To clear the Frigate in ARC Raiders, join a map with the ARC Frigate condition, ride a Reclaimer up to the ship, open the route through its decks, destroy the Power Cores, release the central cargo and return to a normal extraction point. The ship itself is not your exit. Reaching its cargo is only useful if you can get the loot back to Speranza.
This ARC Raiders Frigate guide covers the full Frozen Trail operation and the shorter solo material route. It reflects the October 2026 Update 2.2 changes to Hydra targeting, Frigate cargo and traversal. The detailed ship sequence is based on documented player clears; live interactions and objectives can change with later patches.
Frigate Quick Guide: Which Run Should You Attempt?
You do not need to finish the entire ship every time. Pick the goal before you equip a loadout because the full puzzle and a short materials raid need different resources and teammates.
| Your Goal | What To Do | Main Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Boarding the Frigate quest | Board the ship and damage the requested ARC types, then leave through a standard exit | No need to finish the cargo puzzle, but the upper decks are dangerous |
| Solo or duo materials | Board, search reachable hull containers, protect a valuable module and descend | Not a guaranteed drop and not a full Frigate clear |
| Full Frigate clear | Coordinate lifts, clear ARC, destroy the cores, release cargo, loot and extract | Simultaneous controls need cooperation; a trio or helpful other Raiders is the practical plan |
First decision: if your task is only to obtain an Inductor or find an Amplification Module, do not automatically start a long Power Core clear. If you want the cargo release and full operation completion, commit to a coordinated run with plenty of ammunition and time left on the raid clock.
Clear the Ship With Help or Learn the Route Yourself
A full Frigate clear is a coordinated ARC operation, not a normal loot run. Decide whether you want a supported clear or to practice the ship route with your own team.
Where Does the ARC Frigate Spawn?
Frigate is a rotating map condition, not a permanent room on Pendola Pass. The event appears on eligible destinations including Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, The Blue Gate, Riven Tides and Pendola Pass. Stella Montis is not on the currently documented Frigate map list. Before deploying, check the destination card for ARC Frigate and No Free Loadout. Do not trust an old event timetable or simply enter the first available map.
The warship arrives early in the session and holds position above the play area. Its cannon can target players on the ground; warning lasers and sound are reasons to move toward hard cover, not to pause for a better view. Frigate rounds are high-risk ARC operations even when you intend to stay near the lower hull.
Rules that change your extraction plan
- Free Loadouts are disabled. Bring a custom kit you can afford to lose and check that your chosen augment has a Safe Pocket if you plan to protect a rare material.
- Raider Hatches are inactive. Choose a normal exit before boarding and recheck it after the ship’s cargo reaches the ground.
- Locked rooms on the ground are inactive and ordinary ground loot is reduced. This is a Frigate-focused event, not an efficient substitute for a standard resource route.
- It is still PvPvE. Other Raiders may board the same ship. The temporary PvE matchmaking test ended on October 20; it did not establish an ongoing Frigate PvE option.
On Pendola Pass, a normal exit means using the map’s Ballistic Gondola system rather than a Raider Hatch. For the exact exit mechanics across different maps, use the ARC Raiders safe extraction guide; this article covers the ship operation itself.
Best Frigate Loadout: What to Bring Before Boarding
This is a longer operation than most regular loot runs. The most useful loadout is the one you can keep supplied while fighting armored ARC, handling Hydra crossfire, opening routes and finally running to extraction.
| Slot | Practical Choice | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Anti-ARC weapon | A Hullcracker, Jupiter or another weapon you can reliably use against heavy ARC | Cores, armored threats and sustained ship fights demand more than light ammunition |
| General combat weapon | A dependable rifle or sidearm, with enough ammunition for Raiders as well as ARC | A specialized anti-ARC gun alone can leave you vulnerable to player pushes |
| Movement | Grappling Hook or Snap Hook; a descent option if available | Provides a route around awkward climbs and some stalled lift sections |
| Defense | Healing, Shield Rechargers and Barricade Kits | Hydra firing angles and exposed consoles quickly punish teams without cover |
| Inventory | Space for special materials and an eligible Safe Pocket | Rare modules have little value to your plan if they are lost before extraction |
Do not copy a fixed ammo count from an old clip. Your actual budget depends on squad size, whether other Raiders cooperate, which cores are already destroyed and how often enemies spawn. Pack more than for a regular farming run, but do not invest your entire stash in your first attempt.
