Arc Raiders: Ultimate Buried City Guide

In the post-apocalyptic world of Arc Raiders, the Buried City stands as a haunting testament to humanity's fall. This medium-difficulty map, set in a pre-collapse urban sprawl now entombed under vast sand dunes, offers raiders a blend of exploration, high-stakes combat, and lucrative loot opportunities. Unlike the industrial starkness of maps like the Dam Battlegrounds or Spaceport, Buried City immerses players in an arid wasteland where narrow streets and empty plazas whisper of forgotten lives. Unlocked after just six rounds of gameplay, it's an ideal progression point for novice raiders building their arsenal. Whether you're solo scavenging or coordinating with a squad of up to three, mastering this map can turn you from survivor to legend. This guide dives deep into its layout, quests, loot runs, enemies, and pro tips to help you extract with epic hauls.

Map Overview and Environment

Buried City sprawls across a desolate desert landscape, where towering skyscrapers and modest apartments peek from swirling sands like skeletal fingers clawing at the sky. The map's arid environment demands adaptation: sandstorms can reduce visibility, forcing reliance on audio cues and mini-map pings, while dynamic weather cycles-from scorching days to eerie nights-alter enemy patrols and event triggers. Time of day plays a crucial role; dusk brings shadowy ambushes, perfect for stealthy flanks but risky for exposed extractions.

The layout centers on a central hub of ruined infrastructure: crumbling highways, buried parking garages, and sand-choked plazas form natural chokepoints and ambush spots. Player spawns scatter around the periphery-often near the abandoned highway camp or southern residential zones-to encourage varied approaches. Extraction points, including the swift Raider Hatch, dot the edges, but reaching them means navigating ARC-infested ruins. Unique events spice up runs: Prospecting Probes drop intel caches, Uncovered Caches reveal hidden loot, Husk Graveyards spawn swarms of dormant machines, Lush Blooms offer rare bio-materials amid toxic flora, and Night Raids unleash coordinated enemy waves. These keep every descent unpredictable, rewarding adaptability over rote paths.

At its core, Buried City emphasizes verticality and cover. Ziplines link rooftops, broken windows provide sneaky entries, and dunes serve as elevated sniper nests. Fuel efficiency is key-vehicles are scarce, so plan foot traverses or hijack ARC transports. With medium threat levels, it's forgiving for gear testing but lethal for overconfidence.

Unlocking and Accessing the Map

Gaining entry to Buried City is straightforward, aligning with Arc Raiders' progression curve. Complete six rounds on easier maps like the Dam or introductory zones to unlock it via the mission selector. This gate ensures players have basic loadouts and map familiarity, as Buried City's sands hide pitfalls like quicksand traps or collapsing structures.

Once unlocked, select it from the drop-down for solo, duo, or trio lobbies. Prep your kit: prioritize sand-resistant armor (reduces abrasion debuffs), silenced weapons for plaza skirmishes, and utility like grappling hooks for multi-level raids. Load in with 10-15 minutes per run, scaling with squad size. Pro tip: Queue during off-peak hours to avoid PvP hotspots; the map's size favors patient scavengers over rushers.

Key Locations and Points of Interest (POIs)

Buried City's POIs are treasure troves disguised as ruins. Central to success is knowing where to hit first.

Town Hall: The map's beating heart in the center. Enter via the northern ground-level door (requires key from Dam Battlegrounds). Inside: two safes with credits and mods, plus a weapon case spawning rares like the Viper SMG. Watch for ARC sentries on the balcony.

Hospital: Southwest quadrant, multi-floor behemoth. Climb to the third floor via stairs or zipline; key unlocks a corridor locker room leading to elite med-kits and cybernetic implants. High enemy density-med-bots heal foes, so EMP grenades shine here.

Space Travel Hub (JKV Building): Eastern edge near parking garage. The fourth-floor electronic door (JKV Employee Access Card needed) guards corporate vaults with fusion cells and prototype rifles. Adjacent parking garage hides Raider Camp beneath, ideal for container searches in quests.

Su Durante Warehouses: Northern industrial zone. Massive storage halls packed with bulk materials; prime for vehicle part farming but crawling with loader drones.

Grandioso Apartments: Residential sprawl in the south. Master Key opens apartment doors via lower-floor broken windows, yielding the Epic Tempest assault rifle and Security Breach containers.

Buried Properties: Scattered murals mark quest spots; southern buildings often spawn utility crates.

Weapon crates favor plazas and highway camps-five prime spots yield assault rifles or shotguns 70% of the time. Field depots, fixed near major POIs, dispense random boxes; carry them back for bonuses.

Loot and Farming Routes

Loot density makes Buried City a farmer's paradise. Focus on keys-sourced from Dam Battlegrounds' Ruby Residence or Research Building desks/lockers. Each (100-1000 vendor value) unlocks tier-3 hauls; don't extract without using them.

Optimal route: Spawn south, hit Grandioso Apartments for quick rifle grab, loop to Hospital for meds, centralize at Town Hall for cases, then north to Warehouses for bulk. Exit via Raider Hatch (key-required fast-lane). This 8-minute loop nets 2-3 epics per run. Avoid over-looting-encumbrance slows you in sands. Dynamic events like Uncovered Caches boost yields by 20%.

Quests in Buried City

Quests drive narrative and rewards. Key ones:

A Reveal in Ruins: Scour any pharmacy (Hospital basement) for ESR Analyzer; deliver to Lance for intel upgrades.

Marked for Death: Head to Su Durante Warehouses, secure a cache amid drone swarms. Rewards: Stealth cloak mod.

Back On Top: Mark the mural-adorned building in Buried Properties; pairs with multi-map steps for faction rep.

Raider Camp Search: Beneath Parking Garage, loot two containers for contraband; ties into smuggling arc.

Greasing Her Palms: Buried City leg involves bribing a contact near Space Hub; yields access codes.

Track via journal; most complete in one run with squad pings.

Enemy Types and Combat Tips

ARC machines dominate: agile Scouts flank in streets, bulky Husks tank in plazas, aerial Drones snipe from dunes. Events amplify threats-Husk Graveyards revive fallen units. Counter with fireteams: one suppresses, others flank. Sand cover hides mines; scan with detectors. PvP raiders lurk at extracts-use decoys.

Extraction Strategies and Pro Tips

Raider Hatch offers sub-30-second exits but attracts heat; standard points suit heavy loads. Tips: Scout with drones pre-loot, share keys in squads, rotate routes to dodge patrols. Hydrate via canteens to fight heatstroke. With practice, Buried City yields fortunes, includes a large number of ARCR Coins and rare ARC Raiders Items - bury your rivals in the sands.

In Arc Raiders, Buried City isn't just a map; it's a graveyard of opportunities waiting to be exhumed. Gear up, dig deep, and claim the dunes.

MMOexp ARC Raiders Team