Arc Raiders ARC Motion Core Complete Guide: Farming Locations & Uses

ARC Motion Cores are one of those materials in Arc Raiders that the game never explicitly tells you about, yet they’re essential for mid-game progression. You’ll need them for weapon upgrades, workbench improvements, and crafting advanced equipment like Magnetic Accelerators. The problem? They’re rare, obtainable through specific methods, and require some hunting knowledge to farm efficiently.

Unlike common materials you passively collect while looting containers, ARC Motion Cores demand active engagement with specific enemy types or high-level crafting capabilities. This guide breaks down every method for obtaining these valuable cores, from hunting the elusive Surveyors to breaching ARC Droids and defeating large mechanized enemies.

Let me show you exactly how to farm ARC Motion Cores efficiently so you can progress your equipment and workbenches without unnecessary grinding.

What Are ARC Motion Cores?

ARC Motion Cores are rare crafting materials that drop from specific ARC enemy types and can be crafted at higher workbench levels.

Primary Uses

Crafting Magnetic Accelerators: Advanced weapon attachments that significantly improve firearm performance

Refiner upgrades: Essential material for upgrading your Refiner to Level 3 and beyond

Advanced crafting recipes: Various high-tier equipment requires Motion Cores as components

Recycling value: Can be broken down into two ARC Alloys if you have excess cores

Why They’re Important

ARC Motion Cores represent a progression bottleneck. You can’t advance certain workbench upgrades without them, and they’re required for some of the best weapon modifications in the game. Understanding how to farm them efficiently accelerates your overall progression significantly.

Method 1: Hunting Surveyors (Primary Method)

Surveyors are ball-shaped ARC enemies that represent your most reliable source of ARC Motion Cores. They’re challenging to find and destroy, but they consistently drop cores when defeated.

What Are Surveyors?

Appearance: Spherical, ball-shaped ARC machines

Behavior: Roll away from players when detected, making them difficult to engage

Spawn rate: Typically one Surveyor per map at most

Difficulty: Not heavily armored but extremely mobile and evasive

Drop rate: Consistently drops ARC Motion Cores when destroyed

How to Locate Surveyors

Finding Surveyors is the hardest part of farming them. They don’t appear on your map and can be anywhere within the region.

Visual identification method:

1. Choose an open map with good sky visibility:
   • Dam Battlegrounds (recommended)
   • Blue Gate (also good)
   • Avoid dense urban areas like Buried City where sight lines are obstructed
2. Look to the sky for a constant blue beam
   • Surveyors emit a distinctive blue light beam that extends upward
   • This beam is visible from significant distances
   • The beam acts as your primary tracking mechanism
3. Navigate toward the beam’s source
   • Use the beam direction to guide your approach
   • Be prepared for a chase—Surveyors detect players and flee
4. Close the distance before engaging
   • Get as close as possible before firing your first shot
   • Once combat begins, the Surveyor will attempt to escape

Combat Strategy Against Surveyors

Optimal approach:

Use Showstopper grenades: These grenades stun enemies in a radius, immobilizing the Surveyor and preventing its escape. This is the single most effective tool for Surveyor farming.

After stunning:

• Immediately lay down sustained fire
• Focus all damage on the stunned target
• Don’t conserve ammunition—Surveyors are worth the expense

Without Showstopper grenades:

• Use high rate-of-fire weapons to maximize damage during brief engagement windows
• Upgraded weapons with ARC damage bonuses are highly effective
• Coordinate with teammates to surround the Surveyor and cut off escape routes

Pursuit tactics:

• Surveyors roll away quickly—maintain chase while firing
• Anticipate movement patterns rather than shooting directly at current position
• Use terrain to force the Surveyor into corners or obstacles that slow its escape

Looting Surveyors

After successfully destroying a Surveyor:

1. Approach the destroyed remains
2. Interact to loot the corpse
3. Collect the ARC Motion Core (guaranteed drop)
4. Grab any additional materials that may have dropped
5. Store cores in Safe Pockets to protect them from loss on death

Surveyor Farming Tips

Best maps: Dam Battlegrounds and Blue Gate offer the best visibility for spotting the blue beam

Elevation advantage: Climb to high points to scan the horizon for beams more effectively

Timing: Early in raid cycles, Surveyors are more likely to be alive and available

Team coordination: Solo Surveyor hunting is challenging—teams can corner and eliminate them more reliably

Preparation: Always bring Showstopper grenades if Surveyor farming is your primary objective

Method 2: Breaching ARC Droids

ARC Droids represent a secondary source for ARC Motion Cores with a lower but still viable drop rate.

What Are ARC Droids?