The new Hydra can fire at more than one target. Update 2.2 fixed target distribution and adjusted its base damage, so a single player standing in front of the turret cannot be treated as a reliable distraction. Put real cover between different firing angles and spread out only when the terrain offers safe positions.
How to Board the Frigate Using a Reclaimer
- Find the ship’s rear docking area. Watch for circular ARC Reclaimer platforms moving between the ground and the underside of the vessel. Approach behind solid cover where possible.
- Wait for a Reclaimer to descend. Step on the platform while it is low. Do not jump blindly into a cannon firing lane.
- Use the Disrupt interaction. Stand on the platform and follow the prompt to send it back toward the ship.
- Ride up and step into the landing area. Follow the accessible passages from the rear hull toward the lower atrium. Use traversal tools for awkward gaps, but do not skip a required objective because a hook let you reach a higher ledge.
- Plan the way back. Remember the Reclaimer bay and the standard extraction you chose below. The ship has multiple routes, and returning while low on supplies is harder than boarding.
Current issue: Update 2.2 still lists occasional Reclaimers failing to dock at the intended location. If one platform behaves incorrectly, do not repeatedly jump for a broken landing. Look for another platform or abandon the attempt while a safe return remains possible.
Full Frigate Walkthrough: From Lower Atrium to Cargo
A full clear is a sequence of interaction puzzles and battles, not one boss with a single health bar. The ship’s controls and routes are symmetrical in places. Progress can also be affected by what other Raiders have already opened. Use the objectives and active controls you see in your own session rather than memorizing one video’s exact left-right order.
1. Open the lower lift and reach the atrium
From the boarding wing, enter the hull passages and find the first lift. It uses simultaneous Move Up interactions; documented runs show that the exact number of cooperating Raiders may vary with the lift and stage. Have teammates call out when they are ready instead of activating different panels at random.
A Grappling Hook or Snap Hook can bypass some vertical sections, especially for a solo materials run. This gets you to the next surface; it does not automatically complete the coordinated steps needed for the full cargo objective.
2. Control Hydras and open the wall platforms
In the lower atrium, Hydras cover large portions of the deck. Do not stand in the central circle and trade damage with several turrets. Use the surrounding structure, Barricades and a short firing angle to damage one exposed part at a time.
Look for yellow target components in the walls. Destroying the appropriate targets exposes climbable sections and opens your next route. Check the newly opened platforms for optional containers only after your team has a reliable path onward.
3. Raise and destroy the central Power Core
One major stage uses multiple Move Up panels around a circular area to expose a central Power Core. Coordinate the switch activation, then shoot the vulnerable sections of the raised core. Do not confuse this with merely damaging an exterior Hydra: the core itself is the progression objective.
Continue checking lower areas and newly exposed platforms for additional cores. A partly completed set of Power Cores is a common reason a squad reaches the upper ship but cannot release the cargo later.
4. Move through the upper atrium and survive the top deck
Follow opened wall steps and passages to the upper levels. The large deck adds Hydras, flying ARC, engine wind and fire hazards. When a turbine is active, exposed lanes can become dangerous even without an enemy shooting at you. Clear the nearest threat, identify the correct power component, then advance to the next piece of hard cover.
Some fire rooms or turbine sections have separate cores that disable local hazards. These can be worth dealing with before opening nearby containers. If you are short on health or the round is close to ending, leave optional loot rather than fight every enemy on the ship.
5. Finish the Power Cores and check the low chamber
Continue destroying the required large cores and accessible smaller cores, including the ones behind openable sections. One documented completion route also required a small core in a lower room beneath a red-lit hatch. If the upper deck looks clear but the cargo controls are not active, search this lower area and any previously missed core lanes before assuming the puzzle is broken.
