ARC Raiders Pendola Pass Map: Loot Spots and Extraction Points
Sergey Pobeda
The Frozen Trail update added a new map to ARC Raiders: Pendola Pass. It is a snow-covered Italian village and transport hub beyond the mountain range that separates the Rust Belt from the rest of the world, with a fallen Emperor, a gigantic ARC machine, lying at its center. The map introduces new weather hazards, its own extraction method, and loot whose value changes from raid to raid. In this guide, we've collected every Pendola Pass point of interest, the best loot spots, locked rooms, and all the ways to leave the map.
What Is Pendola Pass and How to Unlock It
Pendola Pass is the seventh ARC Raiders map and the first location beyond the mountains surrounding the Rust Belt. In the story, Shani leads the Raiders across the range to investigate a signal coming from the fallen Emperor, whose massive shell contains rare technology. Pendola Pass is currently the largest map in the game. It combines wide open spaces with tight interiors, letting you choose your preferred playstyle and force fights on your own terms.
The map launched on October 8, 2026 with the Frozen Trail update. To select it, click See Destinations above the squad panel in the lower-right corner of the screen. Pendola Pass is in the upper-right corner of the world map.
- Normal unlock: new players need to complete 25 matches before the map becomes available. Any raid counts, even if you fail to extract.
- Join a squad: a new player can enter Pendola Pass immediately by joining someone who already has the map unlocked. This is especially useful during the free weekend.
- Free weekend: from October 8 at 12:00 PM to October 12 at 11:00 AM Moscow time, the full game is free to play on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation.
The Exploring Pendola Pass quest from Celeste is available immediately on the map. You can find the rest of the quests and their rewards in our ARC Raiders quest walkthrough. The objectives are to destroy 20 ARC enemies, search the control room at the Cielo Sereno Observatory, use 1 Wire to patch into the antenna on top of the tallest tower in the Railyard, and search 3 containers inside the Commissary Supermarket. Bring a Wire and a Zipline because you cannot reach the tower roof from inside. The rewards are the Breathtaking Snow Globe trinket, a Medium Shield, and an Osprey I sniper rifle.
Map Overview and Unique Features
Pendola Pass is divided into four major districts: Northern Tracks in the north, Almatera Village in the center, Freight Terminal in the east, and Southern Pass. Each district contains several points of interest, ranging from narrow Italian streets to huge industrial complexes. In addition to its size, the map stands out because of several unique mechanics:
- Flash Freeze: freezing storms periodically sweep through the valley and continuously damage anyone who remains outside. This is a harsher version of the freezing weather from the Cold Snap event. The game warns you before a storm arrives, and you can take cover indoors or inside Avalanche Shelters, which can also contain loot.
- Frozen doors: some doors are covered in ice. You can melt it with Flame Spray or break through with your Raider Tool.
- Dynamic Loot Zones: the value of loot in different areas changes from raid to raid, so the same location can be nearly empty in one session and extremely valuable in another. Pendola Pass still has more Exodus-marked areas than any other map, and these usually contain more valuable loot.
- Unique extraction: the map lies beyond the Rust Belt's familiar tunnel network, so it uses the Ballistic Gondola instead. We'll explain how it works in the extraction section.
The map can also feature special raid conditions:
- Frigate: a massive flying ARC vessel. You need to board it, move through its interior, complete objectives, sabotage the ship, and escape with the loot. This world event can also appear on other maps.
- Redirection: a condition exclusive to Pendola Pass. Raiders use a transmitter to redirect valuable Harvester payloads from the Collector toward their own position. Activating the transmitter attracts both ARC and rival players, so you have to hold the area.
All Points of Interest
Below are all Pendola Pass points of interest, divided across its four districts. Major locations also include the loot categories you are most likely to find there.
Northern Tracks
- Cielo Sereno Observatory: a massive scientific complex in the northern part of the map. Loot types: Exodus and Technological. It contains plenty of breachable containers, batteries, and mechanical components, as well as Augment crates and a locked room.