Appearance: Various mechanized ARC units throughout the maps

Breach mechanic: Certain ARC Droids can be breached (hacked/opened) after defeat

Drop rate: Chance-based—not guaranteed like Surveyors, but possible

Accessibility: More common than Surveyors, making them a supplementary farming method

How to Farm ARC Droids

Identify breachable droids:

• After defeating certain ARC enemies, check for breach prompts
• Not all ARC enemies are breachable—look for the interaction indicator

Complete the breach:

• Interact with the defeated droid
• Wait for the breach animation to complete
• Collect the loot that appears

Check for Motion Cores:

• ARC Motion Cores are possible drops but not guaranteed
• You’ll also find other valuable materials in breached droids

Strategy for ARC Droid Farming

Volume approach: Since drop rates are chance-based, breach as many droids as possible

Efficient routing: Plan paths through areas with high ARC Droid density

Combine with other objectives: Breach droids while completing quests or farming other materials

Team division: Have teammates handle breaching while others provide security against hostile players

Method 3: Defeating Large ARC Enemies

Large ARC enemies represent another reliable source for ARC Motion Cores when you can successfully defeat them.

Target Enemy Types

Leapers: Highly mobile jumping ARC units with distinctive movement patterns

Rocketeers: Heavy artillery units with ranged rocket attacks

Other large mechanized enemies: Various heavy ARC units across maps

Why Large Enemies Drop Cores

Large ARC enemies break down into multiple parts when destroyed, creating multiple loot opportunities. Each part can potentially contain valuable materials, including ARC Motion Cores.

Combat Strategy for Large Enemies

Leapers:

• Extremely mobile—requires good tracking and prediction
• Use cover to avoid their aggressive leap attacks
• Medium or Heavy Shields recommended for survivability
• Focus sustained fire during their attack recovery animations

Rocketeers:

• High damage output—prioritize cover and movement
• Break line of sight to avoid rocket barrages
• Use long-range weapons to engage from safer distances
• Aim for weak points if visible (typically glowing sections)

General large enemy tactics:

• Don’t fight near hostile players—you’re vulnerable during these encounters
• Bring adequate ammunition and healing items
• Consider bringing upgraded weapons with ARC damage bonuses
• Teams handle large enemies much more safely than solo players

Looting Large Enemies

After defeating large ARC enemies:

1. Approach each destroyed component of the enemy
2. Loot all parts individually—each section may contain different materials
3. Check specifically for ARC Motion Cores among the drops
4. Collect all valuable materials while you’re there
5. Extract safely with your haul protected in Safe Pockets

Large Enemy Farming Locations

Dam Battlegrounds: Good Rocketeer spawn density in certain areas

Spaceport: Multiple large enemy patrol routes through industrial zones

Buried City: Urban environment provides cover for engaging large enemies

Blue Gate: Open areas make large enemies easier to spot and engage

Method 4: Crafting ARC Motion Cores

If farming enemies isn’t yielding enough cores, you can craft them directly—but this requires significant progression.

Crafting Requirements

Material cost: 6 ARC Alloys per ARC Motion Core

Workbench requirement: Refiner Level 3 (must be upgraded first)

Availability: Only viable for mid-to-late game players with upgraded workbenches

Is Crafting Worth It?

Advantages:

• Guaranteed cores without relying on RNG drops or finding rare enemies
• On-demand availability when you need cores for specific projects
• Doesn’t require risky raids if you have materials stockpiled

Disadvantages:

• Requires 6 ARC Alloys (valuable resource with other uses)
• Demands Refiner Level 3 (which ironically may require Motion Cores to achieve)
• Less efficient than farming if you’re successful at hunting Surveyors or large enemies

Verdict: Crafting is best used as a supplementary method when you’re close to completing a project but short a few cores. Primary farming should still come from defeating enemies.

Getting ARC Alloys for Crafting

If you’re crafting Motion Cores, you’ll need substantial ARC Alloys:

Sources for ARC Alloys:

• Defeating ARC enemies (common drop)
• Breaching ARC Droids
• Recycling excess ARC equipment you don’t need
• Material farming routes through high ARC density areas
• Purchasing from traders if absolutely necessary

Practical Uses for ARC Motion Cores

Understanding what you’re farming these cores for helps prioritize their use.

Primary Uses

Crafting Magnetic Accelerators:

• Advanced weapon attachments
• Significantly improve weapon performance
• Worth the investment for your primary firearms

Refiner upgrades:

• Essential for upgrading to Refiner Level 3
• Level 3 Refiner unlocks advanced crafting recipes
• Creates a progression loop: need cores to upgrade, then can craft cores

Advanced equipment crafting:

• Various high-tier gear requires Motion Cores
• Check specific recipes in your workbench for requirements

Recycling Value

Converting cores to ARC Alloys:

• Each ARC Motion Core recycles into 2 ARC Alloys
• Only do this if you have excess cores and desperately need Alloys
• Generally not recommended since cores are harder to obtain than Alloys

When to recycle:

