How to get a Broken Guidance System in Arc Raiders

Why the Broken Guidance System Feels So Painful to Farm

After burning through a full evening of raids trying to get a Broken Guidance System, I realized I was doing it the hard way. I kept hitting Stella Montis because everyone said “it can drop there,” and all I got was third-partied, wiped, and sent back to orbit empty-handed.

The breakthrough came when I shifted my focus to the Hydroponic Dome Complex in Dam Battlegrounds. Once I started treating it as a dedicated farm route instead of a side stop, I went from “no luck in 5+ runs” to getting my Broken Guidance System on my second full clear, and then reliably seeing more on later trips.

This guide walks you through the exact approach I now use on PC to safely and consistently farm a Broken Guidance System for the third Expedition, with an emphasis on low-PvP risk and efficient runs.

What the Broken Guidance System Is Used For (Expedition 3)

The Broken Guidance System is a rare industrial component needed for one of the project stages in Expedition 3. You’ll see it listed on the project board along with other materials like metals, electronics, and higher-tier trinkets. You don’t just need to “have seen it” – you must physically bring it back and contribute it at the Expedition terminal.

In practical terms:

• You only need a small number of Broken Guidance Systems, but RNG can make it feel brutal if you farm the wrong place.
• It takes up inventory space, so you must extract alive with it for it to count.
• It’s not craftable (as of the current patch), so no shortcut through vendors or recyclers.

That’s why picking the right location and route matters. You want somewhere with a high concentration of the correct loot containers and low player traffic – which is exactly why the Hydroponic Dome Complex is so good.

Stella Montis vs. Hydroponic Dome Complex: Why I Switched

I started where most people do: Stella Montis, specifically the Medical and Assembly zones. The problem?

• It’s a known hot spot, so PvP is frequent.
• The layout funnels players into the same choke points.
• You can spend 15-20 minutes looting only to get deleted by a squad camping a corridor.

I wasted multiple raids this way. Yes, Broken Guidance Systems can spawn there, but you’re basically playing loot lottery and PvP roulette at the same time.

Once I shifted to Dam Battlegrounds → Hydroponic Dome Complex, the difference was immediate:

• Fewer players contest the area, especially off-peak.
• The building is packed with red industrial lockers and breachable metal crates, which are the main containers that can hold a Broken Guidance System.
• The layout supports a quick, structured loop you can repeat every run.

If you’re stuck on Expedition 3 because of this one item, skip Stella Montis and commit to the Hydroponic Dome Complex for a session. It’s much less stressful and way more reliable in my experience.

Step 1: Prep Your Loadout for a Safe Farm Run

Before you even queue into Dam Battlegrounds, set yourself up for survival first, loot second. My go-to loadout on PC:

• Primary weapon: A stable mid-range rifle or DMR with decent mag size. You’ll be clearing indoor bots and occasional players in corridors.
• Secondary weapon: Shotgun or fast SMG for tight hydroponic hallways.
• Utilities: Medkits, at least one armor repair item, and a couple of grenades (for clustered drones or to break line-of-sight in PvP).
• Breaching tool: Whatever your build uses to open metal crates (this matters – Broken Guidance Systems are often in those breachable boxes).
• Carry weight buffer: Go in light. Leave non-essential junk at base so you’re not overweight halfway through the loop.

Keybind-wise on PC, make sure you’re comfortable with quick-healing and utility usage – for example, having medkits on an easy reach key (like 4 or 5) instead of buried in your inventory wheel.

Step 2: Getting to the Hydroponic Dome Complex

Load into Dam Battlegrounds. Spawns vary, but your goal is to rotate toward the Hydroponic Dome Complex as fast and as quietly as you can.

Step 2: Getting to the Hydroponic Dome Complex

Load into Dam Battlegrounds. Spawns vary, but your goal is to rotate toward the Hydroponic Dome Complex as fast and as quietly as you can.

• As soon as you load in, open your tactical map (Tab by default on many PC setups, or whatever you bound it to).
• Locate the Hydroponic Dome marker – it’s usually labeled near the agricultural or greenhouse-looking structure on the map.
• Plan a path that skirts the edges of high-traffic POIs. Avoid cutting directly through central combat zones unless you’re late into the raid.

I usually prioritize taking the slightly longer but quieter route; losing one run to early PvP wastes more time than an extra 30–60 seconds jogging the long way around.

Step 3: How Loot Works in the Hydroponic Dome Complex

Inside the Dome, you’re mainly looking for two container types:

• Red industrial lockers – tall, wall-mounted or floor-standing lockers with a distinct red color. These are your primary Broken Guidance System targets.
• Breachable metal crates – chunky metal boxes that require a breaching or hacking action to open. These often hide rarer industrial components.

