ARC Raiders Wires & Batteries Guide – Trash Into Treasure

So you’ve hit Shani’s “Trash Into Treasure” quest and realized ARC Raiders isn’t just about dodging mechs—it’s about scavenging junk that somehow keeps your Workshop alive. Two of the most annoying bottlenecks? Wires and Batteries. They’re everywhere until you actually need them, and then suddenly they’re rarer than ARC Alloy. Let’s cut through the clutter and nail down where to find them, how to farm them, and why you shouldn’t waste them.

Wires – Lifeblood of the Workbench

• What They Are: Wires are a common crafting material used in upgrades, especially for benches like the Gunsmith and Utility Station.
• Where to Find Them:
  • Loot Electrical Boxes (kinda obvious) scattered across the Dam Battlegrounds and Speranza outskirts.
  • Drop from ARC drones and mechanical enemies—basically anything sparking when it dies.
  • Random loot containers can cough them up, but don’t rely on RNG alone.
• Best Farming Tip: Track Wires in your Workbench menu. That way, they’ll highlight in raids so you don’t walk past them like a rookie.

Pro tip: Don’t burn Wires on low-tier crafts. Save them when you can!

Batteries – Progress!

• What They Are: Batteries are mid-tier crafting components, and are required for higher-level upgrades and certain quest completions.
• Where to Find Them:
  • Loot Power Generators and Electrical Crates—they’re marked with lightning bolt icons (kinda like…batteries).
  • Drop from Sentinel units and other mech enemies with energy cores.
  • Can appear in random loot caches (to those bless by luck), but farming enemies is more reliable.
• Best Farming Tip: Focus on areas with heavy mech patrols. Batteries drop more consistently from combat than scavenging.

Pro tip: Keep Batteries in your Secure Pocket until you’re ready to use them. Losing one to a wipe feels worse than losing coins.

Trash Into Treasure – Shani’s Quest

• Shani, the Security Trader in Speranza, kicks off the Trash Into Treasure questline.
• She’ll ask for Wires and Batteries to prove you can scavenge effectively.
• Completing it unlocks access to more of her inventory, including rare crafting items.
• The quest is basically a tutorial in resource farming—don’t ignore it, because Shani’s shop becomes critical later.

Resource Management – Don’t Be That Player

• Secure Pocket: Rare materials go here. Dying with Batteries in your backpack is pain.
• Quest Rewards: Many quests drop Wires and Batteries—plan your runs around them.
• Trader Stock: Shani sometimes sells crafting materials. If you’re flush with coins, buy instead of grind.
• Recycle: Dismantle junk weapons for parts. It’s not glamorous, but it keeps your Workshop fed.

Final Word: Trash Into Treasure, Literally

ARC Raiders makes scavenging feel like survival. Wires and Batteries aren’t glamorous, but they’re the backbone of your Workshop. Learn where to farm them, stash them smartly, and don’t waste them on throwaway crafts. Do that, and Shani’s quest stops being a headache and starts being your first step toward a Workshop that actually scales.