ARC Raiders Explosives Station upgrades unlock more powerful grenades, mines and specialist equipment in Speranza. The station goes from Level 1 to Level 3, with a different material bill at each step. You need parts from Pop and Rocketeer enemies for the later levels, so it’s easy to sell or recycle something you’ll want back.
If you’re trying to make a Wolfpack, Deadline or the newer Yank Grenade, upgrading the station is only half the job. Some recipes need separate blueprints, and every craft consumes materials. We’ve collected the complete upgrade requirements, farming routes for the less common items and the current nineteen-item crafting catalogue.
ARC Raiders Explosives Station upgrades: all Level 1–3 materials
| Level | Exact cost | Unlock |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | 50 Chemicals, 6 ARC Alloy | Build the Explosives Station |
| Level 2 | 3 Synthesized Fuel, 5 Crude Explosives, 5 Pop Triggers | Higher-tier explosives |
| Level 3 | 3 Laboratory Reagents, 5 Explosive Compound, 3 Rocketeer Drivers | Final upgrade |
The costs are cumulative: to complete all ARC Raiders Explosives Station upgrades, you pay each row separately. Level 1 requires Chemicals, not Rubber Parts. An older database lists Rubber Parts, but the main workshop inventories and item recipes corroborate fifty Chemicals and six ARC Alloy. Keep the named ingredients intact until you can turn them in.
Where to find Chemicals and ARC Alloy for Level 1
Chemicals appear in industrial and security-related loot and can be obtained by recycling suitable surplus items. You need fifty for Level 1, so avoid using your entire stack to make ammunition and consumables before building the station. ARC Alloy is collected from ARC-related sources and machine wrecks. Six pieces are enough for the first upgrade.
The first ARC Raiders Explosives Station upgrades don’t require a boss fight. Gather ordinary ARC Alloy over several raids, search industrial interiors for Chemicals and extract with the materials. Once the station exists, you can start working towards the higher levels.
ARC Raiders Explosives Station upgrades: Level 2 farming
| Item | Number required | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Synthesized Fuel | 3 | Exodus loot locations; trader stock may offer it |
| Crude Explosives | 5 | Industrial or Security loot, Pop-related materials or Refiner crafting |
| Pop Trigger | 5 | Defeat Pop ARC machines and loot their remains |
Pop Triggers are drops from Pop enemies, not a substitute for Crude Explosives. Search for Synthesized Fuel separately in Exodus-related locations or check Celeste’s stock when it’s available. If you have the correct Refiner recipe, crafting Crude Explosives can save another raid devoted entirely to random loot containers.
You need all three ingredients to complete the Level 2 ARC Raiders Explosives Station upgrades. Keep five intact Pop Triggers and don’t use up your Crude Explosives on a different craft until the station has taken them.
How to get Rocketeer Drivers for Level 3
| Item | Number required | Where to find it |
|---|---|---|
| Laboratory Reagents | 3 | Medical containers and medical loot areas |
| Explosive Compound | 5 | Industrial or Security loot; available through Refiner crafting |
| Rocketeer Driver | 3 | Destroyed Rocketeers; some Rocketeer Husks during First Wave Husks |
Three Rocketeer Drivers make the last ARC Raiders Explosives Station upgrades harder than the first two. Rocketeers launch deadly volleys, and their armoured body is inefficient to shoot. Fight from solid cover, remove thruster plating and target the exposed components. You can follow our Rocketeer weak points guide for the whole fight.
Laboratory Reagents are medical salvage. Explosive Compound can come from industrial and security loot, suitable ARC drops or a Refiner recipe. Don’t confuse these with the Rocketeer Drivers: all three are separate required items. Once they’re in your stash, return to Speranza and purchase Level 3.
All 19 explosive items and crafting recipes
The current Explosives Station catalogue has nineteen named items. Some older directories count seventeen because they omit the Light Impact Grenade and Yank Grenade. This is a complete item index, not a promise that every recipe is unlocked immediately at Level 1.
| Craftable item | Type |
|---|---|
| Blaze Grenade | Grenade |
| Deadline | Explosive weapon |
| Explosive Mine | Mine |
| Fireworks Box | Utility explosive |
| Gas Grenade | Grenade |
| Gas Mine | Mine |
| Heavy Fuze Grenade | Grenade |
| Jolt Mine | Mine |
| Light Impact Grenade | Grenade |
| Pulse Mine | Mine |
| Seeker Grenade | Grenade |
| Showstopper | Explosive equipment |
| Shrapnel Grenade | Grenade |
| Snap Blast Grenade | Grenade |
| Surge Coil | Explosive equipment |
| Trailblazer | Explosive equipment |
| Trigger ‘Nade | Grenade |
| Wolfpack | Grenade |
| Yank Grenade | Grenade |
The ARC Raiders Explosives Station upgrades open crafting tiers, but individual recipe ingredients and blueprint requirements still matter. Open each item in your station menu to see what you’ve learned and what you must bring home. A completed Level 3 station doesn’t fill your stash with Wolfpacks or teach a blueprint you haven’t obtained.
Which grenades should you make first?
Start with equipment that suits your available components and how often you extract. Gas and Light Impact Grenades can suit ordinary raids, while Wolfpack and Deadline are better saved for fights where their higher cost has a purpose. The Yank Grenade has its own mechanics, covered in our Yank Grenade guide.
If your next weapon depends on Crude Explosives or Explosive Compound, the Refiner upgrade guide will help you plan your component production. ARC Raiders Explosives Station upgrades are separate from Refiner levels, although the two stations rely on some of the same materials.
ARC Raiders Explosives Station upgrades: full checklist
For Level 1 save fifty Chemicals and six ARC Alloy. Level 2 needs three Synthesized Fuel, five Crude Explosives and five Pop Triggers. Level 3 requires three Laboratory Reagents, five Explosive Compound and three Rocketeer Drivers. Collect and spend those items in level order, then check the recipes you can now craft.
Related Guides
Official source: Embark Studios: Frozen Trail update notes.