Patch 2.1 safety change: opening Frigate hatches now inflict burning damage over time. Back away from a hatch before its opening animation and do not crowd the entrance while teammates interact with it.
6. Release the central cargo
Return to the lower cargo section once the required Power Cores are disabled. Breachable panels can lead to the last interior objective. The cargo’s release controls then require coordinated interactions from opposite sides. More than one release action may be needed, so have two people hold their positions and announce each completed step.
If the controls stay inactive, revisit the current objective, the lower core and any unopened interior sections. Solo players should not assume they can force every synchronized control; work with other Raiders or use the shorter hull-loot route instead.
7. Ride the cargo down, loot it and leave the map
When the module detaches, it descends to a landing point on the map. Ride in a safe position and stay away from its landing/crush zone. Update 2.2 fixed ejection, unintended burn damage during descent and certain instant knockouts, but the patch did not remove all danger: crush damage remains at the landing point and for riders inside the affected area.
After landing, open the cargo’s reachable containers, move valuable materials into your Safe Pocket when eligible and start toward the normal Return Point you chose before boarding. The cargo drop is a loot delivery mechanism, not an extraction to Speranza. If your squad reaches the ground with little time left, prioritize an exit over the final container.
How to Loot the Frigate Solo Without Completing the Full Puzzle
A solo Raider has a different objective: reach accessible exterior containers, take useful materials and leave before a long ship fight becomes necessary. This route is not a guaranteed full clear or a promise of rare drops.
- Queue into an active ARC Frigate condition with a replaceable custom loadout and a useful Safe Pocket.
- Ride a Reclaimer to the rear hull, then stay near the reachable Breach & Search ports instead of pushing into the full top-deck combat route.
- Search for Frigate-linked components and any available Amplification Modules. Drops vary; a container is a possible source, not a fixed reward.
- Put the most important small item in the Safe Pocket if you have space and the item fits.
- Return to the rear bay, use a descending Reclaimer when one docks correctly, then reach a normal extraction.
Trade-off: a shorter run can be a better use of a solo kit when you need one Research component, but it misses the main cargo release and does not fulfill a full-clear goal. For squad completion, bring two or three teammates or coordinate cautiously with other Raiders already aboard.
Frigate Loot: What Is Actually Worth Keeping?
The main reasons to risk the ship are its ARC materials, high-end cargo and Weapon Amplification progression. Current community loot reports describe Frigate Inductors, ARC Data Modules and Amplification Modules in accessible Frigate containers. Which particular item appears is not guaranteed and can change between patches.
Before selling: check your current Outpost Research Station requirement and the Amplification recipe for the weapon you use. A rare material may be more valuable as an upgrade input than as Coins. Finding an Amplification Module alone does not upgrade a gun: the relevant Gunsmith, Research and blueprint prerequisites still matter.
If you only need common materials or want a predictable map route, a standard run may be more efficient. For general farm locations, use the ARC Raiders material farming guide. For equipment-specific sources, see all ARC Raiders blueprints and recipes.
Turn Frigate Loot Into Real Progress
An Amplification Module is not an upgrade on its own. Check the bench and material requirements before spending more time aboard a Frigate.
Boarding the Frigate Quest vs a Full Frigate Clear
Celeste’s Boarding the Frigate quest is not the same as releasing the ship’s cargo. For the boarding quest, the objective list calls for getting aboard and damaging a Hydra, a Vaporizer and a Rocketeer. Current quest walkthroughs show a 100-damage threshold for each target; defeating each enemy or dismantling the whole vessel is not required for that step. Confirm progress in your own quest tracker before trying to descend.
The follow-up Disrupting the Frigate sends you deeper into the ship’s sabotage objectives. Read its current quest requirements separately; the full cargo puzzle can require more cooperation and time than the first quest. Do not turn a quick damage-objective mission into an unnecessary complete clear when your kit is already running low.
