In ARC Raiders, night raids can often feel like a gamble. With limited visibility, aggressive AI, and the anxiety of finding an extraction point, it can be a very hostile environment. After countless night raids, we have established that Buried City is the best possible location.

It doesn't matter where you spawn. If you know which buildings to go to and which to avoid, you can leave the raids with 100k worth of loot. This isn't just random scrap. This is high-value loot, weapon cases, and night-exclusive blueprints.

• The Setup: Low Risk, High Reward
• The Route: Step-by-Step Analysis
• 1. Santa Maria Houses (The Appetizer)
• 3. Grandioso (The Gamble)
• 4. The Research Building (The Holy Grail)
• 5. Space Travel (The Cleanup)
• The Night Raid Advantage: Blueprints & Diplomacy
• The Blueprint Economy
• The Friendly Factor
• FAQ
• Final Thoughts

↖ The Setup: Low Risk, High Reward

Before we even drop in, we need to talk about the kit. The goal here is efficiency. You don't want to risk your best gear, but you need enough utilities to survive and carry the goods.

↖ The Route: Step-by-Step Analysis

Before we describe the path, we recently had a run that perfectly illustrates why this route works. We started by Santa Maria houses, which is arguably the best start you can hope for. Here is how to execute the path:

↖ 1. Santa Maria Houses (The Appetizer)

If it is possible, we always start here.

The amount of density small loot has is admirable right off the rip.

What to look for: Playing cards, Snow Globes, Wine Bottles.

Pro Tip: Wine Bottles can easily be overlooked, but if you stack them to 5, that's 5k value for a single inventory slot. It may not seem like a lot but it quickly adds up on top of the 1k-per-bottle.

The Vibe: This area sets the pace. In our runs, we often find multiple snow globes within the first 60 seconds.

2. The Pointy Building (Weapon Cases)

From Santa Maria, we head straight to the distinctive shaped building next to it (The Pointy Building is what we call it). This spot is important because it has breach rooms and the possibility for weapon case spawns.

High-Tier Loot: If you're lucky, you can pull a Bobcat or other tier 1 weapons from the cases here on a good night.

Breach Rooms: Check the top floor. Even if people have been there before, they tend to miss the weapon case that spawns on the upper ledge.

Adaptability: When you look around and see open doors, don't freak out. Check the places lazy thieves overlook, like the tops of cabinets or the secondary weapon cases. There have been times when we have stolen loot from another player because they simply didn't check all the corners.

↖ 3. Grandioso (The Gamble)

Next, we usually go to Grandioso.

Reality Check: This area is very busy. When you get there, you will often find it has been completely looted.

The Strategy: Perform a quick fly-over. If the doors are all open and the containers have been looted, don't waste time. Keep your speed and go to the next area. Time is money.

↖ 4. The Research Building (The Holy Grail)

If you remember nothing else from this guide, remember this: The Research Building is always overlooked. This is the most vital part of this guide.

Why go here? It basically prints blueprints and music boxes.

The Loot: Here, we often find rare blueprints like the Wolfpack.

Verticality: If you have a Snap Hook or a ramp, be mindful of both lower and upper levels. Complex gun parts and rare items are often found here, and players frequently overlook them as they try to speed run to the center of the map.

↖ 5. Space Travel (The Cleanup)

Lastly, we have the Space Travel building. Even towards the end of a raid, people often overlook the lockers at the far end, as well as the trashcans, which can be surprisingly profitable.

Inspect the Lockers: These might contain heavy fuse grenades and adrenalin shots.

Gun Parts: This is a good location for springs and heavy gun parts if you are in need of items for gun crafting.

↖ The Night Raid Advantage: Blueprints & Diplomacy

You may be wondering, Why do this at night when you can't see very well? The answer is twofold: Exclusivity and Community.

↖ The Blueprint Economy

Some items are only available when the night cycle begins.

Tempest Blueprint: This is the big one. You can only acquire the Tempest blueprint while raiding at night. It's a complete random drop, so your odds of getting one increase the more containers you are able to loot in the Buried City.

Wolfpack Blueprint: This is one more of those oddities that seems to have a considerably more evident drop rate during the night.

We have had streaks where we discovered Tempest blueprints 4 days in a row simply by following this route. If you are hunting for these upgrades, running day raids is useless. Wait for the sun to go down.

↖ The Friendly Factor

Players are surprisingly friendly during Buried City night raids, and it is a bit of a phenomenon. Because everyone is there for the more challenging PVE and for the PVE exclusive loot, it is not unusual to encounter other Raiders who want to just transact and move on.

Recently, we encountered a player who needed the Tempest. Rather than a shootout, we exchanged blueprints and info and went on our way.

Tactical Advice: Avoid shooting players unless you are threatened. You can spare a medkit and save a little intel on which buildings have been looted.

↖ FAQ

Q: Is it possible to run this route without a Looting MK2?

A: It is possible to run this route without a Looting MK2, but there is going to be reduced profit. A standard rig has a lower capacity trinket pouch. This route has a focus on volume (globes, cards, and boxes), so filling the trinket pouch to hit the MK2 is crucial to reach the 100k mark.

Q: Where can I find the Volcano blueprint?

A: You can't. The Volcano blueprint is a reward from the Hidden Bunker event on the Spaceport map. This is a Buried City event, and that is the Tempest and Wolfpack event.

Q: What if I spawn on the opposite side of the map?

A: You can run this route in reverse. Start at Space Travel, hit the Research Building (priority), and end at Santa Maria. The Research Building remains at the center of the strategy, regardless of direction.

Q: Is it worth bringing keys?

A: For this specific economy run there is no need to invest money. The low investment goal means we stick to standard extraction points. However, if you have spare keys, the breach rooms in the Pointy Building can offer extra value.

↖ Final Thoughts

It's not always the big PvP fights that get you rich in ARC Raiders; it's the knowledge you possess. Staying on the Buried City night route, prioritizing the Research Building, and increasing your trinket slots, helps you transform a chaotic night raid into a money-making strategy.