Ion Sputter looks like an exotic sci‑fi artifact, but in ARC Raiders it’s really a high-value crafting part disguised as loot. It sits in the same bucket as other Exodus-only finds: heavy, expensive, and designed to be turned into core components rather than equipped or consumed directly.
This walkthrough breaks down what Ion Sputter is, where it shows up, and how recycling versus salvaging it changes what you get back and how many Raider Coins you effectively earn.
Ion Sputter in ARC Raiders: the essentials
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Item type | Recyclable material |
| Rarity | Epic |
| Location | Exodus (Stella Montis and related Exodus loot) |
| Weight | 1.5 kg |
| Stack size | 3 per inventory slot |
| Sell price | 6,000 Raider Coins |
| Item text | “Can be recycled into crafting materials.” |
Ion Sputter is tagged as “Recyclable” rather than as a weapon, gadget, or trinket. You cannot equip it or slot it into your build; its entire function is to be turned into other resources through the game’s recycling and salvaging systems.
Where to find Ion Sputter in Exodus
Ion Sputter is gated behind Exodus content. The item card explicitly lists “Can be found in: Exodus,” and the broader Exodus-exclusive loot pool includes other engineering-flavored components like Geiger Counter, Magnetron, and Flow Controller. These all share the same flavor text and are intended to drop during high-end activities in the Exodus environment.
Within Exodus, players report Ion Sputter as part of the new exclusive loot in Stella Montis, and likely in Spaceport’s Rocket Assembly area when that encounter is retrofitted with the updated loot tables. Expect Ion Sputter to appear as a rare drop while scavenging rather than as a guaranteed quest reward.
In the item taxonomy, Ion Sputter’s “Sources” field is simply Scavenging, which lines up with how these components quietly populate your backpack after tougher runs rather than being handed out by NPCs.
Ion Sputter recycling vs salvaging: what you actually get
Once you’ve extracted with an Ion Sputter, the real decision is what to do with it at your base or topside. The game splits this into two different actions: recycling in the Raider Den and salvaging while you’re still up top.
| Action | Location | Result from 1× Ion Sputter |
|---|---|---|
| Recycle | Raider Den (workshop recycling) | 4× Voltage Converter, 1× Exodus Modules |
| Salvage | Topside (field salvaging) | 1× Exodus Modules |
Both routes convert Ion Sputter into Exodus Modules, but recycling in the Den is significantly more generous. You keep the Exodus Module and pick up four Voltage Converters on top.
Voltage Converters and Exodus Modules both feed into mid and late-game project requirements, so recycling is the clear default unless you are under extreme pressure to free weight or inventory while still topside.
Ion Sputter coin value and the hidden recycling tax
On paper, Ion Sputter is worth 6,000 Raider Coins as a direct sale. Recycling it instead gives you parts that have their own notional values. When you total those values, you end up at 4,750 Raider Coins (2,750 from a single Exodus Modules and 2,000 from four Voltage Converters).
| Option | What you do | Immediate coin value | Implied coin value of outputs | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sell Ion Sputter | Sell item directly to a trader | 6,000 coins | – | Baseline |
| Recycle in Raider Den | Turn into Exodus Modules and Voltage Converters | 0 immediate coins | 4,750 coins worth of parts | –1,250 coins vs selling |
This is the “recycling tax”: you sacrifice 1,250 Raider Coins of market value to turn one flexible, expensive object into several specific components. In real runs that tradeoff usually makes sense because those parts can be scarce, and crafting progression often matters more than squeezing maximum coin value out of every drop.
Tip: if you are flush with materials but desperate for raw currency, you can justify selling Ion Sputter as a pure coin play. Otherwise, treat Ion Sputter as a premium crafting bundle rather than as vendor trash.