- Deep Space Telescope: another Exodus-marked area near the observatory.
- Researcher Lodgings: a research complex surrounded by snow-covered pines.
- Dispatch Tower: a standalone structure along the northern railway line.
- Frozen River: an open area stretching across the northern and southern parts of the map.
Almatera Village
- Fallen Emperor: the map's main landmark, a gigantic fallen ARC machine with a large explorable interior. Loot type: ARC. You need an Emperor Gateway Conduit to get inside.
- Old Town: a dense cluster of small buildings and the best place for Research items. Loot types: Residential and Old World. There is plenty of cover here, so expect ambushes inside buildings.
- Piazza della Rupe: a deserted city square beside the Santa Sofia church.
- Almatera Station: a Commercial area where trinkets frequently spawn. Loot value depends on the current raid. There is a locked room inside, and valuable finds can include the Crown of Leviathan ship model.
- Porta Benvenuti: the entrance to the village.
Freight Terminal
- Railyard: one of the best complexes on the map, with dozens of containers and lockers. Loot types: Industrial and Mechanical. High-priority finds include Augment crates and weapon crates, and Great Mullein also grows here.
- Commissary Supermarket: a huge connected complex in the center of the map and the best place to farm medical supplies. Loot types: Commercial and Medical. Most containers are concentrated in the main central hall.
- Railroad Junction: an area with Electrical and Mechanical loot.
- Weather Station: a small point of interest near the tracks.
- Loading Platforms: an Exodus-marked industrial area running along the railway.
Southern Pass
- Old Hamlet: scattered farm buildings.
- Truck Stop: a roadside location in an open area.
- Electrical Substation: an industrial structure in the southern part of the map.
- Frozen River: the southern section of the river.
Best Loot Spots
Pendola Pass introduces Dynamic Loot Zones, where high- and medium-value areas change between sessions. Always check the raid map before deploying because there are no permanently guaranteed rich locations. Even so, several places consistently offer good loot potential:
- Railyard: dozens of containers and lockers packed into one area. Even during a weak raid, you rarely leave empty-handed, and on a good run you can find Augment crates and weapon crates.
- Commissary Supermarket: the best choice for medical supplies. This huge building complex contains plenty of lockers and containers, most of them concentrated in the central hall.
- Cielo Sereno Observatory: a strong spot for batteries, mechanical components, and Augment crates. There are many breachable containers here, so bring the right tools.
- Old Town: the main source of Research items. The small buildings are quick to search, but the dense layout makes ambushes very common.
- Almatera Station: mostly Commercial loot, especially trinkets that can sell for a good price. The area's overall loot value changes from raid to raid.
- Fallen Emperor: rare technology is hidden inside. Together with the Frigate, this is the only source of Amplification Modules required for the new amplified weapon system.
- Avalanche Shelters: these open during Flash Freeze events and contain additional loot. Keep in mind that every nearby Raider may be heading for the same shelter.
It is also worth noting that Great Mullein grows in the Railyard, while the areas around the Supermarket and Old Town offer plenty of cover. These are comfortable places for slower looting as long as you keep an eye out for other players.
Keys and Locked Rooms
Pendola Pass has four locked rooms with their own keys:
- Old Town Room: opened with the Pendola Pass Old Town Key.
- Pendola Pass Train Station Room: located at Almatera Station and opened with the Pendola Pass Train Station Key.
- Railyard Room: opened with the Pendola Pass Railyard Key.
- Pendola Pass Observatory Room: located inside Cielo Sereno Observatory and opened with the Pendola Pass Observatory Key.
The entrance to the Fallen Emperor is locked separately and requires an Emperor Gateway Conduit. Pendola Pass keys are also available from the free Frozen Trail Reward Pass at levels 36, 42, 48, and 53.
