The ARC Raiders Emperor Gateway Conduit unlocks the Fallen Emperor dungeon on Pendola Pass. To make the key, find its blueprint inside a Harvester Payload during the Redirection map condition, then gather one ARC Insulated Coupler, one ARC Conductive Coupler and one ARC Plated Coupler. The crafting station is Workbench Level 1.
The blueprint isn’t guaranteed, even if you successfully summon and loot a payload. You’ll want to collect the Couplers while hunting the schematic, then extract before attempting to craft anything. Here’s how the ARC Raiders Emperor Gateway Conduit works from the first Redirection relay to the dungeon door.
Update 2.3.0 Emperor Key blueprint drop-rate change
The 27 October 2026 Update 2.3.0 reduces the chance of finding the Emperor Key blueprint in Redirection Harvester Payload pods. Embark explicitly calls out the reduced drop chance but gives no numerical odds. This is the same gateway blueprint used to craft the ARC Raiders Emperor Gateway Conduit; the change does not introduce a second key recipe or remove the three required Couplers.
Redirection payloads now also have a small chance to contain extra ARC enemy parts and higher-tier ARC loot. Those additional rewards do not guarantee a blueprint. If several payloads don’t produce it, the game hasn’t necessarily failed to register your progress. Keep searching when Redirection is active, extract safely after a successful drop, learn the schematic and craft the Conduit at Workbench Level 1.
Once the dungeon opens, today’s patch makes early Emperor containers less rewarding while moving a better chance of high-tier loot to the deeper chambers. Read our Emperor Dungeon walkthrough for the hazards and final loot room before spending a crafted key on a run.
Where to find the ARC Raiders Emperor Gateway Conduit blueprint
Select Pendola Pass while the Redirection map condition is active. Damaged Emperor Relays appear around the map, identifiable by their red light beams and active map markers. Interacting with one gives you an Emperor Beacon that calls down a Harvester Payload.
- Enter Pendola Pass during Redirection and find an active Damaged Emperor Relay.
- Interact with the relay to obtain an Emperor Beacon.
- Move outside to an area without a roof or overhang, then deploy the beacon.
- Stay clear of the incoming debris, which can damage health and shields.
- Search the Harvester Payload’s main container for the Conduit blueprint and ARC Couplers.
- Keep any materials you need, extract safely and learn the blueprint in Speranza.
Searching more payloads gives you more chances, but no particular relay or payload guarantees the ARC Raiders Emperor Gateway Conduit blueprint. Don’t assume the blueprint has a fixed spawn beside the Fallen Emperor, either. It belongs to the Harvester Payload loot pool, so the useful farming method is repeating Redirection payload searches.
ARC Raiders Emperor Gateway Conduit crafting recipe
After learning the blueprint, the ARC Raiders Emperor Gateway Conduit appears at your Level 1 Workbench. It needs all three types of Coupler; three duplicates of one type won’t work. Research Station upgrades aren’t required for this recipe, and a spare blueprint alone can’t open the dungeon entrance.
| Ingredient | Quantity | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| ARC Insulated Coupler | 1 | Harvester Payloads |
| ARC Conductive Coupler | 1 | Harvester Payloads |
| ARC Plated Coupler | 1 | Harvester Payloads |
| Conduit Blueprint | Learn once | Chance drop from Harvester Payloads |
Keep the three Couplers in your stash until you can craft. The ARC Conductive Coupler also features in Celeste’s Sizing Things Up quest, where one is recovered from a Buried Harvester Payload and handed in. Completing that quest doesn’t automatically unlock the ARC Raiders Emperor Gateway Conduit recipe.
How to open the Fallen Emperor dungeon
Once you have a crafted ARC Raiders Emperor Gateway Conduit, bring it on a Pendola Pass raid. Travel to the fallen Emperor’s base near the Piazza della Rupe area and find the gateway socket. Use the finished key at the entrance; raw Couplers or the unlearned blueprint won’t substitute for it.
- Craft the Conduit at Workbench Level 1 before entering the raid.
- Travel to the base of the fallen Emperor on Pendola Pass.
- Find the entrance socket and interact using your Conduit.
- Proceed through the dungeon rooms, which can include moving platforms, crushers, laser hazards and Hydra enemies.
- Open the final loot containers and destroy yellow wall nodes to reveal additional loot racks.
- Take any Emperor Modulator you find and extract, using your Safe Pocket if available.
The dungeon may present different interior room layouts, so there isn’t a single route through every hazard. A Snap Hook is particularly useful in its vertical sections. Once you’re in the final loot chamber, checking the extra racks behind yellow nodes improves your chances of finding the high-value Modulator.
What does the Conduit unlock?
The ARC Raiders Emperor Gateway Conduit gets you inside the Fallen Emperor, where rare ARC technology can be found. One key target is the Emperor Modulator, a material needed for the Gunsmith Level 4 upgrade and the wider Amplified Weapons system. The Modulator is a separate item from the Conduit and is not an automatic dungeon-completion reward.
If the final room doesn’t give you one, you’ll need another attempt. Keep your best loot protected and extract rather than losing a Modulator to the remaining enemies. Our Amplified Weapons guide explains what to do after bringing one back.
Why isn’t the Conduit showing at my Workbench?
If you can’t craft the ARC Raiders Emperor Gateway Conduit, check that you learned the blueprint after extracting it and that you have one of each Coupler. The blueprint is a learned recipe, while the crafted key is an inventory item used at the door. Getting a Coupler through Sizing Things Up does not unlock the schematic.
The ARC Raiders Emperor Gateway Conduit is worth learning if you plan on returning to the dungeon repeatedly. Once the recipe is unlocked, farm three fresh Couplers during Redirection and build another key whenever you need one. If your only goal is the first Emperor Modulator, prioritise getting into the dungeon and extracting with it before thinking about another run.
Official source: Embark Studios, Update 2.3.0 patch notes.
