If you have started chasing amplified weapons in Frozen Trail 2.0, two materials keep showing up as gates on the research projects and weapon upgrades: the Pneumatic Actuator and the Pressure Regulator. Both are epic topside materials, both read "Used to craft amplified weapons," and both come from one event loop that most players run blind. This guide gives you the exact farm — where the materials drop, the full Redirection payload route that produces them, and the one legendary material (the Emperor Modulator) you need alongside them to turn Gunsmith Level 4 on. No single-sentence lookup can answer this; it is a three-material decision wrapped in a map-condition farm, so here is the whole thing.
TLDR — the quick answer: The Pneumatic Actuator and Pressure Regulator are the two epic topside materials spent on amplification research and weapon upgrades, and they drop from Emperor Payloads on Pendola Pass during the Redirection map condition (secondary reports also place them in Collector and Frigate containers). Each is epic, stacks to 3, weighs 0.5 kg, and sells for 5,000 Coins. The farm: queue Pendola Pass under Redirection, search a Damaged Emperor Relay for an Emperor Beacon, deploy the beacon in open sky to crash an Emperor Payload, then loot it for both materials plus the three ARC Couplers and the Emperor Gateway Conduit blueprint. Those couplers craft the key that opens the Fallen Emperor, where the third gating material — the legendary Emperor Modulator that unlocks Gunsmith Level 4 — lives. One Redirection loop feeds all three.
ARC Raiders - Blueprints
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What are the Pneumatic Actuator and Pressure Regulator?
Both are epic (purple) topside materials introduced with the Frozen Trail 2.0 amplified-weapon system. Their in-game tooltips are identical — "Used to craft amplified weapons" — and they are spent inside the amplification system at a Level 4 Research Station. Two things draw on them: the permanent research projects that unlock an amplification type (which can then serve more than one weapon), and the per-weapon upgrade costs when you actually amplify a specific gun. Launch documentation lists the Pressure Regulator among those upgrade costs, so treat these as materials you will spend more than once, not a one-and-done unlock.
Verified item profiles (arctracker.io, game version 2.00, updated 2026-10-08; cross-checked vs metaforge.app and raiderbuddy.com):
| Material | Rarity | Stack | Weight | Sell value | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pneumatic Actuator | Epic topside | 3 | 0.5 kg | 5,000 Coins | Amplification research + upgrades |
| Pressure Regulator | Epic topside | 3 | 0.5 kg | 5,000 Coins | Amplification research + upgrades |
At 0.5 kg each with a 5,000-Coin sell value, their value-per-kilo is a strong 10,000 — keep them in your safe pocket so a death does not cost you a whole Redirection run. The research projects that open up an amplification type are a one-time unlock that can then benefit multiple weapons, which softens the grind compared with paying the full cost per gun — but the per-weapon amplification steps still carry their own material costs on top, so do not assume a single pair clears your whole arsenal.
Heads up on terminology: do not confuse these two Emperor-Payload materials with the Rocketeer Driver. The Rocketeer Driver is also an epic material, but it comes from destroyed Rocketeers, not the payload, and it feeds different amplified-research projects — for example an Embedded Blast / Concussive Impact engineering project that asks for 5 Rocketeer Drivers plus research points and a combat objective. Same endgame system, different source and different projects. The Actuator and Regulator are the two you farm on the Redirection loop below.
Where do the Pneumatic Actuator and Pressure Regulator drop?
The primary, repeatable source is the Emperor Payload you call down on Pendola Pass during the Redirection map condition. This is the same event that produces the ARC Couplers for the Fallen Emperor key, so you farm the materials and the dungeon key in one trip. Multiple launch-week guides (aoeah, Destructoid, games.gg, arcraidershub) independently place both materials in the Emperor Payload, and Destructoid's writer noted plainly: "I haven't found them anywhere apart from Emperor Payload, so they're not that common."
A secondary source exists: item database arctracker.io lists both materials in Collector and Frigate area containers as of game version 2.00. Treat that as a supplementary drop, not your main plan — the payload loop is far more reliable because it is a deliberate, repeatable call-down rather than random container RNG.
How do you run the Emperor Payload farm on Pendola Pass?
