ARC Raiders Key Locations: Complete Map Guide

Keys are some of the most useful loot items in ARC Raiders because they give Raiders access to locked rooms, storage areas, weapon cases, and other valuable loot. They are also single-use ARC Raiders Items, so knowing exactly where a key can be used is important before deciding when to spend it.

There are currently 33 regular keys and keycards across the six main maps, covering Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, The Blue Gate, Stella Montis, and Riven Tides. Riven Tides has the largest collection of map-specific keycards, while several other maps have Epic keys connected to particularly valuable locked areas.

Most keys can be placed in the Safe Pocket, making it possible to protect an important key before taking the risk of using it in a raid.

How Keys Work in ARC Raiders

The basic key system is straightforward: find a key, locate its matching locked door, and use it to access the room. Once used, the key is consumed.

A few important rules are worth remembering:

Normal room keys are single-use.
Keys carried in your regular backpack can be lost if you are knocked out and fail to recover your loot.
Keys placed in the Safe Pocket are protected. 
Keys do not stack, so carrying several of them can take up valuable inventory space.
The rarity of a key is important because locked-room loot scales with key rarity.
Some keys can open more than one possible door, but the key is still consumed after the first use.

Because of this, there is little reason to carry an expensive key through several unrelated raids. If you already know where you want to use it, build your route around that location.

Dam Battlegrounds Key Locations

Dam Battlegrounds has five map-specific keys.

The Dam Control Tower Key is the standout key on this map because it is Epic. The locked area can contain lockers, a weapon case, an ammo case, and medical supplies.

The Testing Annex Key is slightly different because it can be used on two doors. However, using the key on one door consumes it, so opening both locations requires two keys.

For a normal raid, it is usually better to use a Dam key when its destination is already close to your route rather than crossing the entire map just to open one room.

Buried City Key Locations

Buried City has four main keys.

The Town Hall Key is one of the most notable keys in ARC Raiders because it is an Epic key. The locked area contains security lockers and a weapon case.

The Residential Master Key is useful for a different reason. Instead of being limited to one specific room, it can work on several apartment doors around Buried City.

If you are already looting the residential areas, this makes the Residential Master Key particularly convenient. You do not necessarily need to plan an entire raid around it.

Blue Gate Key Locations

The Blue Gate has four regular map-specific keys.

The Blue Gate Confiscation Room Key is the highest-rarity room key on this map. It opens a locked area in the underground Security Wing near the Traffic Tunnel.

The Cellar Key is also useful because it can be used at more than one possible cellar location. That gives you some flexibility when planning a route.

Blue Gate Locked Gate Codes

Locked Gate codes should not be confused with normal keys.

The Blue Gate can have a Locked Gate map condition, during which security codes can be used to access the main gate. These codes are connected to locations including:

Ancient Fort
Pilgrim's Peak
Raider's Refuge
Reinforced Reception

A security code is not a permanent key. It is tied to the Locked Gate condition, and an expired code cannot be used as a normal room key.

Spaceport Key Locations

Spaceport currently has four main keys.

Several Spaceport keys can open one of multiple doors within the same general area.

The Trench Tower Key is a good example. There are multiple compatible doors in the Trench Towers, so you should normally use the nearest available door rather than making a long detour.

The Container Storage Key and Control Tower Key are both Rare, making them worth keeping when you are planning to raid Spaceport.

Stella Montis Key Locations

Stella Montis has four map-specific keys.

The Stella Montis Archives Key is the only Epic room key on this map and therefore deserves extra attention.

The other keys are lower rarity, but they can still be useful when you are already operating near their corresponding areas.

Not every locked door has a clearly marked destination from the key name alone, so learning the actual building layout is more useful than simply memorizing the item names.

Riven Tides Keycard Locations

Riven Tides has the largest group of map-specific keys and keycards.

The Secure Storage Keycard is the standout Riven Tides key because it is Epic and opens the Secure Storage area in Port Authority.

The seven hotel keycards are Common and each corresponds to a specific room in Panorama Azzurro. They are more situational and are most convenient when you are already close to the hotel.

Riven Tides therefore rewards players who understand their route before entering the raid. Carrying several hotel cards without knowing whether you will reach the hotel can quickly fill your inventory.

Other Important Keys

Not every key in ARC Raiders is connected to a normal loot room.

Patrol Car Key

The Patrol Car Key is an Uncommon key that can open the rear door of patrol cars. Patrol cars can appear on both Blue Gate and Riven Tides.

Raider Hatch Key

The Raider Hatch Key is different from normal room keys. It is used to open a Raider Hatch extraction point rather than a standard loot room.

Raider Hatches are connected to specific map conditions, so check whether the required condition is active before bringing the key into a raid.

The Raider Hatch Key can also be crafted, and it has a different role from normal building keys.

Which Keys Should You Keep?

There is no official room-by-room loot ranking, but rarity provides a useful way to decide which keys deserve more attention.

A practical priority is:

Epic keys and keycards
Rare keys that match your current route
Uncommon keys with multiple possible uses
Common hotel keycards when you are already near Panorama Azzurro

The current Epic room keys include:

Buried City Town Hall Key
Dam Control Tower Key
Blue Gate Confiscation Room Key
Stella Montis Archives Key
Riven Tides Secure Storage Keycard

These are particularly worth protecting because locked-room loot scales with key rarity.

However, rarity does not mean you should always make a huge detour. A Rare key that is directly on your route can be more useful in practice than an Epic key that requires crossing the entire map.

Where Do Keys Come From?

Keys are primarily obtained through scavenging, but some keys can also be connected to quests or other progression systems.

There is no reliable published percentage for the drop chance of each individual key. Therefore, claims that a specific building has a guaranteed or significantly higher key-drop rate should not be treated as confirmed game mechanics.

When searching naturally, focus on containers and searchable interiors along your route rather than wasting an entire raid searching one building for a specific key.

Quest-related keys are also worth checking before buying or searching for another copy. Some quest paths provide ways to obtain keys needed for their associated locations.

How to Use Keys Efficiently

The best way to use a valuable key is to treat it as part of a complete raid plan.

Before entering, consider:

Where the locked door is located
Which extraction point you want to use
Whether you have enough inventory space
Whether your weapon and medical supplies are sufficient
Whether the current map condition changes the risk of the route

For a high-value Epic key, the safest approach is usually to put it in your Safe Pocket and wait for a raid where you are specifically prepared to use it.

Do not open a valuable room simply because you have the key. If you are carrying a full inventory, have low health, or are far from a safe extraction route, the locked room can wait for another raid.

Frozen Trail and Pendola Pass

The upcoming Frozen Trail update is scheduled to add Pendola Pass on October 8, 2026.

Pendola Pass will introduce a new frozen map beyond the Rust Belt, with a former Italian settlement, an old Exodus transport hub, a train depot, an observatory, and other new locations.

The new map will expand the game's loot and exploration routes. Any new keys or locked locations should be checked after the update goes live rather than assumed in advance.

This guide can then be expanded with the new key types, doors, and confirmed loot locations.

Keys are valuable in ARC Raiders because they provide access to loot that is otherwise unavailable, but they also create an important risk-reward decision.

The most important thing is not to collect every key you see. Learn what each key opens, protect high-value keys in your Safe Pocket, and use them when the destination fits your raid plan.

For the highest-rarity keys, plan the entire run around the locked location and extraction. For lower-rarity keys, simply use them when the opportunity naturally appears.

Once you know the key locations across Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Blue Gate, Spaceport, Stella Montis, and Riven Tides, you can make better decisions about what to keep, what to use immediately, and what is worth carrying into your next raid.

The U4GM Team