Key takeaways
- Signal Beacon (×1) — required for the Collapsed Overpass plant. Store price sits in the low thousands of credits; stock rotates, so buy when it appears.
- Cutting Torch (×1) — required to open the sealed locker in the Fuel Depot sub-level. Consumed on use.
- Ammo and at least one healing item — the Fuel Depot and Ridge Relay both have AI patrols.
- Backpack space — the flight recorder occupies a two-slot item, so leave room before you extract.
Arc Raiders Bombing Run Quest Guide: Full Steps
The Bombing Run quest in Arc Raiders is a multi-stage job that sends you to three named locations on the Rustbelt map, requires two specific carried items, and ends in a turn-in at the Speranza hub. The fastest reliable run takes most raiders 25–35 minutes if they bring the right gear and avoid the two ambush corridors that catch the majority of first-time runners.
This guide walks the quest from pickup to turn-in with the exact map callouts, the items you need to carry in, and the spots where other raiders and AI patrols most often intercept you.
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Quest Requirements at a Glance
| Stage | Location (Rustbelt) | Objective | Items Required | Est. Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Pickup | Speranza hub, quest board | Accept “Bombing Run” | None | 2 min |
| 2. First marker | Collapsed Overpass, north span | Plant beacon | 1× Signal Beacon | 8 min |
| 3. Second marker | Fuel Depot, sub-level 2 | Recover flight recorder | 1× Cutting Torch | 10 min |
| 4. Third marker | Ridge Relay, rooftop dish | Upload data | Flight recorder (carried) | 7 min |
| 5. Turn-in | Speranza hub, quartermaster | Hand in recorder | None | 3 min |
What to Bring Before You Deploy
Two items are hard requirements and cannot be looted on-site in most runs, so buy them from the hub trader first. Per the quest’s in-game description, the Signal Beacon and Cutting Torch are both consumed on use, which is why runners who forget them have to extract and re-enter.
- Signal Beacon (×1) — required for the Collapsed Overpass plant. Store price sits in the low thousands of credits; stock rotates, so buy when it appears.
- Cutting Torch (×1) — required to open the sealed locker in the Fuel Depot sub-level. Consumed on use.
- Ammo and at least one healing item — the Fuel Depot and Ridge Relay both have AI patrols.
- Backpack space — the flight recorder occupies a two-slot item, so leave room before you extract.
Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Step 1: Accept the quest at Speranza
Pick up “Bombing Run” from the quest board in the Speranza hub, then confirm it is your active tracked quest before you deploy. The reason: tracking only one quest at a time keeps the objective markers from overlapping on your map, which matters at the Fuel Depot where two other jobs also place a marker on the same building.
Step 2: Plant the beacon at the Collapsed Overpass
Deploy to Rustbelt and move north along the highway until you reach the collapsed north span. The plant point is under the broken support pillar on the western side, not at the top of the span where most new players look. Hold the interact prompt for the full channel; releasing early wastes the beacon.
Ambush watch: the ramp leading down from the overpass is one of the two deadliest spots on this quest. Squads routinely camp the underpass because it is the only covered approach. Come in from the ridge line to the east instead of straight up the highway.
Step 3: Recover the flight recorder at the Fuel Depot
Head south-east to the Fuel Depot and go down to sub-level 2 via the exterior stairwell, not the elevator shaft — the shaft drops you into an open room with one exit. The sealed locker sits against the back wall of the pump room. Use the Cutting Torch on it, then take the flight recorder.
Ambush watch: the stairwell landing itself is the second classic camping spot, since the objective forces you into a single-entry room. Clear the pump room from the doorway before you commit to the torch channel, because the cutting animation locks your movement for several seconds.
Step 4: Upload the data at the Ridge Relay
Move north to the Ridge Relay and climb to the rooftop dish. The upload terminal is on the dish platform’s eastern rail. Start the upload and hold position; leaving the platform cancels the progress bar. Once it completes, the quest flips to the turn-in stage and the recorder stays in your inventory.
Step 5: Extract and hand in at Speranza
Extract, then return to the Speranza hub and speak to the quartermaster to hand over the flight recorder. The reward is paid on turn-in, not on extraction, so do not sell the recorder by mistake at the trader screen on the way.
Ambush Spots That Catch Most Raiders
| Spot | Why it works for campers | How to counter it |
|---|---|---|
| Overpass underpass ramp | Single covered approach, forced objective path | Approach from the eastern ridge, not the highway |
| Fuel Depot stairwell landing | One entry, objective room is a dead end | Clear from doorway; torch only after the room is quiet |
| Ridge Relay dish platform | Upload locks you in place for the full channel | Upload only after checking the two flanking catwalks |
Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- Buying the beacon but not the torch. Both are consumed; runners frequently buy one and assume the other is lootable. It is not a guaranteed spawn.
- Doing the stages out of order. The Fuel Depot locker will not open until the Beacon stage is flagged complete, per the quest’s stage gating.
- Selling the recorder early. The turn-in requires the physical item, so a full inventory clear at the wrong trader costs you the whole run.
- Running it solo at peak hours. The Overpass and Fuel Depot are the busiest contested points on Rustbelt; off-peak runs finish noticeably faster.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does the Bombing Run quest take?
Most raiders complete it in 25–35 minutes across a single deployment if they bring both required items. Splitting it across two runs adds roughly 10 minutes of redeployment and re-navigation time, mostly because the Fuel Depot checkpoint resets your route.
Do I need to bring my own Signal Beacon and Cutting Torch?
Yes. Both are consumed on use and neither has a guaranteed loot spawn at the objective sites, so the practical answer is to buy both from the hub trader before deploying. If the beacon is out of stock, check back after the next stock rotation rather than gambling on a loot drop.
Can I complete Bombing Run solo?
It is soloable, and the objectives themselves do not require a second player. The difficulty is entirely in the contested choke points, so solo runs are safest outside peak hours and with a route that avoids the highway approach to the Overpass.
What happens if I die before the turn-in?
Stage progress is saved, but any carried quest items are lost with your body unless a teammate extracts them. If the flight recorder is gone, you will need to redo the Fuel Depot locker stage, which means buying another Cutting Torch.
Does the quest reward change based on how fast I finish?
No. The payout is fixed on turn-in and does not scale with completion time or with how many stages you finish in one deployment. Speed only matters for avoiding contested windows, not for reward value.
Which stage catches the most players out?
The Fuel Depot stage. It combines a consumed item requirement, a single-entry objective room, and an animation that locks your movement, which is why it accounts for most failed attempts in this quest chain.