How Ion Sputter fits into Exodus-exclusive loot
Ion Sputter is part of a small set of Exodus-only components that all share the same structure: they are non-equippable, carry a rarity tag, quote a coin price on the card, and break down into more targeted parts when recycled. That set currently includes:
| Item | Rarity | Base coin value | Recycling output (summary) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ion Sputter | Epic | 6,000 | 1× Exodus Modules, 4× Voltage Converters |
| Magnetron | Epic | 6,000 | 1× Magnetic Accelerator, 1× Steel Spring |
| Geiger Counter | Epic | 3,500 | 1× Exodus Modules, 3× Batteries |
| Flow Controller | Rare | 3,000 | 1× Advanced Mechanical Components, 1× Sensor |
| Sample Cleaner | Rare | 3,000 | 2× Electrical Components, 14× Assorted Seeds |
| Frequency Modulation Box | Rare | 3,000 | 1× Advanced Electrical Components, 1× Speaker Component |
| Rotary Encoder | Rare | 3,000 | 2× Electrical Components, 2× Processors |
| Signal Amplifier | Rare | 3,000 | 2× Electrical Components, 2× Voltage Converters |
The consistent “Can be recycled into crafting materials” line is doing a lot of work here. For this entire family, the optimal play is not to hoard the item itself but to view it as a conversion node: Exodus loot in, build-enabling parts out.
Some of these items already tie into specific trader tasks. For example, Tian Wen can ask for Magnetron and Flow Controller in one of the newer quests. While Ion Sputter is not called out in that quest requirement, the pattern suggests other items in the set may be pulled into similar requests over time, and Ion Sputter could show up in future project recipes or deliveries.
When to carry Ion Sputter out and when to cut it loose
Ion Sputter is expensive, but it’s not weightless. At 1.5 kg per unit and a stack size of three, a full stack eats 4.5 kg of your carry capacity. On longer Exodus runs, you will eventually have to choose between extra ammo, medical supplies, and these heavy crafting items.
Use a simple mental checklist:
| Situation | Recommended move | Why |
|---|---|---|
| You’re early in progression and starved for Exodus Modules | Extract with Ion Sputter and recycle it | Modules gate key upgrades and projects; Voltage Converters are a useful bonus |
| Your hideout is stocked with converters, but coins are tight | Sell Ion Sputter instead of recycling | 6,000 coins immediately, no 1,250-coin recycling tax |
| Backpack is capped mid-run, ammo is low, and extraction is risky | Drop or salvage less efficient loot first | Ion Sputter’s material bundle is usually more valuable than generic scrap |
| You’re specifically farming Voltage Converters and Modules | Prioritize picking up Ion Sputter over other Exodus items when space is limited | It converts into both resources at once, simplifying farming routes |
Note: salvaging topside is a last resort. You lose the Voltage Converters and keep only the Exodus Module, so it’s strictly worse than recycling in the Den unless you absolutely cannot afford to carry the full item back.
How Ion Sputter supports builds and projects
Ion Sputter itself does not change how your ARC plays, but the parts it turns into absolutely do. Exodus Modules are high-tier currency for advanced projects and upgrades, while Voltage Converters sit in the recipe chain for more complex gear and structural upgrades.
Even if you’re not working toward a specific blueprint right now, recycling Ion Sputter steadily builds a buffer of these components so you are not hard-stalled later. That’s especially important once you start juggling multiple Expedition Projects and hideout improvements that all pull from the same material pool.
The overall pattern is clear: Ion Sputter is a future-investment item. Treating it as a short-term coin source is viable in emergencies, but its real value shows up when you’re pushing deeper into ARC Raiders’ progression systems and need high-grade parts on demand.
Ion Sputter sits in a clever intersection of risk and reward: it only drops in Exodus, it eats real weight, and it’s never as simple as “just sell this.” If you keep its recycling outputs and the quiet 1,250-coin tax in mind, it becomes one of the cleaner calls you make after each mission—either lock in a chunk of late-game materials now or cash it out to fund whatever you need for the next raid.
