With the details of the Expedition project finally released, we know exactly what is at stake: a full account reset in exchange for permanent rewards. If your total account value hits 5 million, you secure all five permanent skill points, plus stash upgrades and XP buffs.

• Know Your Worth
• The Warning: Why Crafting = Losing Money
• How to Consolidate Without Losing Value
• Arc Raiders Coins Farming: Buried City and Stella Montis Route
• The Buried City Route (The Safe 70k–100k)
• Stella Montis (The Zero-Risk PvP Approach)
• The Golden Rule: Sell Everything
• FAQ
• Final Checklist

But there is a massive misconception spreading through the community right now: Players are frantically crafting items to increase their stash value.

Stop. Stop right now.

I have crunched the numbers, and I have bad news: Crafting is actually burning your money. Today, I'm going to show you exactly how to avoid these value traps and maximize your stash with a mathematically proven plan.

↖ Know Your Worth

Before we talk strategy, you need to know where you stand. Don't waste time adding up items manually.

If you are on PC, there is a hidden shortcut to check your total stash value instantly:

1. Open your Stash.

2. Hold the Ctrl key.

3. Click every single item to multi-select them.

4. Once everything is highlighted, Right-Click.

The game will display the total sell value of everything you selected. Add that number to your liquid cash (top right of the screen), and that is your true net worth. Now that you have your number, let's look at how to increase it—or rather, how not to decrease it.

↖ The Warning: Why Crafting = Losing Money

Here is the counter-intuitive truth: In almost every case, the raw materials are worth more than the finished item.

Many players think upgrading weapons or crafting gear consolidates value. The math says otherwise. Let's look at the worst offenders:

Trap #1: The Photoelectric Cloak (The Value Killer)

This is currently the worst item you can craft.

Cost: 2 Electrical Components + 4 Speaker Components = 5,500 Coin Value.

Result: The crafted Cloak is only worth 5,000 Coins.

The Verdict: You literally lose 500 coins every time you hit the craft button. Plus, it doesn't even save stash space.

Trap #2: Weapon Upgrades

Surely upgrading my guns is a good investment? Wrong.

Let's look at upgrading a Kettle 1 to a Kettle 2:

Base Value (Kettle 1): 840

Upgrade Cost: 8 Metal + 10 Plastic = 1,200

Total Investment: 2,040

Result Value (Kettle 2): 2,000

The Verdict: You lose 40 coins per upgrade. It sounds small, but if you upgrade an entire armory, you are bleeding value for no reason.

Trap #3: Pink Weapons & Mods

Even high-tier Pink weapons result in a net loss of about 250 coins per craft. Crafting mods like Silencers will set you back about 100 coins in value.

What this means:

If you are crafting to hit the 5 million mark, you are shooting yourself in the foot. Selling the raw materials is almost always better than crafting them.

↖ How to Consolidate Without Losing Value

So, your stash is full, but you can't craft. What do you do? You need to increase your Value Per Slot without triggering a net loss.

1. The Only Two Safe Crafts

There are only two items I have found that are Net Zero (Cost = Value). Use these to compress your blue materials:

Magnetic Accelerator: Cost 5,500 = Value 5,500.

Power Rod: Cost 5,000 = Value 5,000.

These items have incredible slot density (up to 16,500 value per slot). If you must craft to clear space, make these and nothing else.

2. The Mod Nesting Trick

This is the best way to free up space for free.

If you have loose mods (scopes, mags, muzzles) taking up slots:

Action: Equip them onto your stored weapons.

Why: Weapons gain value equal to the mods attached to them (1:1 ratio).

By putting mods inside guns, you free up the stash slots the mods were using, while keeping 100% of their value.

3. The 8K Coins Rule

As you get closer to the wipe, be ruthless.

If an item is worth less than 8,000 coins per slot, sell it.

For example, Explosive Compounds are only worth 5,000. They are taking up space that could be used for a Magnetic Accelerator (16,500). Sell the cheap stuff to make room for high-value loot.

↖ Arc Raiders Coins Farming: Buried City and Stella Montis Route

That sounds like a massive grind, doesn't it? But don't worry. I've been testing two specific methods that helped me farm over 400K coins in just a few games today. Whether you want a relaxing loot run or a chaotic PvP brawl, here is how you bridge that gap.

↖ The Buried City Route (The Safe 70k–100k)

If you prefer PvE or just want a consistent income without the stress of constant firefights, this is your bread and butter. This route focuses on five high-density loot spots that are indoors (safe from snipers) and close to extraction points.

1. The Red Tower (Situational Start)

If you spawn in the south or southeast, hit the Red Tower first. It's the weakest room of the bunch, but checking the top drawers and the bottom room often yields a weapon case and red lockers.

