ARC Raiders has three Projects on the menu right now, but only two of them take your materials. Sheltered Retreat is the Frozen Trail project that unlocks the Outpost. Trophy Display is the long-running ARC-parts project that has been open since January 27, 2026. The Expedition is the third, and it's paused, so nothing you hand in can go toward a caravan until it comes back. This guide covers every live Project, what each one costs and pays, where they compete for the same parts, and the order we'd fund them in. Every requirement below is checked against the ARC Raiders Wiki Projects page and the official Frozen Trail 2.0 patch notes.
Quick answer (TL;DR): Fund Sheltered Retreat first. It's three cheap stages (one photo, 21 crafting materials, 1,100 ARC damage) and it unlocks the Outpost and its Research Station, which you need for weapon amplification. Then work Trophy Display stages 1 and 2, which are cheap ARC drops with a Light Gun Parts and a Vita Shot blueprint attached. Push stages 3 to 5 only once you have spare boss parts, because they ask for 3 Queen Reactors, 3 Matriarch Reactors and 10 Magnetic Accelerators, the same high-end parts your Gunsmith and amplification upgrades eat. The full payout is 150 Raider Tokens, a Jupiter, an Aphelion, the Bobcat and Snap Hook blueprints and 300,000 Coins. Skip the Expedition entirely for now: it's paused until early 2027.
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What are Projects in ARC Raiders?
A Project is a multi-stage objective chain you advance through normal raids. The wiki defines it as an activity "that involves completing specific objectives through normal gameplay to earn varied rewards such as weapons, Raider Tokens, and cosmetics" (Projects, ARC Raiders Wiki). You can feed several Projects at once, and most stages are hand-ins: you commit items from your stash and they're gone.
Embark rotates Projects in with updates and events. Since launch the list has included Flickering Flames, Weather Monitor System, High-Gain Antenna, Avian Alarm, Converging Paths, Phantom Targets and Ascending the Mountain, the September lead-in to Frozen Trail that closed on October 7. All of those are over.
Here's what's actually open:
| Project | Status | Stages | Main cost | Headline reward |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheltered Retreat | Live since Oct 8, 2026 | 3 | Common materials + ARC damage | Unlocks the Outpost and Research Station |
| Trophy Display | Live since Jan 27, 2026, no end date | 5 | ARC parts, up to boss Reactors | 150 Raider Tokens, Jupiter, Aphelion, 300,000 Coins |
| Expedition | Paused, returns early 2027 | Caravan + departure | Large material hand-ins | Not available right now |
Which ARC Raiders project should you fund first?
Our ranking, for a player who has just reached the Frozen Trail content:
- Sheltered Retreat, all three stages. It's the cheaper of the two live Projects and the only one that unlocks a system. No Outpost means no Research Station, and no Research Station means no Amplified Weapons.
- Trophy Display stages 1 and 2. These take parts you pick up just by killing small ARC: Pop Triggers, Tick Pods, Wasp Drivers, Hornet Drivers. You get two blueprints and 30 Raider Tokens for parts you'll collect in normal raids anyway.
- Your Outpost and Gunsmith upgrades. Before you sink boss parts into the display, check what your Research Station and Gunsmith 4 need. They overlap with Trophy Display on Magnetic Accelerator, and the Gunsmith also needs an Emperor Modulator, a Legendary part scavenged from the Fallen Emperor.
- Trophy Display stage 3. It's mid-tier (Bastion Cells, Leaper Pulse Units, Shredder Gyros), and it pays 30 more tokens and a Shotgun Silencer blueprint.
- Trophy Display stages 4 and 5, last. This is where the Queen and Matriarch Reactors come in. Do these only once your amplified weapon is done, or when duplicates start stacking up.
- Expedition: nothing. You can't build a caravan while the feature is paused.
The logic is simple. Sheltered Retreat is a gate. Trophy Display is a payout. Fund gates before payouts, and never let a payout eat the parts a gate needs.
What does the Sheltered Retreat project need?
Sheltered Retreat sits in the Outpost tab at the top of the menu screen, and its project card reads "Unlocks at Level 18." Embark's notes keep it short: "New Outpost can be unlocked by completing a project", with a reminder to "accept the quest and bring your camera!" (Frozen Trail 2.0 patch notes).
| Stage | Objective | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Research Topside Living Conditions | On Blue Gate, take a photo of any farmland house around the Ruined Homestead | Advanced Camera Blueprint |
| 2. Gather Building Materials | Hand in 3 Planks, 5 Sheet Metal, 10 ARC Alloy, 3 Advanced Electrical Components | Red Light Stick Blueprint |
| 3. Safeguard the Building Site | Deal 800 damage to flying ARC and 300 damage to Bullies | Hotel Chair Design, 15 Planks, 5 Durable Cloth |
Source: Outpost, ARC Raiders Wiki.
Three things trip players up:
- You need a camera in your loadout for stage 1. Several older quests now use the camera too (The League, Reduced to Rubble, Life of a Pharmacist, Battening Down, Groundbreaking), so it earns its slot.
