Three antennas, a pile of odd ARC parts, and a loadout you normally would not touch: Phantom Targets asks Arc Raiders players to rethink the standard raid loop. Part 1 contains three stages, and the best preparation starts with knowing exactly which ARC Raiders Items deserve inventory space before you drop. This is not a simple elimination checklist. You need route planning, target control, and enough discipline to extract after useful progress instead of chasing one more objective into a bad fight.

Stage 1 Starts With the Safest Route

The first stage requires three Cargo Elevator antennas to be upgraded across Riven Tides, Spaceport, and Dam Battlegrounds. Dam Battlegrounds is the practical choice for most runs because its elevator routes are easier to read, giving you a chance to chain several interactions without burning time on map changes. Check rooftops and nearby lanes before touching an antenna, then leave as soon as the progress bar finishes. The interaction makes you vulnerable, and an empty elevator platform is a terrible place to discover a roaming ARC unit.

Build Around the Objective, Not Your Favorite Gun

Stage 2 asks for 50 damage from Pop Triggers, 500 from Wasp Drivers, and 1,000 from Leaper Pulse Units. The parts come from Pops, Wasps, and Leapers, with Stella Montis, Buried City interiors, Water Treatment, and the Red Lakes area offering useful search points. Showstoppers are excellent here because a stunned target gives you a clean window to land part damage. Stationary machines are also easier to read than a Leaper sprinting across open ground.

Stage Main demand Best practical focus
1 Upgrade 3 antennas Chain Cargo Elevators in Dam Battlegrounds
2 Use 3 ARC parts Carry control gear and spare inventory slots
3 Fire, energy, and launcher tasks Split the objectives across focused raids

Stage 3 Rewards Flexible Loadouts

The last available stage combines 1,500 fire damage, three eligible kills with energy weapons, and 20 flying ARC kills using launcher ammunition. Blaze Grenades, Fireflies, Fireball Burners, and Flame Sprays cover the fire portion. The Aphelion, Dolabra, and Jupiter are sensible energy choices, while Hullcracker or Rascal ammunition can handle aerial targets. Fire works best against durable machines that stay in the affected area; launcher rounds are better spent on small flying units during predictable attack paths.

Do This, Not That

Most wasted raids come from trying to complete every requirement at once. I could be wrong but, in practice, separating the work produces cleaner results and protects your loot.

Run an antenna-focused deployment with a modest combat kit.
Keep Pop Triggers, Wasp Drivers, and Leaper Pulse Units instead of selling or discarding them.
Bring Showstoppers for Stage 2 and create distance before using ARC parts.
Use one fire option and one energy weapon before adding launcher ammunition.
Extract after a major milestone rather than forcing a risky bonus fight.

The Reward Question

Stage 1 pays out a Combat Mk. 3 augment with the Aggressive effect, Heavy Shield, and Vita Spray. Stage 2 gives 50 Raider Tokens plus the Aphelion, Dolabra, and Jupiter, while Stage 3 adds another 50 Raider Tokens, Powered Descender, Horizontal Grip, and Snap Hook. Those tokens make careful extraction especially useful, since losing a completed run can erase more progress than a slightly slower route would have cost. Players saving up ARC Raiders Coins should still treat the project as a gear test, not a reason to overpack every deployment.

What I Wish I Knew Earlier

Do not wait until a stage is active before collecting its awkward equipment. A Leaper encounter can be noisy, contested, and expensive, while a Wasp may disappear before you secure its part. From what I've seen, the strongest plan is to prepare across ordinary raids, mark safer approach angles, and leave with partial progress when the area turns hostile. Part 2 is scheduled with update 1.42 on August 18, 2026, so finishing these three stages now also gives you a better feel for ARC behavior before the next set of objectives arrives.

At U4GM, Arc Raiders players can find fresh Phantom Targets tips, from safer Cargo Elevator routes to better ways of using Pop Triggers, Wasp Drivers, and Leaper Pulse Units. Need extra breathing room? Visit https://www.u4gm.com/arc-raiders/coins for coin options, then gear up, test your plan, and extract before greed wrecks a good run.