Exploring Pendola Pass is one of Celeste’s first quests in ARC Raiders after the Frozen Trail update unlocks the snowy mountain map. It sends you to three buildings and asks you to destroy 20 ARC enemies along the way. The locations are easy enough to spot on your map, but the Observatory console and the antenna high above the Railyard are much harder to reach if you don’t know where to look.
At least you aren’t expected to do everything in one frantic trip. This is one quest you can split between raids, which is especially handy if a Bully turns up while you’re trying to get your bearings. Here’s how to finish the whole job, including the equipment Celeste gives you, the route up the antenna tower and everything you earn when you return to Speranza.
Exploring Pendola Pass objectives and required equipment
Speak to Celeste in Speranza and accept Exploring Pendola Pass once the Frozen Trail map is available. She grants three Ziplines when you take the quest. Bring one with you, plus one Wire, which is used up when you repair the antenna. A Snap Hook or Grappling Hook can also help with the climb if you prefer one of those.
Your quest tracker has four objectives:
- Destroy 20 ARC enemies.
- Search the control room at Cielo Sereno Observatory for power.
- Use one Wire to patch the antenna on top of the tallest tower in the Railyard.
- Search three containers inside the Commissary Supermarket.
All four tasks can be completed in any order, across multiple rounds. Your ARC kills also count on other maps, so you can carry on with Exploring Pendola Pass even after leaving the mountain. For a look at the layout and the extraction points, see our Pendola Pass map guide.
Destroy 20 ARC enemies for Exploring Pendola Pass
You don’t have to defeat a particular type of machine. Wasps, Hornets, Ticks and other smaller ARC all contribute towards the 20-kill total, and you can pick them off while travelling between objectives. The counter carries between raids, so leave the last few kills for another outing if you’ve already got the harder location tasks finished.
Try not to get dragged into a fight with a Bully or Bastion purely for quest progress. A couple of weaker flying machines are much easier targets when you only came Topside to inspect a console. The Bully is particularly troublesome on Pendola Pass because it moves quickly and attacks aggressively; you’re better off using cover and keeping your Wire and climbing gear intact.
Exploring Pendola Pass: Cielo Sereno Observatory control room
The Cielo Sereno Observatory is in the northeastern part of Pendola Pass. Approach the main building and head into its central section. The room you need is towards the southern, western side of the complex, overlooking the slope. On the map it’s roughly beneath the end of the name “Sereno”.
You can take the stairs up from inside the building rather than using a mobility tool on the exterior. Alternatively, reach the roof and drop down through an opening if you’re coming from above. Once inside the control room, find the box on the main console and interact with “Inspect the Tech” to complete the task.
The interaction gives your Raider a short electric shock, so don’t use it in the middle of a fight. If Exploring Pendola Pass hasn’t ticked off this objective after entering the building, you probably haven’t used the specific console yet. Walking into the control room alone isn’t enough.
Exploring Pendola Pass: Railyard tallest tower and antenna
This is the part worth preparing for before you deploy. The correct tower stands on the southeastern side of the Railyard, east of the Railyard label and south of the Controlled Receiving Facility. It’s taller than the surrounding structures, but you cannot simply walk up a staircase to reach its antenna.
- Keep one Wire and a Zipline in your inventory. Celeste supplies three Ziplines with the quest if you haven’t got your own. A Snap Hook or Grappling Hook works as an alternative climbing tool.
- Head round the eastern side of the long building beside the tower. Find the exterior ladder and climb onto the building’s roof.
- Look up towards the tallest tower. From the roof, aim your Zipline at the upper platform rather than the lower side of the structure.
- Climb to the antenna itself. Walk up to it and select “Patch Into Antenna”; the interaction consumes your one Wire.
- Check the quest tracker. Once the repair registers, climb back down carefully and head for your next stop.
If the Zipline only takes you to a ledge below the antenna, choose a better angle and aim higher. You won’t get the repair prompt until you’re next to the antenna at the top. The Railyard section of Exploring Pendola Pass is the only objective that consumes a specific material, so make sure the Wire is actually with you before making the climb.
Search three containers inside the Commissary Supermarket
The Commissary Supermarket is near the centre of Pendola Pass, close to the Railyard. Enter the actual supermarket and search three lootable containers inside the building. There’s no special container type and no item you must find; the searches themselves are what the quest counts.
One detail catches people out: opening supplies just outside the supermarket doesn’t count. Head into the main interior and try the cupboards, boxes or other searchable containers there. Watch the tracker go from one to three before you leave. It’s a quick objective, and there’s a Ballistic Gondola extraction point nearby if you’re ready to head back to Speranza.
Once you’ve searched the third container, Exploring Pendola Pass will only have whatever remaining tasks are still showing on your tracker. You don’t need to keep looting the shop for a quest item that doesn’t exist.
Fastest route for Exploring Pendola Pass
There’s no single best starting point because the game can deploy you in different places. Do the Observatory or Railyard first, whichever is closer, then make for the Commissary Supermarket and its nearby extraction. Take out small ARC along the way rather than stopping to hunt a dangerous machine.
Climb the Observatory stairs if you want to save your Zipline for the Railyard. Repair the tower antenna while the Wire is still in your inventory, then search the supermarket containers on your way out. Even if you’re still short of 20 kills, that doesn’t undo the location objectives. Exploring Pendola Pass can be finished over a second raid without retracing every stop.
Exploring Pendola Pass quest rewards
After completing all four objectives, return to Celeste in Speranza and claim your rewards. The payout is separate from the three Ziplines you receive on accepting the quest:
- 1 Breathtaking Snow Globe
- 1 Osprey I sniper rifle
- 1 Medium Shield
- 5,000 XP
The Osprey I is a useful pick-up for longer shots across the open mountain. Once you’ve handed in Exploring Pendola Pass, you can move on to Tracks of the Beast, which takes you to Almatera Station and asks you to ping two of Frozen Trail’s new enemies.
Why Exploring Pendola Pass isn’t progressing
Observatory objective still open? Enter the control room and use the console’s “Inspect the Tech” prompt. Just reaching Cielo Sereno won’t complete it. If machines are attacking, deal with them or break contact before starting the interaction.
Can’t patch the antenna? Bring one Wire, take the outside ladder to the nearby roof, and use a Zipline or another climbing tool to reach the tallest tower’s very top. If there’s no prompt, you’re probably standing too low down.
Supermarket container counter stuck? Only containers inside the Commissary building count. Check you’re searching the main interior rather than the surrounding outdoor supply crates. The four objectives persist across raids, so you can return later if the area is too dangerous.
Official source: Embark Studios, ARC Raiders Frozen Trail launch announcement.
