ARC Raiders: How to Get the Camera in the Frozen Trail Update

The Basic Camera is a Quick Use gadget added to ARC Raiders in the Frozen Trail update, and it opens the game’s photo mode for taking pictures and selfies on a run. It does no damage, but the Outpost project and several quests now ask for photos, so having one in your bag saves a trip back to base. There are four ways to get it: craft it, buy it, pull it from a quest, or claim it off the reward track.

Quick answer: Use a Level 1 Workbench to make a Basic Camera from 8 Plastic Parts and 1 Wires; alternatively, purchase one from Shani for 1,920 Coins.

A raider framed atop a red industrial beam through the camera viewfinder in ARC Raiders — The Basic Camera lets Raiders frame and shoot action shots once it is equipped. Image: Embark Studios

Craft a Basic Camera at the Workbench (cheapest route)

Crafting is the most reliable way to keep a steady supply. The Basic Camera blueprint is unlocked from the start, so you do not need to find or buy one, and you can craft as many as you like. The recipe stays the same no matter how far you have upgraded the Workbench.

Go to the Workshop tab, choose the Workbench at Level 01, and enter the Crafting list. Scroll until you find Basic Camera.

Choose Basic Camera to view the materials it requires: 8 Plastic Parts and 1 Wires. When you lack any, the display reads “Not enough resources” and offers ways to track down or obtain them.

Crafting Basic Camera in Workshop — The Basic Camera recipe sits in the Level 01 Workbench crafting list, calling for 8 Plastic Parts and 1 Wires. Shown at 00:41 in JA Guides Gaming’s video. Image: Embark Studios

With both materials stored in your stash, hold the craft button to make the camera. It appears in your inventory, ready to be placed in a Quick Use slot.

Where to get Plastic Parts and Wires

Both crafting materials come from the trader Celeste, who takes Assorted Seeds, or from scavenging on the surface. Plastic Parts are common loot; Wires turn up in Electrical and Technological areas.

Material	Qty	Source	Notes
Plastic Parts	8	Celeste, or loot	1 Assorted Seed each, no purchase limit
Wires	1	Celeste, or Electrical/Technological areas	4 Assorted Seeds each, 10 a day, unlocks at level 7

Celeste’s Wires offer is capped at 10 per day and only appears once you reach account level 7, while Plastic Parts have no cap. A single Wires can also be recycled from a scavenged Camera Lens if you happen to pick one up.

Buy a Basic Camera from Shani

If you prefer paying Coins to collecting parts, a brand-new account can buy the Basic Camera from Shani at her security desk. Go to the Traders tab, choose Shani (Security), and view her Trades list. The price is 1,920 Coins, with unlimited purchases; selling it back returns 640 Coins. Confirm the purchase and the camera goes directly to your stash.

At account level 12, Shani adds the Rare Advanced Camera to her stock for 3,000 Coins, with a cap of 3 per day. The Basic Camera handles most objectives, so you can use it rather than wait for the Advanced model unless you want its extra controls.

Get one free from Celeste’s “Sizing Things Up” quest

Accepting the right quest hands you a Basic Camera at no cost. Celeste’s “Sizing Things Up” quest, based around Pendola Pass, includes one under Quest Supplies the moment you take it on. The quest “Taking Stock” also rewards a Basic Camera.

From the Speranza hub, open the Quests menu, either from the main menu or through the Traders screen.

Accessing Quests Menu — Start at the Speranza hub and open the Quests list to track down Celeste's offer. Shown at 00:10 in JA Guides Gaming’s video. Image: Embark Studios

Select the trader Celeste, switch to her Quests tab, and choose “Sizing Things Up” to view its description, objectives, and supplies.

Sizing Things Up Quest Supplies — The Basic Camera appears under Quest Supplies on the Sizing Things Up screen, handed over as soon as you accept. Shown at 00:17 in JA Guides Gaming’s video. Image: Embark Studios

Press Accept. The Basic Camera is added to your supplies right away, and the quest itself asks you to photograph the Emperor’s leg near Old Town, which is exactly what the camera is for.

Claim a camera from the Frozen Trail Pass

The Frozen Trail Pass free track grants cameras at various tiers, using only Reward Points earned through regular play. At tier 2, claim 2 Basic Cameras for 300 Reward Points. At tier 30, much later in the pass, you can get 2 Advanced Cameras for 4,500 Reward Points.

Basic Camera and Advanced Camera stats

Both cameras are Quick Use items weighing 0.5 with 100/100 durability. The split comes down to rarity, resale value, and trader price.

Camera	Rarity	Sell value	Shani price
Basic Camera	Uncommon	640	1,920
Advanced Camera	Rare	1,000	3,000

A Basic Camera recycles into 5 Plastic Parts and cannot be salvaged. The Advanced Camera is crafted differently: its blueprint comes from the Topside Living Conditions step of the Outpost, and it is built at a Level 2 Utility Station from 1 Camera Lens, 1 Calculator, and 1 Electrical Components. Its extra settings, such as aperture, autofocus, and zoom, are the only features the Basic model lacks.

How to use the camera in a run

Cameras function only when assigned to a Quick Use slot, so transfer yours from your backpack first. Hold Q to bring up the gadget wheel and select the camera. Press the right mouse button to aim and enter Photo Mode; adjust the zoom, then click the left mouse button to take a picture. Press R to switch to Selfie mode.

A white targeting marker hovers over a distant figure while aiming the camera — Aiming brings up Photo Mode, where you can line up a subject before snapping. Image: Embark Studios

You can photograph anything you like, but quests such as “Sizing Things Up” call for pictures of fixed subjects, so you have to be standing in the right spot with the camera out. Framing works the same whether you are capturing a teammate’s stunt or a required quest target.

Player sprinting across a rocky battlefield with the central aiming reticle visible — The camera can be swapped out mid-run, so you can tuck it away and switch back to a weapon when threats close in. Image: Embark Studios

A camera carried in your backpack is lost if you die on a run, just like any other loot. Crafting is cheap enough that you can replace one easily, or keep spares in your stash.

Raiders crossing a rusted catwalk with a circular control marker centered on screen — Lining up a group shot across an industrial catwalk, with the capture marker centered. Image: Embark Studios

Quests and projects that need a camera

Having a camera on hand saves a return trip when an objective requires a photo. The Outpost project opens with “Research Topside Living Conditions,” requiring a picture of a farmland house; access to the Outpost tab unlocks at account level 18.

Several quests also call for photos taken with the camera:

The League
Reduced to Rubble
Life of a Pharmacist
Battening Down
Groundbreaking
Sizing Things Up

A character posing on a raised crane arm against a clear blue sky through the viewfinder — Fixed subjects like structures and machinery are common quest photo targets. Image: Embark Studios

You will know the camera is working the moment it appears in your Quick Use wheel and the viewfinder opens on aim. Quest photos register as soon as the target is framed and captured, updating the objective on your screen. For the Outpost and these quests, a Basic Camera covers everything you will be asked to shoot, so there is little reason to spend on the Advanced model unless you want its finer controls.

A character posing on top of destroyed machinery framed in the camera viewfinder — Beyond quests, the camera doubles as a free photo mode for capturing moments anywhere on the map. Image: Embark Studios