ARC Raiders: Forgotten Relics Walkthrough – Converging Paths & Merits

The fastest way to progress through ARC Raiders’ Forgotten Relics event is to treat every standard raid as a farming run for Converging Paths. Extract with Forgotten Relic trinkets before attempting the next stage, because each relic awards a fixed Merit chunk on extraction and simultaneously counts as a stage turn-in. Start with Stage 1 immediately-it requires no held items-then loop through high-loot zones to gather relics for the remaining five stages. This approach keeps your Merit income high and eliminates wasted runs where you enter a stage without the required turn-ins.

How Merits and Relics Work

Merits are the event’s progression currency, and they come from two sources during Forgotten Relics. First, every 100 XP you earn in a raid converts to 1 Merit upon successful extraction back to Speranza. Second, the event introduces nine new relic trinkets scattered across the map. Extracting with any of these trinkets grants an immediate, fixed Merit chunk independent of your XP total. Because both revenue streams require extraction, surviving the evac helicopter is the single most important part of your strategy.

The relics serve a dual purpose. In addition to the Merit chunk they provide on extraction, they also function as turn-in items for Converging Paths stages. This double value means a single relic contributes to your immediate Merit balance and advances the event’s overarching project. There is no functional difference between the nine relics for the purpose of Merits or turn-ins; any trinket labeled as a Forgotten Relic will satisfy the next Converging Paths stage requirement and award the same fixed chunk.

The Six-Stage Run Order

Stage 1 tasks you with damaging ARC units in the Swamp, and it requires no specific items to complete. This makes it the ideal starting point because you can queue directly into it with any loadout and make immediate progress. Use this stage to re-familiarize yourself with ARC behavior and Swamp sightlines without worrying about inventory checks.

For Stages 2 through 6, the optimal order is determined by your stash, not a fixed sequence. Before you queue into any Converging Paths stage beyond the first, run a standard raid with the explicit goal of extracting with at least one Forgotten Relic. Once the relic is safely in your stash at Speranza, queue into the next available CP stage and turn it in immediately. This alternating pattern-farm relic, turn in relic, farm relic—prevents the common trap of entering a stage only to realize you lack the specific item needed to advance.

Because each stage turn-in consumes a relic, you will need six successful relic extractions to complete the full project if you turn in one per stage. Given the double-dip value on extraction, this loop is the most efficient way to climb the Merit ladder while ticking off the CP checklist.

Where to Farm Relics

The nine new relics can spawn in any raid, but certain zones offer better farming density than others. Buried City, Riven Tides, and Dam Battlegrounds have numerous container clusters and elevated cache spawns that make them ideal for trinket hunting. In Buried City, check the mid-tier buildings and rooftop access points where accessory-class loot tends to cluster. The dense urban layout lets you chain container opens quickly, but it also attracts other Raiders, so listen for footsteps between searches. Riven Tides spreads its high-value containers across vertical scaffolding and flooded basements, so bring a loadout that lets you move efficiently through water and climb without burning stamina. Dam Battlegrounds condenses loot into the industrial compound and its perimeter shacks, making it easier to sweep a large area in a short time window; focus on the tool benches and lockers inside the main facility first.

Do not attempt to farm relics inside an active Converging Paths stage unless the stage objective explicitly overlaps with a high-loot route. Standard raids give you the flexibility to extract early the moment you find a relic, whereas CP stages may lock you into a zone or task that delays extraction and increases the risk of losing the trinket.

Extraction Strategy and Loadout Warning

Extraction is where all of your work converts to progress. If you die with a relic in your pack, you lose both the fixed Merit chunk and the turn-in item. Once you secure a trinket, shift your playstyle immediately toward survival. Avoid third-party fights, move toward the evac zone early, and use smoke grenades or audio decoys to cover your approach to the helicopter. If the evac point is hot, consider waiting in a concealed position until the ship arrives rather than camping the landing zone itself.

Keep in mind that Patch 1.33.0 introduced temporary disablement of Free Loadouts under certain map conditions. Before you deploy, verify that your selected gear is actually equipped and that you are not relying on a free preset that the server has deactivated. Dropping into a farm run with an unintended loadout is an easy way to lose a relic you spent ten minutes locating.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Queuing into a Converging Paths stage without a relic stockpiled at Speranza. This forces you to either abort or complete the stage without advancing the turn-in requirement.
• Dying while holding a relic. The trinket must extract to count for Merits and turn-ins.
• Neglecting XP farming in favor of pure relic hunting. Kills, looting, and assists still convert at 100 XP per Merit, so maintain pressure on ARC patrols while you search.
• Ignoring the loadout screen. With Free Loadouts occasionally disabled, always confirm your weapons and armor before the timer expires.