Finding the Broken Rooftop Garden in ARC Raiders (Unexpected Initiative Quest)
The Unexpected Initiative is one of those quests in ARC Raiders that sounds simple on paper but can leave you wandering around Buried City wondering where the heck these rooftop gardens are. Tian Wen wants your help restarting a greenhouse project, and honestly, who can blame them? Fresh food in a post-apocalyptic wasteland sounds pretty good.
Your mission is straightforward: grab Fertilizer from the Grandioso Apartments and snag a Water Pump from the broken rooftop garden at Piazza Roma. The catch? Both locations are in PvP hot zones, so you’ll need to stay sharp and watch your back while collecting these items.
Pro tip: You can grab these items in any order, so start with whichever location is closest to your spawn point. Just make sure you collect both in the same expedition—splitting them across multiple runs can bug out the quest, and nobody wants that headache.
Also check ARC Raiders Guide
How to Get Fertilizer from Grandioso Apartments Rooftop
Locating the Grandioso Hotel
The Grandioso Hotel sits on the eastern side of the Buried City map. It’s marked as a medium-value loot area, which means you’re probably not going to have the place to yourself. Expect other Raiders to be sniffing around for goodies, so keep your guard up.
Navigating to the Rooftop
Once you’re inside the hotel lobby, you’ll need to find an empty elevator shaft with a zipline. Take that zipline up to the second-last floor—not the top floor, the one just below it. This is important because the rooftop access is from that specific floor.
When you exit the zipline, keep your eyes peeled for Pops and Fireballs. These ARC enemies love to crash rooftop parties, and they won’t hesitate to alert every hostile in the area to your presence.
Collecting the Fertilizer
After dealing with any threats, turn right from the zipline exit and head up the stairs to reach the actual rooftop. As soon as you step through the doorway onto the roof, you’ll immediately spot some plant pots right in front of you. Interact with them to collect the Fertilizer and check off the first objective.
Now comes the fun part: getting out without attracting too much attention. Move quietly and consider using the same zipline route to make your escape. If you’re playing solo, stealth is your best friend here. For more tips on surviving dangerous situations, check out our ARC Raiders best tips and tricks guide.
How to Get Water Pump from Piazza Roma Broken Rooftop Garden
Finding Piazza Roma
The broken rooftop garden location is at Piazza Roma, which is directly south of the Grandioso Hotel. Here’s the thing that trips up most players: this building doesn’t have a map marker. You’ll need to eyeball the location based on the map position relative to the hotel.
Good news though—since it’s not marked as a loot zone, you’re less likely to run into other Raiders here. That makes this the safer of the two locations, which is why I usually hit this one first if I spawn nearby.
Reaching the Rooftop Garden
Enter the building and climb the stairs to reach the rooftop area. The climb isn’t too complicated, but keep your weapon ready just in case. Even in low-traffic areas, you never know when another player might have the same quest objective.
Collecting the Water Pump
Once you reach the rooftop, immediately turn right. You’ll see some bathtubs that have been repurposed as fertilizer beds—pretty creative apocalypse gardening, honestly. Walk through the archway formed by these fertilizer beds.
At the end of this makeshift garden area, you’ll find a small machine with tubes sticking out of it. This is your Water Pump source. Interact with the machine and wait for the animation to complete. The Water Pump will drop, allowing you to pick it up and complete the second objective of the Unexpected Initiative quest.
From here, your best bet is to head straight for the nearest metro station to extract safely from Buried City. Don’t get greedy with extra loot—you’ve got valuable quest items, and losing them to another Raider or an ARC ambush would be frustrating.
Unexpected Initiative Quest Rewards
After you extract successfully and return to Speranza with both the Fertilizer and Water Pump, head over to Tian Wen’s trader tab to claim your rewards. The quest completion gives you:
- IL Toro Shotgun – A solid close-range weapon that packs a punch
- 40x Shotgun Ammo – Enough to get you started with your new toy
- Shotgun Choke II attachment – Improves your shotgun’s spread for better accuracy
The IL Toro Shotgun is particularly useful for close-quarters combat, especially in the tight corridors of Buried City. If you’re looking to upgrade this weapon further, you’ll want to start farming the necessary materials.
Tips for Completing Unexpected Initiative Quest
Complete Both Objectives in One Run: I can’t stress this enough—collect both items during the same expedition. Splitting them across multiple runs has been known to cause quest bugs where the game doesn’t recognize your progress.
Plan Your Route: Since both locations are relatively close to each other in the Buried City, plan an efficient route. If you spawn on the eastern side, hit Grandioso first, then move south to Piazza Roma before extracting.
Watch for PvP: The Grandioso Hotel is a medium-loot area, making it a player magnet. Consider bringing a teammate or approaching with extreme caution if you’re running solo. Check out our guide on playing ARC Raiders with friends if you want backup.
Manage Your Inventory: Make sure you have enough space in your backpack before heading into Buried City. You don’t want to be full when it’s time to pick up quest items. Our storage expansion guide can help with that.
Use Safe Pockets: If you’re worried about losing the quest items if you die, consider using Safe Pockets to prevent item loss. It’s worth the investment for important quest runs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the broken rooftop garden in ARC Raiders?
The broken rooftop garden is located at Piazza Roma in Buried City, directly south of the Grandioso Hotel. The building doesn’t have a map marker, so you’ll need to navigate by position. Look for rooftop bathtubs repurposed as fertilizer beds.
Can I complete the Unexpected Initiative quest objectives in separate runs?
It’s not recommended. While technically possible, collecting the Fertilizer and Water Pump in separate expeditions has been reported to cause quest bugs. Always grab both items during the same run to avoid issues with quest progression.
What should I do if the Water Pump doesn’t drop from the machine?
Make sure you’re interacting with the correct machine at the end of the fertilizer bed archway—it’s the small device with tubes sticking out. If it still doesn’t drop, try restarting your game and attempting the quest again in a fresh expedition.
Is the Unexpected Initiative quest worth completing?
Absolutely! The IL Toro Shotgun reward is excellent for close-range combat, and the quest itself provides good practice for navigating Buried City’s PvP zones. Plus, helping Tian Wen with the greenhouse project unlocks additional trader options. For more quest guides, check out our complete ARC Raiders quest list.
Additional Resources
Looking for more ARC Raiders guides? Check these out:
- ARC Raiders Complete Loot Table & Farming Guide
- Best Blueprint Farming Spots
- How to Farm Coins Fast
- ARC Raiders Expeditions & Wipe System Guide
You can grab ARC Raiders on PlayStation, Xbox, or PC. Good luck with your greenhouse project, Raiders!
