In the world of ARC Raiders, one of the most essential resources you’ll come across is Mechanical Components. These are a key part of the crafting and upgrade loop — helping you build stations, upgrade weapons and so, survive the vicious machines and rival players. This article walks you through where to find Mechanical Components, how to craft them, and best practices to stay stocked.
Mechanical Components are a refined crafting material in ARC Raiders. They’re classified as uncommon, and you’ll need them to build or upgrade crafting stations (like the Workbench or the Gunsmith) and craft weapon-parts. Without a steady supply, you’ll bump into bottlenecks when trying to progress.
Where to find Mechanical Components
Here are the main ways to acquire Mechanical Components:
- Looting in the “Mechanical Field” and other hotspot areas
A reliable method is to visit the so-called Mechanical Field in the top-side zones. In this area, stashes, scrap piles and metal-debris clusters spawn with Mechanical Components. You’ll need to sweep containers and scrap methodically because drop rates vary. A sample farm loop might look like: land → head to the Field area → loot all scrap and stash markers → extract.
- Crafting them in your base (Refinery)
If you’d rather stay safe and grind from your base, you can build or use a Refinery station in your underground hub. The recipe seen in multiple guides is:
- 15 × Metal Parts and 3 × Steel Springs → 1 × Mechanical Component, craft time ~10 minutes.
Once the Refinery is unlocked, queue up a batch and go on a surface run while it crafts.
- Recycling specific items into Mechanical Components
When loot drops are thin, you can turn unwanted items into Components. For example, certain motors or rusted metal gears can be broken down into Mechanical Components. Use recycling as an emergency top-up rather than your main source.
How to use Mechanical Components
Once you have them, you’ll want to spend them wisely. Use-cases include:
- Upgrading crafting stations (e.g., Gunsmith, Weapon Bench) so you can access higher-tier blueprints.
- Crafting or tuning weapons and mods (so your gear keeps pace with tougher enemies and player competition).
- Stockpiling for when you unlock a new blueprint that needs a batch of Components.
Best practices & tips for farming efficiently
- Balance your sourcing: Use a mix of world-looting (Mechanical Field runs), base-crafting (Refinery), and recycling. Relying on only one method slows progress.
- Prioritise the Refinery early: Unlocking and using the Refinery gives you a reliable baseline supply. Once unlocked, let it run in the background while you complete missions.
- Map your loot loop: When you’re topside, choose a route that hits the Mechanical Field and other loot hotspots. Sweep move-in order: scrap → containers → stash markers → extract.
- Recycle smart: Only break down items when you have a surplus of other craftables and are short on Components. Some recycleables have alternate uses.
- Stock raw materials too: Since crafting requires Metal Parts and Steel Springs (for example), keep a stock of these so you can queue up Components when needed.
- Upgrade your base stash: As you gather more resources, having more storage prevents you from discarding useful items due to full inventory.
- Coordinate with teammates: If playing in a squad, spread responsibilities — one can hit loot routes while another watches for threats or covers extraction.
