Power Rods sit in a strange place in Arc Raiders. They’re flagged as epic crafting materials, needed for late‑game shields and weapons, but a single rod also gates one of Celeste’s main missions and a surprisingly lucrative loot room on Dam Battlegrounds.
That combination makes one small corner of the Power Generation Complex far more important than it looks on the map.
What the Power Rod is and why it matters
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Item name | Power Rod |
| Rarity | Epic material |
| Main quest use | Tribute To Toledo (Celeste quest chain) |
| Other uses | Crafting Heavy Shield, Snap Hook; opening a locked door on Dam Battlegrounds |
| Primary acquisition | Looting Exodus/electrical spawns, recycling Snap Hook or Heavy Shield, Level III Refiner recipe |
Celeste eventually asks for a single Power Rod during Tribute To Toledo, unlocked after completing Life Of A Pharmacist. The quest text doesn’t force you onto any specific map – you simply need to hand her a rod – but her dialogue points you toward Dam Battlegrounds’ Generator Hall in the Power Generation Complex.
On top of the quest requirement, Power Rods feed into crafting recipes once your Workshop is upgraded. A Level III Refiner can turn Advanced Electrical Components and ARC Circuitry into new rods. They also double as a key item: one specific metal door inside the Power Generation Complex only opens if you “slot” a Power Rod into the mechanism.
How to get a guaranteed Power Rod through Snap Hook
There is one method that effectively guarantees a rod without depending on random drops: recycling a Snap Hook.
| Requirement | What you need |
|---|---|
| Quest progress | Finish the Lost in Transmission quest to earn a legendary Snap Hook |
| Alternative Snap Hook source | Harvester event loot inside the Harvester guarded by a Queen |
| Key action | Recycle Snap Hook at your Workshop instead of selling it |
| Outcome | Recycling Snap Hook yields a Power Rod |
Once Lost in Transmission is complete, your reward includes the legendary Snap Hook. The same item can also drop from the Harvester event if you push into the Harvester interior and clear the Queen. When you break that Snap Hook down at a Refiner, one of the returns is a Power Rod – enough to finish Tribute To Toledo without ever seeing one in the field.
How to craft a Power Rod with a Level III Refiner
If you’re leaning into base upgrades, a Level III Refiner turns Power Rods into a repeatable craft rather than a rare find.
| Step | What to do | Key materials |
|---|---|---|
| Build a Refiner | Construct the Refiner station in your Workshop | 6 Metal Parts, 5 ARC Powercells |
| Upgrade to Level III | Invest the resources needed to push the Refiner to its max level | Includes rare materials earned from ARC enemies and looting |
| Unlock recipe | Reach Level III to unlock the Power Rod recipe alongside Magnetic Accelerator and Mod Components | Unlocked automatically at Level III |
| Craft a Power Rod | Use the Power Rod recipe in the Refiner | 2 Advanced Electrical Components, 2 ARC Circuitries |
Metal Parts are common; you get them from ordinary loot and salvaging, with Scrappy’s foraging helping to stockpile them. ARC Powercells drop from any ARC enemy, with Wasps and Ticks being among the easier targets.
Advanced Electrical Components appear most often on command consoles and electrical loot spots in areas like the Power Generation Complex. ARC Circuitry is similarly tied to higher‑tier tech loot or can be crafted once your Refiner is upgraded.
Once the recipe is unlocked, crafting becomes the most controllable way to get additional Power Rods, especially if you want both to satisfy Celeste and to spend a rod on the locked room later.
Where the Power Rod room is in Power Generation Complex
Inside Dam Battlegrounds’ Power Generation Complex, one door is different from all the usual keycard locks. This is the Power Rod room players talk about: a compact loot space that costs a single rod to open but can pay out far above its size, especially on night raids.
| Element | Description |
|---|---|
| Map | Dam Battlegrounds |
| Sub‑area | Power Generation Complex / Generator Hall |
| Rough position | Eastern side of Power Generation Complex, near the top of the outer zipline |
| Door type | Metal door that accepts a Power Rod instead of a keycard |
| Nearby clue | Two electrical cabinets (“breach and search” panels) directly to the left of the door |
| Inside the room | Table with loose loot and several red lockers with a high chance of medical items, throwables, ammo, and occasional weapons |
The easiest way to orient yourself is from the outer zipline that leads up to the southeast corner of Power Generation Complex. Ride the zipline up, head inside, and look for a control‑room‑style space that connects diagonally toward the southeastern ramp that returns outdoors. In that little run of rooms sits a metal door that does not respond to keycards. Interacting with the panel prompts you to insert a Power Rod.
