ARC Raiders Empathetic Prototypes sends you into the Spaceport Trench to recover the Project Pathos Empathy Core from a cargo crate hanging beneath the North Trench Tower. There are two ways to release its Magnetic Lock: use a tower key and terminal, or climb out and operate the lock by hand.
Lance gives you a Grappling Hook when you accept the quest. If you don’t have the rare Spaceport Trench Tower Key, the manual route still works, but you’ll need to land carefully on the hanging crate and complete the recovery before leaving the raid.
ARC Raiders Empathetic Prototypes: Unlock the quest and prepare the loadout
Finish Lance’s Someone Else’s Shoes first, then accept Empathetic Prototypes. Its five listed steps involve reaching the Trench Towers, handling one of two Magnetic Lock solutions, searching the dropped cargo and delivering the Core to Lance. The whole sequence must be done in one Spaceport round. Bring a Grappling Hook, a suitable Augment with a Safe Pocket and healing for potential fall damage. The supplied hook is enough to attempt the manual method, so buying a rare key isn’t mandatory.
ARC Raiders Empathetic Prototypes: Find the North and South Trench Towers
Deploy into Spaceport and head to the northern edge around The Trench, between the large hangar zones. The North Trench Tower overlooks the suspended cargo crate. The South Trench Tower provides the terminal route if you have its access key. ARC Raiders Empathetic Prototypes takes place around these tall structures, not inside a general warehouse or the underground service areas elsewhere on Spaceport. Mark the trench on the map, then approach from the side with enough cover to avoid exposing yourself to other Raiders.
ARC Raiders Empathetic Prototypes: Option one: Use a tower key and terminal
If you already have a Spaceport Trench Tower Key, enter the appropriate secured tower and find the interior terminal that controls the suspended crate. Interact with the override for the Magnetic Lock and wait for the crate to drop into the trench. This route avoids the awkward jump onto the hanging crate, though the key can be rare. The quest panel treats the terminal override and manual lock release as alternatives. ARC Raiders Empathetic Prototypes doesn’t require you to do both.
Option two: Disable the lock manually
Without the key, climb the North Trench Tower using the Grappling Hook or its accessible ladder. Reach the upper room and look through the windows towards the crate hanging outside. Use your hook to position yourself above it, drop carefully onto the crate and move onto the supporting arm where the Magnetic Lock interaction is available. Hold the disable prompt until the crate releases and falls. A hard drop can hurt, so avoid jumping off the tower blindly. This method completes the alternative lock objective without any key.
Search the crate for the Empathy Core
After the crate falls, lower yourself into the trench safely, using the hook on nearby walls rather than attempting a fatal jump. Find the released cargo crate directly beneath the tower and search it for the Project Pathos Empathy Core. Put the Core into your Safe Pocket if possible. ARC Raiders Empathetic Prototypes needs the actual item carried home; reaching the crate or hitting the Magnetic Lock isn’t the final step. Check inventory before you leave so you don’t accidentally carry away an unrelated recyclable instead.
Extract and give the Core to Lance
Find an available Spaceport extraction, with the Central Elevator southwest of the trench one possible route depending on the round. You must extract from the same round in which you completed the cargo sequence. Once back in Speranza, talk to Lance and deliver the Project Pathos Empathy Core. The recorded rewards are 5,000 XP, a Canto I and two Vita Shots. ARC Raiders Empathetic Prototypes then leads into When Everything Falls, so don’t sell the reward weapon before checking your next loadout.
If the terminal or lock will not work
Make sure you chose the right route for your equipment. A terminal behind a locked door needs a usable Spaceport Trench Tower Key; climbing the North Tower to the manual lock avoids that requirement. If the crate is still suspended after interaction, verify the Magnetic Lock has actually disengaged and that you’re touching the support-arm prompt. If it fell but the item wasn’t recovered, search the crate on the trench floor. ARC Raiders Empathetic Prototypes will not finish by leaving with an empty inventory slot and assuming the quest item travels automatically.
Related Guides
Official information: Embark Studios ARC Raiders patch notes.
