Knowing how to get an Arc Raiders power rod is essential once you’re a veteran raider, because it’s used for a few different things. Opening locked doors, crafting snap hooks and heavy shields, completing the “Tribute To Toledo” quest… the list goes on. Thankfully, there are a number of different ways you can acquire one too.
So no matter the reason you need one, we’re going to run through all the ways you can get a power rod, followed by everything it can be used for. Just remember to use an augment with a safe pocket so you can keep your power rod, even if you die before you extract.
Power rod locations in Arc Raiders
The primary place you might find a power rod while topside in Arc Raiders is on Dam Battlegrounds, at the Power Generation Complex. If you have the “Tribute To Toledo” quest active, Celeste recommends this location over the radio when you spawn, but otherwise you’re given no hints as to where to look.
When you make it here, look for the yellow cabinets that require breaching. There’s no guarantee you’ll get a power rod, but these containers are the most likely to have one, and they’re found all throughout the location. Nab one and get it back to Speranza successfully to complete the quest, or use it for one of its other purposes listed below.
There are also reports online of folks finding them inside solar panels on Buried City, power boxes at the Hydroponic Dam Complex on Dam Battlegrounds, and Rocket Assembly on Spaceport. However, Power Generation Complex seems to be the most consistent — and the one mentioned by Celeste — so you should start there.
However, you can also craft a power rod if you have a level three refiner. It costs two advanced electrical components and arc circuitry for one power rod, but it’s definitely the quickest method if available to you. Alternatively, and while it might sting, you can recycle a snap hook to also receive a power rod. These are incredibly rare though, so we’d recommend continuing to loot Power Generation Complex first.
How to use the power rod in Arc Raiders
We’ve covered the “Tribute To Toledo” quest, but the power rod item has a few other uses, the most exciting of which is to open a locked door. Guess where it can be found? That’s right, in the Power Generation Complex on Dam Battlegrounds. In fact, it’s right next to two of the aforementioned yellow cabinets, meaning even if you don’t need a power rod, you may as well factor this area into your looting route if you’re nearby, in case you get access to a locked room.
As mentioned, it’s also required to craft snap hooks and heavy shields, and while the latter is often disregarded in the meta due to the mobility penalty, the former is a highly useful mobility tool, especially in combat scenarios and to escape from enemies.
So far, there are no other uses for the power rod, but given their value as a crafting item, they’re worth hanging onto — or using to open the locked room on Dam Battlegrounds — whenever you find them.
Want to know what to do with the patrol car key? We’ve got you covered for that, alongside quest guides for “Espresso,” “Paving The Way,” “The Clean Dream,” and plenty more.
