We ran Ascending the Mountain across a stack of raids on Buried City, Dam Battlegrounds, and Stella Montis to figure out which materials actually slow this project down.
The short version: most of it is easy, but a handful of items are worth planning around before you start.
Hereâs every stage, every material, and exactly where we found the ones that gave us trouble.
Quick Answer
Ascending the Mountain is a four-stage, temporary Raider Project that runs from September 8 to October 5, 2026.
It asks for 130 materials across 16 submission objectives and hands back 15 separate reward entries, and the toughest materials to source are Headphones in Stage 1, the Sentinel Firing Core in Stage 2, and Breathtaking Snow Globes in Stage 3.
Finish all four stages and you walk away with the Tempest IV, the Rascal IV, a Powered Descender, and the Hot Air Balloon backpack charm.
Table of Contents
- What Is Ascending the Mountain?
- [Stage 1: Research High-Altitude Mechanics]> (#stage-1-research-high-altitude-mechanics)
- Stage 2: Begin Ignition Tests
- [Stage 3: Implement Landing Capabilities]> (#stage-3-implement-landing-capabilities)
- Stage 4: Final Tweaks
- [Does Ascending the Mountain Unlock Frozen Trail?]> (#does-ascending-the-mountain-unlock-frozen-trail)
- [Farm Smarter: Look Ahead From Stage 1]> (#farm-smarter-look-ahead-from-stage-1)
- Key Takeaways
- FAQ
What Is Ascending the Mountain?
Ascending the Mountain arrived with Update 1.45.0 on September 8, following the story thread around the phantom ARC signals that have Shani on edge.
The signals trace back to a mountain range beyond the current Tube network, and Apollo is asking for Raiders who can read schematics and keep a low profile to help him build an experimental way to reach it.
The same update also kicked off Expedition 5, the retirement of Cred, and the Hornet Hunter Set in the store, so thereâs a lot to juggle before the window closes.
Mechanically, itâs a straightforward hand-in Project: four stages, each needing four different materials, for 130 items total.
You need to be account level 20 before any Project becomes available, and once you are, Ascending the Mountain runs alongside whatever else youâre already working on.
Stages unlock in order, so you canât jump ahead to Stage 4 materials before Stage 3 is turned in, even if youâre already holding everything you need.
Stage 1: Research High-Altitude Mechanics
Materials: 10x Mechanical Components, 6x Pop Trigger, 10x Explosive Compound, 2x Headphones
Rewards: 1x Burletta IV, 1x Extended Light Mag III, 1x Silencer III
Headphones were the only real holdup here for us.
Traders sometimes carry a Headphones unit in their rotating trade-in stock, and itâs worth checking before you farm, since you can usually swap Arc Parts or spare weapons for it instead of hunting one down.
For the copy you canât trade for, look in residential containers: blue suitcases, dressers, and cabinets all drop them.
On Buried City specifically, we pulled ours from the breach room at the Piazza Arbusto tower, and weâve also had luck at Grandiosa Apartments and Santa Maria Houses when we got there first.
The other three materials are common enough that you may already have them sitting in storage.
Mechanical Components come out of your refiner or from breaching containers like car hoods, Explosive Compound shows up in industrial and security areas, and you can also craft it from crude explosives and oil if youâre short.
Pop Triggers just mean destroying six Pop enemies, which happens naturally while youâre looting anyway.
Stage 2: Begin Ignition Tests
Materials: 20x Wires, 8x Voltage Converter, 2x Sentinel Firing Core, 1x Rocket Thruster
Rewards: 2x Wolfpack, 2x Deadline, 3x Trailblazer, 1x Crash Mat Blueprint
The Rocket Thruster and the second Sentinel Firing Core were the pair that actually cost us extra raids.
We found our Rocket Thruster in the green pull-out drawers inside shipping containers at the primary facility on Dam Battlegrounds, though itâs also commonly reported around the Rocket Assembly areas on Stella Montis and Spaceport, so treat Dam as one option rather than the only one.