From my runs, a “good” Hydroponic Dome sweep includes:

• Multiple red lockers along the outer corridors and maintenance rooms.
• 2–4 breachable crates tucked in side rooms, storage bays, or behind partial cover.
• A handful of generic loot boxes and shelves – these are nice but less important for our target.

The Broken Guidance System is still RNG-based, but by focusing on these container types you stack the odds heavily in your favor. On a full, careful clear, I usually see at least one “high-tier industrial” item per run, and a Broken Guidance System every few clears on average.

Step 4: My Exact Hydroponic Dome Farming Route

This is the loop I now run almost every time. It’s designed for solo or small squads who want to minimize exposure and maximize locker/crate checks.

Phase A – Secure the Outer Ring

• Enter via the lowest-traffic door you can see – if you hear gunfire at one entrance, wrap around to another.
• Clear the first hallway slowly. Bots tend to lurk around corners and on catwalks above.
• Work clockwise around the Dome’s outer ring:
  • Hug the walls and check every red locker you see – don’t rush past them.
  • Pop any breachable crates in side storage rooms, even if they’re slightly off-route.

Don’t make my early mistake of sprinting straight to the “big loot room” in the center. A lot of my Broken Guidance Systems came from these outer-ring lockers.

Phase B – Central Grow Labs and Catwalks

• Once the outer ring feels clear, move into the central hydroponic area.
• Check:
  • Ground-level corridors around the main grow rooms.
  • Catwalks and upper-level platforms for extra lockers and crates.
  • Any small control rooms overlooking the hydroponic bays.
• Stay alert for other players – this is where paths tend to cross if someone else had the same idea.

Use audio to your advantage. If you hear metal footsteps above or below, freeze and listen before moving. The Dome’s acoustics actually help you pre-aim corners.

Phase C – Maintenance Corridors and Exit Plan

• On your way out, sweep any maintenance tunnels or back corridors connected to the Dome. These often hide one or two extra crates.
• Once you’ve hit:
  • All visible red lockers
  • All reachable breachable crates

  …stop. More time wandering just increases your odds of dying to a late-raid roamer.

• Check the map for the nearest safe extraction and rotate out using cover and elevation where possible.

Remember: the Broken Guidance System only matters if you get it out. Don’t get greedy and stay “just five more minutes” once your bags are full of valuable industrial loot.

Step 5: Resetting and Maximizing Runs per Hour

Once you extract, immediately handle your Expedition tasks while it’s fresh:

• Dump the Broken Guidance System into the Expedition 3 project terminal so you don’t accidentally sell or scrap it.
• Sell off extra industrial junk you don’t need to free up space and weight.
• Restock meds and breaching tools – those are what usually run out first.

Then queue right back into Dam Battlegrounds. With practice, one full Hydroponic Dome sweep plus extraction takes around 10–15 minutes. In a focused hour-long session, you can comfortably do 3–4 solid runs.

Common Mistakes (Don’t Waste Raids Like I Did)

• Rushing central first: Going straight into the middle rooms before clearing the outer ring often gets you pinched by bots and players at once.
• Ignoring side rooms: Many of the best crates are slightly off the main path. A 10-second detour can literally be your Broken Guidance System.
• Overfilling your inventory: If you grab every low-tier scrap, you’ll be overweight and slow when you actually find the rare item.
• Staying too long: Once you’ve hit all the priority containers, leave. Late-raid PvP is real, even in “quieter” zones.
• Going in under-geared: Don’t treat this as a throwaway run. If you’re trying to progress Expedition 3, bring a build you actually trust.

Quick Recap and Next Steps

If Expedition 3 has you hard-stuck on the Broken Guidance System, the solution isn’t grinding Stella Montis until you tilt. Shift to the Hydroponic Dome Complex in Dam Battlegrounds and run a disciplined, container-focused loop:

• Prioritize red industrial lockers and breachable metal crates.
• Clear the outer ring → central labs → maintenance exits in a controlled order.
• Extract as soon as your high-value loot is secured.
• Turn in the item immediately at the Expedition terminal so progress is locked in.

Once you get past this hurdle, the rest of Expedition 3 feels much smoother because you’re no longer gambling your entire raid on a rare industrial drop. Treat the Hydroponic Dome as your personal farming bunker for a night, play it safe, and that Broken Guidance System will come – if it worked repeatedly for me after a rough start, it will for you too.