The Comet Igniter is a new arc material introduced in Arc Raiders' Shrouded Sky update, and you need at least one to complete stage two of the Weather Monitoring System project. It cannot be found as ground loot or crafted. The only way to obtain it is by killing a Comet — one of the new ARC enemies — and looting its remains.
Quick answer: Destroy a Comet ARC unit before it explodes, then loot the central core (not the outer ring) to get the Comet Igniter. Comets spawn outdoors on every map except Stella Montis.
What Is a Comet and How to Identify One
Comets are sphere-shaped ARC enemies that function like an outdoor, heavily armored version of Pops. They have a single light on the front and a strip of light running over the top of the ball. When a Comet detects you, those lights shift from neutral to yellow (detected) and then to red (attack imminent). At that point, the Comet spins up, rolls toward you at high speed, stops nearby, and charges with a high-pitched whine — the same audio cue Leapers use before a shockwave — before detonating in a large area-of-effect explosion.
Unlike Pops and Fireballs, which patrol inside structures, Comets are exclusively outdoor enemies. You can often spot them dropping in from the sky, leaving a visible arc trail near their landing point before they begin patrolling. Their explosion is loud and distinctive, so even if you don't see one land, you'll hear it if one goes off nearby.
Why You Must Kill the Comet Before It Explodes
This is the critical detail most players miss. When a Comet detonates on its own — either by reaching you or by completing its charge-up sequence — the central core that contains the Comet Igniter is destroyed. You can still loot the outer metal ring after a self-destruct, but the ring only holds common parts like ARC Coolant and Advanced ARC Powercells. No core means no Igniter.
To get the Comet Igniter, you need to deal enough damage to disable the Comet during its charge-up phase, before the explosion completes. When you successfully destroy one, two separate lootable parts remain on the ground: the outer ring and the central core. The Igniter is inside the core, so make sure you're looting the right piece.
Best Weapons for Killing Comets
Comets carry substantial armor, similar to Arc Surveyors. Standard weapons won't cut through fast enough given the narrow time window between detection and detonation. Heavy weapons are essential.
The Hullcracker is the best option by a wide margin — it can one-shot a Comet, completely removing the time pressure. If you don't have a Hullcracker, the Anvil, Ferro, and Bettina are all viable alternatives, though they require multiple hits and benefit from engaging at maximum range. The Il Toro shotgun technically has enough damage output, but getting close enough to use it puts you squarely inside the blast radius.
Seeker grenades are an excellent backup option. They track the target and can eliminate a Comet before it reaches you. Heavy Fuze Grenades and Trigger 'Nades also deal significant damage to the Comet's shell, though they may not disable it outright — follow up with heavy ammo shots to finish the job. Wolfpack homing grenades work well too, especially if you're caught off guard.
Comet Spawn Locations Across All Maps
Comets appear on every map with outdoor areas. The one exception is Stella Montis, where neither Comets nor the other new enemy type (Fireflies) spawn. For farming purposes, focus on maps with large open sections.
| Map | Recommended Patrol Area |
|---|---|
| Buried City | The square north of Plaza Rosa, the park area |
| Dam Battlegrounds | On the dam itself near the Control Tower |
| Spaceport | Open areas between the buildings |
| The Blue Gate | Farms and fields in the open sections |
Comets can appear during regular raids and during the Hurricane weather condition. There's no confirmed evidence that Hurricane events increase Comet spawn rates, but you'll encounter plenty of them during storms regardless. They spawn at any time of day or night.
Watch for arc trails in the sky — that's a Comet (or other ARC) landing. Once it touches down, it begins patrolling the open area where it landed. Comets tend to favor the same high-traffic outdoor zones where you'd normally encounter Bastions and Leapers.
Farming Strategy
Step 1: Pick any map except Stella Montis. Buried City and Dam Battlegrounds are particularly reliable because their open areas are large and easy to scan.
Step 2: Equip a Hullcracker if you have one. If not, bring an Anvil or Ferro alongside Seeker or Wolfpack grenades. Carry your best shield and healing items — even a near-miss from a Comet explosion can deal around 50 percent of your health without a shield.
Step 3: Patrol outdoor areas and scan for the distinctive single-light-plus-strip glow of a Comet. Listen for the spin-up sound that signals one is nearby. If you see arc trails descending from the sky, move toward the landing zone.
Step 4: Engage from maximum range. Open with a grenade, or Hullcracker shot, before the Comet detects you. If it does detect you and begins rolling, keep your distance and keep firing. Once it stops and the high-pitched charge-up whine begins, you have only seconds to finish it.
Step 5: After the Comet is destroyed, loot the central core — not the outer ring — to collect the Comet Igniter. If only a ring is present, the Comet likely self-destructed, and the core was destroyed.
Possible Drop Issues
Some players have reported that Comets don't always drop an Igniter even when destroyed before detonation. There's ongoing debate about whether this is a bug or intended behavior. In some cases, an invisible or unlootable container appears where the core should be. It's possible that the drop is not guaranteed on every kill, so you may need to hunt multiple Comets. If you're consistently getting only the ring and no core, make sure you're actually destroying the Comet before its explosion completes — the timing window is tight, and a Comet that finishes its charge-up will destroy its own core.
You need at least one Comet Igniter for stage two of the Weather Monitoring System project. Stage five of the same project requires a Firefly Burner, which drops from the other new Shrouded Sky enemy. Both materials are exclusive to their respective ARC types and cannot be obtained any other way, so plan your loadout accordingly before heading Topside.