If you’re staring at a “Level 1” workbench in ARC Raiders with no way to level it up, you’re not missing a hidden quest. The basic Workbench in your Workshop is a fixed, Level 1 station. The real upgrade system lives in the other benches around it.
Workbench vs. Workshop benches
The game uses “workbench” loosely, which is part of the confusion. Inside the Workshop in your Raider Den, you have:
| Bench | Role | Upgradeable? |
|---|---|---|
| Workbench (basic bench) | Crafts starter weapons, all ammo types, basic consumables, Looting Mk.1 | No – fixed at Level 1 |
| Gunsmith | Weapon crafting and weapon mods | Yes, up to Level 3 |
| Gear Bench | Shields and Raider augment suits | Yes, up to Level 3 |
| Medical Lab | Healing items and shield rechargers | Yes, up to Level 3 |
| Explosives Station | Grenades and other explosives | Yes, up to Level 3 |
| Utility Station | Gadgets, tools, mobility and stealth items | Yes, up to Level 3 |
| Refiner | Converts basic materials into advanced components | Yes, up to Level 3 |
| Scrappy | Rooster that brings back materials between raids | Yes, has its own upgrade chain |
The “Level 1” tag on the basic Workbench is misleading, because it never exposes a Level Up tab. It’s essentially a free, always-available loadout bench for basic gear and ammo.
How to upgrade workbench stations in ARC Raiders
All actual upgrades happen from the Workshop screen in the Raider Den. The flow is the same for every upgradeable station.
| Step | What to do | What you see in-game |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Open the Workshop | From the Den, interact with the Workshop or open the Workshop tab from the stash menu. | Horizontal list of benches: Workbench, Gunsmith, Gear Bench, etc. |
| 2. Select a station | Highlight Gunsmith, Gear Bench, Medical Lab, Explosives Station, Utility Station, Refiner, or Scrappy. | Top of the screen shows the station name and current level. |
3. Switch to Level Up |
Use the on-screen button prompt to move between tabs at the top (usually “Crafting” and “Level Up”). | A Level Up tab appears on every upgradeable station. It never appears on the basic Workbench. |
| 4. Review requirements | In the Level Up tab, read the material list for the next level. | Each item shows a name, icon, and how many you own vs. how many you need. |
| 5. Track materials (optional) | Highlight a required material and mark it for tracking. | An eye icon will tag that item when it appears in loot during raids. |
| 6. Farm and extract the items | Run raids, collect the required materials, and extract with them. Use safe pockets for rare components. | Your inventory and stash update after a successful extraction. |
| 7. Confirm the upgrade | Once you have everything, return to the Workshop, reopen the Level Up tab, and hit the Upgrade/Confirm button. | Station level increases immediately and new recipes unlock. |
Blueprints and station levels work together. Having a blueprint early isn’t enough on its own: you still need the matching bench at the required level before that recipe becomes craftable.
What the non-upgradeable Workbench actually does
The basic Workbench you start with is built into the Workshop and has no Level Up tab. It stays at Level 1 for the entire game, even when every other station is maxed. Its job is to cover the essentials:
| Category | Examples crafted at the basic Workbench |
|---|---|
| Starter weapons | Ferro, Hairpin, Kettle, Stitcher |
| Ammo | Heavy, Light, Medium, Shotgun ammo |
| Basic consumables | Bandage, Shield Recharger, Light Impact Grenade |
| Entry-level augment | Looting Mk.1 |
Think of it as a permanent safety net: whenever you die and lose gear, you can always rebuild a barebones kit here using common materials. Everything more advanced lives on the other benches.
Material requirements to upgrade each workbench station
Each station upgrades from Level 1 to Level 3 and unlocks stronger gear along the way. The exact numbers vary slightly between references, but the core requirements are consistent.
Gunsmith upgrade requirements
| Gunsmith level | Materials needed | What this level is for |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (build / unlock) | 20× Metal Parts, 30× Rubber Parts | Initial station unlock; basic weapon crafting. |
| 2 | 3× Rusted Tools, 5× Mechanical Components, 8× Wasp Driver | Improved weapon roster and early attachments. |
| 3 | 3× Rusted Gear, 5× Advanced Mechanical Components, 3–4× Sentinel Firing Core (varies slightly by listing) | High-tier weapons and late-game weapon mods. |
Gear Bench upgrade requirements
| Gear Bench level | Materials needed | Notable unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (build / unlock) | 25× Plastic Parts, 30× Fabric | Light and Medium shields, Mk.1 augments. |
| 2 | 3× Power Cable, 5× Electrical Components, 5× Hornet Driver | Heavy Shield, Mk.2 augments. |
| 3 | 3× Industrial Battery, 5× Advanced Electrical Components, 6× Bastion Cell | Looting Mk.3 (Cautious) and other high-end augments. |
Medical Lab upgrade requirements
| Medical Lab level | Materials needed | Notable unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (build / unlock) | 50× Fabric, 6× ARC Alloy | Bandages, Herbal Bandage, Shield Recharger, basic meds. |
| 2 | 2× Cracked Bioscanner, 5× Durable Cloth, 8× Tick Pod | Stronger bandages and improved shield rechargers. |
| 3 | 3–5× Rusted Shut Medical Kit, 8–10× Antiseptic, 3–5× Bastion Part or Surveyor Vault (lists differ slightly) | Vita Spray and other top-tier healing items. |
Where requirements differ by one or two units across sources, expect some small variance in the live build after balance patches. The structure and material types remain the same.
