Doctor’s Orders Quest Guide: Complete Material Locations for Lance in ARC Raiders

Building Your Relationship with Lance

In the post-apocalyptic underground sanctuary of Speranza, establishing strong relationships with the settlement’s traders isn’t just about unlocking better gear—it’s about survival itself. Lance, the medical expert running the clinic, represents one of your most valuable connections in ARC Raiders. However, unlike some traders who welcome you immediately, Lance takes a more cautious approach.

“Doctor’s Orders” serves as Lance’s initial test—a proving ground where you demonstrate both your topside survival skills and resource-gathering competence. Successfully completing this quest not only unlocks Lance’s medical services but also begins a questline that rewards increasingly valuable healing items and medical supplies essential for tackling the game’s more challenging content.

Quest Significance:

Beyond the immediate rewards, this quest teaches fundamental resource-gathering mechanics while introducing you to medical item spawn locations you’ll return to throughout your playthrough. The materials you collect—Antiseptic, Syringes, Durable Cloth, and Great Mullein—aren’t just quest items. They’re crafting ingredients and consumables you’ll constantly need for workbench upgrades and medical crafting.

Quest Overview: Doctor’s Orders

Quest Giver: Lance (Medical Trader)
Quest Type: Resource Collection
Difficulty: Easy-Medium (Requires multiple raids or crafting knowledge)
Maps: Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City (recommended)

Required Materials

To complete Doctor’s Orders, you must collect and deliver four specific items to Lance:

Key Challenge: The quest requires materials from different location types and rarity tiers, meaning most players will need 2-3 topside runs to gather everything—unless you use crafting or trading shortcuts.

Complete Material Farming Guide

Antiseptic: The Rare Medical Essential

Antiseptic represents the most challenging component of this quest due to its rare classification and limited spawn locations.

Where to Find Antiseptic:

Primary Locations:

• Hospital (Buried City) – Highest spawn rate due to high-value medical classification
• Medical Buildings (Dam Battlegrounds) – Medium-high value medical structures
• Medical rooms in any POI with medical facilities

Spawn Characteristics:

• Rarity: Rare (lower spawn rates than common items)
• Tags: Medical
• Optimal Search Areas: Medium to high loot value medical buildings
• Container Types: Medical cabinets, first aid stations, desk drawers in medical rooms

Farming Strategy:

Best Location – Hospital (Buried City):

1. Deploy to Buried City
2. Navigate to Hospital POI (central-eastern area)
3. Systematically check every medical cabinet and container
4. Focus on examination rooms and supply closets
5. Use Safe Pockets to protect found Antiseptic

Why Hospital Works Best:

• Only high-value medical building in the game
• Highest concentration of medical containers
• Multiple floors mean numerous search opportunities
• Often yields both Antiseptic requirements in one visit

Dam Battlegrounds Alternative:

While Dam Battlegrounds has medical buildings, they’re typically medium-value locations with lower Antiseptic spawn rates. However, if you’re already farming other materials on this map, check:

• Medical rooms in Research & Administration
• First aid stations in military structures
• Any building with the Medical tag on your map

Crafting Alternative:

If topside farming proves frustrating, Antiseptic can be crafted at your Refiner Station (Level 2):

Crafting Recipe:

• 10x Chemicals
• 2x Great Mullein

Crafting Viability:

Pros:

• Guaranteed acquisition without RNG
• No topside risk
• Can craft in bulk for future needs

Cons:

• Requires Level 2 Refiner Station (early players may not have this)
• Chemicals must be farmed or crafted separately
• Uses Great Mullein (also needed for the quest)

Recommendation: New players should farm Antiseptic topside. Once your Refiner reaches Level 2, crafting becomes viable for future medical supply needs.

Syringe: Medical Precision Tool

Syringes share the same rare classification as Antiseptic but offer additional acquisition methods that make them slightly easier to obtain.

Where to Find Syringes:

Primary Farming Locations:

• Hospital (Buried City) – Best spawn rate
• Medical Buildings (All Maps) – Medium-high value structures
• Medical rooms and first aid stations

Spawn Details:

• Rarity: Rare
• Tags: Medical
• Spawn Rate: Similar to Antiseptic but with more acquisition alternatives
• Container Types: Medical cabinets, supply drawers, first aid kits

Alternative Acquisition: Recycling

Rusted Medical Kits:

If you find Rusted Medical Kits during your raids, recycling them yields multiple Syringes:

1. Collect any Rusted Medical Kits found topside
2. Return to Speranza
3. Use the Recycler station
4. Receive Syringes (plus other materials)

Why This Matters: Rusted Medical Kits are more common than individual Syringes, making them an efficient source if you encounter them. Always grab these items even if you’re not actively hunting Syringes.

