The Stella Montis Archives Key is one of several new location keys in ARC Raiders that point directly at the unreleased Stella Montis map. If you pulled one out of a random locker on Dam or Spaceport and have no idea what to do with it, that behavior is intentional.
Stella Montis Archives Key basics
On paper, the Stella Montis Archives Key is very straightforward. It behaves like every other named location key in ARC Raiders, just for a map you cannot enter yet.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Item type | Key |
| Rarity | Uncommon / map-specific key (listed as Key, sometimes Epic in databases) |
| Name | Stella Montis Archives Key |
| Primary use | Unlocks a door in the Archives / Medical Research area in Stella Montis |
| Weight | 0.25 kg |
| Stack size | 1 |
| Sell price | 100 Raider Credits |
| Acquisition | General scavenging from existing maps and containers |
The key weighs almost nothing but cannot stack. Each copy occupies one slot in your inventory or stash, just like other location keys tied to The Dam, Spaceport, Buried City, and Blue Gate.
Where the Stella Montis Archives Key is used
The in-game description makes one thing clear: this key is bound to a specific interior space in Stella Montis, not a generic “any locked door” tool. It is described as unlocking a door in the Archives in Stella Montis, and another description references Medical Research in the same complex.
Functionally, that means:
- The key is targeted at a single named sub-area of the Stella Montis map (Archives / Medical Research).
- It will interact only with the matching door or doors in that section.
- Nothing on Dam, Spaceport, Buried City, or Blue Gate will respond to it.
Until Stella Montis is part of the deployment rotation, the key has no door to talk to. It sits in your stash as future access to a themed archive area that should behave like other high‑value interiors in the game.
Why you are already looting Stella Montis keys
Players have been pulling Stella Montis keys out of lockers, departure buildings, and general loot runs on existing maps. That is by design. Stella Montis is being positioned as a new map with its own internal structures, and the keys are seeded into the global loot pool ahead of time.
Stella Montis currently has multiple named keys visible in the item lists:
| Key name | Destination in Stella Montis |
|---|---|
| Stella Montis Medical Storage Key | Medical Research / medical storage |
| Stella Montis Assembly Admin Key | Assembly section |
| Stella Montis Archives Key | Archives / Medical Research |
| Stella Montis Security Checkpoint Key | Security checkpoint area |
All of them drop today from scavenging on live maps, but their doors only exist inside Stella Montis. They function as tickets into specific rooms for when the community unlocks the new area.
That is why you can extract with the Archives Key now but cannot find any matching door markers or prompts on current locations. The content it belongs to is not active yet.
How the Stella Montis Archives Key fits into the wider key system
The best way to understand the Archives Key is to place it alongside the older location keys that already shape runs on existing maps. ARC Raiders follows a simple pattern for them:
- Each key calls out a precise structure or interior (hospital, town hall, tower, bunker, etc.).
- That key opens one specific door, or in a few cases two, inside that named area.
- They are looted through scavenging and can be sold for around 100 Raider Credits.
Here is how the Stella Montis entries line up with some of the older keys:
| Key | Map | Destination type |
|---|---|---|
| Dam Surveillance / Staff Room / Testing Annex keys | The Dam | Technical, admin, and research interiors |
| Buried City Hospital Key | Buried City | Hospital interior with healing‑oriented loot |
| Blue Gate Communication Tower Key | Blue Gate | Communication tower space with tech and combat loot |
| Stella Montis Medical Storage Key | Stella Montis | Medical research / storage room |
| Stella Montis Archives Key | Stella Montis | Archives / Medical Research interior |
Stella Montis is clearly structured as a full map with multiple sub‑zones: medical, assembly, archives, security. The Archives Key is one part of that loop, pointing to a curated archive space that should mirror the focused loot rooms seen in other regions.
Can you use the Stella Montis Archives Key right now?
In its current state, the key is not usable on any existing door. No bunker, hatch, warehouse, or tower in the present set of maps recognizes the Archives Key.
The intended flow is simple:
- You find the key while scavenging on current maps.
- The community completes whatever event or milestone is tied to Stella Montis.
- Stella Montis enters the map rotation as a selectable destination.
- You deploy there, reach the Archives / Medical Research section, and unlock its door with the key.
Until Stella Montis is on the destination list, the key is purely preparatory. It has a defined sell value and full item card, but no active interaction in‑match.
Stella Montis Archives Key: stash it or sell it?
The decision comes down to short‑term currency versus future access to a locked archive room.
| Option | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Keep the key | Guarantees entry to an archive room in Stella Montis once the map is live; potential for concentrated loot | Occupies stash space, offers no benefit before Stella Montis unlocks |
| Sell the key | Immediate 100 Raider Credits, frees inventory slots for current runs | Loses access to that specific archive door unless you loot another copy later |
Because the key weighs only 0.25 kg and does not stack, the main constraint is slot count, not weight. If your stash is reasonably developed, holding onto at least one Archives Key is a low‑risk bet for future runs. If you are early in progression and fighting for every extra slot, cashing it in is defensible, especially if Stella Montis is not a priority for you.
Note: there is no sign that the key is time‑limited. If you do keep one, it can sit safely in your stash until you are ready to focus on Stella Montis.
How to get the Stella Montis Archives Key
The key is part of the general loot ecosystem rather than a quest or trader reward. That means it can appear anywhere other location keys show up:
- Random loot containers such as lockers and crates.
- Environmental caches or hidden stashes.
- General world drops during scavenging runs.
Players have reported finding it:
- In lockers on Dam Battlegrounds.
- Inside buildings around the Spaceport departure area.
- As a drop after encounters that end in successful extraction.
There is no confirmed guaranteed spawn container or quest chain for the Archives Key yet. It behaves like other late‑game keys: you accumulate them naturally as you increase loot volume and extraction consistency across maps.
How the Archives Key pairs with the Medical Storage Key
The Stella Montis Medical Storage Key is the other clearly documented Stella Montis key right now. It mirrors the Archives Key closely, just pointed at the medical wing:
| Property | Stella Montis Archives Key | Stella Montis Medical Storage Key |
|---|---|---|
| Destination | Archives / Medical Research | Medical Research / medical storage |
| Loot flavor (expected) | Data/tech‑leaning archive room, mixed high‑value loot | Medical storage room, likely dense healing items and related gear |
| Weight | 0.25 kg | 0.25 kg |
| Sell price | 100 Raider Credits | 100 Raider Credits |
| Acquisition | Scavenging in current maps | Scavenging in current maps |
Together with the Assembly Admin and Security Checkpoint keys, these items sketch out how Stella Montis will function: a full‑size map divided into named sectors, each with at least one locked room that rewards players who bank keys ahead of the rollout.
For now, the Stella Montis Archives Key is less a tool and more a promise. It confirms that Stella Montis will include an archive or research wing with its own locked door, and it gives you a way to pre‑load access before that space exists in the rotation. If your stash can absorb a few extra single‑slot items, keeping an Archives Key ready is a simple way to be prepared the day Stella Montis finally comes online.
