A First Foothold Quest in ARC Raiders – Location & Mission Guide

In ARC Raiders, A First Foothold sends you across The Blue Gate for four simple interactions. The problem is the quest text is more specific than the map markers, so it is easy to waste runs searching.

This hits hardest if you just unlocked The Blue Gate, or if you are trying to clear Apollo quests without risking your main gear.

This guide fixes that by giving you a low-risk plan, plus the landmarks for each interaction spot. It will not cover PvP tactics, farming routes, or other quest chains.

ARC Raiders A First Foothold Assumptions

ARC Raiders A First Foothold Objective List

Type: Diagnostic. Confirm you are doing the right quest and the right map.

A First Foothold is a quest from Apollo. It requires The Blue Gate map.

• Stabilize the observation deck near the Ridgeline
• Enable the comms terminal near the Olive Grove
• Rotate the satellite dishes on the church roof, north of the Data Vault
• Nail down the roof plates on the Raider structure near Trapper’s Glade

ARC Raiders A First Foothold Progress Rules

Type: Diagnostic. This section prevents wasted runs.

You can complete these four objectives in any order. You can also spread them across multiple runs instead of forcing one long loop.

For many players, the interaction step counts as soon as you complete it, even if you do not extract. Do not assume that for loot objectives. This quest is four interactions.

1. Open your quest details for A First Foothold.
2. Confirm the map listed is The Blue Gate.
3. Check which of the four objective lines are still incomplete.
4. Pick one objective to do this run, based on your spawn.

ARC Raiders A First Foothold Free Loadout

Type: Symptom reducer. This lowers the cost of mistakes while you learn the locations.

A First Foothold is four interactions. If you are only here for quest progress, a Free Loadout run is a common low-risk approach.

1. Open your loadout screen in Speranza.
2. Select Free Loadout for this run.
3. Queue into The Blue Gate.

How To Undo It

1. Open your loadout screen.
2. Switch back to your normal loadout.

ARC Raiders A First Foothold Route Forks

Type: Diagnostic. Pick the route that fits your spawn and your remaining objectives.

1. Deploy into The Blue Gate.
2. Open your map and find your current position.
3. Choose your first objective based on the closest named area.
4. Use the fork that matches your situation.

• If you spawn east: go Ridgeline first, then decide if you want to cross-map for Trapper’s Glade.
• If you spawn west: go Trapper’s Glade first, then decide if you want to cross-map for Ridgeline.
• If you need only one objective: run straight to that area and disengage early fights.
• If you need all four objectives: plan two runs. Do one north objective and one south objective per run.

ARC Raiders A First Foothold Ridgeline

Type: Root cause fix. This completes the Ridgeline objective.

Objective: Stabilize the observation deck near the Ridgeline.

The Ridgeline is on the east side of The Blue Gate. The observation deck is a small platform structure close to the outer edge, with construction clutter nearby.

1. Open your map and head to Ridgeline on the east side of The Blue Gate.
2. Look for a small observation platform near the edge of the zone.
3. Use the antenna or bright flag as your landmark if you see one.
4. Interact with the sides of the deck to stabilize it.

ARC Raiders A First Foothold Olive Grove

Type: Root cause fix. This completes the Olive Grove objective.

Objective: Enable the comms terminal near the Olive Grove.

Olive Grove is on the south side of The Blue Gate. The comms terminal is on a small metal platform near the grove. The interactable is an orange terminal surrounded by comms equipment.

1. Open your map and travel to Olive Grove on the south side.
2. Scan the nearby roadside for a small raised platform with equipment.
3. Find the orange terminal on the platform.
4. Interact with the terminal to enable comms.

ARC Raiders A First Foothold Trapper’s Glade

Type: Root cause fix. This completes the Trapper’s Glade objective.

Objective: Nail down the roof plates on the Raider structure near Trapper’s Glade.

Trapper’s Glade is on the west side of The Blue Gate. The Raider structure is a blown-out building with metal plating on the roof.

1. Open your map and travel to Trapper’s Glade on the west side.
2. Find the damaged Raider structure with makeshift roof plates.
3. Climb up to the roof using nearby objects and ledges.
4. Interact with the top of the structure to nail down the plates.

ARC Raiders A First Foothold Data Vault

Type: Root cause fix. This completes the Data Vault objective.

Objective: Rotate the satellite dishes on the church roof, north of the Data Vault.

This objective is at a ruined church north of Data Vault, close to the northern edge of The Blue Gate. You are looking for satellite dishes on the roof.

1. Open your map and navigate to Data Vault.
2. Move north until you find the ruined church structure.
3. Climb the scaffolding to reach the roof (or use another nearby climb point).
4. Interact with the satellite dish to rotate it.

ARC Raiders A First Foothold Turn In

Type: Root cause fix. This is how you actually receive the rewards.

Quest rewards are collected by turning the quest in to the trader in Speranza. For A First Foothold, that trader is Apollo.

1. Confirm all four A First Foothold objectives are complete.
2. Return to Speranza after your run ends.
3. Talk to Apollo and turn in A First Foothold.
4. Collect your quest rewards and check for the next quest.

Known Rewards: The quest lists a grant of 2x Noisemaker. The reward list includes 3x Shrapnel Grenade, 3x Snap Blast Grenade, and 3x Heavy Fuze Grenade.

Next Quest: Reduced To Rubble.

ARC Raiders Quest Boost

Type: Alternative. Use this if you want the quest rewards without running the route yourself.

ARC Raiders A First Foothold FAQs