Grinding out the base upgrades introduced in the ARC Raiders Frozen Trail update will inevitably send you hunting for Epoxy Buckets across Pendola Pass. These items are categorized as Rare Recyclable loot, so they don’t have a guaranteed drop rate. Still, knowing the exact shelves, lockers, and abandoned passenger cars to breach cuts down the RNG grind. So we’re here with the new ARC Raiders guide to tell you where to find Epoxy Buckets needed to upgrade your Outpost one level ahead.
How Many Epoxy Buckets You Need for the Outpost Expansion
You need three Epoxy Buckets for Outpost Expansion from Level 2 to Level 3, which you’ll have to spend alongside Hand Drills and Planks to unlock room expansions like the panoramic room and move your research station forward.
Keep at least one empty slot in your Safe Pocket so you can shove the very first bucket you grab straight into secure storage where enemy squads cannot pry it away from you. If you happen to pick up spares after completing your base upgrades, you can recycle one Epoxy Bucket piece in your workshop for eight Chemicals or salvage it for four Chemicals, though pawning them off to vendors nets you a handy 1,000 Coins instead.
Best Locations to Find Epoxy Buckets in ARC Raiders
You only need to deploy on the Pendola Pass map to get Epoxy Buckets, which concentrates most of its Industrial and Technical loot in a few high-priority areas where Buckets spawn as loose items on the floor, inside blue bins, or behind locked containers. Night Raids or harsh weather modifiers increase the quality of the loot pool all over the map, but it also dials up ARC’s aggression.
When ready, you should put your focus on these hotspots to find Epoxy Buckets:
- The three passenger train cabins parked at the Freight Terminal in the Controlled Receiving Facility.
- The interior research labs and metal lockers inside Cielo Sereno Observatory.
- Sealed Storm Huts that unlock during extreme blizzard conditions.
- The upper commercial shelves of Almatera Station and the Commissary Supermarket.
Railyard
The fastest raid I’ve used starts by dropping near the southern end of the Controlled Receiving Facility and heading under the massive concrete shelter where three short passenger trains are on the tracks. You’ll find blue, orange, and white trains lined up in the yard, each with searchable containers and loose debris across the tables.
Climb into each train and slowly sweep through every seating booth because buckets frequently spawn on the padded upholstery or the drink tables between the chairs. You’ll also want to search suitcases and blue plastic containers beneath the luggage racks or dropped in the aisleways since these containers often drop Epoxy Buckets alongside rare items like Differential Microphones and Laser Levels. The area is fairly compact, so it won’t cost you more than a couple of minutes to clear all three train cars before you have to decide to either extract or push north.
Cielo Sereno Observatory
Cielo Sereno Observatory is found on the northern side of Pendola Pass and offers multiple guaranteed locker banks that make it one of the premier locations for rare utility items. I’d suggest bringing a Grappling Hook, a Snap Hook, or a deployable zip line to scale the exterior and slip through upper access points without running into the heavy ARC units at the main perimeter doors below.
Once inside the complex, breach and search the metal supply boxes in the corridors and comb through the side rooms. The main targets here are the tall red storage lockers along the back walls where I pocket two Epoxy Buckets in one trip. Make sure to check the nearby worktables and desks for ground spawns, and stow whatever valuable you find in your Safe Pocket before making a quiet exit through the mountainside.
Raid Storm Huts During Flash Freeze Storms
When the map is under severe snowstorm, keep your eyes on the compass bar at the top center of your screen because nearby Storm Huts will appear as active waypoints once you get within a few hundred meters. These reinforced survival shelters stay locked in normal weather, but an extreme drop in temperature forces the blast doors to unlock for players seeking refuge.
Sprint to the nearest bunker before other raiders crowd the entrance, step inside, and press the door switch to seal yourself off from the freezing cold and hostile raiders outside. These shelters have weapon crates, supply boxes, and shelving racks loaded with rare goods, and loose Epoxy Buckets can spawn on benches, floor pallets, and utility shelves. Once the storm winds die down and the doors are released, you can head to the nearest extraction point with your Outpost materials stuffed in your backpack.