Frigate Problems and Fast Fixes
| Problem | Likely Reason | What To Try |
|---|---|---|
| Frigate is not on the map | Map condition is inactive at that destination | Check the live destination list; do not assume every Pendola Pass round has a Frigate |
| Can’t use a Free Loadout | The event is marked No Free Loadout | Equip a custom kit before queuing |
| Reclaimer does not dock correctly | Known occasional docking issue remains in 2.2 | Avoid the broken approach; try another platform or exit while safe |
| Move Up panels do not progress | The interaction needs another Raider at the same time | Count down together and check every required console |
| Cargo release controls stay inactive | Missed Power Core or interior step | Check current objective, lower core chamber and unbroken accessible cores |
| A hatch burns your team | Opening-hatch damage added in 2.1 | Move clear before triggering the hatch and heal before crossing |
| Cargo lands but you cannot extract | Cargo landing is not the Speranza exit; hatches are disabled | Loot what you can, use the normal active Return Point and leave before shutdown |
For version details, see Embark’s Update 2.1 notes and Update 2.2 notes. The latter also improved Frigate entry stability and interior memory issues, while listing the occasional Reclaimer docking problem among known issues.
ARC Raiders Frigate FAQ
Can you do the Frigate solo?
You can board alone and farm reachable hull containers. A full cargo clear is designed around simultaneous interactions and heavy ARC pressure, so arrange teammates or cooperate with other Raiders for that goal.
Is the Frigate only on Pendola Pass?
No. It is a rotating map condition seen on several outdoor destinations, including Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City and Pendola Pass. Select the map currently showing the ARC Frigate condition.
How do you get onto the Frigate?
Find a descending ARC Reclaimer platform near the ship’s rear, stand on it and use Disrupt. Ride it up to the hull and enter through the accessible landing area.
Do you have to defeat every ARC for Boarding the Frigate?
No. Celeste’s boarding quest asks you to damage designated enemy types, not necessarily kill every machine or clear the cargo puzzle. Check the current quest tracker for your remaining targets.
What do you shoot to open the Frigate?
Yellow wall nodes open some traversal sections. Power Cores are progression targets, with exposed damageable sections. Multiple console interactions and the final cargo release complete the deeper operation.
What is the difference between Power Cores and cargo panels?
Power Cores disable ship systems and advance the puzzle. Cargo panels are synchronized interactions used after the relevant cores and inner sections are cleared to release the loot-bearing module.
Are Raider Hatches available during a Frigate event?
No. Plan for a normal extraction point on your selected map. The ship’s cargo landing and the Reclaimer descent are not Return Points.
Can you get Amplification Modules from Frigate containers?
Yes, player-documented runs report Amplification Modules in Frigate hull and cargo containers. No particular module or rarity is guaranteed in a single run.
Did Update 2.2 make the cargo drop safe?
It fixed several cases of falling, burning and unintended knockout during cargo descent, but crush damage remains around landing and affected riders. Stay alert, avoid the landing zone and secure an actual extraction afterward.
Should you farm the Frigate for basic materials?
Usually not. The Frigate trades ordinary map loot and free-loadout access for a high-risk ARC operation. If you need common crafting inputs, start with a normal materials route instead.
Final Frigate Checklist
- Confirm ARC Frigate is active on the destination you choose.
- Choose a boarding quest, exterior-material run or full coordinated clear.
- Equip a custom loadout, anti-ARC ammunition, healing, mobility and a Safe Pocket if available.
- Mark a normal extraction route before the Reclaimer takes you up.
- For a full clear, keep track of every exposed core, synchronized console and the lower interior step.
- Avoid opening-hatch fire and the cargo landing/crush zone.
- Safe-pocket the one material you cannot afford to lose, loot the rest only while time allows, then extract.
Boarding a Frigate is one of Frozen Trail’s largest PvPvE challenges. Completing its puzzle can be rewarding, but a shorter materials run or a timely retreat is often the correct call when your team, ammo or remaining clock cannot support a full clear.
