ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs vary by station and level, so each bench needs its own set of materials. Levelling up your Gunsmith won’t upgrade your Gear Bench, and building a Refiner won’t unlock every advanced crafting recipe. If your stash is full of components but your next upgrade is still missing one rare ARC part, the tables below tell you exactly what to save.
Frozen Trail changed ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs by adding the Outpost-linked Research Station and a fourth Gunsmith level. The other upgradeable crafting stations still stop at Level 3. You need to treat the Outpost, Research Station and Gunsmith as separate purchases if you’re aiming for the new weapon amplification system.
ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs: station levels and limits
| Station | Maximum level | Main crafting role |
|---|---|---|
| Workbench | 1 | Starter weapons, ammunition and basic supplies |
| Gunsmith | 4 | Weapons, attachments and amplification |
| Gear Bench | 3 | Shields, Combat, Looting and Tactical augments |
| Medical Lab | 3 | Bandages, rechargers and medical supplies |
| Explosives Station | 3 | Grenades, traps and mines |
| Utility Station | 3 | Travel, scouting and extraction gadgets |
| Refiner | 3 | Converts materials into crafting components |
| Research Station | 4 | Outpost research and amplified weapon progression |
When comparing ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs, start with the Workbench, which is free after your first round. You build the six original upgradeable benches with materials from raids. Research Station only becomes available after unlocking the Outpost. Scrappy is also in the Workshop, but the rooster is a resource-collecting companion with his own five-level progression rather than another crafting station.
ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs: every material from Level 1 to 4
Each entry in the ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs table is the price to reach the level shown. You pay again at the next level, so Gunsmith III’s Sentinel cores are additional to the materials spent on Gunsmith I and II. Research Station levels are also limited by your Outpost’s room level, even after you have the necessary crafting components.
| Station | Level | Required materials |
|---|---|---|
| Workbench | 1 | Free, after completing one round |
| Gunsmith | 1 | 20 Metal Parts; 30 Rubber Parts |
| Gunsmith | 2 | 3 Rusted Tools; 5 Mechanical Components; 8 Wasp Drivers |
| Gunsmith | 3 | 3 Rusted Gear; 5 Advanced Mechanical Components; 4 Sentinel Firing Cores |
| Gunsmith | 4 | 3 Radial Presses; 3 Magnetic Accelerators; 1 Emperor Modulator |
| Gear Bench | 1 | 25 Plastic Parts; 30 Fabric |
| Gear Bench | 2 | 3 Power Cables; 5 Electrical Components; 5 Hornet Drivers |
| Gear Bench | 3 | 3 Industrial Batteries; 5 Advanced Electrical Components; 6 Bastion Cells |
| Medical Lab | 1 | 50 Fabric; 6 ARC Alloy |
| Medical Lab | 2 | 2 Cracked Bioscanners; 5 Durable Cloth; 8 Tick Pods |
| Medical Lab | 3 | 3 Rusted Shut Medical Kits; 8 Antiseptic; 5 Surveyor Vaults |
| Explosives Station | 1 | 50 Chemicals; 6 ARC Alloy |
| Explosives Station | 2 | 3 Synthesized Fuel; 5 Crude Explosives; 5 Pop Triggers |
| Explosives Station | 3 | 3 Laboratory Reagents; 5 Explosive Compound; 3 Rocketeer Drivers |
| Utility Station | 1 | 50 Plastic Parts; 6 ARC Alloy |
| Utility Station | 2 | 2 Damaged Heat Sinks; 5 Electrical Components; 6 Snitch Scanners |
| Utility Station | 3 | 3 Fried Motherboards; 5 Advanced Electrical Components; 4 Leaper Pulse Units |
| Refiner | 1 | 60 Metal Parts; 5 ARC Powercells |
| Refiner | 2 | 3 Toasters; 5 ARC Motion Cores; 8 Fireball Burners |
| Refiner | 3 | 3 Motors; 10 ARC Circuitry; 6 Bombardier Cells |
| Research Station | 1 | 3 Mini Pumps; 35 Planks; 5 Battered Paperbacks |
| Research Station | 2 | 3 Calculators; 3 Raider Logbooks; 5 Skulker Targeters |
| Research Station | 3 | 3 Differential Microphones; 3 Exodus Technical Handbooks; 6 Bully Fragmenters |
| Research Station | 4 | 3 Thermal Shakers; 3 ARC Data Modules; 1 Frigate Inductor |
Some of the ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs include parts collected from specific enemy types. Wasp Drivers, Hornet Drivers, Sentinel Firing Cores, Bastion Cells, Rocketeer Drivers, Leaper Pulse Units and Bombardier Cells should go into your upgrade stash before you start recycling duplicates. Workshop upgrades become much less of a grind when you keep the parts you know a later level needs.
What you unlock after paying the ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs
Gunsmith level-by-level unlocks and materials
Among the ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs, Gunsmith I is one of the earlier investments for low-tier weapons and first-round attachments. Level II adds weapons such as Venator and Torrente, with stronger barrels, grips, magazines and stocks. Level III adds higher-tier weapons including Aphelion, Jupiter, Tempest and further attachment upgrades. Level IV unlocks the Gunsmith side of Weapon Amplification, but you still need Research Station IV and the right research progress. The bench doesn’t teach every blueprint automatically.
