Hand Drill is a Rare Topside Material in ARC Raiders. It blocks two things players want early in the Frozen Trail era: the Outpost expansion from level 2 to 3, and the Anvil hand cannon. It also spawns on only one map. Once you know which rooms and train cars on Pendola Pass to search, a stack of three is a realistic haul from a single raid.
Quick answer: Queue into Pendola Pass, search the train cars and the second-floor shelf room at Almatera Station, then the Railyard lockers and train cars. Check any open Storm Hut during a Flash Freeze.
Hand Drill item details
Hand Drill falls under the Mechanical and Industrial loot categories. Any area on the Pendola Pass map tagged with those types is a candidate, and areas carrying both are better. It is light enough that carrying a full stack costs you almost nothing.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Rarity | Rare |
| Category | Topside Material |
| Weight | 0.5 |
| Max stack | 3 |
| Loot categories | Industrial, Mechanical |
| Map |  Pendola Pass |
Where Hand Drill spawns on Pendola Pass
Pendola Pass is a difficulty 3 of 5 map, and it unlocks after 25 rounds played. If it isn’t showing up in your rotation yet, that counter is the reason. Every Hand Drill spawn sits on this map, so time spent on Buried City, Spaceport, or Stella Montis won’t produce any.
Five areas hold the bulk of the possible spawn spots. A spot is only a chance, though. Each one can roll plenty of other items, so a high count means more rolls, not a guaranteed drop.
| Area | Spawn spots | What to search |
|---|---|---|
| Almatera Station | 304 | Shelf room, train car seats |
| Cielo Sereno Observatory | 208 | Industrial containers, ground |
| Freight Terminal | 181 | Train car tables |
| Railyard | 110 | Lockers, train cars |
| Controlled Receiving Facility | 109 | Surfaces, containers |
Storm Huts aren’t on that list because they’re small shelters scattered around the map rather than named areas. They still produce Hand Drills regularly, and they get their own section below.
Loose spawns vs. containers
Most Hand Drills lie out in the open. If you only crack crates, you’ll walk past a lot of them. This is roughly how the spawn spots on Pendola Pass break down by surface:
| Surface | Share of spots |
|---|---|
| Shelves and storage racks | 26% |
| Train car tables and seats | 22% |
| Consoles, desks, control panels | 12% |
| Tables, chairs, counters | 12% |
| Trolleys and carts | 9% |
| Parked vehicles | 7% |
Containers can still hold them. Each of these drops one Hand Drill per stack:
- Industrial Crate (needs an Industrial Breach to open)
- Lockers
- Shipping Container Drawer
- Tool Trolley
Backpacks, suitcases, wooden crates, and breachable metal boxes in industrial buildings have also turned up Hand Drills. The Laser Level uses exactly the same spawn spots, so one route farms both materials.
Dynamic Loot Zones
Pendola Pass uses Dynamic Loot Zones. Areas keep their loot type, but the loot value shown on the map changes from raid to raid. Yellow zones (Loot value: Medium) roll better items, and red zones (Loot value: High) roll more and better items. Open the map when the raid starts and favor whichever Hand Drill area came up red.
Hand Drill hotspots in detail
Almatera Station
Enter the station through its main entrance and ride the escalators to the upper level. The room at the top is filled with metal shelving. Check every shelf along each row. On one red-zone raid, the shelves yielded a Hand Drill, a Radial Press, a Laser Level, an Insulation Roll, a Thermal Shaker, Steel Cable, and Sheet Metal. A Hand Drill also appeared there during a yellow-zone raid.
Don’t stop at the shelf room. Hand Drills also show up under the metal staircase, on store display shelves, and in open refrigeration racks inside the station. The parked passenger carriages outside put a table and seats in every bay, so walk the aisle and look down at seat cushions and table edges.
Railyard
The Railyard carries Mechanical and Industrial loot and is a threat level 1 area. Start on the upper platform. The small lobby room there, just south of the yard itself, has a row of green lockers. Not every locker holds loot, but two Hand Drills from one visit is common, and Steel Cables often turn up too. It pays off even in PvE-only mode.
Take the nearby stairs down to the tracks, where three decommissioned train cars are parked. Check the tables and chairs inside each car, and open the suitcases on the floor. The passenger cars by the Freight Terminal work the same way.
Shoot the small camera outside the locker room before you go in so it doesn’t pull ARC onto you. Expect a Tick nearby, and kill it before it reaches you.
Storm Huts
Storm Huts only open while a Flash Freeze is active, and an open one appears on your map. Head for the closest hut. If it’s on the far side of the map, other players will probably get there first. Inside, loot the wooden crates and the shelf at the back. The bunker near Railroad Junction is a reliable example, with a Hand Drill often sitting on a metal shelf under a lamp.
Storm Huts can set off an alarm. If one goes off, grab the shelf spawn and leave instead of fighting through the alert.
Hand Drill farming route for a full stack
A light kit works for this route. A medium shield helps if other Raiders are nearby. The Railyard often draws fights, including Raiders taking on a Shredder below the locker room.
What Hand Drill is used for
Two recipes need Hand Drill, and each asks for exactly three. That’s one full stack.
| Use | Hand Drills | Other requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Outpost level 2 to 3 | 3 | 3 Epoxy Buckets, 35 Planks |
| Anvil I (Gunsmith 1) | 3 | 2 Advanced Mechanical Components, 3 Heavy Gun Parts, Anvil Blueprint |
The Outpost upgrade is part of the progression toward Gunsmith and weapon amplifications. A Rare Hand Cannon, the Anvil uses Heavy Ammo and holds six rounds in its magazine. It has one mod slot, upgrade tiers from I through IV, and the Anvil Splitter and X-Rounds amplification upgrades. Its handling is slow, but it delivers high damage and powerful headshots. Crafting each Anvil I requires three Hand Drills, so you’ll need to keep collecting them after completing the Outpost.
Hold on to spares. Recycling a Hand Drill returns 1 Mechanical Components, and salvaging one gives 2 Metal Parts. Both outputs are far easier to find than the drill itself, so only break down extras beyond the three you need for your next craft. No furniture recipe uses Hand Drill.
How to confirm you have enough Hand Drills
Each pickup shows the prompt F PICK UP +1 Hand Drill, and the item appears in your loadout as a stack that counts up to 3. Back at base, open the Outpost level 3 requirement. When the Hand Drill line reads three of three and the Epoxy Buckets and Planks are covered, the upgrade becomes available. For Anvil I, the Gunsmith recipe shows the same three-drill count next to the other parts.