Those same green shipping container drawers turn up at the Riven Tides stacking yard and around Spaceportâs loading bay if Dam isnât spawning well for you.
For Sentinel Firing Cores, searching couriers worked more consistently for us than destroying Sentinel turrets, mostly because turrets get contested fast while this project is live.
Wires and Voltage Converters are everyday electrical-container drops.
Breach server cabinets, and if youâre on Buried City, the Space Travel buildingâs sixth floor (both before and after its breachable door) is a reliable stop for both, on top of Celeste selling Wires directly if you come up short.
Stage 3: Implement Landing Capabilities
Materials: 2x Ruined Parachute, 10x Crash Mat, 5x Shredder Gyro, 3x Breathtaking Snow Globe
Rewards: 1x Powered Descender, 2x Raider Hatch Key, 1x Rascal IV, 30x Launcher Ammo
Breathtaking Snow Globes are the material that trips up the most people, and they gave us the roughest stretch of this whole project too.
They only spawn in Residential, Commercial, and Old World tagged buildings, which narrows things down, but the drop rate on the Epic-rarity trinket is still low enough that some raids will come up completely empty.
Buried City is the most consistent map for them, and Grandiosa Apartments, Santa Maria Houses, and the Piazza Arbusto tower are the locations that came through for us most often.
One thing worth packing that isnât obvious from farming alone: running the Security Breach perk matters here, since a lot of the best Snow Globe spawns sit inside secure lockers you canât otherwise open.
Ruined Parachutes turned up for us in the same green container drawers as the Rocket Thruster at Damâs primary facility, so itâs worth running that location again if you still need one.
Shredder Gyros just mean destroying five Shredder enemies, which is easiest on Buried City since they tend to sit out in the open where a couple of grenades can finish the job.
Crash Mats are craftable once youâve cleared Stage 2 and unlocked the blueprint, using durable cloth and electrical components, or you can skip crafting entirely and pull them straight from drawers at the Riven Tides stacking yard.
Stage 4: Final Tweaks
Materials: 30x Sensors, 3x Broken Guidance System, 15x Advanced Electrical Components, 3x Vaporizer Regulator
Rewards: Hot Air Balloon Charm, 1x Tactical Mk. 3 (Defensive), 1x Tempest IV, 1x Kinetic Converter
By the time we reached the final stage, most of this list was already sitting in our stash from farming the earlier ones, which is really the point of looking ahead.
Vaporizer Regulators drop from destroying Vaporizer enemies or from searching couriers, and either method is reliable enough not to need a dedicated trip.
Broken Guidance Systems came from three different spots for us: the outside area of the Red Tower on Buried City, a cart near the lobby on Stella Montis, and the primary facility on Dam Battlegrounds during the same runs we farmed Rocket Thrusters and Ruined Parachutes.
Sensors are easy to stockpile since youâre already breaching electrical containers for Wires, so just remember to grab them alongside everything else, and recycling tagging grenades or broken handheld radios is a good backup source if youâre short.
Advanced Electrical Components can be made in the refiner from Wires and Electrical Components whenever you donât have enough banked.
Does Ascending the Mountain Unlock Frozen Trail?
Not as far as Embark has said.
The projectâs story ties directly into Frozen Trail, which launches October 8, three days after Ascending the Mountain closes, but thereâs no confirmation that finishing the project is required to access the new content.
The safest way to think about it is as a limited-time reward chain and a piece of story setup, not a gate you need to clear before Frozen Trail arrives.
Farm Smarter: Look Ahead From Stage 1
The single biggest time-saver on this project has nothing to do with any specific item.
Read all four stages before you start farming Stage 1, because several Stage 4 materials, like Sensors and Broken Guidance Systems, come from the exact same containers and enemies youâll already be dealing with early on.