Directly next to that door, mounted on the wall, are one or more electrical breaker cabinets you can breach and search. These panels are both a prime spawn point for Power Rods and a hint that you are standing in the right place.
Players report that running this area on night raids can be wildly profitable. One free‑loadout run produced six Wolf Pack grenades and a Bettina from that single room. Other runs may look less dramatic – four red lockers and a couple of blue‑rarity items on the table – but the density of medical gear and explosives makes it a strong solo stop even outside questing.
Best Power Rod farming routes in Dam Generator Hall
If you want to loot a Power Rod instead of crafting or recycling, The Dam’s Power Generation Complex and Generator Hall are strong options.
| Route segment | Where to go | What to search |
|---|---|---|
| Zipline room | Enter Power Generation Complex via the southeast zipline and step into the first interior room | Two wall‑mounted electrical cabinets near the entrance |
| Power Rod door antechamber | Move into the next room with the Power Rod door on one side | Breaker cabinets on the walls, loose loot on consoles |
| Adjacent corridor | Exit toward the corridor that leads back outside to the elevator | Red toolbox in the corner, another electrical cabinet on the wall |
| Upper corner room | Take the nearby elevator or stairs up to the small room above, in the back corner | Additional electrical cabinets; these have produced Power Rod drops |
| Generator Hall floor | Continue deeper into the Generator Hall proper | Breached electrical panels on the sides of large generators (one or two per generator) |
The most reliable reports center on that southeast corner room at the top of the exterior zipline. The two “breach and search” panels in there have historically produced rods every few raids, though spawn rates can shift with patches. If those are dry, the cabinets beside the Power Rod door and the generator‑side panels deeper in the hall are the next best bets.
Other Dam locations can spawn Power Rods, too, albeit more sporadically. Players have pulled rods from power boxes in the hydroponic dam complex – especially near exits on the east side of the largest building – and from other electrical cabinets around Power Generation Complex. Night raids also nudge overall loot quality upward, which helps on a rare‑item hunt like this.
Other places to loot Power Rods
Power Rods are tagged as part of Exodus‑tier loot, which shapes where they appear outside of the Dam.
| Location | Hotspots | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Spaceport – Rocket Assembly | Exodus loot spawns inside the main Rocket Assembly building | Most consistent Exodus loot location; heavy PvP presence, especially on night raids |
| Spaceport – Underground tunnels | Wall‑mounted power circuits and breachable containers along the tunnel walls | High player traffic; power panels have a higher chance to drop rods than regular crates |
| Buried City | Rooftop “solar panel” containers | Less crowded, but Power Rod drops are much rarer here than in Dam or Spaceport |
Rocket Assembly stands out because it’s effectively the only place that reliably spawns Exodus loot without crafting. That’s good for Power Rod odds, but it also means you’re rarely alone. Expect to contest the area, and consider running it on night raids if you want increased rarity at the cost of even spicier encounters.
In the Spaceport tunnels, keep your focus on anything that looks like an electrical panel on the walls and on the special breachable containers that line the route. The panels are the higher‑value targets; containers can roll a rod, but at lower rates. These tunnels are described as hot zones for a reason, so weigh how badly you need the rod against how much gear you’re willing to risk.
When to loot, craft, or recycle for a Power Rod
There isn’t a single “right” way to secure a Power Rod. The best approach depends on where your account progression and comfort level sit.
| Option | Best for | Trade‑offs |
|---|---|---|
| Recycle Snap Hook | Players who have finished Lost in Transmission or looted a spare Hook from Harvester | Guaranteed rod but destroys a legendary item that might be useful later |
| Craft with Level III Refiner | Players who have invested into Workshop upgrades and can farm components safely | Upfront grind to reach Level III; costs rare mats but avoids PvP hotspots |
| Loot in Dam Power Generation Complex | Players comfortable running Dam, especially Generator Hall, and who want to double‑dip on the Power Rod room | Subject to RNG; risks losing a freshly found rod if you die before extracting |
| Loot in Spaceport Rocket Assembly | Players who enjoy PvP and want broader Exodus loot while hunting for rods | High‑risk environment, especially on night raids; more competition for loot |
If you already grip a Snap Hook you don’t care about, recycling it is usually the fastest path to clearing Tribute To Toledo. If your Workshop is close to a Level III Refiner, pushing that upgrade opens a sustainable way to print rods on demand. And if you like running Dam anyway, resetting on the Power Generation Complex zipline room and Generator Hall panels gives you both the quest item and access to that hidden loot room in the same neighborhood.
Whichever route you pick, treat the first rod as a quest item first and a key or crafting component second. Once Celeste is happy, the Power Rod room on Dam becomes far easier to justify – especially on a quiet night run when those red lockers decide to be generous.
