Struggling to find Surveyors in ARC Raiders? Use this community-backed guide to track blue beams, find reliable spawns in Dam Battlegrounds, and secure Surveyor Vaults fast.
Finding Surveyors in ARC Raiders is one of the first major hurdles players face. These elusive machines are essential for completing the “Mixed Signals” quest and upgrading your Medical Lab, but they are notoriously difficult to track down.
If you have spent hours wandering the maps without seeing a single blue light, this guide—backed by community insights from reddit—will help you pinpoint their locations and secure those rare ARC Raiders Surveyor Vaults.
What are Arc Surveyors in Arc Raiders?
Arc Surveyors are non-aggressive, sphere-shaped machines that roam the landscape scanning for resources. Unlike the combat-heavy drones you usually encounter, a Surveyor will not attack you on sight. Instead, it focuses on its work, emitting a distinct vertical blue beam into the sky while it scans.
Key Characteristics and Behavior
- Threat Level: Low (Passive unless cornered or attacked).
- Armor: Heavy gunmetal-colored plating.
- Weak Point: The central core, which is only exposed during transmissions.
- Health: Approximately 257 HP, but its speed makes it feel like more.
The reason every Raider is hunting them is the ARC Raiders Surveyor Vault. This is a guaranteed drop upon destruction and is a critical resource for mid-game progression, specifically for reaching Medical Lab Level 3.
Arc Surveyor Where to Find: The Blue Beam Trick
If you are wondering where do surveyors spawn in arc Raiders, the answer is written in the sky. The most effective way to find one is to look for a tall, glowing blue pillar of light.
- Night Raids are Best: The community on reddit consistently recommends hunting at night. The blue beam is significantly more visible against a dark sky, making it much easier to spot from across the map.
- Horizontal Movement: If you see a blue beam moving quickly across the horizon, that is a Surveyor on the move. They roll fast, so you will need to sprint to catch up.
- The 10-Minute Mark: Surveyors are often destroyed by other players early in a match. Some players report that new Surveyors may spawn or become more active when there are about 10 minutes remaining in the raid.
- Vantage Points: Use tools like the Metaforge Interactive Map to find high-ground spots. Standing on elevated terrain allows you to scan 360 degrees for that signature blue laser.
Best Map for Surveyors ARC Raiders
While these machines can appear on several maps, your success rate depends entirely on where you deploy.
Where to find Surveyors Arc Raiders Dam Battlegrounds
The Dam Battlegrounds is widely considered the best map for Surveyors ARC Raiders. The terrain is open, allowing you to see the blue beams from a distance. Focus your search on:
- The Scrap Yard: This is a high-probability spawn point with a nearly 75% reliable sighting rate according to community data.
- The Salvage Area: Check the remote corners of this zone, as Surveyors often hide away from the main combat paths.
- Water Treatment Lift: A known fixed spawn point where Surveyors occasionally get stuck in the environment.
Spaceport Surveyor Location Arc Raiders
The Spaceport is another reliable location. Look for them in the southern power substations and the open fields near the Adorned Wreckage. Because this map is massive, using a high-ground vantage point to scan for blue lights is essential. Specific hotspots include:
- South-eastern Quadrant: Known to have up to four potential spawn points.
- Space Travel Hub: A common patrol route for these units.
Where to Find Surveyors Arc Raiders Buried City
In the Buried City, Surveyors are slightly harder to track due to the urban layout. Most players find them on the outskirts near the Hospital or the Town Hall. If you are looking for where do arc surveyors go in this map, they typically stick to the main roads where they have room to roll.
- Safety Tip: The tight streets of Buried City are great for solo players to ambush Surveyors as they cannot easily roll “out of bounds” like they do on open maps.
Best Way to Kill Surveyor ARC Raiders
Finding the machine is only half the battle. Once you engage, the Surveyor will attempt to flee at high speed. If you don’t destroy it quickly, it will disappear into the distance.
Recommended Loadouts and Tools
- Use Stun Tools: The most effective strategy is to use a Showstopper Grenade or a Hornet Driver. These freeze the Surveyor in place for roughly 10 seconds, preventing it from rolling away.
- High Burst Damage: Once it is stationary, hit it with Trigger Grenades, Snap Blasts, or the Hull Cracker.
- The “One-Shot” Secret: A single Wolfpack Grenade is an easy “one-hit kill” against a full-health Surveyor, though these are expensive and usually reserved for larger bosses.
- Wait for the Core: Only attack when the Surveyor stops to fire its blue beam. This is when its protective armor retracts, exposing its yellow-glowing weak point.
Strategic Tips
- The Budget Method: If you are running low on resources, 5 or 6 shots from a Ferro IV aimed directly at the core are usually enough.
- Melee Tactics: If you can corner the machine against a metal frame or a wall, you can actually body-block its path. This allows you to use melee attacks to save your ammunition.
Where to Find Surveyor Vaults in Arc Raiders?
To get your hands on a vault, you must destroy the machine. Each Surveyor is a guaranteed source for one ARC Raiders Surveyor Vault.
Alternative Method: ARC Couriers
If you find hunting Surveyors too difficult, keep an eye out for ARC Couriers. These are small white drones that hover around the map.
- Electromagnetic Storm Events: During a storm, Couriers spawn in much higher numbers.
- Finding them: Look for black smoke rising from the ground; this marks a fallen Courier you can breach with your Raider Tool.
- Drop Rates: While not guaranteed like the Surveyor, Couriers have a moderate chance to drop Surveyor Vaults along with Sentinel Firing Cores.
Why You Need Surveyor Vaults
Aside from Shani’s “Mixed Signals” quest, you will need a total of 5 Surveyor Vaults to upgrade your Medical Lab from Level 2 to Level 3. This upgrade also requires:
- 3x Rusted Shut Medical Kits
- 8x Antiseptic
If you are still struggling, remember that these are rare spawns. As many reddit users have noted, the game seems to make them disappear the moment you actually need them. If a map is empty, extract and try again. Persistence is the key to mastering the hunt.
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