Gear Bench shields and augment unlocks
The Gear Bench starts with Combat Mk.1, Looting Mk.1 and Tactical Mk.1 augments, plus Light and Medium Shields. The Gear Bench has its own material costs, separate from Gunsmith progression. Level II adds their Mk.2 counterparts and Heavy Shield. Level III opens the specialised Mk.3 augments: Combat (Aggressive and Flanking), Looting (Cautious, Safekeeper and Survivor), and Tactical (Defensive, Healing, Revival and Smoke).
Medical Lab healing unlocks
The Medical Lab’s first tier makes Herbal Bandages, Bandages, Shield Rechargers and Adrenaline Shots. Its ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs depend on Fabric, ARC Alloy and later medical loot. At Level II you gain Defibrillators, Sterilized Bandages and Surge Shield Rechargers. At Level III you can produce Vita Shot and Vita Spray. If your squad is burning through healing every raid, this is more useful than stockpiling explosives you never throw.
Explosives Station grenade and mine unlocks
The Explosives Station begins with Seeker Grenades, Gas Grenades, Light Impact Grenades, Pulse Mines and Gas Mines. Its ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs later include Pop Triggers and Rocketeer Drivers. The second adds Shrapnel and Snap Blast Grenades, Jolt Mines, Trigger ‘Nades and Fireworks Boxes. At Level III you can access Wolfpack, Blaze Grenades, Heavy Fuze Grenades, Showstopper, Trailblazer, Deadline, Explosive Mines and Surge Coils. Individual crafting recipes can still require blueprints.
Utility Station gadgets and equipment
Utility Station I covers Binoculars, Crash Mats, light sticks, Firecrackers, Barricade Kits, Door Blockers and Remote Raider Flares. Compare its ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs with your mobility needs before spending rare parts. Level II adds Smoke Grenades, Lure Grenades, Raider Hatch Keys and Ziplines. Level III makes Snap Hooks, Photoelectric Cloaks, Powered Descenders and Tagging Grenades available. Some craftable items also have skill-tree or blueprint requirements, so upgrading the bench isn’t the whole unlock.
Refiner material conversions
Refiner is a useful early investment because its recipes supply components for several other stations. Refiner I makes Mechanical Components, Electrical Components, Durable Cloth and Crude Explosives. Refiner II adds advanced components, ARC Circuitry, Explosive Compound and several gun and mod parts. Refiner III adds Complex Gun Parts, Magnetic Accelerators and Power Rods. Those components feed into several more expensive workshop upgrades.
Research Station and Outpost requirements
The Research Station has an Outpost room-level cap: even with the full ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs saved, you cannot upgrade it to IV while the Outpost is at II. Each level has its own bill from the table, with Level IV needing a Frigate Inductor from high-end Frozen Trail content. Weapon amplification needs Gunsmith IV as well; neither station upgrade alone completes the full unlock.
ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs for Level 4 and the Outpost
The Outpost project begins with Research Topside Living Conditions, which asks you to photograph a farmland house with a Camera. Get one from Shani, make one at the Workbench or find one Topside. After completing the Outpost project, expand its rooms to raise the maximum Research Station level. The fourth room also opens the path towards Gunsmith IV. For Room 3, the Epoxy Bucket locations guide covers the train-carriage and Observatory loot reports. For Room 4, the Laser Level locations guide covers reported Pendola Pass areas, alongside three Insulation Rolls. These materials are not guaranteed at any single spot.
ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs don’t include the Outpost expansion itself. You pay separately for that, Research Station IV and Gunsmith IV. Gunsmith IV itself needs 3 Radial Presses, 3 Magnetic Accelerators and 1 Emperor Modulator. The last item comes from the Fallen Emperor dungeon; see the Emperor Modulator guide for the containers and extraction route, rather than treating it as a guaranteed boss-drop reward.
Which station should you upgrade first?
Build Gunsmith I and Refiner I early if you want a flexible starting loadout. Gunsmith opens weapon and attachment options while Refiner creates the components needed for several Level II upgrades. From there, choose Gear Bench for better shields and augments, Medical Lab for healing and resuscitation supplies, or Utility Station for movement and extraction tools.
You don’t have to level every station evenly. The ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs table lets you pick a target and save only the materials you need next. If you’re already saving Bastion Cells for Gear Bench III, keep them while farming the Electrical Components it needs. If you’re aiming for Gunsmith IV, avoid recycling Magnetic Accelerators after finally reaching Refiner III. Picking the workshop upgrades that serve your actual loadout is faster than spending every rare material as soon as you find it.
Why ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs don’t include every blueprint
Workshop level, blueprints and skills are different requirements. For example, a Gear Bench tier may support an augment even though you still need to learn its blueprint. Likewise, a Utility Station upgrade doesn’t substitute for a skill-tree unlock on a gadget. If an item stays locked, check its tooltip for the missing blueprint or skill instead of buying more station levels.
Decide which weapon, augment or tool you want first. Then check the station level, required parts and any blueprint before spending your materials. That prevents you spending a hard-earned Rocketeer Driver or Emperor Modulator on a bench you don’t currently use.
ARC Raiders workshop upgrade costs FAQ
Do workshop upgrades carry over between stations?
No. Each station has its own build and upgrade materials. Research Station also needs its matching Outpost room level, and Gunsmith IV is a separate upgrade from Weapon Amplification research.
Does Scrappy count as a Workshop station?
Scrappy lives in the Workshop and generates basic materials between raids, but he isn’t one of the eight crafting stations. His level-up items and collection rewards work separately from station materials.
Related Guides
Official game source: Embark Studios Frozen Trail 2.0 patch notes.