This is the loop that produces both materials. You must be on Pendola Pass with the Redirection map condition active (check the map-select screen; conditions follow your region's schedule).
- Find a Damaged Emperor Relay. Under Redirection, glowing red beams shoot into the sky marking the relays. There are 10 fixed relay spots on the map but only 2 are active at a time, and active ones appear as map icons — go straight to the nearest icon rather than hunting all ten.
- Search the relay for an Emperor Beacon. The beacon is epic and stacks to 3, so you can hold a few and set up multiple payload calls in a single raid.
- Deploy the beacon in open sky. Find an area with clear sky and no overhead cover, drop the beacon, then immediately take cover — debris rains down on the deployment spot and chips your health and shields before the payload lands.
- Loot the Emperor Payload. The payload is the redirected Harvester Payload — "Emperor Payload" is the community name for it. When it crashes, the container yields the full endgame set: Pneumatic Actuator, Pressure Regulator, the three couplers (ARC Conductive Coupler, ARC Insulated Coupler, ARC Plated Coupler), the Emperor Gateway Conduit blueprint, and assorted ARC parts (Alloy, Circuitry, Motion Cores). If a single payload does not contain all three couplers plus the blueprint, call another beacon.
- Extract with the materials. As with every valuable topside item, you only keep what you carry out — put the Actuator and Regulator in your safe pocket before you push extraction.
A useful shortcut: a buried Harvester Payload near the Emperor's base can also yield a Conductive Coupler, and you can pull a ready-made Emperor Gateway Conduit from the Frozen Trail Reward Pass instead of crafting one, saving a coupler hunt.
How do the materials fit the amplification endgame?
The Pneumatic Actuator and Pressure Regulator are only one leg of a three-part gate. To actually amplify a weapon you need all of the following, which is why this is a decision and not a single-item lookup:
| Material | Rarity | Source | What it gates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pneumatic Actuator | Epic | Emperor Payload (Redirection) | Amplification research + per-weapon upgrade costs |
| Pressure Regulator | Epic | Emperor Payload (Redirection) | Amplification research + per-weapon upgrade costs |
| Emperor Modulator | Legendary | Inside the Fallen Emperor only | Upgrading the Gunsmith to Level 4 |
The Emperor Modulator is the hard gate. It is a legendary drop found only inside the Fallen Emperor on Pendola Pass, and you need 1 alongside 3 Radial Press and 3 Magnetic Accelerators to take the Gunsmith from Level 3 to Level 4 — the bench that unlocks the weapon-amplification menu in the first place. You reach it by crafting the Emperor Gateway Conduit: learn the blueprint, then craft at Workbench I by consuming 1 ARC Conductive, 1 ARC Insulated and 1 ARC Plated Coupler (it cannot be crafted mid-raid). Use the conduit on the socket at the Emperor's base near Piazza della Rupe, then clearing the interior: kill the first-room Hydra turret immediately, bring a Snap Hook for the vertical sections, solve the small-room puzzles, and when the game offers an early exit, ignore it and drop into the secret tunnel — the Emperor Modulator sits in a container deeper down. Check every wall panel, hatch and floor canister on the way, because the Amplification Modules (Mk. I-V) drop in the same run.
So the single Redirection loop is doing triple duty: it hands you the two epic research materials from the payload, the couplers to craft the key, and the key routes you to the legendary Modulator and the Modules. That is the most efficient way to gather the whole amplification kit, and it is why Redirection is the condition to queue for in week one.
ARC Raiders - Materials
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How many materials do you actually need?
Amplification research projects carry two requirements each: enough research points and a completed in-game mastery objective. Clearing a project unlocks an amplification type that can apply to more than one weapon — but you then still pay per-weapon upgrade costs when you amplify a specific gun, so budget for both. Research points come from consuming research items at the Level 4 Research Station — Legendary Frigate Diagnostic Nodes are worth 1,000 points each, epic ARC Data Modules are worth 200, an Uncommon Raider Logbook gives 100, and a Common Battered Paperback gives 50. One raider with 10+ Emperor runs described the point sources exactly: "purple/gold item from frigate... blue/green notebooks from all kinds of raider container."