Trading Option: Celeste’s Shop

The easiest method for obtaining Syringes is purchasing from Celeste, one of Speranza’s traders:

Celeste’s Syringe Stock:

• Quantity Available: 5 at any time
• Cost: 10 Assorted Seeds per Syringe
• Restocks: Regularly

How to Get Assorted Seeds:

Assorted Seeds are common resources obtained through:

• General topside looting (common loot category)
• Recycling fruits like Lemons and Apricots
• Random container spawns across all maps

Strategy Recommendation:

For New Players:

1. Gather Assorted Seeds during normal raids (10 required)
2. Purchase 1 Syringe from Celeste
3. Focus topside farming on other materials

For Farming-Focused Players:

• Hit Hospital for Antiseptic + Syringe combo
• More time-efficient if you’re already farming medical locations

Benefit of Trading: Eliminates RNG frustration for at least one quest material, letting you focus farming efforts on items without purchase alternatives.

Durable Cloth: The Versatile Uncommon

Durable Cloth’s uncommon rarity and dual-tag classification make it one of the easier quest materials to acquire.

Where to Find Durable Cloth:

Spawn Characteristics:

• Rarity: Uncommon (higher spawn rate than rare items)
• Tags: Medical AND Commercial
• Maps: All four launch maps (Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, Victory Ridge)
• Loot Value: Medium locations sufficient

Best Farming Locations:

Medical Buildings:

• Hospital (Buried City) – Can find while farming Antiseptic/Syringes
• Medical rooms across all maps
• First aid stations

Commercial Buildings:

• Stores and shops in Buried City
• Commercial districts in any map
• Office buildings with commercial tags

Why Durable Cloth Is Easier:

• Lower rarity means more frequent spawns
• Dual tags provide more spawn location variety
• Available on all maps (not limited like medical-only items)
• Medium value locations sufficient (don’t need high-value areas)

Farming Strategy:

Efficient Route (Buried City):

1. Check Hospital for medical spawns
2. Visit Galleria’s commercial areas
3. Search residential/commercial hybrid buildings
4. Should find within 1-2 raids maximum

Crafting Alternative:

Durable Cloth can be crafted at your Refiner Station:

Crafting Recipe:

• 14x Fabric

Fabric Sources:

• Common loot from clothing containers
• Jacket pockets throughout all maps
• Residential areas (abundant spawns)
• Recycling clothing items

Crafting Viability:

When to Craft:

• If you already have abundant Fabric stockpiled
• Want to avoid additional topside runs
• Need to complete quest quickly

When to Farm:

• Still learning maps and spawn locations
• Fabric needed for other crafting projects
• Enjoying topside exploration

Recommendation: If you find Fabric naturally during your Antiseptic/Syringe farming runs, stockpile it. Crafting Durable Cloth saves a raid deployment if you come up short on the material.

Great Mullein: The Abundant Plant

Great Mullein stands apart from the other quest materials as the only Nature-tagged item, making it abundantly available if you know where to look.

Where to Find Great Mullein:

Spawn Characteristics:

• Rarity: Common (very frequent spawns)
• Tags: Nature (plant category)
• Spawn Type: Environmental (grows in specific locations)
• Best Map: Buried City

Primary Farming Location: Galleria (Buried City)

The Galleria in Buried City represents the single best farming location for Great Mullein:

Why Galleria:

• Planter boxes throughout the area contain abundant Great Mullein
• Multiple spawn points in close proximity
• Safe indoor location with good cover
• Easy to grab while en route to Hospital

Galleria Farming Route:

1. Deploy to Buried City
2. Navigate to Galleria POI
3. Check every planter box systematically
4. Should find Great Mullein within minutes
5. Continue to Hospital for other materials

Alternative Locations:

Great Mullein spawns anywhere with Nature tags:

• Outdoor plant areas on any map
• Garden sections of residential zones
• Nature-focused POIs across all maps

However, Galleria’s concentration makes it far more efficient than scattered outdoor spawns.

