ARC Raiders How to Get Planks — Farming Locations Guide

Planks are a crafting material introduced in ARC Raiders with the Frozen Trail update. You need them to build and upgrade your Outpost — specifically for the Sheltered Retreat project and furniture crafts like the Research Station upgrade. They do not drop from enemies and you will not find them in weapon crates or ARC salvage. They are found in residential furniture and shop containers, mostly on Pendola Pass. Here is exactly where to look and how to stock up fast.

Key Takeaways

• Planks are used for the Sheltered Retreat project (Outpost) and furniture crafting like the Research Station upgrade
• Stage 2 of the Sheltered Retreat project requires 3 Planks (along with 5 Sheet Metal, 10 ARC Alloy, and 3 Advanced Electrical Components)
• Upgrading the Research Station to level 1 requires 35 Planks
• Best farming location is Old Town on Pendola Pass — 665 possible spawn locations
• Search kitchen cupboards, kitchen benches, wardrobes, drawers, stacking boxes, and suitcases
• Skip refrigerators, freezers, and small desk drawers — they cannot drop Planks
• You can also buy Planks from Celeste for 3 Assorted Seeds each
• Planks weigh 0.1 kg each — 35 Planks = 3.5 kg

What Are Planks Used For in ARC Raiders?

Planks are an Outpost crafting material. The main uses are:

• Sheltered Retreat Project (Stage 2) — requires 3 Planks, 5 Sheet Metal, 10 ARC Alloy, and 3 Advanced Electrical Components. This is the Outpost progression project.
• Research Station upgrade to Level 1 — requires 35 Planks as one part of its crafting cost. This is a significant stockpile requirement.
• Furniture crafting — various Outpost furniture items require Planks as components.

If you are just getting started with the Outpost, the 3 Planks for Stage 2 of Sheltered Retreat is your first target. After that, the Research Station upgrade is where the real grind kicks in. Plan your farming runs with those numbers in mind before you drop in.

For more on how the Outpost system works and what to build first, check our Ascending the Mountain project guide and our Outpost guide.

Best Container Types to Search for Planks

Planks have specific containers they can and cannot spawn in. Searching the right ones saves time — the wrong ones waste it.

Containers that CAN drop Planks

• Kitchen cupboards and kitchen benches — highest priority in residential buildings
• Wardrobes
• Drawers — but only full-size drawers, not small desk drawers (see below)
• Stacking boxes — especially common in the Commissary Supermarket
• Suitcases
• Cabinets

Containers that CANNOT drop Planks — skip these

• Refrigerators and freezers
• Cash registers
• Small desk drawers

The fastest route through any building is: kitchen first (cupboards and benches), then drawers, wardrobes, stacking boxes, and suitcases. Skip everything else unless you are searching for other materials at the same time.

Best Farming Locations for Planks

Best Farming Locations for Planks

1. Old Town, Pendola Pass — Best Overall

Old Town is the single best spot for Planks. It has 665 possible spawn locations across its residential homes, with kitchens and storage furniture packed into almost every building. This is the first place to go on any Plank farming run.

Old Town is in the southwestern area of Pendola Pass. The homes here are dense with the exact container types that drop Planks. Work through the kitchen of each house first, then check drawers, wardrobes, and stacking boxes before moving to the next building. Finish each house completely before crossing the street — backtracking wastes time when other Raiders are on the same map.

2. Commissary Supermarket, Pendola Pass

The Commissary Supermarket has 231 possible Plank spawn locations, with 180 of those tied to stacking boxes. This is a useful second stop, especially if you are already farming the Supermarket for other quest objectives.

Focus on stacking boxes in the aisles and stockrooms first, then check the cupboards in the cafe area. The Supermarket is right next to the Railyard, so combining a Plank run here with the Railyard antenna objective from Exploring Pendola Pass is an efficient use of one raid. Watch out for the Shredder that patrols inside.

3. Researcher Lodgings, Pendola Pass

Researcher Lodgings has 160 possible spawn locations, mainly suitcases, closets, and drawers. It is a decent secondary stop if Old Town is already cleared or contested by other Raiders.

4. Piazza della Rupe, Pendola Pass

122 possible spawn locations here. Worth checking if it is on your extraction route anyway — but not worth going out of your way for as a primary destination when Old Town is available.

How to Buy Planks From Celeste

If you only need a few Planks and do not want to run a full farming session, Celeste sells Planks for 3 Assorted Seeds each. There is no reported purchase limit in the current version.

This is the most efficient option when you are one or two short of a crafting requirement. Getting all 8 Planks and Sheet Metal for Stage 2 of the Sheltered Retreat project from Celeste costs 24 Assorted Seeds total. If your seed supply is healthy, trading is often faster than a dedicated farming run.

For ongoing needs like the 35 Planks for the Research Station upgrade, combine a few purchased Planks with what you naturally find on raids to avoid burning through all your seeds at once.

Simple Plank Farming Route

Here is a clean route to follow on Pendola Pass if you need Planks fast:

1. Drop into Pendola Pass and head to Old Town in the southwest
2. Enter each house and start with the kitchen — check all cupboards and benches first
3. Move through the rest of the house: drawers, wardrobes, stacking boxes, suitcases
4. Skip fridges, freezers, and small desk drawers — they cannot drop Planks
5. Finish one house before moving to the next
6. If you still need more after clearing Old Town homes, swing through the Commissary Supermarket — hit the stacking box aisles and stockrooms
7. Keep track of how many you have and extract once you have hit your target

Planks weigh 0.1 kg each, so weight is not a limiting factor for small batches. The 3 Planks for Stage 2 of Sheltered Retreat weigh just 0.3 kg. For the Research Station’s 35 Planks, that is 3.5 kg — something to keep in mind if you have a heavy loadout.

Tips for Farming Planks Efficiently

• Start with Old Town’s kitchens — the highest concentration of Plank-eligible containers on the map is in these homes.
• Do not waste time on fridges and freezers — they look like obvious loot containers but Planks cannot appear in them. Move past them.
• Combine Plank runs with quest objectives — if you are on Pendola Pass for other quests like the Exploring Pendola Pass objectives or Sizing Things Up, pick up Planks along the way.
• Check the Commissary when quests take you there — the stacking box aisles are quick to clear and the spawn count is solid.
• Use Celeste for top-ups — if you are 1-2 Planks short after a run, spend the seeds rather than going back out.
• Squad up for big batches — if you need 35 Planks for the Research Station upgrade, splitting between squadmates and covering more buildings per raid cuts the grind significantly.
• Extract before getting into fights you did not plan for — Planks only count once you are back at Speranza. Dying before you extract loses everything in open inventory.

Outpost Planks Requirements Summary

Here is a quick reference for how many Planks you need at each stage of Outpost progression:

• Sheltered Retreat Stage 2 — 3 Planks (with 5 Sheet Metal, 10 ARC Alloy, 3 Advanced Electrical Components)
• Research Station Level 1 upgrade — 35 Planks
• Further furniture crafts vary — check each recipe individually once you unlock them

For the Research Station upgrade specifically, budget at least two or three dedicated farming runs to Old Town before you have the full 35. Two clean runs through Old Town homes should get you there, but raid population and ARC activity will vary.

For the full picture of what the Outpost system unlocks and how to progress through it, see our Belly of the Beast quest guide for the endgame content Outpost upgrades support, and our complete loot table guide for a full breakdown of all materials and where they drop.

For more on Pendola Pass in general, our Pendola Pass map guide covers every zone. And for upgrading your gear to make farming runs safer and more efficient, see our Workbench upgrade guide.

Frequently Asked Questions