If you’ve spent any real time fighting ARC units, you’ve probably seen the Advanced ARC Powercell pop up in your inventory and wondered how important it actually is. In general, this item is one of the more valuable resources you can extract from ARC enemies, mainly because it can’t be crafted and only drops from specific targets.
Most players treat the Advanced ARC Powercell as a mid-to-late game material. Early on, you might not need many of them, but once you start crafting higher-tier gear, you’ll feel the shortage pretty quickly.
It’s classified as a rare topside material, weighs 0.5 kg, and sells for $640 if you decide to cash it out. That price alone usually tells players it’s not something to waste or recycle without thinking first.
In practice, you won’t find Advanced ARC Powercells lying around on the map. They only drop from certain ARC enemies, and not every ARC unit has a chance to drop one.
Most players report finding them from the following enemies:
Bastion
Bombardier
Leaper
Rocketeer
Sentinel
The Queen
In general, the tougher the ARC enemy, the better your chances. Leapers and Rocketeers are usually the most common sources during regular runs, while Sentinels and The Queen are more high-risk, high-reward encounters.
Usually, farming these enemies isn’t something you do casually. Most players plan routes specifically around known ARC spawn zones, especially if they’re hunting Powercells for crafting rather than combat XP.
No. This is one of the most important things to understand.
Advanced ARC Powercells cannot be crafted at all. There’s no recipe, no workaround, and no upgrade path from regular ARC Powercells. If you want one, you have to loot it from ARC enemies.
Because of this, experienced players tend to hoard them once they know what they’re used for. Newer players sometimes sell or recycle them early, then regret it later when crafting options open up.
Advanced ARC Powercells are used in a small but important set of recipes. Right now, they’re mainly required for:
Energy Clip
Surge Shield Recharger
Both of these items are commonly used in builds that rely on sustained energy use or defensive survivability. In general, players who run energy-heavy weapons or shields will need these crafted items sooner or later.
Most players don’t craft these items in large batches. Instead, they save Powercells and only craft when they’re confident they won’t lose the gear on a risky run.
This is one of the most common questions players ask.
Selling an Advanced ARC Powercell gives you $640. Early in the game, that money can feel useful. In general, though, most experienced players avoid selling them unless they’re desperate for cash.
Credits are easier to replace than rare materials.
Recycling gives you:
2x ARC Powercell
This option is usually chosen when players need basic ARC Powercells for lower-tier crafting and don’t expect to need advanced ones anytime soon.
Salvaging topside gives you:
1x ARC Powercell
In practice, this is the least efficient option unless inventory weight is a problem or you need to make room mid-run.
Most players agree that recycling or salvaging Advanced ARC Powercells is only worth it if you fully understand what you’re giving up.
Usually, farming revolves around controlled ARC encounters rather than random exploration.
Most players follow a few common habits:
Target known ARC-heavy zones instead of roaming aimlessly
Avoid unnecessary fights with non-ARC enemies to save ammo
Extract early once a Powercell drops instead of pushing their luck
In general, the biggest risk isn’t killing the ARC enemy — it’s surviving long enough to extract. Losing an Advanced ARC Powercell on death feels worse than losing most weapons.
Squads often have an easier time farming these, but solo players can still do it by playing slow and avoiding chain fights.
In practice, you shouldn’t rush to use Advanced ARC Powercells as soon as you get them.
Most players wait until:
They’ve unlocked the relevant crafting recipes
They feel confident keeping the crafted item through multiple runs
Their loadout supports the crafted item’s playstyle
Using them too early often leads to wasted effort, especially if you lose the crafted gear shortly after.
There are players who look for shortcuts and ask about the best place to buy arc raiders blueprints, but in general, understanding drop mechanics and enemy behavior is far more reliable than chasing external solutions.
From experience, a few mistakes show up again and again:
Selling them early for quick cash
Recycling them without knowing future recipes
Carrying them too long on risky runs
Farming ARC enemies without an extraction plan
Most of these mistakes come from not realizing how limited the supply actually is.
Advanced ARC Powercells aren’t flashy, but they’re quietly important.
In general, they sit in that category of items that don’t feel essential until suddenly they are. Most experienced players treat them as long-term investments rather than immediate rewards.
If you’re playing Arc Raiders regularly, learning when to keep, use, or risk these Powercells will save you a lot of frustration later on.