A Prime Specimen in Arc Raiders completes only after you successfully activate and loot an ARC Deforester on The Blue Gate using two ARC Powercells during a single raid.
Quick answer: Bring or loot 2 ARC Powercells in The Blue Gate, go to an active ARC Deforester, use one Powercell on the first sparking panel inside the central cylinder, use the second on the rear panel after the first flame cycle, exit and climb to the upper opening, time one more flame cycle, then search the cache at the top to finish the quest.
A Prime Specimen requirements
All objectives must be completed in one raid. If you extract early, progress resets.
| Requirement | Condition |
|---|---|
| ARC Powercells | Hold 2 ARC Powercells in your inventory during the raid. |
| Map | Load into The Blue Gate. |
| Structure | Interact with one ARC Deforester and open its cache. |
| Extraction | Loot the Deforester cache before extraction; otherwise the quest does not advance. |
How to get the 2 ARC Powercells
You can either bring Powercells from your stash before deployment or loot them in the raid.
Powercells drop from ARC enemies, including flying types such as hornets and similar machines roaming the outer parts of Blue Gate, and they are also found on dormant First Wave Husks when present. Any two Powercells are sufficient; they do not need to be looted in a particular area.
ARC Deforester locations in The Blue Gate
ARC Deforesters are huge cylindrical ARC wrecks on The Blue Gate and are not marked by a quest icon. Their spawn positions are fixed to a small set of locations.
| Deforester | Nearby landmark | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Primary site | Between Broken Earth and Ridgeline / near Maintenance Bunker | Large horizontal cylinder on the terrain, visible on the map when zoomed in. |
| Secondary site | Adorned Wreckage area | Similar cylindrical structure among ARC debris in the eastern section. |
| Additional site (quest targeting) | Ridgeline side of Blue Gate | Used by A Prime Specimen; behaves the same as the others. |
Each Deforester has one active puzzle instance per match. Once another squad completes it, no panels on that Deforester can be interacted with until the next raid.
How to identify an active ARC Deforester
An ARC Deforester suitable for A Prime Specimen has:
- Hollow central cylinder
- Visible machinery and metal walkways around it
- A sparking electrical panel on the inner wall of the cylinder
If you see no sparks and no interaction prompt on any panel:
- Another squad has already looted that Deforester in this match, or
- The event instance is bugged and will not register interactions
In that case, your only options are to travel to another known Deforester on Blue Gate or extract and load into a new raid.
How to activate an ARC Deforester (quest completion steps)
1. Use the first ARC Powercell
Enter the main cylinder of the Deforester and look along the inner wall for the exposed circuit panel that emits electrical sparks.
Interact with this panel. One ARC Powercell is consumed, and a row of flamethrower vents inside the cylinder activates, sending intermittent jets of fire across the path ahead.
2. Use the second ARC Powercell
Watch the flame timing. When the fire stops, move quickly down the cylinder to the far end.
There is a second circuit panel at the back of the chamber. Interact with it to consume your remaining ARC Powercell. This starts a new pattern of flames and completes the two required activation phases.
3. Exit and reach the upper platform
After using the rear panel, retreat through the flames when a safe gap appears and leave the cylinder.
From the outside, climb the Deforester’s metal framework and surrounding debris to reach the upper opening that leads back into the structure. The intended route uses protruding girders and nearby environmental objects such as broken trees or ledges to gain height, then drops into the upper half of the cylinder.
4. Loot the ARC Deforester cache
On the upper level, another flame barrier blocks the path to the cache. Observe one full cycle of the flames, then cross when they shut off.
At the end of this path is the searchable container that counts as the ARC Deforester cache. Interact with it once to collect ARC materials such as ARC circuitry and advanced mechanical or electrical components.
Opening this cache simultaneously:
- Stops all active flames inside the Deforester
- Marks the “Loot the ARC Deforester cache” objective as complete
- Advances A Prime Specimen so it can be turned in
How to confirm A Prime Specimen completion
You know A Prime Specimen has been completed when:
- The quest tracker updates after you loot the ARC Deforester cache
- No further objectives remain listed for A Prime Specimen
After extraction and return to Speranza, speaking to Shani finalizes the quest and grants the rewards.
A Prime Specimen rewards
| Reward | Use |
|---|---|
| 1× Patrol Car Key | Key item used to open a specific Patrol Car container in later content. |
| 3× Door Blockers | Deployable defensive items for blocking or controlling entry points. |
Common failure reasons and fixes
| Problem | Cause | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| No interact prompt on any panel | Deforester already looted this match or event is bugged | Check another Deforester on Blue Gate or extract and start a new raid. |
| Quest did not advance after extraction | Extracted before opening the cache | Repeat the process and ensure you loot the upper cache before leaving. |
| Death between panel activations | Died to flames or enemies after using the first panel | Re-enter in a new match or locate a fresh Deforester; both Powercells must be used in a single successful run. |
