Magnetron sits in a strange spot in Arc Raiders’ loot ecosystem. It looks like a throwaway Exodus scrap, but it’s tied to quests, high-value crafting materials, and a strong sell price. If you ignore it, you’re leaving progression and coins on the table.
Arc Raiders Magnetron basics
| Property | Magnetron value |
|---|---|
| Item type | Recyclable material |
| Rarity | Epic |
| Loot family | Exodus |
| Weight | 1.5 |
| Stack size | 3 per slot |
| Sell price | 6,000 coins each |
| Primary use | Quest turn-in and conversion into higher-tier crafting parts |
In your inventory, Magnetron appears in the “Recyclable” category with an epic border and the Exodus loot icon. It can be sold directly for a high amount of coins, or turned into crafting components via recycling and salvaging. It’s also required in at least one early quest chain, so dumping the first ones you find is a mistake.
How to get Magnetron in Arc Raiders
Magnetron is tagged as an Exodus material, which means it isn’t tied to a specific outdoor biome like Scrap or Industrial. Instead, it tends to show up in interior high-tech facilities and endgame spaces with better loot tables.
| Map / area | Layer or zone | Where to look | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stella Montis | Layer 1 (Business Center, Assembly) | Breachable lockers, drawers, storage units | Key location for the Snap and Salvage quest |
| Stella Montis | Lobby / Atrium corridors | Side rooms with containers and storage racks | Example spawn: storage unit off the main corridor between Atrium and Lobby |
| Stella Montis | Security Checkpoint (near Lobby) | Offices, behind breached doors, lootable containers | Good density of epic Exodus materials in general |
| Spaceport | Rocket Assembly building | Red lockers with breach prompts | Can drop Magnetron and other Exodus mods/materials |
| Other maps | Buried City, Blue Gate, near Seed Vault | Interior loot rooms, high-value containers | Players have reported random drops here; not guaranteed |
Magnetron is not a scripted quest pickup. It rolls out of the same tables as other epic Exodus loot, so runs can vary wildly: you might see several in one expedition and then none for a while. Prioritize:
- Indoor facilities with “Business”, “Assembly”, or “Security” in the area name.
- Breachable red lockers, locked drawers, and sealed storage units.
- High-risk, high-loot zones in Stella Montis and Spaceport.
Magnetron in the Snap and Salvage quest
Magnetron gets a spotlight in Stella Montis during Tian Wen’s “Snap and Salvage” quest. This multi-step mission eventually asks you to deliver two items: one rare (Flow Controller) and one epic (Magnetron). Both are normal loot, not quest-marked objects, so the game won’t waypoint you to a guaranteed spawn.
| Snap and Salvage step | Objective | Magnetron relevance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reach Robotic Sandbox A or B on Stella Montis’ lower layer and photograph a Rover | None yet |
| 2 | Search papers in the Security Checkpoint by the Lobby | Introduces the Security area, which is a good epic loot farm |
| 3 | Obtain a Flow Controller | Flow Controller is a rare Exodus material; often found alongside Magnetron |
| 4 | Obtain a Magnetron and deliver both items to Tian Wen | Requires at least one Magnetron in your inventory when you extract |
Within Stella Montis, the best plays for this quest are:
- Farm Business Center and Assembly on layer 1. Both are explicitly tied to Magnetron and Flow Controller drops.
- Revisit the Security Checkpoint near the Lobby. This area tends to produce several epic crafting materials per clear.
- Check side corridors between the Atrium and Lobby. Storage rooms along this route can roll Magnetron in their containers.
Outside Stella Montis, Rocket Assembly on the Spaceport map is another realistic option. The red breachable lockers there share the same Exodus pool and can spit out Magnetron if you’re unlucky on Stella Montis.
How to protect Magnetron during runs
Because Magnetron is both epic and quest-relevant, losing it hurts. Treat it like a weapon part or high-tier module.
| Risk | Mitigation | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Death before extraction | Equip a loadout with at least one safe pocket | Items in safe pockets are preserved even if you fail the run |
| Inventory clutter | Reserve a safe pocket specifically for Magnetron/Flow Controller while on the quest | Prevents you from filling the slot with lower-value items mid-run |
| Accidental selling | Mark Magnetron mentally as “quest/keep” until Snap and Salvage is done | Sell value is tempting, but quest progress is more important early on |
As soon as you see either Magnetron or Flow Controller drop while you are on Snap and Salvage, move it into your safe pocket and head for extraction when it’s convenient. There’s no bonus for hoarding multiples before turning in the first one for Tian Wen.
Recycling and salvaging Magnetron
Once you’re past the immediate quest, Magnetron becomes a flexible resource. You can either convert it into other materials or break it down for a single advanced part.
| Action | Input | Output | Use cases |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recycle | 1× Magnetron | 1× Magnetic Accelerator, 1× Steel Spring | Feeding weapon upgrades and crafting trees that need accelerators and springs |
| Salvage | 1× Magnetron | 1× Advanced Mechanical Components | Advanced upgrades where Mechanical Components are the bottleneck |
Each path has its own trade-offs:
- Recycling is effectively a two-for-one. Magnetic Accelerators are core to many Exodus builds, and Steel Springs crop up across early upgrade tiers. If you’re short on generic upgrade parts, this route stretches Magnetron the furthest.
- Salvaging compresses the item into Advanced Mechanical Components, which sit further up the crafting chain. If your workshop and refinery are already high level and basic components are trivial, salvaging can speed up late-game gun and shield upgrades.
When to sell Magnetron instead
At 6,000 coins per unit and three per stack, Magnetron is one of the more lucrative raw materials in Arc Raiders. Selling it is often the right call if:
- You’ve already cleared quests that require Magnetron (such as Tian Wen’s early chain and any Lance-related requests).
- Your current bottleneck is money for insurance, workbench upgrades, or buying key gear from traders.
- Your refinery and recycling chains are already producing enough accelerators and springs without needing Magnetron conversions.
The trade-off is simple: selling accelerates your economic progression, while recycling and salvaging accelerate your material progression. Early in a wipe or on a fresh account, holding at least a few Magnetron for future quest or upgrade requirements is safer. Once you’re over that hump, unloading surplus stacks for coins becomes very efficient.
Why players talk about Magnetron so much
Magnetron is part of a small group of high-rarity materials that pull double duty: they drop in RNG-heavy interiors, carry strong coin value, and then quietly become required for story-adjacent quests and NPC arcs. In practice, this means:
- If you’re in Stella Montis or Spaceport and see an epic Exodus material, it’s worth a closer look before you recycle or sell it.
- Magnetron is a good indicator that you’re looting in the “right” places for late-game mods and Exodus parts.
- Hoarding at least one or two in stash gives you breathing room when a quest suddenly demands it.
If you treat Magnetron as just another scrap part, you’ll eventually find yourself back in Stella Montis running Business Center and Assembly on repeat until one drops again. Treat it as a strategic resource instead, and it quietly smooths out your early and mid-game progression across quests, crafting, and your wallet.
