RSVSR What Battening Down in ARC Raiders Actually Has You Do

Most missions in this game have you sweating over your loot, but Apollo's "Battening Down" quest is a different beast entirely. It's more of a scenic tour of the Riven Tides coastline than a frantic shootout. You'll want to have some ARC Raiders Coins ready for gear later, but for this specific run, you can mostly leave the heavy stuff behind. It's all about checking out the hurricane damage and seeing what the storm did to the place. You aren't hunting machines here; you're basically a glorified surveyor taking notes on the wreckage. It's a nice change of pace from the usual grind.

Snapping shots of the Wavebreaker

First thing you've gotta do is head north to the beach. There's this massive concrete seawall everyone calls the Wavebreaker. It's hard to miss since it's literally holding back the ocean. You just need to walk up to the cracked sections of the wall. There'll be a prompt to take a photo. It's simple stuff, really. No need to overthink it—just find the marker, hit the button, and move on. It's a good way to get a feel for the map's layout without getting jumped by a squad of ARC drones every five seconds.

Fixing the messy oil leaks

Once you're done with the photography, keep moving east along the shore. You'll run into an oil pipeline that's seen better days. There's a spot where oil is just leaking right into the sand, which isn't great for the local environment, obviously. You've got to interact with the damaged pipe to patch it up. This part is a bit more open, so keep your head on a swivel. You might see some ARC patrols wandering nearby, but they usually won't bother you if you keep your distance. It's a quick fix and then you're off to the next spot.

Grabbing samples near the hotel

The last bit of work takes you way over to the west side, near the old hotel and Azzurro Beach. You're looking for seaweed samples right by the waterline. It's funny how the game makes you do chores like this, but hey, it's easy XP. Just find the green patches in the sand and grab what you need. The best part about this quest is that you don't even have to extract to keep your progress. If you get taken out right after picking up the seaweed, the game still counts it. That takes a lot of the pressure off compared to the usual high-stakes runs.

Heading back to Speranza for the payout

After you've ticked all three boxes, just head back to Speranza. Apollo will be waiting to give you your rewards for the legwork. It's a solid way to learn the coastal geography before the game starts throwing the really tough missions at you. If you're looking to upgrade your kit after finishing, you might want to buy ARC Raiders Coins to get a head start on better equipment. It's definitely one of the more relaxed missions in the early game, and it's nice to just explore the world without worrying about losing everything in an extraction fight.