Trading Option: Celeste’s Shop

Like Syringes, Great Mullein can be purchased from Celeste:

Celeste’s Great Mullein Stock:

• Quantity Available: 10 at any time
• Cost: 5 Assorted Seeds per plant
• Restocks: Regularly

When to Purchase:

• Quickest method if you have Assorted Seeds
• Only costs 5 seeds (half the cost of Syringes)
• Saves time if you’re focused on rare material farming

Strategy Recommendation:

Since Great Mullein is common and Assorted Seeds have multiple uses:

• Farm Great Mullein at Galleria (takes 2-3 minutes)
• Save Assorted Seeds for purchasing Syringes instead
• Exception: If you have excessive Assorted Seeds, buying is faster

Additional Uses:

Great Mullein isn’t just a quest material:

• Used in Antiseptic crafting (2x required)
• Component in other medical recipes
• Worth stockpiling for future crafting needs

Pro Tip: Grab 3-4 Great Mullein from Galleria instead of just one. The extras support Antiseptic crafting or future medical recipes without requiring another farming run.

Optimal Completion Strategy: The Buried City Route

While all materials can be found across multiple maps, Buried City offers the most efficient single-location completion path for Doctor’s Orders.

Why Buried City Is Best

Geographic Advantages:

• Galleria (Great Mullein) and Hospital (rare materials) in relatively close proximity
• Hospital is the ONLY high-value medical building in the game
• Both locations connected by navigable indoor/covered routes
• Multiple extraction points nearby

Loot Density:

• Hospital’s high-value status means best spawn rates for rare items
• Galleria’s planter boxes guarantee Great Mullein
• Commercial areas between provide Durable Cloth opportunities
• Single run can potentially yield all four materials

Step-by-Step Buried City Farming Route

Preparation:

Before deploying:

• Bring adequate backpack space
• Equip Safe Pocket augments (protect rare materials)
• Free loadout acceptable—combat avoidance preferred
• Bring 1-2 healing items for safety

Phase 1: Galleria (Great Mullein)

1. Deploy to Buried City
2. Navigate to Galleria POI (central area)
3. Systematically check planter boxes
   • Look for distinctive plant spawns
   • Great Mullein appears as a leafy herb
   • Should find 1-3 within minutes
4. Grab 2-3 Great Mullein (extras for Antiseptic crafting)
5. Quick loot commercial containers if nearby (Durable Cloth)

Time Investment: 3-5 minutes

Phase 2: Hospital (Rare Medical Items)

1. Travel from Galleria to Hospital
   • Use covered routes when possible
   • Hospital is in central-eastern Buried City
   • Watch for other players (Hospital is popular)
2. Enter Hospital cautiously
   • Listen for combat/footsteps
   • Hospital has multiple floors—ARCs and players present
3. Search medical containers systematically
   • Ground Floor: Check reception, waiting rooms, first aid stations
   • Upper Floors: Examination rooms, supply closets, medical cabinets
   • Basement/Lower: Storage areas, pharmacy sections
4. Priority items: Antiseptic (2x), Syringe (1x)
5. Secondary item: Durable Cloth (if not found at Galleria)

Search Pattern:

• Start from your entry point
• Clear one floor completely before moving to next
• Check EVERY medical cabinet and desk drawer
• Rare items can spawn in less obvious locations

Time Investment: 8-12 minutes (thorough search)

Phase 3: Safe Pocket Management

As you find quest materials:

1. Immediately place rare items in Safe Pockets
   • Antiseptic (most important—need 2)
   • Syringe (rare classification)
   • Durable Cloth and Great Mullein are replaceable
2. This ensures quest progress even if eliminated

Phase 4: Extraction

1. Once materials collected, prioritize extraction
2. Nearest extraction points from Hospital:
   • Metro stations throughout Buried City
   • Raider Hatches if you have keys
3. Don’t overstay for additional loot—quest completion is more valuable

Expected Completion Timeline

Best Case (Lucky RNG):

• 1 raid, 15-20 minutes
• Find all materials in single Hospital + Galleria visit

Average Case (Normal RNG):

• 2 raids, 30-40 minutes total
• First raid: Great Mullein + partial rare materials
• Second raid: Remaining rare items

Worst Case (Poor RNG):