- Planks and Sheet Metal are the stage 2 bottleneck. The 2.0 notes say Celeste "now trades new materials used in crafting furniture," and players in the r/ArcRaiders Outpost thread point to Celeste first. Topside, the same thread reports good Plank hauls from Dam Battlegrounds residences and the Pendola Pass Supermarket, and Sheet Metal from Pendola Pass industrial containers.
- The 300 Bully damage takes the longest. Bullies are a Frozen Trail enemy, and the wiki currently lists them only around Piazza della Rupe on Pendola Pass. Our Bully, Skulker and Hydra guide covers where they show up and how to put damage on them safely.
Finishing it unlocks the Outpost: rooms and floors, 100 Furniture Designs (73 found Topside, 22 from Outpost upgrades), and the Research Station. The Outpost isn't walkable in this update; you manage it through menus. For the build order once you're in, see our Outpost guide.
Why does the Outpost come before Trophy Display?
Amplification is the reason. Taking a weapon to Level 5 needs the Gunsmith at Level 4 and the Research Station at Level 4, and each Research Station level also needs a matching Outpost level (Outpost, ARC Raiders Wiki). Here's what those stations cost:
| Station | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Research Station 1 | 3 Mini Pump, 35 Planks, 5 Battered Paperback |
| Research Station 2 | 3 Calculator, 3 Raider Logbook, 5 Skulker Targeter |
| Research Station 3 | 3 Differential Microphone, 3 Exodus Technical Handbook, 6 Bully Fragmenter |
| Research Station 4 | 3 Thermal Shaker, 3 ARC Data Module, 1 Frigate Inductor |
| Gunsmith 4 | 3 Radial Press, 3 Magnetic Accelerator, 1 Emperor Modulator |
Look at the Gunsmith 4 row. Magnetic Accelerator is also a Trophy Display stage 4 requirement, and there it's 10 of them. If you hand 10 to the display before you build Gunsmith 4, you've spent the parts your amplification path needed. Get the stations up first, then put the extras into the display.
Our Amplified Weapons guide covers the rest of that path, and the Research Points guide covers what to spend Research Points on once the station is running.
What does Trophy Display cost and reward?
Trophy Display has five stages, each with four hand-ins and four rewards, plus a completion bundle. It's been live since January 27, 2026, with no end date announced (Trophy Display, ARC Raiders Wiki).
| Stage | Requirements | Rewards |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Roaming Threats | 3 Rusted Bolts, 15 Pop Trigger, 15 Tick Pod, 5 Surveyor Vault | 10 Mod Components, 3 Power Rod, 10 Raider Tokens, Light Gun Parts Blueprint |
| 2. Soaring Menaces | 10 Spotter Relay, 3 Expired Respirator, 20 Wasp Driver, 15 Hornet Driver | 3 Vita Spray, 3 Photoelectric Cloak, 20 Raider Tokens, Vita Shot Blueprint |
| 3. Ferocious Foes | 10 ARC Performance Steel, 5 Shredder Gyro, 10 Leaper Pulse Unit, 5 Bastion Cell | 1 Kinetic Converter, 3 Anvil Splitter, 30 Raider Tokens, Shotgun Silencer Blueprint |
| 4. Dominant Dangers | 10 ARC Synthetic Resin, 10 Magnetic Accelerator, 8 Rocketeer Driver, 3 Queen Reactor | Bobcat IV, 5 Wolfpack, 40 Raider Tokens, Bobcat Blueprint |
| 5. Imposing Behemoths | 5 Exodus Modules, 3 Geiger Counter, 8 Bombardier Cell, 3 Matriarch Reactor | 2 Snap Hook, 1 Aphelion, 50 Raider Tokens, Snap Hook Blueprint |
| Completion | All five stages | Howl Emote, Jupiter, Acoustic Guitar, 5 Energy Clip, 300,000 Coins |
That's 150 Raider Tokens across the stages, two Legendary weapons (the Aphelion and the Jupiter), and five blueprints. Despite the name, you don't get a physical case for your room. One r/ArcRaiders thread was titled "there is no Trophy Display at the end of the Trophy Display Project", and the top replies were players calling it quits once they'd seen the later stages.
Which Trophy Display stages are worth it?
- Stage 1: yes. Pop Triggers and Tick Pods drop from the smallest ARC on every map. The five Surveyor Vaults are the hardest hand-in here, and the Light Gun Parts blueprint is a useful unlock.
- Stage 2: yes. Wasps and Hornets are everywhere. The three Photoelectric Cloaks alone are worth the hand-in, and the Vita Shot blueprint saves you buying heals.
- Stage 3: worth it, with one catch. The three Anvil Splitters it pays out aren't a mod any more. Frozen Trail turned the Splitter into an upgrade option for the Amplified Anvil and removed the Anvil's Tech Mod slot. Embark says existing Splitters can be sold or recycled "into Amplified Fragments used for repairing Amplified Weapons" (Frozen Trail 2.0 patch notes). Count the reward as repair material, not three mods.
