Motors are a rare Industrial material in Arc Raiders, and you’ll need them to push the Refiner to level 3. They’re not guaranteed in any one container, but they do concentrate in a few consistent places — especially where you can breach a lot of vehicles. Below is a practical, route-first overview to get the three you need without burning a weekend of raids.
Motor basics (what to expect and why they’re tricky)
- Item type and rarity: Industrial, rare.
- Primary use: Required for Refiner level 3.
- Where they appear: Any location with the factory icon can roll Motors in its loot pool; spawns strongly favor car, truck, and bus engines you can breach.
- Inventory facts: Stack size 3; weight 3kg each.
- Recycle value: Yields 2 Mechanical Components and 2 Oil if you break one down in the workshop.
Best locations for Motors (by map)
| Map | Primary locations | Why it’s good for Motors | What to prioritize | Risk notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dam Battlegrounds | Primary Facility (large warehouse); Water Treatment; Power Generation Complex | Primary Facility is usually uncontested and its cargo containers regularly roll mechanical/industrial loot, including Motors. | Inside the big warehouse, loot the cargo containers and the red/blue bins on shelves; sweep any vehicles outside. | Not a high‑value hotspot, so PvP pressure is lighter; standard ARC patrols still pass through. |
| Blue Gate | Warehouse complex; Underground tunnel network; Checkpoint | Enormous density of breachable vehicles, especially in the underground and at Checkpoint. | Breach closed hoods on cars/buses; clear breach rooms and lockers along the tunnel route. | Expect a Bastion in parts of the underground; Checkpoint is wide open with frequent ARC patrols. |
| Buried City | Multi‑story parking garage; Elevated highway through the middle of the map | Parking garage and highway both stack a lot of searchable vehicles in a tight path. | Run floor by floor in the garage (basement to roof); on the highway, breach every vehicle as you move. | Garage can be contested; the highway is elevated and generally safer but has fewer vehicles than Checkpoint. |
| Spaceport | Vehicle Maintenance | Vehicle bays consistently spawn engine‑adjacent loot, which aligns with where Motors tend to appear. | Focus on engine compartments, maintenance racks, and any parked vehicles you can breach. | Open sightlines make you easier to spot; move cover to cover. |
Dam Battlegrounds — Primary Facility quick run
Head to the Primary Facility and push into the large warehouse. Inside the cargo containers, check for small loot crates and bins on shelves — the red and blue ones hit the right loot table frequently. Sweep the entire interior, then loop the exterior for any vehicles you can breach along the way to your chosen extract.
- Why this run: Usually off the main PvP routes and consistently rolls mechanical/industrial items, making it one of the least painful places to finish your Motor set.
- What to carry: Enough room to haul other upgrade parts (you’ll often see Rusted Gears, Rusted Tools, Mechanical Components).
Blue Gate — underground tunnel route (high vehicle density)
The underground network beneath Blue Gate is effectively a giant parking and service complex with multiple entrances and exits. It’s packed with breachable vehicles, lockers, and occasional breach rooms, and it can yield Motors, Industrial Batteries, and Rusted Gears in the same sweep.
- Entrances: Reinforced Reception, the large circular shaft with stairs, zipline entries near and inside the warehouse, side hatches around the perimeter, and the main gate area.
- Pathing: Cross to the quieter eastern side via back corridors or the overhead vents to avoid the Bastion. Work car rows methodically and scrap non‑essential metal to keep weight free.
- Extraction: Several nearby extracts are reachable from multiple exits; route to the closest that isn’t bottlenecked.
Blue Gate — Checkpoint sweep (fast but exposed)
Checkpoint has a comical number of searchable cars and buses in a compact space. If you commit to checking every vehicle, you can land all three Motors in a single run when luck aligns.
- Approach: Loop the perimeter for situational awareness, then move row by row through the vehicles.
- Survival: Stay mobile and break line of sight frequently; ARC patrols cut through often.
Buried City — parking garage and highway line
The multi‑floor garage is a straightforward Motor farm: start in the basement and sweep up to the roof, breaching every vehicle. If the garage is hot, pivot to the elevated highway and clear cars along the route; it’s a bit safer and still productive.
- Coverage: Expect vehicles across multiple levels — don’t skip stairwells and ramps.
- Pivot plan: If a squad is camping the garage, fall back to the highway and finish your breach quota from end to end.
Spaceport — Vehicle Maintenance loop
Vehicle Maintenance is another reliable area because it’s literally built around engine bays. Sweep the shop floor, racks, and any parked cars or buses. Motors trend toward engine compartments and maintenance staging points.
- Movement: Clear each bay systematically; use cover to avoid getting caught in crossfire.
When to go and how to increase your odds
- Night Raid window: If you’re comfortable with tougher fights, running these routes during Night Raid meaningfully increases the chance of higher‑tier materials.
- Search pattern: Always breach vehicles you pass, even off‑route. Motors often come from the cars and buses you’d otherwise ignore while chasing containers.
- Inventory discipline: Scrap low‑value metal and plastics mid‑raid to keep space for rare upgrade parts and to stay under weight caps for a quicker extract.
Quick run checklist
- Pick your route: Primary Facility (Dam) if you want low contest; Blue Gate underground/Checkpoint for maximum vehicles; Parking Garage/Highway (Buried City) for a clean loop; Vehicle Maintenance (Spaceport) for bay‑by‑bay sweeps.
- Commit to the sweep: Breach every closed hood. Clear red/blue bins on warehouse shelves and cargo containers.
- Manage risk: Avoid Bastion lines of fire in Blue Gate; use elevation on Buried City’s highway; keep moving at Checkpoint.
- Extract smart: Route to a nearby exit you scouted on the way in; don’t linger once you’ve got two or three Motors in the bag.
If you follow a vehicle‑dense path and clear every engine compartment you see, you’ll routinely walk out with the Motors you need — often alongside other mid‑ and late‑tier workshop parts you’ll want later.
