- Research Points are a core progression resource earned by turning in research materials found across surface maps
- Best sources: ARC machine components, facility containers, and quest rewards in high-value areas
- Top strategy: Combine collection runs with active missions so one raid advances multiple objectives
- Critical tip: Never drop research materials to make room for sellable loot — they are usually worth more than the items replacing them
- Smart spending: Prioritize permanent unlocks that improve every future raid before cosmetic or niche upgrades
What Are Research Points in ARC Raiders?
ARC Raiders Research Points are a hub-side progression currency tied to Speranza's research and development efforts. Instead of being looted directly as currency, they are generated when you hand in specific research materials — advanced components, ARC-derived parts, and mission items — to the appropriate research station in your underground home. Every successful turn-in pushes your account-level progression forward, unlocking crafting options, equipment tiers, and station improvements that persist between raids.
This creates an important decision on every run: backpack space is limited, and research materials compete directly with sellable loot, ammunition, and mission items. Raiders who understand which items convert into the most Research Points consistently progress faster than players who fill their packs with low-value scrap.
Research Points reward planning, not greed. A half-full backpack that extracts safely advances your account faster than a full backpack lost to a Bastion or an ambush squad at extraction.
How Research Points fit into the wider loop:
| Progression Track | Where It Happens | Resets on Death? |
|---|---|---|
| Research Points | Hub research station | No — permanent account progress |
| Gear and stash value | Trading and stash | No — but items in-raid are lost |
| Mission progress | In-raid objectives | Partial — requires extraction |
| Skills and builds | Skill tree and augments | No — persistent investment |
Where to Find Research Materials
Research materials spawn in predictable categories of locations. Facility interiors, industrial structures, and ARC-dense zones offer the highest concentration, which is why maps like Stella Montis and Spaceport reward players who push into deep facility sections.
Facility Interiors
- Deep sections of Stella Montis and Spaceport
- Dense container clusters
- Higher threat, higher yield
- Best for prepared squads
Industrial Zones
- Dam Battlegrounds infrastructure
- Warehouses and maintenance areas
- Medium risk, steady supply
- Good for solo runs
ARC Machine Drops
- Components from defeated machines
- Surveyor and Bastion areas
- Costs ammunition and noise
- Fight only when justified
Material categories and their Research Point value profile:
| Material Category | Typical Sources | Carry Priority | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARC Alloy | ARC machines, deep facilities | Very high | Core research input |
| Advanced Mechanical Components | Facility containers | Very high | Rare in early areas |
| Mechanical Components | Mid-tier containers | High | Steady early-game source |
| Batteries / Magnetic Components | Maintenance areas | High | Frequently needed |
| Basic materials (Planks, Sheet Metal) | Everywhere | Situational | Keep a reserve, sell excess |
Deposit advanced components into your stash immediately after extraction. Carrying your research stockpile back into a raid risks losing progress materials for no gain — they do their work at the hub, not on the surface.
Step-by-Step: An Efficient Research Run
Follow this route structure to convert each raid into steady Research Point gains without over-exposing your gear.
Check active objectives first
Review the mission board and research station before deploying. Identify which quests also award research progress so a single raid can advance both tracks at once.
Deploy with a low-risk loadout
Bring an affordable primary, basic healing, and enough ammunition for machines and one player encounter. Leave maximum inventory space free for research materials and mission items.
Loot outer structures, then push inward
Clear peripheral buildings first to build a baseline of components. Move into high-value interiors only after confirming nearby sightlines are quiet.
Fight ARC selectively
Take fights with isolated machines — especially Surveyors — when noise risk is low, because ARC components are among the best research inputs. Skip Bastions unless a mission requires them.
Extract early and turn in
Rotate toward a covered extraction route as soon as your pack holds the materials you targeted. Back at the hub, turn everything in at the research station before planning the next run.
One raid that completes a quest, collects ARC components, and extracts safely can advance three progression tracks simultaneously. That overlap is where fast Research Point farming actually happens.
Best Ways to Spend Research Points
Not every unlock deserves your points early. Spend on permanent, raid-wide improvements first — anything that makes every future extraction easier compounds over time.
Spending priority recommendations:
| Priority | Unlock Type | Why It Comes First |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crafting station upgrades | Unlocks better weapons and gear you can produce yourself |
| 2 | Medical and utility blueprints | Reduces dependence on shop purchases every raid |
| 3 | Capacity and stash improvements | More storage means more materials per extraction cycle |
| 4 | Weapon family unlocks | Matches your preferred engagement range |
| 5 | Niche or situational unlocks | Only after the core economy is running smoothly |
Map-by-map research farming comparison:
| Map | Material Density | Danger | Best Approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stella Montis | Very high (facility interiors) | High | Squad push with retreat plan |
| Spaceport | High (terminals, warehouses) | High | Covered service routes |
| Buried City | High (dense interiors) | High | Building-to-building rotation |
| Dam Battlegrounds | Medium (industrial zones) | Medium | Solo-friendly outer loop |
| Frozen Trail areas | Medium to high | Medium to high | Shelter-to-shelter movement |
Do not dump Research Points into a specialized unlock before your crafting stations can support it. An advanced blueprint you cannot craft is dead progress until your stations catch up.
Research Run Checklist
Before Every Research Run:
- Check the research station for current turn-in needs
- Confirm which active quests overlap with material targets
- Pack a low-cost loadout with spare healing
- Leave at least three inventory slots free
- Plan a covered extraction route before deploying
Review your stash after every extraction. Learn new blueprints, turn in research materials, and rebalance your next loadout based on what actually limited the previous run — inventory space, ammunition, or healing.
FAQ
Q: Do I lose Research Points if I die in a raid?
No. Research Points already earned through turn-ins are permanent account progress. However, any research materials still in your backpack are lost when you die, which is why extracting before pushing for extra loot matters so much.
Q: What is the fastest way to farm ARC Raiders Research Points?
Combine three sources in one run: quest rewards that grant research progress, ARC components from selectively defeated machines like Surveyors, and advanced components looted from facility interiors. Overlapping these sources in a single extracting raid is far more efficient than grinding any one of them.
Q: Should I sell advanced components or turn them in for Research Points?
In the early and mid game, turn them in. Selling advanced mechanical components and ARC Alloy is usually a poor trade because replacing them can require multiple dangerous raids, while the unlocks they fund improve every future run.
Q: Which map is best for research material farming?
Stella Montis offers the highest concentration inside its facility complexes but demands a prepared squad. Dam Battlegrounds is the better solo choice thanks to accessible industrial zones and more forgiving extraction approaches.