ARC Raiders: How to Complete the Empathetic Prototypes Quest

Empathetic Prototypes is a Lance quest in ARC Raiders that sends you into the Spaceport Trench to pull a sealed cargo crate off a crane arm and recover the item hidden inside. It opens once you finish Someone Else’s Shoes, and it leans heavily on grappling hook movement rather than combat.

Quick answer: Grapple onto the North Trench Tower at Spaceport, drop onto the crane-held cargo crate, release its magnetic lock so it falls, grab the Project Pathos Empathy Core from the trench floor, and extract to deliver it to Lance.

Image credit: Embark Studios via YouTube/@Akubamba

What to bring before you start

Two pieces of gear turn this from a frustrating run into a quick one. Pack them before you load into Spaceport.

A Grappling Hook is an Uncommon quick-use gadget that attaches to surfaces so you can cross gaps. The quest gives you one, but weekly supplies are limited, so bring a spare.
An augment with a safe pocket. The Empathy Core only counts once you extract with it, so a safe pocket protects your progress if you die before leaving.

Store the Grappling Hook in your safe pocket until you reach the tower so you do not lose it to an early death.

Reaching the North Trench Tower in Spaceport

The objective sits in The Trench, the area running between the North Trench Tower and South Trench Tower in the northern part of Spaceport. Spaceport is a difficulty 3 of 5 map in the Calabretta North region, and it opens after you have played 12 rounds.

Walkthrough: drop the cargo crate and grab the Empathy Core

Travel to Spaceport and move to the northern edge of the map. Head toward the North Trench Tower, the shorter of the two towers overlooking the trench.

Look up at the roof and fire your grappling hook at the top edge to climb up. A ladder runs up one side of the tower if you would rather save the hook for later.

Follow the rooftop edge to the lone door. Since it is the only one, there’s no risk of choosing the wrong door. Go inside and descend the stairs.

At the stairs’ base, a line of narrow windows faces you. Grapple one, then leap through to the far side. You’ll be left hanging on the tower’s exterior.

Below, a crane arm is holding a cargo crate. Drop onto it. You might first need to swing back and forth, or release and spam the grab button to latch onto the crate’s side.

From the crate, carefully move onto the arm connected to it. Release the magnetic lock holding the crate, either by using the terminal nearby or by interacting with the lock on the crate itself. The prompt drops the crate to the trench floor.

Grapple to any nearby wall to lower yourself to the bottom of the trench, then interact with the fallen crate. The Project Pathos Empathy Core goes straight into your inventory.

The dangle-and-drop onto the crate can deal fall damage. Carry healing so a rough landing does not end the run before you reach the Core.

Deliver the Core and confirm completion

Make your way to an extraction with the Empathy Core still on you, ideally tucked in your safe pocket. Once you are out, hand the Core to Lance. The quest marks as complete at that point, and the next Lance step in the chain, When Everything Falls, becomes available through Shani.

Empathetic Prototypes rewards

Reward	Amount
Canto I	1
Vita Shot	2
Experience	5,000 XP

The Canto is a high-caliber SMG with continuous fire and an 18-round magazine at level I. The Vita Shot is a Rare medical item that replenishes a substantial amount of health and stacks up to three.