Pro Tip: If you are coming from the north, skip this. It's not worth the detour.

2. Santa Maria Houses (The Blueprint Farm)

This area is a goldmine. You want to clear it in this specific order:

The Attics: Clear the Neighbor Attic and the Santa Maria Attic. Both locations frequently spawn Security Breaches. It is not uncommon to leave here with three breaches in your pocket.

The Main Room: Drop down into the house. The tables and couches are usually covered in valuables.

Don't Ignore Ammo Boxes: This is crucial. Those small ammo crates often contain items like the Blaze Grenade Trap, which sells for a solid 1K coins.

3. Under the Bridge (My Personal Favorite)

Exit the houses and head to the building directly under the bridge. Inside, you'll find a breachable door. This room is as condensed as it gets—valuable blueprints, weapons, and items are packed into every drawer. By this point, your backpack should be bursting at the seams.

4. The Hidden Residential Room

For this last spot, you will need a Residential Master Key. (Check your stash; odds are you have plenty of these as they are very common).

There is a hidden building at the end of this route that almost nobody checks. Unlock the door, and you will find a pristine room full of untouched weapons and valuables. Because players rarely open this door, the loot pool here is incredibly consistent.

The Result:

If you run this route solo or as a duo, you are looking at a guaranteed 70K to 100K coins per run.

↖ Stella Montis (The Zero-Risk PvP Approach)

If you find looting drawers boring, or if you want to improve your combat skills, head to Stella Montis.

The potential yield here is massive—easily over 100K coins—but the risk is higher. However, we are going to mitigate that risk completely by running a Free Loadout.

The Setup

To make this work, you need the right character build. Since you aren't bringing a backpack, you need skills that maximize carry weight:

Broad Shoulders: +10 Carry Capacity.

Loaded Arms: Reduces equipped weapon weight, freeing up space for loot.

The 4 Hotspots

Don't just wander aimlessly. Target these four locations, which act as the corners of the map:

1. Seed Vault: Each seed is worth 100 coins. You can easily grab 60–70 seeds here for a quick, guaranteed 6K–7K coins.

2. Medical Research: Packed with expensive pink and blue items.

3. Assembly Workshops: The northern rooms are treasure troves for tech loot.

4. Security Room: Located near the lobby, high risk but high reward.

Where the Real Money Is

While the map loot is great, the real profit comes from other players.

Stella Montis is full of geared players. If you manage to take down a player carrying a fully modded Stitcher 4, that gun alone (with mods) can sell for 10K to 18K coins.

Because you entered with a free loadout, you have zero risk. If you die, you lose nothing. If you win, you extract with a massive payday.

↖ The Golden Rule: Sell Everything

Here is the trap most players fall into: Hoarding.

You might find a rare Wolf Pack bag or a cool weapon and think, I'll save this for a special run.

Don't.

If your goal is the 5 million coin mark for the Expedition, you need to adopt a merchant mindset. If you aren't currently wearing it, it is merchandise. Sell the loot, sell the guns, sell the gadgets. You can find them again later, but you need that account value now.

↖ FAQ

Q: Should I recycle items to get materials?

A: No. Never. Recycling gives you a massive net loss. A 5,000-coin item might only recycle into 2,000 coins worth of scrap. Always Sell, never Recycle.

Q: Does liquid cash count toward the 5 million?

A: Yes. The developers confirmed that the 5 million goal is Total Account Value, which is Cash + Stash. If you are lazy, you can just sell everything you own. Cash takes up zero stash space.

Q: What about Gun Parts?

A: Avoid them. Crafting Heavy Weapon Parts is a major net negative. Do not craft them if you are trying to maximize value.

Q: Do I need 5 million in liquid cash?

A: No. The developers have confirmed that the 5 million requirement includes both your currency and your stash value. You don't need to sell your main gear if your total account value is already high enough.

Q: Which method is better for a solo player?

A: The Buried City (Method 1) is far superior for consistent solo play. You can avoid combat entirely and still hit the cap. Stella Montis is viable solo, but you have to accept that you will die often.

Q: Can I do the Buried City run without keys?

A: Yes, but you will miss out on the final hidden room. However, even without that room, the Red Tower, Santa Maria, and Bridge spots 

↖ Final Checklist

The Expedition is coming. Don't let bad math ruin your head start.

1. Log in and use the Ctrl + Right-Click trick to check your balance.

2. Stop crafting Cloaks, Weapon Upgrades, and Mods immediately.

3. Nest your mods into your weapons to free up space.

4. Sell anything worth less than 8k per slot.

5. Only craft Magnetic Accelerators or Power Rods if you absolutely need to compress materials.

Follow this plan, and you will hit that 5 million mark with the least amount of waste possible.

Good luck, Raiders. I'll see you on the other side of the wipe.