ARC Raiders Boarding the Frigate Quest Walkthrough Guide

Boarding the Frigate is a Celeste quest that introduces the biggest encounter in ARC Raiders — the ARC Frigate, a flying warship that hangs over the map and shoots anything it spots. The quest itself is more of a first contact mission. You board the ship, deal 100 damage each to three ARC machine types, and extract alive. You do not need to destroy the Frigate. That comes later. This guide walks you through every step from finding the Frigate to getting back to the ground safely.

Key Takeaways

• Quest comes from Celeste — part of the Frozen Trail update
• The ARC Frigate is a map condition, not a static encounter — check the map selection screen for a raid tagged “ARC Frigate”
• The Frigate is difficulty 5 of 5 — bring a full loadout, free kits are not allowed
• Board by riding a Reclaimer disc from the ground up to the ship’s underside
• Objectives: deal 100 damage each to a Hydra, a Vaporizer, and a Rocketeer — kills are not required
• The central lift to the top deck usually needs 3 Raiders simultaneously — solo players must climb the engine tunnel instead
• Raider Hatches are disabled during this condition — plan your extraction route in advance
• Rewards: 10,000 XP, 1x Legendary Snap Hook, 1x Wolfpack, 1x Rascal I, 3x Launcher Ammo
• Completing this quest unlocks Disrupting the Frigate

How the ARC Frigate Map Condition Works

The Frigate is not a boss you can just load into on demand. It appears as a map condition on normal raids — the same system as the Matriarch and Queen events. Before you deploy, check the map selection screen. Any map currently hosting the Frigate will show “ARC Frigate” tagged beneath its name.

The Frigate has been confirmed on Buried City, Pendola Pass, Dam Battlegrounds, Blue Gate, and Spaceport. If none of those maps are showing the condition right now, you will need to wait for the rotation to bring it back.

Once you drop into a Frigate raid, the ship arrives early — roughly 30 to 60 seconds after you spawn. Open your map immediately to see where it has parked, then head there directly. Do not spend time looting the far side of the map. The ship does not wait around.

While the Frigate condition is active, several things change about the raid beneath it: locked doors throughout the map are disabled, ground loot value is reduced, and Raider Hatches are shut down. You are limited to standard extractions for the whole raid.

For a deeper look at the full Frigate event — including power cores, cargo, and the Disrupting the Frigate follow-up quest — see our dedicated ARC Raiders Frigate guide.

What to Bring — Recommended Loadout

Free kits are not available during the Frigate condition. You need a real loadout, and you should be prepared to lose it. The deck is full of ARC enemies and other Raiders making the same run.

• Main weapon — a reliable rifle like the Bettina or Rattler with plenty of Heavy or Medium Ammo
• Armor-breaking weapon — Hullcracker, Jupiter, Rascal, or Anvil for the heavier ARC on deck. In Frozen Trail, explosive hits deal over 50% more damage to ARC armor plates.
• Two shields — deck flames and ranged fire wear you down fast. Light Shield (40 charge, 40% reduction, no speed penalty) or Medium Shield (70 charge, 42.5% reduction, 5% speed penalty)
• Healing — stacked healing items plus Shield Rechargers
• Wolfpack grenades and Barriers for cover during the enemy fights
• Snap Hook or Grappling Hook — lets you bypass the squad-required central lift and climb solo
• Powered Descender — gives you a direct route back down from the deck if your return path is cut off
• Defibrillator — for reviving teammates if you are running with a squad

A Photoelectric Cloak is also worth considering for the slow, exposed ride up to the ship on the Reclaimer disc.

Board the Frigate

Step 1 — How to Board the Frigate

You do not climb the ship from the ground. The boarding method uses the Reclaimer discs — saucer-shaped ARC drones that shuttle between the surface and the Frigate’s underside. They are ARC, but they will not attack you. A forcefield wraps around you during the ride.

Here is the full boarding sequence:

• Move beneath the Frigate, toward the rear where the ship’s pointed ends are
• Watch for a Reclaimer disc descending and wait for it to land on the surface
• Climb on top of the disc and use the Disrupt prompt at its center
• A shield forms and the disc carries you upward to the ship’s aft docking bay
• At the top, use Disrupt a second time to finish docking, then step onto the hull

One serious warning: the cannon beneath the Frigate tracks anything on the way up and hits for 75 damage per shot. The blue targeting lasers on the ground mark where it is about to strike — move out of them before boarding. The ride is slow and you are completely exposed. Clear the immediate area before you step onto a disc, and do not go up alone if another squad is watching the boarding point from nearby cover.

Step 2 — Reach the Top Deck

Once you are on the hull, exit the docking bay through the rear tunnel to reach the lower exterior wing. You can loot containers on the way, but keep moving — the deck fights are the priority.

To reach the top deck, you need to get up from the lower wing. There is a central lift labeled “Move Up” inside the ship, but its buttons must be pressed simultaneously by multiple Raiders. If you are running solo or your squad is split up, this is where you use your climbing tool.

