ARC Raiders Waking the Grid Quest Guide

The ARC Raiders Waking the Grid quest was added as part of the Flashpoint update on March 31, 2026: one of several new missions assigned by Shani, the trader who runs on the assumption that you have nothing better to do than trek across Spaceport in three separate directions. She is, tragically, correct.

Unlike some quests that demand you haul specific items back to Speranza, Waking the Grid is purely objective-based. No item extraction required. You can drop in with a free loadout and still complete every step, which is a rare mercy from a game that otherwise delights in watching you die clutching irreplaceable loot.

Prerequisite Waking the Grid is a direct follow-up to Dust on the Wires. If you haven't touched that one yet, Shani won't acknowledge your existence for this mission either. Classic Shani.

The quest is the direct sequel to Dust on the Wires, which also sent you fumbling around Spaceport. The game's commitment to recycling the same map for consecutive quests is, at minimum, consistent. The Spaceport quest walkthrough experience essentially becomes a meditation on how many times a person can follow the same corridor before losing their sanity.

Three objectives. Three POIs. Zero items to carry. Here is what Shani needs you to do:

1. Activate the security sensors in a Guard Tower
2. Start the Security Control Center in the Departure Building
3. Search for security breach traces in the Arrival Building Data Office

Activate Security Sensors

The first stop on your mandatory Spaceport tourism is one of the Guard Tower security sensors ARC Raiders locations. Guard Towers are scattered along the perimeter wall of Spaceport like watchtowers from a security contractor who gave up halfway through. There are several you can choose from, which the game presents as freedom but is really just an opportunity to pick the wrong one first.

The recommended tower is just east of the Fuel Lines POI, west of Control Tower A6. It is, mercifully, one of the more accessible ones. You can enter either by climbing the break in the perimeter wall to the east of the tower, or by using the zipline at the base: assuming you like arriving to objectives in the most dramatic way possible.

Exact Interaction Point Once inside, locate the console along the southeast-facing window. Interact with it to activate the security sensors. The quest will update. You may now proceed to do more errands.

There is also a guard tower conveniently positioned right next to the Departure Building, which is your next destination. The game does occasionally show mercy. This is one of those occasions. Feel free to acknowledge it before it is immediately revoked.

Note on Enemy Presence Guard Towers sit along the perimeter wall, which means you are exposed. ARC patrols and occasionally other Raiders will be in the vicinity. The Spaceport perimeter wall is not a place for leisurely sightseeing. Move with purpose.

Security Control Center

Once you have successfully poked a console in a guard tower, it is time to head northwest to the Departure Building and locate the Security Control Center Departure Building. The Departure Building is large. It is the sort of building that was designed by someone who believed in the spiritual value of long, identical corridors.

Enter through the southern entrance and turn right. Follow the hallway labeled: and this is not a drill: "All Departures." The signage is functional. The irony of following departure signs in a post-apocalyptic ARC-infested ruin is left as an exercise for the player.

Enter South

Use the southern entrance of the Departure Building. Don't use a different entrance. There is always someone who uses a different entrance.

Turn Right

Head right and follow the hallway marked "All Departures." The sign is accurate. Resist the urge to explore the rest of the building first.

First Room on Left

Walk into the room immediately on your left. At the back you will find a set of computers. Interact to activate the Security Control Center.

The Security Control Center is a dark room with computers at the back. You will see the interaction prompt. You activate it. Nothing explodes. Congratulations on managing basic computer interaction under moderate duress.

Alternative Route (Southwest Approach) Some guides describe entering from the southwest corner of the ground floor and navigating to the end of the path, turning left, then left again. Both routes lead to the same terminal. The building is not a labyrinth; it just wants you to feel like it is.

Data Office & Wire Cutting

Travel north from the Departure Building until you reach the Arrival Building. The fact that these two buildings exist in such close proximity to each other and yet somehow require a separate quest objective each is something you will have to make peace with. The Arrival Building Data Office location is your final destination.

The Data Office sits on the first floor, in the western corner of the Arrival Building. It is locked behind a breachable door. You do not need a key, which is the game's way of acknowledging that not every locked door needs to be a two-hour procurement mission. Breach the door. Enter the room. Marvel at how many computers one office needs.

Locate the Breachable Door

Head to the western corner of the Arrival Building ground floor. The Data Office door is breachable: no key required. Kick it in with whatever confidence you have left.

Enter the Data Office

Inside you will find a desk stacked with computer monitors. This is either the Data Office or someone's very unpleasant home office.

Cut the Wires

Walk up to the monitors and interact with the prompt to cut the wires. The cut wires interaction ARC Raiders is your final act. Quest complete. You may now go home.

Enemy Warning: This Room Hates You The Arrival Building is home to Shredders, Fireballs, and Pops. None of them are interested in your quest objectives. Clear before interacting, or accept the consequences of crouching over a computer terminal while something tries to reduce you to component materials.

After cutting the wires, the mission is marked complete. You are free to extract from any available extraction point and return to Speranza. You will not receive a parade. There is no parade. There has never been a parade.

This is not a stealth mission, but it could be if you were disciplined about it. Here is a summary of the threats Spaceport will deploy against you while you are trying to do basic administrative tasks for a trader:

• Shredders: The Arrival Building's resident welcoming committee. Fast, aggressive, and deeply opposed to your presence in the Data Office.
• Fireballs: Annoying in the specific way that only something which shoots fire at you can be annoying. Found inside the Arrival Building.
• Pops: Small, explosive, and personally insulting to encounter when you are trying to interact with a terminal.
• General ARC Patrols: Roam the perimeter wall near Guard Towers. They are patrolling. You are trespassing. This is not complicated.
• Other Raiders: Equally desperate, possibly better equipped. The ARC Raiders Spaceport PvP threat is real. They also want to complete quests. They also do not want you completing yours.

For those who prefer their quest guides in table form, possibly printed, possibly laminated, here is the entirety of the Waking the Grid complete walkthrough compressed into something readable at a glance: