight, depleted healing | Bypass or return with heavy options |
| Looting a machine drop in the open | Exposed to snipers and arriving squads | Drag the fight toward cover first |
| Extending the raid for extra loot | Late-game ambush at extraction | Extract as soon as the component is secured |
| Carrying the modulator into the next raid | Total loss on one death | Deposit between raids, always |
| Selling early for quick currency | Multiple raids to replace | Spend on unlocks, not sales |
A partially filled backpack with a safe extraction beats a full backpack lost in a late fight. This applies double when the pack contains an advanced component.
FAQ
Q: Is the Emperor Modulator craftable in ARC Raiders?
Advanced ARC-derived components like the Emperor Modulator are generally found rather than crafted — they drop from heavy ARC machines, high-tier containers in deep facility areas, and select event or trial rewards. Crafting is what you spend them on, not how you obtain them.
Q: Which map is best for farming the Emperor Modulator?
There is no single best map, but Dam Battlegrounds offers a strong balance of industrial points of interest and manageable danger for component runs. Buried City and Spaceport reward squads and prepared loadouts with denser high-value zones.
Q: Should I sell the Emperor Modulator if I need currency?
Usually no. Advanced components are expensive to replace because obtaining one requires a dangerous raid, while the crafting and upgrade value they unlock stays useful long-term. Sell only when the related upgrade or blueprint is already completed and the item is clearly surplus.
Q: Can a solo player farm advanced components effectively?
Yes, but with a stricter playbook: use an accurate mid-range primary, bypass optional ARC fights, loot quietly through peripheral structures, and extract immediately after securing a component. Solo runs favor stealth and extraction discipline over clearing zones.