Beachcombing is the new minor map condition that arrived with the Riven Tides update for Arc Raiders, and it turns the abandoned shoreline of the Rust Belt's western coast into a treasure hunt. When the condition is active, valuables stay buried under the sand until you sweep over them with a handheld detector, dig them up, and try to extract before another Raider, an ARC patrol, or the new floating ARC Turbine cuts the run short.
What Beachcombing changes on Riven Tides
Beachcombing is classified as a minor map condition, in the same family as Lush Blooms or Bird City. It does not strip out Return Points, raise ARC aggression, or alter visibility the way Night Raid, Hurricane, or Electromagnetic Storm do. Instead, it layers a loot-focused activity on top of the existing map.
While the condition is active on Riven Tides, three things change on the coast:
- Valuables become buried in the sand and require detection to find.
- Dockmaster's Detector pickups can be looted from containers around the map.
- Bird activity along the shoreline increases.
The condition is exclusive to Riven Tides. It will not appear on Dam Battlegrounds, Spaceport, Buried City, Blue Gate, or Stella Montis, since those maps lack the open coastline the activity is built around.
How to get the Dockmaster's Detector
You cannot interact with buried loot without the Dockmaster's Detector. There are three reliable ways to obtain one.
| Source | What you do | Reward |
|---|---|---|
| Avian Alarm project | Complete Stage 1 by deploying bird cages at buoys along the Riven Tides coastline | One Dockmaster's Detector |
| Apollo's "Shoring Up Defenses" quest | Reinforce the Panorama Azzurro hotel and clear ARC enemies as instructed | One Dockmaster's Detector |
| World loot | Search Toolboxes and Industrial Crates on Riven Tides, especially during Beachcombing | Random chance to find one |
The Avian Alarm Raider project is the most dependable path. Its first stage is short, and finishing it puts the detector directly in your inventory. Working through all five stages also rewards Gel Patches, the Bird House backpack attachment, the Fist In Air emote, and 250 Raider Tokens in total.
Note: The detector occupies a weapon slot when equipped, so you will be sweeping the sand with one less gun ready to fire.
How to use the detector to dig up loot
Step 1: Drop into a Riven Tides session while Beachcombing is the active minor map condition. Carry the Dockmaster's Detector in your loadout, either from a previous run or by looting one on the way.
Step 2: Head to open sand. The richest hunting grounds are exposed coastal stretches rather than the cover of the Panorama Azzurro hotel or the dockyard interior. The northern beaches, including Azzurro Beach, Seabed, Wavebreaker, and Wreckage, are strong starting points.
Step 3: Equip the detector and sweep it across the ground as you walk. Listen for the beeps and watch the indicator. The signal turning orange means a buried item is nearby; green means you are standing on top of one. Faster, louder beeps mean you are closer.
Step 4: Interact with the small mound of sand to dig. Loot ranges from cash and consumables to suitcases, weapon cases, and the new Ship Models tied to the Last Resort event. Some digs uncover explosives instead, so be ready to back off if the prompt looks wrong.
Step 5: Extract through the nearest elevator or hatch. The condition is on a timer like every other map condition, so plan your route to a return point before the rotation ends.
Ship Models and the Last Resort tie-in
Beachcombing overlaps with the Last Resort live event, which runs through May 25. During Last Resort, your earned XP also converts into Merits, and miniature Ship Models hidden across all maps grant additional Merit values based on rarity. Digs on Riven Tides can produce these models, making the beach one of the more efficient places to farm them.
| Ship Model | Rarity |
|---|---|
| Wind Sprite | Common |
| Twilight Compass | Uncommon |
| Velocity | Rare |
| Sirena Dorata | Epic |
| Leviathan's Crown | Legendary |
Stacking enough Merits unlocks three pages of rewards from Last Resort, including the Junior Outfit, the Hydrologist backpack, the Hose attachment, the Brass Faucet charm, new emotes, and 250 Raider Tokens.
Risks to plan around
Beachcombing pulls you into the worst possible terrain for a firefight. The best dig sites are wide, flat, and have almost no cover, which creates a few specific problems.
- Snipers and long-range blueprints. Open beaches are ideal for rifles like the Osprey and Jupiter. A Raider focused on the detector is an easy target on a ridgeline scope.
- The ARC Turbine. The new floating ARC machine patrols the Rust Belt skies and can drift over the coast while you are exposed. Scan the horizon before committing to a dig.
- Tunnel vision. The detector demands attention to its visual and audio cues, which makes it easy to miss footsteps or distant gunfire. The new White Flag deployable can be used to signal non-aggression to other Raiders if you would rather avoid a fight.
- Explosive digs. Not every mound is a payday. Be prepared to break off and reposition if a dig surfaces a hazard.
When the condition is active
Map conditions in Arc Raiders rotate roughly every 60 minutes, and each map runs an independent schedule. Beachcombing only appears in the Riven Tides rotation alongside other conditions like Night Raid and the events shared with the rest of the Rust Belt. Live event timers maintained by the community are the most practical way to check the next Beachcombing window before you queue up, since the rotation shifts daily.
If you want the full reward stack, the loop is simple enough to internalize: finish Avian Alarm Stage 1 for a guaranteed detector, queue into Riven Tides when Beachcombing is up, sweep the northern beaches for buried valuables and Ship Models, and extract before the timer flips. The official Riven Tides update notes cover the rest of the patch's content if you want to pair the activity with the new Crash Mat, Powered Descender, and cosmetic sets rolling out through May.