ARC Raiders Digging Up Dirt: Santa Maria Houses Dead Drop Location

Complete Tribute to Toledo, then deploy to Buried City. A zipline can make some roof approaches easier, but it is not required for the recommended route.

No quest item needs to be extracted, so a free loadout is reasonable. Surface danger around the houses can vary between runs, so clear any ARC threats before committing to exposed roof climbs.

The Santa Maria Houses are in Old Town in the southern portion of Buried City, close to the Southern Station and Eastern Station. The building can look completely sealed from street level, and that is expected.

1. Move into southern Old Town and locate the Santa Maria Houses block.
2. Circle to the rear alley rather than searching for a street-level door.
3. Use the rooftops to enter the building from above.

The most practical route starts from the alley behind the houses and uses the sand drifts and roof bridge. This route does not rely on carrying a zipline.

1. Start in the alley behind the Santa Maria Houses, following Celeste's hint.
2. Climb the sand drifts onto the roof of the building behind the target houses.
3. Cross the small roof bridge onto the Santa Maria roof.
4. Enter the open window of the yellow house opposite.
5. Take the interior zipline up to the attic.
6. Exit through the open attic window, turn right and move across the roof.
7. Enter the open window on the slightly taller roof section to reach the second attic.
8. Take the zipline down into the apartment.
9. Go through the wall opening and drop into the sand-filled courtyard.

Other roof approaches can also work, including open attic windows from the south and routes that use placed ziplines, but the rear-alley path is the best equipment-free option.

The dead drop is the small fountain half-buried in sand inside the enclosed courtyard. Once you drop into the courtyard, move toward the fountain near the centre and look for the interaction prompt.

1. Drop into the sand-filled courtyard from the interior route.
2. Find the half-buried fountain near the middle of the space.
3. Interact with the fountain to register the dead drop and complete the quest.

You do not need to extract after the interaction.

Extraction is optional for quest completion, but the Southern Station and Eastern Station are both nearby if you want to keep your loot. Leave the courtyard, move toward whichever station is safer from your current route and avoid lingering in Old Town longer than necessary.

Speaker Components also connect naturally with Greasing Her Palms, which is worth checking if you are following component-related progression.

A specific immediate follow-up is not firmly established here. The quest continues Celeste's Official Toledo Tubes Management thread after Tribute to Toledo, so return to Celeste after turn-in and check the next available step in her chain.