The Hand Drill is the material most players hit a wall on right after Frozen Trail. You need three to take the Outpost from level 2 to level 3, and since 2.0 you also need three every time you craft an Anvil. It only spawns on one map, so if you have been looting Mechanical areas on the Dam or the Spaceport, that is why your stash has none.
Quick answer (TL;DR): The Hand Drill is a Rare Topside Material added in Frozen Trail 2.0 (October 8, 2026). According to spawn data from the 2.0 game files compiled by arcraidershub, it spawns only on Pendola Pass. The areas with the most spawn spots are Almatera Station (304), Cielo Sereno Observatory (208), Freight Terminal (181), Railyard (110) and Controlled Receiving Facility (109). Check shelves and the tables and seats in parked train cars first. Open Storm Huts during a Flash Freeze are a strong backup. You need 3 for the Outpost level 3 expansion (with 3 Epoxy Buckets and 35 Planks) and 3 per Anvil I craft. It sells for 640 Coins, stacks to 3 and weighs 0.5.
Below you'll find the best rooms, a one-raid route, every recipe that uses it, and when it makes sense to sell. For the full map layout, see our Pendola Pass map guide.
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What is the Hand Drill in ARC Raiders?
The Hand Drill is a Rare (blue) Topside Material that came with the Frozen Trail 2.0 update. Its tooltip reads "Used in crafting" and "Used to craft: Anvil", and lists two loot types: Mechanical and Industrial.
Item stats from the in-game tooltip and the ARC Raiders wiki:
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Rarity | Rare |
| Type | Topside Material |
| Loot types | Mechanical, Industrial |
| Stack size | 3 |
| Weight | 0.5 |
| Sell value | 640 Coins |
| Recycles into | 1× Mechanical Components |
| Salvages into | 2× Metal Parts |
| Craftable? | No, scavenging only |
Nothing recycles or salvages into a Hand Drill, and there is no recipe for it. You have to loot it Topside.
Where do you find the Hand Drill?
On Pendola Pass. Arcraidershub's breakdown of the 2.0 spawn data puts every Hand Drill spawn spot on Pendola Pass, the map Frozen Trail added. Even on the right map, players come up empty. Reddit user u/Smooth-Reflection568 posted on r/ArcRaiders: "I searched all of station and found none. Rip anvil." Hand Drills spread across far more spots than an Epic like the Radial Press, so coverage matters more than luck. Search the right surfaces in several dense buildings rather than clearing one building over and over.
These are the five areas with the most Hand Drill spawn spots, per arcraidershub:
| Area | Hand Drill spawn spots |
|---|---|
| Almatera Station | 304 |
| Cielo Sereno Observatory | 208 |
| Freight Terminal | 181 |
| Railyard | 110 |
| Controlled Receiving Facility | 109 |
Each spot is only a chance, because every one can roll plenty of other items too. More spots still means more rolls per visit, so Almatera Station is the best single building to search.
Which surfaces to search
Unlike the Radial Press, which is almost always loose loot, the Hand Drill also shows up in containers. Arcraidershub's share of its spawn spots:
| Where it spawns | Share of spawn spots |
|---|---|
| Shelves and storage racks | 26% |
| Train cars: tables and seats | 22% |
| Consoles, desks and control panels | 12% |
| Tables, chairs and counters | 12% |
| Trolleys and carts | 9% |
| Parked vehicles | 7% |
About 88% of its spots are surfaces you can scan while walking through. Look at shelves, desks and train tables first, and open breachable boxes, cabinets and bags as you pass them.
Almatera Station: the second-floor shelf room
Enter through the main entrance of the station building and ride the escalators to the second floor. The room full of metal shelving is at the top. Arcraidershub reports that on a raid where Almatera Station was a yellow (Medium) loot zone, this room alone gave a Hand Drill, a Radial Press and a Calculator. On a red (High) raid it gave a Hand Drill alongside a Radial Press, Laser Level, Insulation Roll, Thermal Shaker, Steel Cable and Sheet Metal.
That makes the room worth a stop even if you are only after drills, because you'll pick up other Frozen Trail upgrade materials on the same visit.
Railyard: green lockers and the train cars
The Railyard sits between the Controlled Receiving Facility to the north and the Loading Platforms to the south, and it is often marked as a Mechanical and Industrial area. Game Rant recommends starting on the upper platform, where the lobby has a row of green lockers: "You'll find almost one to two Hand Drills from these lockers." Then take the stairs down to the tracks and search the three decommissioned train cars. Check the tables and seats in each bay and the suitcases on the floor.
Train cars make up 22% of all spawn spots, so the parked carriages at the Freight Terminal are worth a sweep too. Arcraidershub found one on the table between the seats of a passenger car there.
Storm Huts (during a Flash Freeze)
Storm Huts are small shelters dotted around Pendola Pass that only open when a Flash Freeze hits. An open one shows on your map. Game Rant calls them "another great source of Hand Drills": search the wooden crates and the shelf at the back. Only go for one near your route, though. If it's on the far side of the map, another squad has probably cleared it before you arrive.
Raider bags, caches and key rooms
- Raider bags and Raider Caches. Game Rant reports farming "a bunch" of Hand Drills from them. Loot every one you pass.
- Key rooms run on their own loot tables, so they aren't part of the spawn counts above. Arcraidershub's footage shows the Almatera Station, Cielo Sereno Observatory and Old Town key rooms dropping Frozen Trail materials. Open them if you're already carrying the key, but don't build a farm around them.
Does the loot zone matter?
Yes. Frozen Trail added Dynamic Loot Zones, which the official 2.0 patch notes describe as "currently exclusive to Pendola Pass". Each raid marks some areas yellow (Medium loot value) or red (High). Those areas keep their loot type but roll more and better items.