We had most of Stage 4 finished before we even reached it, simply because we knew what was coming and grabbed extra copies of things weâd normally have recycled or ignored.
The alternative is reaching the last stage, realizing youâve walked past the items you need a dozen times already, and having to farm them from scratch under a shorter deadline.
One pairing worth trying: some players report picking up Broken Guidance Systems while sweeping the Hydroponics Dome Complex on Dam Battlegrounds for Stage 1âs Explosive Compound, which means a single run can chip away at Stage 1 and Stage 4 at the same time.
Key Takeaways
- Ascending the Mountain runs September 8 to October 5, 2026, and requires account level 20.
- The project needs 130 items across 16 submissions in four ordered stages.
- Headphones, the Sentinel Firing Core, and Breathtaking Snow Globes are the hardest materials to source.
- Buried City is the most reliable map for Snow Globes and Headphones, especially Grandiosa Apartments, Santa Maria Houses, and the Piazza Arbusto tower.
- Finishing the project is not confirmed to be required for Frozen Trail access.
- Check all four stages early so you can grab later-stage materials while farming earlier ones.
FAQ
What is Ascending the Mountain in ARC Raiders?
Ascending the Mountain is a temporary, four-stage Raider Project added in Update 1.45.0.
It asks you to hand in specific materials across four stages to unlock weapons, gadgets, and a cosmetic backpack charm, and it ties into the story building toward the Frozen Trail update.
When does Ascending the Mountain end?
The project runs for 27 days, from September 8 to October 5, 2026.
Once that window closes, any stages you have not finished are gone, along with their rewards.
What level do I need to start Ascending the Mountain?
You need to reach account level 20 before Projects become available at all.
Once unlocked, you can work on Ascending the Mountain alongside any other active Projects at the same time.
How many materials does Ascending the Mountain require in total?
The full project asks for 130 items spread across 16 separate submission objectives in four stages.
Some, like Mechanical Components and Wires, are common crafting drops, while others, like Breathtaking Snow Globes and Sentinel Firing Cores, take dedicated farming.
What is the hardest material to find in Ascending the Mountain?
Most players run into trouble on Breathtaking Snow Globes in Stage 3 and the Sentinel Firing Core in Stage 2.
Both are low-drop-rate items that only spawn in specific container types, so a few dedicated runs are usually worth more than hoping to stumble into them.
Where do Breathtaking Snow Globes spawn?
Breathtaking Snow Globes only spawn in Residential, Commercial, and Old World tagged buildings, and they show up most reliably in Buried City.
Grandiosa Apartments, Santa Maria Houses, and the Piazza Arbusto tower are the most consistently reported spots, and running the Security Breach perk helps since many of the best drops sit in secure lockers.
Do I need to complete Ascending the Mountainâs stages in order?
Yes.
Each stage only unlocks after you submit every material required by the stage before it, so you cannot skip ahead to farm a later stageâs items first.
Does completing Ascending the Mountain unlock Frozen Trail?
Thereâs no confirmation from Embark that finishing the project is required to access Frozen Trail.
Treat it as a limited-time reward chain and story setup rather than a gate you have to clear before the next update.
Can I work on Ascending the Mountain and other Projects at once?
Yes.
Projects run independently of each other, so material pickups count toward every active Project that needs them, which is why it pays to check your full Project list before a dedicated farming run.
What are the best rewards from Ascending the Mountain?
The strongest pulls are the Tempest IV and Rascal IV weapons, the Powered Descender traversal gadget, and the Hot Air Balloon backpack charm from the final stage.
Earlier stages also hand out a Crash Mat blueprint and a couple of Raider Hatch Keys that are useful well beyond the project itself.
What happens if I donât finish Ascending the Mountain before October 5?
Any stage you havenât submitted materials for by the deadline becomes unavailable, and you lose access to that stageâs rewards.
Progress on stages youâve already completed is kept, but thereâs currently no word on the project returning after it closes.