• 3 raids, or supplement with trading/crafting
• Farm Great Mullein and Durable Cloth first (easier)
• Purchase Syringe from Celeste
• Focus final raid exclusively on Antiseptic

Optimization Tips:

• Stack other Buried City quests during farming runs
• Return materials to Speranza after each raid (don’t risk losing everything)
• Use Safe Pockets consistently

Alternative Strategies for Different Playstyles

The Trader Route (Fastest)

For players with resources to spare:

1. Purchase from Celeste:
   • 1x Syringe (10 Assorted Seeds)
   • 1x Great Mullein (5 Assorted Seeds)
2. Farm only Antiseptic and Durable Cloth
3. Single focused Hospital run

Advantages:

• Reduces required materials to just two
• One efficient raid can complete quest
• Lower topside risk exposure

Requirements:

• 15 Assorted Seeds (easy to gather)
• Access to Celeste’s shop

The Crafter Route (Resource-Rich)

For players with established crafting stations:

1. Craft Antiseptic:
   • Requires Level 2 Refiner
   • 20 Chemicals total (for 2x Antiseptic)
   • 4 Great Mullein total
2. Craft Durable Cloth:
   • Requires Refiner Station
   • 14 Fabric
3. Purchase or farm remaining items

Advantages:

• Zero topside risk for crafted materials
• Utilizes stockpiled resources
• Teaches crafting system

Requirements:

• Advanced workshop upgrades
• Stockpiled crafting materials

The Safe Explorer Route (Low Risk)

For cautious players or valuable loadout preservation:

1. Deploy with free/cheap loadouts
2. Focus one material per raid
3. Extract immediately after finding target material
4. Repeat until all materials collected

Advantages:

• Minimal risk per raid
• No fear of losing valuable gear
• Good for learning map layouts

Disadvantages:

• Time-consuming (4+ separate raids)
• Less efficient than combined farming

The Squad Efficiency Route

For team players:

1. Deploy as squad to Buried City
2. Split objectives:
   • Player 1: Galleria (Great Mullein + commerce areas)
   • Player 2-3: Hospital (rare medical items)
3. Team shares found materials
4. Group extraction for safety

Advantages:

• Fastest completion method
• Shared loot means everyone progresses
• Safer Hospital exploration with backup

Requirements:

• Coordinated squad communication
• Willingness to share materials

Quest Rewards Analysis

After collecting all four materials, return to Lance at his Clinic (Traders tab) to turn in the quest.

Reward Breakdown

Doctor’s Orders Completion Rewards:

ItemQuantityValue AnalysisAdrenaline Shot3xQuick healing consumable, valuable for combatSterilized Bandage3xStandard healing item, essential for raidsSurge Shield Recharger1xPremium item for shield maintenance

Total Reward Value:

These rewards provide an immediate survival boost:

• 6 healing items total for emergency situations
• 1 premium shield recharger (expensive to craft/purchase)
• Enough medical supplies for 2-3 well-equipped raids

Long-Term Benefits:

Beyond immediate rewards, completing this quest:

• Unlocks Lance’s full shop access
• Opens advanced quest chain with better rewards
• Establishes medical supply pipeline for future needs
• Teaches resource gathering mechanics for other quests

Comparison to Material Investment:

The quest essentially trades common/uncommon gathered materials for premium medical supplies you’d otherwise need to craft or purchase. The Surge Shield Recharger alone typically costs significant resources to craft, making the quest reward package excellent value.

Common Challenges & Solutions

Problem: Can’t Find Antiseptic After Multiple Runs

Solutions:

• Focus exclusively on Hospital (highest spawn rate)
• Check EVERY medical container—don’t rush
• Craft it instead using Refiner (if Level 2)
• Stack this quest with other medical quests to maximize Hospital efficiency
• Try Dam Battlegrounds medical buildings as alternative

Problem: Keep Dying Before Extracting Materials

Solutions:

• Use Safe Pockets to protect found materials
• Deploy with free loadouts to minimize loss
• Improve general survival skills
• Play more defensively—avoid unnecessary fights
• Extract immediately after finding materials (don’t get greedy)

Problem: Hospital Always Contested by Other Players

Solutions:

• Deploy during off-peak hours
• Wait 5-10 minutes after raid start before approaching
• Use alternate entry points (multiple Hospital entrances exist)
• Bring better combat loadout to defend yourself
• Try Dam Battlegrounds medical buildings during busy times