- Check the map at raid start. If the Railyard or Almatera Station is red, go there first.
- Yellow is still good. The yellow-zone Almatera run above still produced a Hand Drill from one room.
- Loot type matters more than colour. Mechanical and Industrial areas on Pendola Pass are where the spots are. A red Residential area won't help you.
What is the fastest Hand Drill farming route?
This route covers the two densest areas plus the Railyard in one raid:
- Load into Pendola Pass and check which areas are yellow or red.
- Almatera Station first (east of the fallen Emperor). Clear the parked train cars under the station, then go up the escalators to the shelf room.
- Move on to the Railyard. Loot the green lockers on the upper platform, then the three train cars on the tracks.
- Swing through the Controlled Receiving Facility just north of the Railyard if you still have time and space.
- Detour to a Storm Hut if a Flash Freeze opens one near your path.
- Extract. At 0.5 weight and a stack of 3, a full stack only weighs 1.5.
If Almatera is a dead zone and the Observatory is red, swap step 2 for Cielo Sereno Observatory, which has the second-most spawn spots (208). Some Pendola Pass doors freeze shut; our frozen doors guide covers how to get through. If you are also farming the Gunsmith 4 material, the Radial Press guide uses the same Almatera Station shelf room.
What is the Hand Drill used for?
Two recipes use it. Since the Anvil one repeats, Hand Drills stay useful after the Outpost upgrade is done.
| Use | Hand Drills | Other materials | Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outpost expansion, level 2 → 3 | 3 | 3× Epoxy Bucket, 35× Planks | Outpost level 2 |
| Craft Anvil I | 3 | 2× Advanced Mechanical Components, 3× Heavy Gun Parts | Gunsmith 2 + learned Anvil Blueprint |
Outpost level 3. The level 2 → 3 Outpost expansion costs 3 Hand Drills, 3 Epoxy Buckets and 35 Planks (per arcraidershub, Game Rant and TheClick). The Epoxy Bucket is also a Rare Pendola Pass material, and arcraidershub says the Laser Level shares the Hand Drill's exact spawn spots. That means you can farm all of them on the same route. Our Outpost guide covers what the Outpost and its Research Bench unlock.
The Anvil. Frozen Trail moved the Anvil from Uncommon to Rare and, per the wiki's Anvil page, changed all of its crafting resources to a higher tier. Crafting Anvil I now takes 3 Hand Drills, 2 Advanced Mechanical Components and 3 Heavy Gun Parts at Gunsmith level 2, with the Anvil Blueprint learned. The Anvil is one of the strongest hand cannons in the game, so if you run it, you'll need three drills every time you rebuild one. Our Anvil Blueprint guide covers how to get the blueprint.
Should you keep, sell or recycle the Hand Drill?
Keep at least three, and more if you craft Anvils.
- Before Outpost level 3: keep every drill until you have three. Selling three only gets you 1,920 Coins, and replacing them costs a full Pendola run.
- If you use the Anvil: keep a stack of 3 per Anvil you plan to craft. Each Anvil I costs another three.
- Done with both: sell the extras at 640 Coins each. Recycling gives you just 1 Mechanical Components, which is a basic crafting material, so selling is almost always the better return.
What are the most common Hand Drill mistakes?
- Farming the wrong map. In the 2.0 spawn data, Mechanical and Industrial areas on the other six maps don't roll it.
- Only opening crates. About 88% of spawn spots are surfaces like shelves, train tables, desks, counters, trolleys and vehicles.
- Skipping the train cars. They make up more than a fifth of all spots and take seconds to clear.
- Selling before the Anvil craft. Since 2.0 the Anvil eats three drills per craft, so the old habit of vendoring spare blue materials will cost you.
Short on time for the Pendola grind? timesaver.gg can farm Hand Drills and the rest of your Outpost and Anvil materials for you. Real raiders play your account, with no cheats or automation, on PC, PlayStation and Xbox.
- Hand Drill (Rare material): the exact material for your Outpost level 3 expansion or Anvil craft.
- ARC Raiders materials: Epoxy Buckets, Planks, Heavy Gun Parts and every other crafting material.
- ARC Raiders blueprints: the Anvil Blueprint and 80+ others, so you can actually craft what you farm.
- Outpost research boost: Outpost and Research Bench progress done for you.
FAQ
Where is the best place to find a Hand Drill in ARC Raiders? Almatera Station on Pendola Pass, which has 304 spawn spots in the 2.0 game-file data. The second-floor shelf room at the top of the escalators is the best single room. The Railyard's green lockers and train cars are the next best stop.
Can you find the Hand Drill on other maps? Not in the open world. Every spawn spot in the 2.0 game-file data is on Pendola Pass, so Mechanical and Industrial areas on Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, the Spaceport, the Blue Gate, Stella Montis and Riven Tides won't help you.
How many Hand Drills do you need? Three for the Outpost expansion from level 2 to 3, plus three for each Anvil I you craft. If you want the Outpost upgrade and one Anvil, that's six.
What do you need for Outpost level 3 in ARC Raiders? 3 Hand Drills, 3 Epoxy Buckets and 35 Planks.
Can you craft a Hand Drill? No. There's no recipe, and nothing recycles or salvages into one. The only way to get it is looting Topside.
How much is a Hand Drill worth? It sells for 640 Coins. Recycling gives 1 Mechanical Components and salvaging gives 2 Metal Parts.
Sources: arcraiders.com Frozen Trail 2.0 patch notes, ARC Raiders wiki: Hand Drill, ARC Raiders wiki: Anvil, arcraidershub Hand Drill and Epoxy Bucket spawn-data guides, Game Rant Hand Drill locations guide, TheClick Epoxy Bucket guide, r/ArcRaiders. Last checked October 27, 2026.
