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You unlock the ARC Raiders Outpost by completing a project called Sheltered Retreat, which arrived with the Frozen Trail 2.0 update. Embark’s update notes say to accept the quest and bring a camera. Once the Outpost is open, you gain access to the Research Station, and the Outpost expands through modules. The steps below combine Embark’s official notes with Dot Esports’ walkthrough and ARC Tracker’s Outpost data, all checked on October 9, 2026.
Before you start
Embark’s official update notes are the authoritative source for the broad mechanics: the Outpost unlocks through a project, and that project is what you need to finish. Dot Esports identifies that project as Sheltered Retreat and provides the step-by-step objectives. Read the official Frozen Trail 2.0 update notes and the Dot Esports Outpost unlock walkthrough together if you want both the official framing and the detailed quantities.
- Accept the Sheltered Retreat quest before you head out. Embark specifically reminds players to do this.
- Bring a camera. You can buy one from Shani or obtain one through the Sizing Things Up quest, according to Dot Esports.
- Plan for ARC threats in the photo area and at the combat objective location. Dot Esports warns about both.
Step 1: Photograph a farmhouse
The first objective in the project is titled “Research Topside Living Conditions.” It asks you to photograph a farmland house near the Ruined Homestead on Blue Gate. Dot Esports says any farmland house in that area works, so you do not need to locate one specific building. Take the photo with the camera you obtained above, then return to complete the objective.
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The walkthrough lists four build materials. Dot Esports suggests where to find each one, and it also notes that Planks and Sheet Metal can be bought from Celeste. The sourcing and quantities below come from that guide, not from Embark’s update notes, and guide-reported farming routes and quantities can change with patches.
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| Material | Quantity | Suggested source (Dot Esports) | Alternative source (Dot Esports) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planks | 3 | Industrial points of interest (POIs) | Buy from Celeste for 3 Assorted Seeds each |
| Sheet Metal | 5 | Industrial POIs | Buy from Celeste for 3 Assorted Seeds each |
| ARC Alloy | 10 | ARC enemies | Not stated in the guide |
| Advanced Electrical Components | 3 | Electrical POIs | Not stated in the guide |
Step 3: Complete the safeguard objective
The final combat objective, according to the same walkthrough, has two parts: deal 800 damage to flying ARC enemies, and deal 300 damage to a Bully. The guide places the Bully at Pendola Pass. The walkthrough recommends carrying appropriate anti-ARC equipment for this fight. That is the guide’s suggestion, and it is not a loadout we have tested.
What the Outpost unlocks
Embark’s official notes confirm that completing the project opens access to the Research Station, and that the Outpost expands by adding modules. ARC Tracker, a third-party game-data site, lists five rooms in total: the base room and four modules. Its data maps the installation of each successive module to Research Station levels 1 through 4, and it places the Gunsmith at Research Station level 4, tied to installing the fourth module.
- Base room: part of the five-room Outpost total reported by ARC Tracker.
- Modules 1 through 4: installing each successive module corresponds to Research Station levels 1, 2, 3, and 4, according to ARC Tracker.
- Gunsmith: listed at Research Station level 4, alongside the fourth module, according to ARC Tracker.
This room-to-level mapping is tracker-reported rather than an official Embark table. Check the in-game Research Station before you commit materials to a specific upgrade, because the exact costs and unlocks shown there are the ones that matter for your save.
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Embark’s notes describe Furniture Designs as working like blueprints: you learn a design, and then you can use it to craft that furniture. Research points are the currency for choosing what you learn. Executive producer Aleksander Grøndal described the intent in a GamesRadar+ interview tied to the game’s pre-release reveal coverage:
“Instead of necessarily having to just chase RNG to get the blueprint you want, there is a system that is called research, where you can find items in the world that contain a number of research points, and using those, you can actually choose which research that you want to have, and that includes a number of blueprints as well.”
ARC Tracker currently lists 100 furniture items, of which 53 are marked as researchable designs and 47 as found in raids. The tracker also shows example point costs, but those costs vary by design and Research Station level, so they do not add up to a single rate you can apply across the board. The tracker data is a snapshot of the game as of October 9, 2026, and it may change.
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Planning your upgrades
Neither Embark’s notes nor the other sources reviewed here provide a complete, verified cost table for every Research Station level or a recommended upgrade order. The practical approach is to unlock the Outpost, read the Research Station’s requirements in-game, and then gather for the specific upgrade or design you want. If you are choosing between two designs, compare them on the research-point cost shown in-game and on how much the design helps your build.
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