- Stage 4: only with surplus. The Queen Reactors and Magnetic Accelerators are the costly part. The Bobcat blueprint is the payoff here.
- Stage 5: endgame. Three Matriarch Reactors and eight Bombardier Cells means a lot of Matriarch and Bombardier hunting. You get the Aphelion, a Snap Hook blueprint and the completion bundle with the Jupiter and 300,000 Coins, so finishing pays. Just don't do it before your gear needs are covered.
How do you farm the boss parts faster?
Frozen Trail changed where the good loot sits on the two biggest ARC. Embark "moved higher tier loot from the armor pieces of the legs to the legs pieces for Queen and Matriarch," and added that "armor pieces can still contain some loot" (Frozen Trail 2.0 patch notes). Loot the legs themselves, not just the plating you shot off. The same patch reworked explosive damage against ARC: explosives like the Hullcracker do over 50% more to armor plates and about 30% less to fragile parts, which helps when you're grinding a Queen down. For Reactor uses and boss routes, see our Queen and Matriarch Reactor guide.
What happened to the Expedition project?
The Expedition is paused. Embark announced the break with the fifth Expedition: "The fifth Expedition will be the last one until early 2027, when Expeditions will return with major improvements, tackling some of the biggest player pain points" (The 5th Expedition, arcraiders.com). It named the departure windows, the reward structure and accessibility for new players as the problems that "need more than incremental fixes." The fifth window closed on September 29, 2026, and the wiki now lists the Expedition under previous Projects.
What the pause means for you:
- Your consecutive buffs persist. Embark says "any of the consecutive buffs you have earned will persist so no progress is lost." That covers the repair bonus, the XP boost and the extra Scrappy materials, each of which stacks up to three times.
- Partial caravans were refunded. Embark said any partially completed caravan would be "replaced with Ermal Vouchers of equal value." In-game, that compensation is the Bronze Statuette, a Legendary trinket that sells for 10,000 Coins and works as barter for Nomadic Envoys offers (Bronze Statuette, ARC Raiders Wiki). Ermal has since left the Nomadic Envoys and Cassio now runs that stall, so check his offers if you're still holding statuettes.
- Don't stockpile for a caravan. Nobody knows what the 2027 Expedition will ask for. Spend those materials on Sheltered Retreat, your stations and Trophy Display now.
For how the last cycle ran, see our Expedition 5 guide.
How long does it take to finish every project?
Sheltered Retreat is a one-session job for most players if you already have a camera and the Planks. Bully spawns are the variable. Trophy Display depends on boss access. Stages 1 and 2 fill up from normal raids. Stages 4 and 5 need six Reactors between them, and with Queen and Matriarch fights taking a coordinated squad, that's where most players stall. Because Trophy Display has no end date, nothing forces you to rush it. Sheltered Retreat is the one to clear first, because what it unlocks is what makes everything else faster.
Short on raid time? timesaver.gg can run the Frozen Trail grind for you:
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- ARC Raiders Outpost Research Boost: Outpost research projects pushed for you, priced per project.
- ARC Raiders ARC Enemy Kill Quests: Frozen Trail kill objectives done by a pro.
- ARC Raiders Frozen Trail Runs: loot runs on the new map to stock Planks, Sheet Metal and ARC parts.
FAQ
What projects are active in ARC Raiders right now? Two take contributions: Sheltered Retreat, which unlocks the Outpost, and Trophy Display, the five-stage ARC-parts project. The Expedition is paused until early 2027, and Ascending the Mountain ended on October 7, 2026.
Does Trophy Display have an end date? No end date has been announced. The wiki lists it as starting January 27, 2026, with the end date unknown, so you can work through it at your own pace.
What do you get for completing Trophy Display? The full chain pays 150 Raider Tokens, the Aphelion, the Bobcat IV and Bobcat blueprint, the Snap Hook blueprint, the Light Gun Parts, Vita Shot and Shotgun Silencer blueprints, and a completion bundle with the Howl Emote, a Jupiter, an Acoustic Guitar, 5 Energy Clips and 300,000 Coins.
Do you get an actual trophy case from Trophy Display? No. Despite the name, there's no physical display to place. The rewards are items, blueprints, Raider Tokens and Coins.
What level do you need for the Outpost project? The Sheltered Retreat project card reads "Unlocks at Level 18." The first stage also needs a camera, so bring one on your Blue Gate run.
Where do you find Planks and Sheet Metal for the Outpost? Celeste trades the new furniture materials since Frozen Trail, and players report buying them there. Topside, players report Planks in Dam Battlegrounds residences and the Pendola Pass Supermarket, and Sheet Metal in Pendola Pass industrial containers.
Should I use Magnetic Accelerators on Trophy Display? Not until your Gunsmith is at Level 4. Gunsmith 4 needs 3 Magnetic Accelerators, and you need it for weapon amplification. Trophy Display stage 4 wants 10, so build the station first.
When are ARC Raiders Expeditions coming back? Embark says early 2027, "with major improvements." Your consecutive Expedition buffs are kept during the pause.
