With A Trace in Arc Raiders looks straightforward on paper: go to two marked crash sites, inspect a couple of objects, then head home to Shani. In practice, both the “inspect the Adorned Wreckage” and “inspect the communications device” steps are easy to overshoot or search in the wrong place.
This walkthrough follows the quest in order, but focuses on what you actually need to interact with at Barren Clearing and Adorned Wreckage to finish the communication device step cleanly.
With A Trace quest overview
| Step | Objective text | Where it happens | What you interact with |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reach the Barren Clearing | Blue Gate (west side) | None – enter the area |
| 2 | Find signs of who brought down the ARC machines | Barren Clearing | Glowing, round joint on a detached leg |
| 3 | Inspect the Adorned Wreckage | Adorned Wreckage, south of Barren Clearing | Move into the antenna-covered wreck area |
| 4 | Inspect the communications device | Adorned Wreckage | Yellow computer/terminal near the main structure |
| - | Turn in | Speranza, Shani | Dialogue for rewards |
Every step plays out on the Blue Gate map. The Barren Clearing and Adorned Wreckage are close together, so you can complete the quest in a single topside run without needing to extract in between.
Find signs of who brought down the ARC machines in Barren Clearing
The first active objective starts once you reach Barren Clearing, an open “graveyard” of ARC machines on the western edge of Blue Gate, directly west of Raider’s Refuge and southwest of the large Village area.
At the center of Barren Clearing sits a huge downed ARC machine. The interaction you need is not on the main body but on a broken leg a short distance away.
| Micro-location | Landmark | What to look for |
|---|---|---|
| Southwest of the central husk | Mound or patch slightly away from the main wreck | A detached leg section with a lighter, circular “ball” joint |
Move to the southwest side of the main ARC husk and face back toward it. On one detached leg you’ll see a round joint that stands out in color and brightness from the surrounding metal. Walk right up to this joint until the yellow interaction prompt appears, then inspect it.
That interaction updates the quest to send you to Adorned Wreckage.
Reach Adorned Wreckage from Barren Clearing
Adorned Wreckage is a second crash site in Blue Gate, not far from where you just were. It sits to the south of Barren Clearing, roughly below the Trapper's Glade area.
| From | To | Direction | Visual cue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barren Clearing center | Adorned Wreckage | Head south/southeast | Large “rocket-like” wreck covered in cables, dishes, and graffiti |
You do not need to activate anything special to tick “inspect the Adorned Wreckage”. Entering the wreck area around the tall antenna-covered structure is enough to push the quest onto the final step that mentions the communications device.
Expect resistance here. ARC enemies, including a Leaper, are often active in this zone, and other players tend to pass through for their own objectives. Plan to clear or sneak through the immediate area before focusing on the device.
Inspect the communications device at Adorned Wreckage
The last step sounds like you should climb the main structure and poke around in panels. In practice, the actual device is a small terminal at ground level, slightly offset from the main wreck.
Where the communications device is
| Reference point | Move toward | Object you want | Appearance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base of the tallest wreck/antenna cluster | South side of the wreck area | Computer terminal / communications device | Yellow computer on a small “desk” near a smaller rocket-like scrap |
There are two consistent ways to orient yourself:
- Stand at the most prominent, tallest wreck section (the one that looks like a decorated rocket with dishes and cables) and rotate until you face the more open, southern side of the site.
- Look for a smaller rocket-like chunk of wreckage next to a makeshift workstation or table.
Near that smaller piece, you’ll see a yellow terminal or computer on the ground. This is the communications device the quest wants. Walk right up to it until the interaction prompt appears, then turn it on or interact once.
That single interaction completes both “inspect the communications device” and the entire With A Trace quest. There is no need to climb over the main wreckage or search for additional panels after that.
What happens after inspecting the communications device
Once the yellow computer at Adorned Wreckage has been activated, the objective list for With A Trace is done. The quest does not require you to extract safely with any items; progress is locked in as soon as the interaction completes.
| Next step | Location | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Return to Shani | Speranza (Security area) | Turn in With A Trace |
| Reward | Given on dialogue completion | Looting Mk. 2 Augment, Medium Shield |
Back in Speranza, speak with Shani in Security to hand in the quest. She pays out a Looting Mk. 2 augment and a Medium Shield, both of which are early upgrades for further topside runs.
From there, Shani continues her quest chain with new objectives elsewhere on Stella Montis, but the communication device at Adorned Wreckage will not need to be revisited for this line.
