Rusted Gear is one of the hardest items to find in Arc Raiders, but it’s not impossible. If searching for this item grinds your gears (no pun intended), it’s most likely because you’re looking in the wrong places. In this guide, you’ll find the best locations to get Rusted Gear in Arc Raiders.
What Are Rusted Gears Used For?
You’ll need 3 Rusted Gears to upgrade your Gunsmith Workshop to Level 3. This is huge because that’s what lets you craft the best weapons in the game. You’ll also need 5 Advanced Mechanical Components and 4 Sentinel Firing Cores, but the Rusted Gears are usually the hardest part to find.
If you somehow get extra Rusted Gears, you can recycle them for 4 Metal Parts and 2 Mechanical Components, or salvage them for 12 Metal Parts. But honestly, just save them for the Gunsmith upgrade first.
Best Places to Find Rusted Gears
Your best bet for finding Rusted Gears in Arc Raiders is inside car hoods and mobile generators. Look for areas that contain lots of cars with hoods you can breach open, and you’ll eventually find Rusted Gears. Here are the best spots on each map:
Blue Gate (Best Overall)
The Highway Collapse and Checkpoint area are your go-to locations. You can find tons of lootable vehicles packed together here. Head there during a Night Raid for better loot quality. Be careful though, Wasps and Hornets patrol this area heavily, and you might run into other players doing the same thing.
Make sure to check every car you pass, and you might get lucky and find a Rusted Gear.
Buried City
Try the Warehouse, Marano Station, and Parking Garage in the northwest section. The Warehouse has two generators on the east side that often drop Rusted Gears. Marano Station’s car park has loads of vehicles to check.
Other Maps
- Dam Battlegrounds: Scrap Yard, Ruby Residence
- Spaceport: Security Checkpoint, Staff Parking
Go in solo with a free loadout if you’re just farming. You won’t lose anything if things go wrong. The downside? No safe pockets, so extract immediately when you find a Rusted Gear.
You’ll probably only find one per run, so don’t push your luck. Get in, breach vehicles systematically, and get out safely. It’s better to make three successful trips than lose everything trying to grab more loot.