Explosives Station upgrade requirements
| Explosives Station level | Materials needed | Notable unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (build / unlock) | 50× Chemicals, 6× ARC Alloy | Gas Grenade, Light Impact Grenade. |
| 2 | 3× Synthesized Fuel, 5× Crude Explosives, 5× Pop Trigger | Blaze Grenade and other mid-tier explosives. |
| 3 | 3× Laboratory Reagents, 5× Explosive Compound, 3× Rocketeer Driver | Heavy Fuze Grenade, Wolfpack, late-game explosives. |
Utility Station upgrade requirements
| Utility Station level | Materials needed | Notable unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (build / unlock) | 50× Plastic Parts, 6× ARC Alloy | Barricade Kit, Binoculars, Door Blocker, Smoke Grenade, basic gadgets. |
| 2 | 2× Damaged Heat Sink, 5× Electrical Components, 6× Snitch Scanner | Zipline, Lure Grenade, more utility items. |
| 3 | 3–5× Fried Motherboard, 3–5× Advanced Electrical Components, 3–4× Leaper Pulse Unit or Bison Driver (varies by listing) | Photoelectric Cloak, Snap Hook, Tagging Grenade and other late-game gadgets. |
Refiner upgrade requirements
| Refiner level | Materials needed | Notable unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (build / unlock) | 60–75× Metal Parts, 3–5× ARC Powercell or ARC Motion Core (numbers vary slightly) | Crafts Electrical Components, Crude Explosives, Mechanical Components. |
| 2 | 3× Toaster, 5× ARC Motion Core or ARC Circuitry, 8–10× Fireball Burner | Advanced Electrical and Mechanical Components, Antiseptic, ARC Circuitry, gun parts. |
| 3 | 3–5× Motor, 10–20× ARC Circuitry or ARC Motion Core, 1× Queen Part/Reactor or 6× Bombardier Cell (end-game variants) | Magnetic Accelerator, Mod Components, Power Rod and other high-end materials. |
Numbers at Level 1 and Level 3 show small discrepancies between published lists, but the item types and progression pattern are stable: basic metals and power at Level 1, household scraps and mid-tier ARC parts at Level 2, heavy mechanical and top-tier ARC loot at Level 3.
Scrappy’s upgrade requirements
Scrappy sits in the Workshop and periodically delivers basic materials. Upgrading him is separate from the workbenches but uses the same Level Up interface.
| Scrappy rank | Name | Materials needed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fledgling | None (default) |
| 2 | Forager | 1× Dog Collar |
| 3 | Scavenger | 3× Lemon, 3× Apricot |
| 4 | Treasure Hunter | 6× Prickly Pear, 6× Olives, 1× Cat Bed |
| 5 | Master Hoarder | 12× Mushroom, 12× Apricot, 3× Very Comfortable Pillow |
These plant and comfort items are much less common than metal and parts, so you usually need deliberate farming runs to push Scrappy to higher levels.
Where to farm upgrade materials efficiently
Most upgrade bottlenecks are about knowing where to go, not just what you need. The game quietly tags materials and landmarks with categories; matching those tags improves your odds of finding the right loot.
| Material type | Typical loot category | Good places to look |
|---|---|---|
| Metal Parts, Rubber Parts, Mechanical Components | Mechanical / Industrial | Dam Battlegrounds, industrial yards, toolboxes and red crates. |
| Plastic Parts, Fabric, Durable Cloth | Basic Material, Commercial | Residential blocks, shops, Marano Park for fabric-heavy areas. |
| Electrical Components, Power Cables, Advanced Electrical Components | Electrical, Technological | Spaceport, facilities with visible power and server rooms. |
| Chemicals, Crude Explosives, Explosive Compound | Chemicals, Security, Industrial | Industrial interiors, security rooms, warehouses. |
| ARC Alloy, ARC Circuitry, ARC Motion Core, ARC Powercell | ARC | High-threat activities, ARC-heavy encounters, event locations. |
| Wasp Driver, Hornet Driver, Tick Pod, Pop Trigger, Rocketeer Driver, Bastion Cell, Bombardier Cell, Bison Driver, Leaper Pulse Unit, Sentinel Firing Core | ARC | Drops from the named ARC enemy types: Wasps, Hornets, Ticks, Rocketeers, Bastions, Bombardiers, Bisons, Leapers, Sentinels. |
| Lemon, Apricot, Prickly Pear, Mushroom, Olives | Nature | Parks and green zones such as orchards in Marano Park. |
| Dog Collar, Cat Bed, Comfortable Pillows | Residential / Commercial | Houses, apartments, hotels and similar interiors. |
When you inspect an item in your inventory, the tooltip shows its category tag at the bottom. Matching that tag with a landmark’s tags on the map is the quickest way to narrow down search areas when you’re targeting a specific material.
Upgrade priorities that actually matter
Because every bench draws from the same pool of materials, upgrading everything evenly slows you down. The early game gets much smoother if you focus on a short list:
| Priority | Station | Why it’s early-game efficient |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gunsmith → Level 2 | Stronger weapons increase survival and extraction rates more than anything else. |
| 2 | Scrappy → Level 2 | Passive materials stack up over time and reduce future farming. |
| 3 | Gear Bench → Level 2 | Heavy shields and Mk.2 augments give a big jump in survivability. |
| 4 | Refiner → Level 2 | Lets you convert common materials into advanced components instead of endlessly farming rare drops. |
From there, tailor the rest to your playstyle: push Medical Lab and Gunsmith if you fight constantly, Utility and Gear Bench if you lean on stealth and gadgets, or Refiner and Scrappy if you enjoy being the group’s dedicated crafter.
If you’ve been hunting for a way to “upgrade the Workbench” specifically, the key is to shift your focus: the basic bench is intentionally static. The real progression is in the surrounding stations, their Level Up tabs, and the materials you bring home alive.