The mastery objectives are where the grind complaints come from — some nodes want heavy combat work, and a few require damaging other Raiders, which stings if you play pure PvE. The community has been vocal that the system is "way too much work," with one player noting the toughest objectives (like dealing 15,000 damage to a Bastion with a Rattler) are the ones most likely to make you quit a path. The practical takeaway: farm a buffer of Actuators and Regulators across several Redirection runs before you start committing to perk nodes, so a failed mastery objective does not leave you payload-poor halfway through a build.
Save the grind: skip straight to the amplification endgame
The Redirection-to-Emperor loop is one of the longest farms in the game right now — multiple payload calls for the couplers and materials, a key craft, a full dungeon clear, then the research-point grind on top. If you would rather land on the endgame instead of grinding your way up to it, our ARC Raiders carry team runs the whole chain for you.
Want the amplified-weapon endgame without the week-one grind? Our raiders farm the materials, clear the Fallen Emperor, and push the exact Frozen Trail content you need:
- Frozen Trail Loot Runs — Pendola Pass Redirection farming for Emperor Payloads, couplers, and the epic amplification materials.
- Frozen Trail Boss Kill — clear the Fallen Emperor interior (Hydra turret, puzzle rooms, secret tunnel) for the Emperor Modulator and Amplification Modules.
- Outpost Research Boost — level your Outpost, Gunsmith, and Research Station to the Level 4 gate so your amplification bench is actually open.
Related ARC Raiders Frozen Trail guides
- ARC Raiders Amplified Weapons: all nodes and how the system works — the hub for every amplifiable weapon and its perk paths.
- ARC Raiders Amplification Module Farm: Emperor or Frigate — where the Mk. I-V modules drop and which source to pick.
- ARC Raiders Belly of the Beast quest: enter the Fallen Emperor — the quest route into the dungeon.
FAQ
Where do you find the Pneumatic Actuator and Pressure Regulator in ARC Raiders? Both drop from Emperor Payloads on Pendola Pass during the Redirection map condition — search a Damaged Emperor Relay for an Emperor Beacon, deploy it in open sky, and loot the payload that crashes. Item database arctracker.io also lists them in Collector and Frigate containers as a secondary source, but the payload loop is the reliable farm.
What are the Pneumatic Actuator and Pressure Regulator used for? They are epic materials spent in the amplification system at a Level 4 Research Station. They feed the research projects that unlock an amplification type and appear among the per-weapon upgrade costs. Their tooltips both read "Used to craft amplified weapons." Expect to spend them more than once as you amplify multiple guns.
Is the Rocketeer Driver the same as these materials? No, but it is related. The Rocketeer Driver is a separate epic material — it drops from destroyed Rocketeers (not Emperor Payloads) and also crafts the Wolfpack grenade and upgrades the Explosives Station. It does feed the amplification system, but through different research projects (one documented project asks for 5 Rocketeer Drivers). The Pneumatic Actuator and Pressure Regulator are the payload-sourced research materials; the Rocketeer Driver is a different input for different nodes.
Do I need the Emperor Modulator too? Yes, separately. The Emperor Modulator is a legendary material found only inside the Fallen Emperor, and you need one (plus 3 Radial Press and 3 Magnetic Accelerators) to upgrade the Gunsmith to Level 4 — the bench that unlocks weapon amplification. The same Redirection loop that drops the Actuator and Regulator also gives you the couplers to craft the key into the Emperor.
How much do the Pneumatic Actuator and Pressure Regulator sell for? Each is an epic material that stacks to 3, weighs 0.5 kg, and sells for 5,000 Coins — a value-per-kilo of 10,000, so keep them in your safe pocket rather than selling unless you are already stocked for your builds.
Why does my amplification grind feel endless? Each perk node needs both research points and a completed mastery objective. Research points come from Legendary Frigate Diagnostic Nodes (1,000 each), epic ARC Data Modules (200), Uncommon Raider Logbooks (100), and Common Battered Paperbacks (50); mastery objectives require combat usage, and some demand damaging other Raiders. Stockpile Actuators and Regulators across several Redirection runs before committing to nodes so a hard objective does not strand you.
