ARC Raiders Outpost guide: Sheltered Retreat stages, Research Station levels 1-4, Gunsmith 4 link and the 100 Furniture Designs.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7769,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[176],"tags":[],"blog_tag":[],"class_list":["post-7761","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arc-raiders"],"acf":{"redactor":[{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"
The ARC Raiders Outpost is a decorable surface base that arrived with the Frozen Trail 2.0 update on 8 October 2026, and you unlock it by finishing a three-stage project called Sheltered Retreat. Below, Embark’s patch notes are kept apart from community wiki data.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":"
TL;DR<\/p>\n
Embark’s patch notes list the Outpost as a Frozen Trail<\/a> highlight next to a new Research Bench and lootable Design items that unlock craftable furniture. The notes say it can be unlocked by completing a project, that it can be expanded with different modules, and that unlocking it unlocks access to the Research Station. The notes also say to accept the quest and bring your camera.<\/p>\n Everything below that is more specific than those lines comes from the community wiki or third-party guides, and is labelled that way where it appears. In the wiki’s description, the Outpost is yours to decorate and is also where research too risky for Speranza is done. It also notes the Outpost is not walkable in the Frozen Trail update, and says developers have hinted that this might change later. For how the rest of the update fits together, see our Frozen Trail 2.0 overview<\/a>.<\/p>\n Embark’s Known Issues list names the first stage, Research Topside Living Conditions, and says it asks for a photo of a farmland house. Stages two and three below come from the ARC Raiders Wiki Outpost page<\/a> and third-party guides, not from Embark’s text. Several third-party guides report that the project needs player level 18. Embark’s notes do not state a level, and whether 18 is a hard gate or just when the project appears is not confirmed.<\/p>\n Embark’s patch notes list the Bully as a new enemy but do not say which map it spawns on; the notes do not give a map for Stage 3 damage. Some guides place Bullies on Pendola Pass, which we have not verified.<\/p>\n Stage 2 rewards a Red Light Stick Blueprint. Stage 3 rewards 1 Hotel Chair Design, 15 Planks and 5 Durable Cloth on the wiki; Insider Gaming calls the chair a Decorative Chair. The Stage 1 reward is a Camera Blueprint in Insider Gaming’s table and an Advanced Camera Blueprint in other sources, so the exact name is unconfirmed.<\/p>\n Warning<\/p>\n Embark’s Known Issues list for the Outpost includes furniture clipping through the structure, unselectable slots when furniture blocks them, and the Outpost tab missing its orange dot after Stage 1. The notes say most of those fixes are in the works for an upcoming Live Update. Material costs below are community data and could change with a hotfix.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"steps","intro":"The order of the project, from the menu to the last damage check.","steps":[{"title":"Open the Outpost tab","description":"the project is listed there, in the menu at the top of the screen (per the wiki).","image":""},{"title":"Accept the quest and get a Camera","description":"Embark says to accept the quest and bring your camera, and its Known Issues list says the Camera can be bought at Shani's, crafted at the Workbench, or found Topside. ","image":""},{"title":"Photograph a farmland house on Blue Gate","description":"Embark names the photo of a farmland house as stage 1; the wiki places it around the Ruined Homestead on Blue Gate. It needs a real Camera.","image":""},{"title":"Hand in the Stage 2 materials","description":"stage 2, Gather Building Materials: 3 Planks, 5 Sheet Metal, 10 ARC Alloy and 3 Advanced Electrical Components, as the wiki and Insider Gaming list it.","image":""},{"title":"Deal the Stage 3 damage","description":"stage 3, Safeguard the Building Site: 800 damage to flying ARC and 300 to Bullies. Finishing it unlocks the Outpost.","image":""}]},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Research Station Levels 1 \u2013 4: Materials and the Outpost Requirement","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" The wiki notes that Research Station levels require a matching Outpost level, so level N of the station cannot go in before the Outpost is at level N. The material lists below come from the community wiki and are not in Embark’s patch notes.<\/p>\n The Stage 3 reward of 15 Planks covers part of the 35 Planks level 1 needs.<\/p>\n The cost in time: the four levels add up to 73 items by our arithmetic, but 35 of them are Planks and the rest are single-digit counts of specific parts, mostly dropped by the new ARC enemies at levels 2 \u2013 4. No source we read gives a drop rate or a hours-per-level figure, so the total time is not something we can state. Each Outpost expansion has to come first on top of this.<\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"table","headers":[{"header_text":"Level"},{"header_text":"Materials (wiki)"},{"header_text":"Items"}],"rows":[{"cells":[{"cell_text":"1"},{"cell_text":"3 Mini Pump, 35 Planks, 5 Battered Paperback"},{"cell_text":"43"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"2"},{"cell_text":"3 Calculator, 3 Raider Logbook, 5 Skulker Targeter"},{"cell_text":"11"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"3"},{"cell_text":"3 Differential Microphone, 3 Exodus Technical Handbook, 6 Bully Fragmenter"},{"cell_text":"12"}]},{"cells":[{"cell_text":"4"},{"cell_text":"3 Thermal Shaker, 3 ARC Data Module, 1 Frigate Inductor"},{"cell_text":"7"}]}],"size":"small"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"Gunsmith Level 4: How It Links to the Outpost","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" The community wiki lists Gunsmith level 4 as 3 Radial Press, 3 Magnetic Accelerator and 1 Emperor Modulator, and says it unlocks Weapon Amplification. One third-party guide reports that Gunsmith 4 also needs the Outpost at level 4, and tells of a streamer who held every material but was stuck at Outpost level 3; that is a community anecdote, not verified. The same guide describes Amplification as a fifth weapon quality tier reached after both the Research Station and the Gunsmith are at level 4.