How to Get Inside the Emperor
The Fallen Emperor is the first location in ARC Raiders that lets you enter the interior of an ARC machine, and it is also the game's first dungeon. To open the door at its base, you need an Emperor Gateway Conduit:
- Find the blueprint. The Emperor Gateway Conduit Blueprint can drop during the Redirection condition while looting Emperor Payloads. You can also get a completed Emperor Gateway Conduit at the final level, 60, of the Frozen Trail Reward Pass.
- Collect three couplers. You need one ARC Insulated Coupler, one ARC Conductive Coupler, and one ARC Plated Coupler. All three can be obtained from Emperor Payloads during Redirection.
- Craft the conduit. A level 1 workbench is enough.
- Unlock the door. Approach the door at the base of the Emperor and you will see the prompt Unlock: 0/1 Emperor Gateway Conduit.
Inside is a dungeon with a mostly linear route, but its layout changes between sessions. The key locations remain the same, while the order in which you reach them can vary. The developers make it clear that Raiders are not supposed to be there, so prepare for serious resistance. The main rewards are Amplification Modules from Mk. I to Mk. V.
You can also climb the outside of the Emperor without a key. Use a Zipline along the right side of its leg to reach the knee joint, then place a second Zipline to reach the very top. This is the highest point on the map and an excellent sniper position, so expect other players to have the same idea.
Enemies on the Map
The Emperor's fall has triggered a much stronger ARC response throughout the region. In addition to familiar machines, Pendola Pass introduces three new enemies:
- Bully: a massive ground unit that charges directly at you and refuses to back off. Its weapon behaves like a shotgun, so create distance to reduce the damage. The Bully can stumble, fall, and knock a Raider down, so stay near cover and keep shooting while it closes the gap. Its charge can be interrupted or slowed with certain gadgets.
- Skulker: a small and extremely fast enemy, even quicker than the Bully. It attacks from range, hides behind rocks and debris, and only exposes itself when firing before disappearing again. Its damage is lower, and even low-tier weapons can handle it. The main thing is to wear headphones and listen carefully.
- Hydra: a three-tier turret with three independent weapon pairs, each able to rotate and track targets separately. It can engage multiple squads at once, so spread out and divide its attention. It is found mainly on the Frigate.
The Frigate itself is another major threat. It cannot be destroyed. To complete the event successfully, you need to board it, solve its puzzle, survive the hazards, sabotage the vessel, and escape with the loot. The Frigate is a serious challenge aimed at skilled players, so come prepared.
All Extraction Points
Pendola Pass does not have the usual Raider Hatches or elevators. The only way to leave the map is the Ballistic Gondola. You call it from a transceiver, it descends nearby under parachutes, and then launches Raiders back toward Speranza like a rocket.
Where to Call the Gondola
You call the gondola from Gondola Transceivers, which are located at the extraction icons on the map. Pendola Pass has four of them:
- Northern Transceiver: north of Railroad Junction.
- Reckless Transceiver: in the shadow of the Fallen Emperor, near Old Town and Almatera Station. Convenient after exploring the Emperor, but also one of the most exposed extraction locations on the map.
- Glacial Transceiver: between the Railyard and Loading Platforms.
- Supermarket Transceiver: beside the Commissary Supermarket.
How Extraction Works
- Find a transceiver and press Request Ballistic Gondola on its tower.
- Locate the landing point. The gondola lands around 100-150 meters away rather than directly beside the transceiver. The transceiver's light points toward it, the map shows a Ballistic Gondola (Incoming) icon, and green smoke marks the landing zone.
- Open a pod. The gondola has three pods. Once you are inside and close the door, nobody can enter or shoot you.
- Launch. The gondola waits for around two minutes, but once someone begins boarding, a 10-second countdown starts even if the rest of the squad has not arrived yet.
Only three Raiders fit inside, but anyone attached to the gondola with a Grappling Hook or Snap Hook also leaves with it and counts as successfully extracted, even beyond the normal capacity. Remember to reel in the rope before launch or you may end up dangling underneath. You have no protection while riding on top, so throw a Smoke Grenade before climbing up and another once you are in position.