The solo route: make your way along the wing’s outer edge toward the front engines. Climb the rings and pipes there, then go up through the slanted engine tunnel to reach the deck. It takes longer but does not require anyone else.

At the top, watch for thermal vents that sweep flames across the surface. Move around them — do not stand still in their path.

Step 3 — Deal 100 Damage to the Hydra

The Hydra is a three-tier turret built into the deck, usually positioned on the center platform. You only need to deal 100 damage — you do not need to destroy it. The gatling section has just 280 health, so a short burst gets the job done quickly.

The Hydra has two weapons that can target different players simultaneously, so use separate cover positions if you are in a squad. If smaller ARC enemies swarm your position while you are trying to hit the Hydra, throw a Noisemaker grenade in another direction to draw them away and get a clear 1-on-1 against the turret.

The Hydra sometimes goes down during the Frigate’s propulsion phase, so if you notice that happening, move in and get your 100 damage in quickly before it is destroyed by the ship itself.

Step 4 — Deal 100 Damage to a Vaporizer

Vaporizers are aggressive close-range ARC machines that charge at you and attack with a laser. They behave similarly to Fireflies but are larger and deal more pressure. Again, 100 damage is all you need — the body has 1,500 health so a quick burst clears the counter without requiring a kill.

Hit a Vaporizer before it closes the gap and its flames intensify. Keep moving — standing still against a Vaporizer on an open deck is a fast way to lose your shields.

Step 5 — Deal 100 Damage to a Rocketeer

Rocketeers typically appear later in the Frigate encounter, usually after the deck has taken considerable damage. Deal with the Hydra and Vaporizer first. Once you see a Rocketeer, be careful — its missiles hit for 90 damage each, so taking one or two in quick succession can kill you.

Use cover aggressively. Barriers set inside the engine tunnel entrance give you a safe firing position — peek out long enough to put 100 damage into the Rocketeer, then step back. You do not need to win the fight, just tag it with enough damage to tick the objective.

Once all three counters show 100/100 and “Find a way on top of the Frigate” is complete on your tracker, your quest progress is locked in — but only if you extract. Dying before you get out means starting the whole run again.

Step 6 — Extract From the Frigate

Getting down is often harder than getting up. Raider Hatches are disabled during the Frigate condition, so you cannot use those shortcuts. You need to reach a standard extraction.

Retrace your route through the engine tunnel to the lower wing, then back to the rear docking bay. The fastest method down is to step onto an arriving Reclaimer disc without disrupting it — it carries you back down to the rooftops below naturally. A Powered Descender is your backup option if the return route gets cut off behind you.

Once you are back on the ground, sprint away from the Frigate’s cannon — the blue targeting beams mark its next strike zones. Reach a standard extraction, leave the raid, and return to Celeste in Speranza to turn in the quest.

Boarding the Frigate Quest Rewards

After turning the quest in to Celeste, you receive:

• 10,000 XP
• 1x Legendary Snap Hook (20m range, valued at 14,000 Coins)
• 1x Wolfpack (Epic grenade — homing missiles, 166 explosive damage, 100m range)
• 1x Rascal I
• 3x Launcher Ammo

The Legendary Snap Hook is the headline reward here — it is also the item referenced in Exploring Pendola Pass as an alternative to the Zipline for climbing the Railyard tower. Now you have one for free. The Wolfpack is a strong anti-ARC tool on open maps like Pendola Pass.

Completing Boarding the Frigate also unlocks Disrupting the Frigate, the follow-up quest where Celeste sends you back in to destroy the ship’s power cores, reach the cargo bay, and take down three Hydras.

Tips for Completing Boarding the Frigate

• Head to the Frigate immediately after spawning — it arrives 30 to 60 seconds in. Do not waste time on ground loot first.
• Clear the boarding point before riding up — getting shot off the Reclaimer disc at height is game over for your run.
• Use a Photoelectric Cloak on the ascent — the ride up is slow and exposed. Cloaking reduces how much attention you draw from the Frigate cannon and other Raiders.
• Solo players: use the engine tunnel route — the central lift requires multiple Raiders. Skip it with a Snap Hook or Grappling Hook.
• Hit the Hydra and Vaporizer first — the Rocketeer usually appears later. Do not wait around looking for it early in the encounter.
• Barriers inside the engine tunnel give you safe cover to deal the 100 Rocketeer damage from range.
• Step onto a Reclaimer without disrupting it to ride back down — disrupting it on the way down works differently and you do not want to trigger a second boarding sequence.
• Plan your extraction before you go up — Raider Hatches are off during this condition. Know where the nearest standard extraction is before you board.

Related Guides

If you are building up to and through the Frigate quest chain, these guides cover the key content around it:

• ARC Raiders Frigate Guide — full breakdown of the ship, power cores, cargo, and Hydra fight
• Hydra ARC Enemy Guide
• Tracks of the Beast Quest Walkthrough — earlier Shani quest on Pendola Pass
• Amplified Weapons Guide — useful for the ARC fights on deck
• Complete ARC Raiders Quest List

Grab the game on PlayStation or Xbox, or check the official ARC Raiders website for the latest patch notes.

Frequently Asked Questions