<\/p>\n The Gunsmith is a normal workbench, not part of the Outpost. For bench order, see our workbench upgrade order guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"100 Furniture Designs: What Embark Says and What the Community Adds","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" Embark’s notes say Furniture Designs work similarly to blueprints: you learn them, then craft furniture for your Outpost. The 100 split into 73 found Topside, 22 unlocked by upgrading the Outpost, 4 exclusive to the Frozen Trail Pass and 1 exclusive to the DLC.<\/p>\n The data site ARC Tracker splits the 100 differently, by how you get the design: 53 researchable at the Research Station and 47 found in raids with no research needed. It also says finishing Sheltered Retreat unlocks 19 furniture pieces with no design needed. That is extracted community data with an unstated method, so treat it as a guide, not a rule.<\/p>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":7771,"caption":"","alt":"Furnished room inside the ARC Raiders Outpost with salvaged furniture"},{"acf_fc_layout":"title","heading":"What Embark Has Not Published About Outpost Expansion","tag":"h2"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" The patch notes say only that the Outpost can be expanded with different modules; they give no material cost per expansion and no number of Outpost levels. Several third-party guides agree on four Outpost levels and give these costs: level 2 needs 3 Steel Cable, 20 Sheet Metal and 3 Cable Strippers; level 3 needs 3 Epoxy Buckets, 35 Planks and 3 Hand Drills; level 4 needs 40 Sheet Metal, 3 Laser Levels and 3 Insulation Rolls. Read that as community data, not confirmed by Embark; check the cost on the in-game expand screen before gathering. One community tracker also puts the room cap at a base room plus three modules.<\/p>\n Our Take<\/p>\n The Outpost is a gated progression chain, not just a decoration screen.<\/p>\n The project itself is short and its requirements are listed. The real work is the Research Station and Gunsmith chain, which needs matching Outpost levels and specific ARC parts. Our reading: do it in that order, and verify each cost in the game menu, since the figures are community-sourced.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"text","text":" This table separates what the studio has confirmed and what is not confirmed yet. Each claim below is tied to the post and the game version it describes.<\/p>\nStage rewards as listed<\/h3>\n
Community breakdown (not Embark’s)<\/h3>\n
Sources and Confidence<\/h2>\n
\n\n
\n \nClaim<\/th>\n Where it comes from<\/th>\n Status<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Outpost unlocked by a project, expanded with modules, gives Research Station access<\/td>\n arcraiders.com (Embark Studios patch notes)<\/a><\/td>\n Official<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 100 Furniture Designs: 73 Topside, 22 Outpost upgrades, 4 Pass, 1 DLC<\/td>\n arcraiders.com (Embark Studios patch notes)<\/a><\/td>\n Official<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Sheltered Retreat stages, Gunsmith 4 cost, Research Station needs matching Outpost level<\/td>\n ARC Raiders Wiki (arcraiders.wiki)<\/a><\/td>\n Community-reported; primary source not verified<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Level 18 gate for Sheltered Retreat is reported by third-party guides<\/td>\n KeenGamer (keengamer.com)<\/a><\/td>\n Press report – not independently verified<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n 53 researchable \/ 47 found furniture split and 19 free pieces from the project<\/td>\n ARC Tracker (arctracker.io)<\/a><\/td>\n Community-reported; primary source not verified<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n"},{"acf_fc_layout":"faq","items":[{"question":"How do I unlock the Outpost in ARC Raiders?","answer":"Complete the Sheltered Retreat project in the Outpost tab; Embark's notes say to accept the quest and bring your camera. "},{"question":"What level do I need for Sheltered Retreat?","answer":"Third-party guides report level 18, but Embark's patch notes do not state a level. "},{"question":"Where do I take the Stage 1 photo?","answer":"Per the wiki and third-party guides, photograph a farmland house around the Ruined Homestead on Blue Gate, using a Camera. "},{"question":"Do Research Station levels need the Outpost to be upgraded?","answer":"Per the community wiki, yes: Research Station levels require a matching Outpost level. "},{"question":"How many Furniture Designs are there?","answer":"Embark's notes list 100: 73 Topside, 22 from Outpost upgrades, 4 Frozen Trail Pass, 1 DLC. "}]}],"bottom":[{"acf_fc_layout":"more_articles","heading":"","posts":[],"count":10},{"acf_fc_layout":"chat","heading":""}],"meta_description":"ARC Raiders Outpost guide: Sheltered Retreat stages, Research Station levels 1-4, Gunsmith 4 link and the 100 Furniture Designs."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7761","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7761"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7761\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7764,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7761\/revisions\/7764"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7769"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7761"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7761"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7761"},{"taxonomy":"blog_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neonsect.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog_tag?post=7761"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}