Problem: Running Out of Backpack Space

Solutions:

• Increase stash and backpack capacity before farming
• Drop less valuable items when you find quest materials
• Focus exclusively on quest items (ignore other loot)
• Extract and return for additional materials if needed

Integration with Lance’s Questline

Doctor’s Orders is just the beginning of a valuable relationship with Lance:

Lance’s Complete Quest Chain:

1. Doctor’s Orders (This quest) – Starter mission
2. Medical Merchandise – Mid-tier collection
3. A Reveal in Ruins – Advanced quest
4. Prescriptions of the Past – High-tier rewards
5. Life of a Pharmacist – End-game medical quest

Progressive Rewards:

Each quest unlocks better medical supplies and healing augments:

• Tactical MK.3 Healing Augments
• Heavy Shields
• Premium healing consumables
• Advanced medical crafting recipes

Strategic Importance:

For players focused on:

• Survivability builds – Lance’s augments are essential
• Support roles in squads – Best healing item access
• Safe playstyle – Medical supplies enable defensive strategies
• Solo play – Self-sufficiency through healing items

Completing the full Lance questline should be a priority for these playstyles.

Related Quests & Activities

Doctor’s Orders overlaps with several other activities:

Synergistic Quests:

• Medical Merchandise – Also requires Hospital farming
• A Reveal in Ruins – Buried City location overlap
• Other Buried City quests from various traders

Complementary Systems:

• Workbench upgrades – Enables Antiseptic crafting
• Resource farming guides – Material gathering techniques
• Scrappy training – Another resource-collection activity

Efficiency Tip: Stack multiple Buried City quests before deploying. Complete Doctor’s Orders alongside other objectives to maximize each raid’s value.

Advanced Tips for Efficient Completion

Pre-Quest Preparation

Before starting Doctor’s Orders farming:

Optimal Preparation Checklist: ✓ Reach Refiner Station Level 2 (enables Antiseptic crafting backup)
✓ Stockpile 15+ Assorted Seeds (enables trader purchases)
✓ Unlock Safe Pockets augment
✓ Learn Hospital layout through general exploration
✓ Identify extraction points near Hospital
✓ Complete initial survival tutorials

Resource Stockpiling Strategy

Even after completing the quest, materials used here remain valuable:

What to Stockpile:

• Great Mullein (5-10) – Antiseptic crafting, medical recipes
• Fabric (50+) – Durable Cloth crafting, general use
• Antiseptic (Extra 2-3) – Medical crafting, consumable creation
• Assorted Seeds (20+) – General trading currency

Storage Management: Use your stash space efficiently by categorizing materials by quest vs. crafting vs. trading use.

Time Optimization

Most Efficient Completion Path:

1. Pre-raid: Purchase Syringe from Celeste (10 Assorted Seeds)
2. Raid 1: Galleria for Great Mullein, Hospital for Antiseptic (2x) + Durable Cloth
3. Turn in immediately if successful
4. Raid 2 (if needed): Focused Hospital farming for missing materials

Expected Time: 20-30 minutes total (including preparation and turn-in)

Final Thoughts on Doctor’s Orders

While Doctor’s Orders might seem like a simple fetch quest on the surface, it’s actually a masterfully designed introduction to ARC Raiders’ interconnected systems. The quest teaches material identification, spawn location patterns, risk management through Safe Pockets, and the decision-making balance between farming, crafting, and trading.

The rewards justify the effort—six healing items and a premium shield recharger provide immediate tactical value while opening Lance’s questline for long-term medical supply access. More importantly, the skills developed during this quest—systematic container searching, efficient routing through dangerous areas, and understanding rarity-based spawn logic—transfer to every other activity in the game.

For new players, approach this quest methodically. Don’t rush it—use it as an opportunity to learn Buried City’s layout and develop safe farming habits. For experienced players, this quest represents a quick efficiency challenge: how fast can you gather all materials using optimal routing and trader shortcuts?

Either way, establishing your relationship with Lance through Doctor’s Orders is an essential step in your journey through ARC Raiders’ dangerous world.

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What strategy worked best for you on Doctor’s Orders? Did you farm everything or use trader shortcuts? Share your Hospital survival stories and farming efficiency tips in the comments!