Where to Find Prickly Pears in ARC Raiders (Cactus Locations)

ARC Raiders Prickly Pear Locations

Prickly Pears are one of the easiest Scrappy upgrade blockers because the game does not clearly point you to the cactus spawns. You can run the “right” map and still come up empty if you do not know the specific cactus clusters to check.

This guide shows the most reliable cactus areas to check for Prickly Pears, plus one backup method that can work even when cactus spawns feel dry. It does not cover Olives or Cat Bed locations.

You typically need 6 Prickly Pears for the Scrappy III to Scrappy IV upgrade.

ARC Raiders Farming Assumptions

• Platform: PlayStation, Xbox, or PC.
• Mode: Online Topside raids (standard gameplay loop).
• Goal: Farming Prickly Pear items for Scrappy training.
• Map Choice: You can choose your map before deploying.
• Risk Note: Free Loadouts do not include a Safe Pocket slot, which changes how safe farming feels.

ARC Raiders Prickly Pear Basics

Type: Diagnostic

• Prickly Pears spawn on the ground under specific “Prickly Pear Cactus” plants.
• Each eligible cactus can spawn 1 to 3 Prickly Pears.
• The fruit is a bright reddish color, so the ground loot is usually easier to spot than the cactus itself.

ARC Raiders Prickly Pear Decision Forks

Type: Diagnostic

• If you want the highest cactus density route, go to Buried City Prickly Pear Route.
• If you are already running Dam Battlegrounds for other objectives, go to Dam Battlegrounds Prickly Pear Route.
• If Lush Blooms or Cold Snap is active, go to Wicker Basket Prickly Pear Method.
• If you keep getting knocked out before extraction, go to Safe Pocket Prickly Pear Protection.

Buried City Prickly Pear Route

Type: Root Cause Fix

1. Select Buried City on the deployment screen.
2. Head toward the southern edge of the map near Old Town, and start sweeping the cactus clusters along the border.
3. Check the ground at the base of each Prickly Pear Cactus before moving on.
4. Loot any Prickly Pears you find, then keep moving to the next cactus cluster instead of lingering.
5. Once you have enough, route to the nearest extraction you trust and leave.

Dam Battlegrounds Prickly Pear Route

Type: Root Cause Fix

1. Select Dam Battlegrounds on the deployment screen.
2. Prioritize the cactus zones around these labeled areas: Power Generation Complex, Hydroponic Dome Complex, Water Treatment Control, and Research & Administration.
3. Move zone to zone using hard cover and terrain dips, instead of running the open flats between them.
4. At each cactus cluster, scan the ground for the bright red fruit before leaving the area.
5. Extract as soon as you hit your target count, because the Dam route is more spread out and easier to get interrupted.

Wicker Basket Prickly Pear Method

Type: Symptom Reduction

This is the backup method when cactus spawns feel inconsistent. It works because Wicker Baskets can contain Prickly Pears.

1. Check your map rotation for Lush Blooms or Cold Snap.
2. Deploy on a map where one of those conditions is active.
3. Look for Wicker Basket containers and loot them.
4. Repeat until you find enough Prickly Pears from basket pulls.
5. Extract once you hit your target count.

Safe Pocket Prickly Pear Protection

Type: Symptom Reduction

If you keep losing your progress to PvP or ARC pressure, this is the simplest way to reduce the pain.

1. Avoid deploying with a Free Loadout when you are farming Prickly Pears.
2. Deploy with a Custom Loadout that includes at least one Safe Pocket slot.
3. As soon as you pick up Prickly Pears, move them into your Safe Pocket.
4. Extract when you have enough, even if the run feels “early.”

How To Undo It: On the deployment screen, select Free Loadout again.

ARC Raiders Prickly Pear FAQ