• You’ve completed all upgrades requiring cores
• You have surplus cores and urgent need for Alloys
• You’re specifically trying to accumulate Alloys for a different project

Optimal Farming Strategy

Combine multiple methods for maximum efficiency:

Recommended Farming Route

1. Start raid on open map (Dam Battlegrounds or Blue Gate)
2. Scan horizon for Surveyor blue beam while traveling
3. Engage and destroy Surveyor if found (priority target)
4. Defeat and breach ARC Droids encountered along the way
5. Engage large ARC enemies when opportunities arise safely
6. Complete any nearby quests for additional rewards
7. Extract safely with collected cores in Safe Pockets

Loadout for Core Farming

Weapons:

• Primary: High DPS weapon for Surveyor/large enemy damage
• Secondary: Reliable backup for sustained engagements
• Both should have good ARC damage ratings

Equipment:

• Showstopper grenades (essential for Surveyors)
• Medium or Heavy Shield for surviving large enemy fights
• Adequate healing items for extended farming sessions
• Sufficient ammunition reserves

Utility:

• Safe Pockets for protecting collected cores
• Binoculars for spotting Surveyor beams from distance
• Movement equipment for chasing Surveyors

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Not bringing Showstopper grenades: Attempting Surveyor farming without stun capability significantly reduces success rates

Fighting large enemies near hostile players: You’re extremely vulnerable during these fights—choose timing and location carefully

Not using Safe Pockets: Collecting multiple cores then losing them all to a single death before extraction

Ignoring the blue beam: Missing Surveyor spawns because you’re not scanning the sky

Fighting in bad positions: Engaging large enemies in open areas with no cover leads to unnecessary deaths

Wasting cores on recycling: Converting rare Motion Cores to common ARC Alloys when you’ll need the cores later

Solo large enemy fights with poor gear: Attempting Rocketeer/Leaper kills without adequate equipment wastes time and resources

Advanced Farming Tips

Map rotation: If your first map doesn’t have a Surveyor spawn, extract and try a different map

Time efficiency: Don’t spend entire raids searching for one Surveyor—combine with other productive activities

Team specialization: Have teammates with different loadouts—some optimized for Surveyors, others for large enemies

Night raids: Consider whether night cycle benefits outweigh increased danger for your farming route

Resource tracking: Keep mental or physical notes of how many cores you need for upcoming upgrades

Crafting planning: Once you reach Refiner Level 3, calculate whether farming or crafting is more efficient for your playstyle

Progression Timeline

Understanding when ARC Motion Cores become relevant:

Early game (Levels 1-10):

• Cores aren’t urgently needed yet
• Focus on basic materials and skill unlocks
• Opportunistically collect cores when convenient

Mid game (Levels 10-20):

• Refiner upgrades start requiring cores
• Magnetic Accelerator crafting becomes desirable
• Active core farming becomes important

Late game (Level 20+):

• Multiple upgrade paths require cores
• Crafting becomes viable as supplementary source
• Efficient farming routes are essential

Solo vs. Team Farming

Solo Approach

Surveyor hunting: Very challenging—success rate lower without team support

ARC Droid breaching: Manageable—breach droids while staying alert for threats

Large enemy fights: Risky—requires good gear and skill to solo Rocketeers/Leapers

Overall: Solo core farming is slower and riskier but possible with proper preparation

Team Approach

Surveyor hunting: Much more reliable—team can surround and focus fire

ARC Droid breaching: One member breaches while others provide security

Large enemy fights: Significantly safer—distributed damage and threat management

Overall: Teams farm cores much more efficiently with better survival rates

Final Thoughts

ARC Motion Cores exemplify Arc Raiders’ approach to rare materials—they’re not impossible to obtain, but they require active hunting and knowledge of specific farming methods. Unlike common resources that accumulate passively through general gameplay, cores demand intentional farming strategies.

The Surveyor hunting method is your most reliable source, but it requires patience, good visibility conditions, and ideally Showstopper grenades to prevent escapes. Supplementing Surveyor hunts with ARC Droid breaching and opportunistic large enemy defeats creates a comprehensive farming strategy that accumulates cores steadily over multiple raids.

Once you reach Refiner Level 3, crafting provides a safety net for when RNG isn’t cooperating, though the 6 ARC Alloy cost makes it better suited as a supplement rather than your primary acquisition method.

The key to efficient Motion Core farming is preparation—bring the right equipment (especially Showstoppers), choose open maps for Surveyor visibility, combine farming with other productive activities, and always protect your collected cores with Safe Pockets before extraction.

Now get out there, scan those skies for blue beams, breach those droids, and take down those large mechanized threats. Your Refiner upgrades and Magnetic Accelerator crafting projects are waiting.

Available on PlayStation and Xbox, Arc Raiders continues to challenge players with its rare material farming requirements. Good hunting, Raider!