Arc Raiders Breaking New Ground event guide Stella Montis map community rewards

Arc Raiders fans get a first look at the Breaking New Ground event, a community-driven push through fresh progression tracks, rewards, and hands-on guides that map out how players unite to unlock exclusive content and push the frontier of the game.

Phase 2 – Staking Our Claim

Phase 2 pushes Raiders to claim their territory and cement their standing within the community event. Players must gather resources, defend captured zones, and strengthen their presence across the battlefield. Team coordination and steady progress are key, as performance during this phase determines ranking tiers and special rewards on the progression track. Every action here contributes directly to shaping the final outcome of the event.

For the second phase, “Staking Our Claim,” players will receive a progression track, which acts almost like a XP-based battle pass in other games, that is full of free rewards. To progress, raiders will need to earn merits. If you donated resources during the first phase, you’ll already have 900 merits, but to get more, you need to gain XP, with each 100 XP transferring into 1 merit. Although Stella Montis was just unlocked, XP earned on any map will give you merits, so feel free to deploy to any map on the Rust Belt. The “Staking Our Claim” progression track will stick around until Sunday, Dec. 7, so deploy, scavenge, and defeat the Arcs to get as much XP as possible.

Here are all of the rewards that you can earn through the “Staking Our Claim” progression track:

Reward #

Reward

Merits needed

Hiker backpack

150

100 raider tokens

300

3 door blockers

450

Combat MK.2

600

Il Toro I shotgun

750

Striker outfit

900

3 seeker grenades

1,050

Bag (Striker outfit variant)

1,200

2 trailblazers

1,350

Bucket backpack attachment

1,500

Deadline mine

1,650

Can’t Hear You emote

1,800

100 raider tokens

1,950

Dirt Full face style

2,100

Epic extended barrel

2,250

Orange (Striker outfit color)

2,400

100 raider tokens

2,550

Padding (Striker outfit variant)

2,700

Snap Hook

2,850

Red (Striker outfit color)

3,000

How to earn merits fastest in Phase I

Fastest Merit Farming in Phase I
In Phase I “Breaking New Ground,” Merits come primarily from donating basic resources like Metal Parts, Fabric, Plastic Parts, Rubber Parts, and Chemicals, with every five donations granting 20 Merits up to a 900-Merit cap. Speed focuses on rapid resource farming and immediate donations to maximize runs per hour.

Optimal Resource Farming
Target high-density ARC enemy zones for Metal and Plastic Parts from Bombardier and Bastion drops, while looting storage rooms and structures yields Fabric and Rubber Parts efficiently. Squad play accelerates clears on loot-dense maps, enabling more donations per session than solo runs. Donate materials as collected to hit the cap without burnout, as excess contributions still aid community progress.

Run Strategies
Short extraction loops on maps with clustered objectives and containers allow quick repeats, inspecting all lockers and drawers for XP-equivalent Merit gains even if empty. Prioritize primary objectives, boss kills, and safe extracts to secure XP (100 XP = 1 Merit), avoiding PvP or overextended paths. Rotate maps like Stella Montis for enemy density, planning routes around spawns and caches to boost XP per minute.

Which maps yield the most XP per hour for Phase I merits

Top Maps for XP in Phase I
Stella Montis emerges as the leading map for maximum XP per hour during Phase I of the “Breaking New Ground” event, thanks to its high enemy density and loot-rich zones that fuel rapid Merit-earning donations. Other strong contenders include maps with clustered ARC spawns like those featuring Bombardiers and Bastions, optimized for quick clears and resource hauls.

XP Yield Comparison

Map	Est. XP/Hour	Key Advantage
Stella Montis	50k+	Dense enemies, new bosses
North Line	40k	Storage rooms, fast extracts
Eden Sector	35k	Squad-friendly loot clusters
Stella Montis excels with additions like ARC Matriarch and Shredder encounters, enabling 5-7 minute runs that convert directly to donations and Merits via 100 XP = 1 Merit scaling.

Maximizing Runs
Squad up on Stella Montis for 20-30% faster clears, hitting primary objectives and boss kills before safe extracts to avoid XP loss. Rotate to North Line for variety when spawns thin out, always donating mid-run to maintain momentum toward the 900-Merit cap.

Arslan Shah

As a junior editor for the blog, he brings over a decade of experience and a lifelong passion for video games. His focus is on role-playing games, and he has a particular appreciation for compelling, story-driven narratives.

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