Quest Overview

With a Trace is an investigation quest in ARC Raiders that sends you hunting for clues about who brought down the ARC machines. You'll need to travel to Blue Gate and check out two specific locations: Barren Clearing and Adorned Wreckage. Unlike most extraction shooter objectives, this one focuses on exploration and interaction rather than combat, making it perfect for players who prefer lower-risk approaches.

You'll complete two investigation objectives in sequence. Both are located on the western and southern edges of the Blue Gate map, areas that typically see less player traffic than the center zones. This positioning makes the quest much easier if you're trying to avoid PVP encounters while ticking off your objectives.

Blue Gate Map with Quest Locations — Blue Gate map showing Barren Clearing and Adorned Wreckage locations

Why This Quest Matters

When you return to Shani at Speranza after finishing With a Trace, you'll get two solid rewards:

Looting Mk. 2 Augment: Increases your carrying capacity and gives you an extra Safe Pocket slot, making it easier to haul valuable loot during raids.
Medium Shield: Offers more health and damage resistance compared to a Light Shield, though it does weigh you down more.

Both rewards sell for 2,000 Coins each, but you're better off keeping them. The crafting and purchasing costs for these items make selling them a bad deal. They'll help you farm coins more efficiently in future raids anyway.

Pro Tip

You don't need to extract for this quest to count as complete. Once you interact with both objectives, the quest progress saves even if you die during the raid. This takes a lot of pressure off and lets you complete the quest without risking valuable gear.

Recommended Approach and Preparation

Since With a Trace doesn't require you to kill enemies, destroy targets, or extract with quest items, just bring a free loadout. You'll minimize losses if you run into hostile players or dangerous ARC robots. You don't need to bring anything in or take anything out, which makes this one of the more forgiving quests in ARC Raiders.

The two objectives sit pretty close to each other on the map. You can knock out both in a single raid without trekking across the entire Blue Gate area.

Find Signs at Barren Clearing

Locating Barren Clearing

Your first stop is Barren Clearing on the western edge of the Blue Gate map. This ARC graveyard holds the remains of destroyed machines and sits directly west of Raider's Refuge. The map labels it as a minor point of interest, so you can spot it easily when checking your map.

Warning

This objective has a quirk: it can auto-complete from surprisingly far away. Some players have had the quest update while standing in Adorned Wreckage, which is actually your second objective location. This creates confusion and wastes time if you start searching in the wrong spot. Head straight to Barren Clearing first and look for the specific interaction point below.

Finding the Baron Husk

When you reach Barren Clearing, look for the large Baron Husk. This massive pile of destroyed ARC robot parts dominates the area and you can't miss it. The Baron Husk has paint on its legs that makes it stand out from other wreckage nearby.

Baron Husk at Barren Clearing — The Baron Husk wreckage at Barren Clearing with painted legs visible

Interacting with the Broken Leg

You need to interact with one of the Baron Husk's severed legs. Find the ball joint of a large broken leg just southwest of the robot's main body at the center of Barren Clearing. This ball joint looks much lighter grey than the surrounding wreckage and has what looks like a radar dish attached to it.

When you get close to the correct ball joint, you'll see a gold or yellow "Investigate" prompt pop up. Hit that prompt to finish the first objective. After this, you can move on to the second location.

Additional Opportunities at Barren Clearing

While you're here, Barren Clearing works well for gathering ARC materials. The area has scavengeable parts and smaller ARC robots you can hunt for resources. If you need ARC-related materials for crafting, this makes a decent farming spot.

Inspect Adorned Wreckage

Traveling to Adorned Wreckage

The second objective sits at Adorned Wreckage, southeast of Barren Clearing. From your first location, head south and slightly east. You'll pass through or near Trapper's Glade. The trip between objectives only takes a minute or two.

Identifying the Adorned Wreckage

Adorned Wreckage stands out once you reach the right area. The main landmark is a large piece of debris that looks like a colorful rocket covered in graffiti. This decorated structure gives the location its name. The wreckage has an antenna with cables running to the larger central debris pile.

Critical Note

The quest text can throw you off here. It says to inspect the Adorned Wreckage, but you don't actually interact with the big rocket structure. Instead, you need to find a nearby communications device that's separate from the main wreckage.

Locating the Communications Device

The communications device is a small yellow computer sitting on a makeshift table or desk. This computer sits against a smaller rocket-like piece of wreckage right next to the main Adorned Wreckage structure. You'll get a clear interaction prompt when you approach it.

Look for the table setup near the wreckage piece with the antenna that has cables running to the bigger debris in the middle of the POI. The yellow color makes the computer easy to spot against everything else around it.

Completing the Quest

Interact with the yellow computer to wrap up the second and final objective. Once you do this, the quest is done whether you extract from Blue Gate or not. You don't need to survive the raid or bring anything back to Speranza for completion to register. Next time you visit Shani at Speranza, you'll collect your rewards.

Warning

Adorned Wreckage gets more dangerous than Barren Clearing. ARC robots frequently patrol the area, including leapers that can jump around and catch you off guard. This location also sees more player traffic because of nearby spawn points and other quest objectives like A First Foothold. Stay alert for both hostile robots and potential PVP situations while completing this objective.

Quest Completion Tips

Navigation Strategy

Both objectives are on the outskirts of the Blue Gate map, which means less player traffic compared to central areas. This works in your favor if you're trying to avoid PVP. Plan your route along the western and southern edges to cut down on the chance of running into other players.

Time Efficiency

Since both objectives sit close together, you can finish With a Trace quickly in one raid. The short distance between Barren Clearing and Adorned Wreckage means you won't waste time crossing the entire map.

Combat Considerations

You don't need to kill anything to complete this quest, so you can skip combat entirely if you want. If you do run into ARC robots or hostile players, you can defend yourself or just run away. Remember that extraction isn't required, so dying after completing both interactions still counts as success.

Loadout Recommendations

A free loadout is your best bet for this quest. There's no extraction requirement and no items to bring in or take out, so there's no reason to risk good equipment. Basic gear handles the simple interaction objectives just fine.

Reward Collection

After finishing both objectives, head back to Shani at Speranza whenever you next visit the hub. You don't need to extract immediately after completing the quest. The game tracks completion automatically. When you talk to Shani, you'll receive the Looting Mk. 2 Augment and Medium Shield.

Quest Rewards

Looting Mk. 2 Augment

Increases carrying capacity and adds Safe Pocket slot

Medium Shield

Better protection than Light Shield with increased weight

Summary

With a Trace is a straightforward investigation quest that sends you to two locations on the Blue Gate map to interact with specific objects. No combat required, no items to collect, and extraction is optional. This makes it one of the more accessible quests in ARC Raiders. Follow this guide to hit the correct interaction points at Barren Clearing and Adorned Wreckage, and you'll finish the quest fast while claiming rewards that boost your carrying capacity and survivability in future raids.