Field Crates are large silver boxes you can pick up and carry around in Arc Raiders. They're filled with useful supplies like ammo, grenades, mines, and meds. You can't just crack them open wherever you find them, though. You'll need to haul them to a specific location to get at the loot inside.

How the Field Crate System Works

Basic Mechanics

To open a Field Crate, you need to bring it to a Field Depot. These buildings have a distinctive look: long, rounded structures with tattered blue fabric hanging off the sides. Inside each active depot, there's a supply station device built specifically for processing Field Crates.

When you're holding a crate near the device, it'll show a blue hologram indicating where to slot it in. Pop the crate into the machine, wait a few seconds while it processes, then grab your loot from the cabinet on the right side.

Field Depot Supply Station with blue hologram — The supply station inside a Field Depot shows a blue hologram when you're holding a Field Crate

The Down to Earth Quest

You'll get introduced to Field Crates through the Down to Earth quest from Shani. This one pops up after you finish early missions like A Bad Feeling for Celeste. The quest is straightforward: find a Field Crate, deliver it to a Supply Station inside a Field Depot, and collect your reward. All of this needs to happen in a single match.

Just accepting the quest gets you a pair of binoculars. Complete the full delivery and you'll walk away with a Combat MK.1 augment and a Medium Shield.

Note

You might have visited a Field Depot during the Off The Radar quest earlier, but that mission doesn't require you to actually do anything with the crates.

Finding Field Depots and Crates

Picking Your Location

Field Depots show up on multiple maps. Dam Battlegrounds is your best bet if you want an easier time with this activity, but you can tackle it on any map with depot locations.

Tracking Down Field Crates

Field Crates spawn in the area around each Field Depot. They can be pretty well hidden, so you'll need to search carefully. Most depots have several crates scattered nearby, which means you can make multiple deliveries in a single match if you're feeling ambitious.

Dam Battlegrounds Layout

There's a Field Depot between Water Towers and Electrical Substation on Dam Battlegrounds that works great for this. Four Field Crates spawn near this particular depot:

Two inside different towers at Water Towers
One at the base of the hills east of Electrical Substation
One in the building at the north end of the substation

Dam Battlegrounds map with Field Depot locations marked — Field Depot locations marked in red, with Field Crate spawn points in white squares

Delivering Field Crates: Step by Step

Pick Up the Crate

Walk up to a Field Crate and interact with it. You'll hoist up the big silver box and carry it with you.

Get It to the Depot

Now you need to lug this thing back to the Field Depot building. Here's the problem: you're completely vulnerable while carrying it. Clear out any enemies in the area first, or bring teammates who can cover you during the trip.

Slot It Into the Machine

Head inside the depot and find the supply station device. Get close while holding the crate, and you'll see a blue hologram showing exactly where it goes. Insert the crate and the device will close up.

Wait Out the Processing

The machine takes a few seconds to crack open the crate. During this time, it makes a ton of noise.

Grab Your Loot

Once the device finishes, interact with the cabinet on the right side to collect your supplies. You'll get ammo, grenades, mines, and medical items.

Player delivering Field Crate to supply station — The complete Field Crate delivery process from pickup to reward collection

Staying Safe During Deliveries

Noise Draws Attention

When you slot a Field Crate into the supply station, it generates a loud racket for several seconds. This sound travels far (50 meters or more), basically announcing to every enemy Raider in the area that someone's at the depot.

Warning

Never just stand next to the device while it's processing. Stay mobile and position yourself far enough away that you can hear footsteps or other audio cues. This gives you time to react if someone comes hunting for you.

Depots Are Death Traps

Field Depots have one exit. If an enemy sets up at the entrance while you're inside, you're stuck in a killbox with nowhere to run. Players know this, and they'll absolutely camp depots to catch people with full backpacks.

Loot Fast, Leave Faster

When the cabinet opens up, grab what you need and get out. The longer you stick around, the more likely someone shows up to ruin your day.

Smart Strategies for Field Crate Runs

Scout Before You Commit

Before you pick up a crate, check the area around both the spawn point and the depot. Look for other players who might be setting up an ambush.

Clear the Area First

Take out any enemies in the vicinity before starting your delivery. You don't want to deal with combat while you're vulnerable and carrying a crate, or while you're waiting for the machine to finish processing.

Bring Backup

Playing with a squad? Have them run security while you handle the crate. Someone watching your back dramatically improves your odds of getting through this without interruptions.

Multiple Runs Per Match

Each depot usually has several crates nearby, so you can repeat this activity multiple times in one game. If your first delivery goes smoothly and the area stays clear, consider grabbing another crate to maximize your haul.

Weigh the Risk

Getting supplies from Field Crates always involves danger. You're making yourself a target during transport, announcing your location during processing, and potentially getting trapped in a building with limited escape routes. Balance the value of the loot against these tactical disadvantages.

Completing the Down to Earth Quest

To finish Shani's quest, you need to do all of this in one match:

Go to a Field Depot on any map
Find a Field Crate near that depot
Carry it to the supply station inside the depot building
Insert the crate into the device
Wait for processing to finish
Open the reward cabinet and collect the loot

Miss any step or fail to complete it all in a single run, and you'll need to try again. Your rewards (Combat MK.1 augment and Medium Shield) only unlock after you open the reward box.

Quest completion screen showing rewards — Successfully completing the Down to Earth quest rewards you with valuable equipment

Extra Details Worth Knowing

Spotting Field Depots

When you're exploring, look for buildings with a long, rounded shape and blue tattered fabric hanging off the sides. That's your visual marker for Field Depots.

Active Depot Status

The source material mentions active Field Depots, which have functional supply stations. Check that a depot has a working supply station before you haul a crate all the way there.

The Hologram System

The supply station only displays the blue hologram placement guide when you're holding a Field Crate and standing close to the device. This makes it impossible to miss the correct interaction point.

Farming Potential

Field Crate delivery isn't a one-and-done activity. Multiple crates per depot and the ability to repeat the process make this a viable method for stocking up on supplies throughout a match. The Down to Earth quest only requires one successful completion, but you can keep going if you want more loot.

Quick Reference Summary

Field Crates are large silver boxes containing ammo, grenades, mines, and meds
Field Depots are rounded buildings with blue tattered fabric
Several crates spawn near each depot
Processing makes loud noise that alerts enemies 50+ meters away
Depots have one exit, creating potential ambush situations
Clear enemies or bring teammates for safer runs
Stay mobile during processing, don't camp the machine
Grab loot quickly and leave
You can repeat this multiple times per match
Dam Battlegrounds is the easiest map for beginners
The Down to Earth quest needs full completion in one match