What to know
- The room is a key‑locked stash inside the Dam Controlled Access Zone, not the bigger puzzle‑locked area.
- It uses the Dam Controlled Access Zone Key, which tends to spawn in standard key‑drop spots like Berry City hospital bins.
- Inside you usually find Vita sprays, mid‑tier to high‑tier guns, grenades, and components worth tens of thousands of credits.
- Even relatively light looting of the central room can land you around 60k–70k, and that is before fully clearing nearby lockers and caches.
This key room in Arc Raiders is tucked into the Dam Controlled Access Zone, which itself is the silo‑heavy locked area you normally open with a 4‑person puzzle and specific Arc units such as a Leaper or Rocketeer driver. The new key room sits on the same floor as the broken‑stairway section, just off the main access route. In this write‑up you will walk through exactly how to reach the zone, enter the key room, and loot it efficiently so you can empty your backpack and still leave with a very solid payout.
| Aspect | What you get here |
|---|---|
| Type of spot | Key‑locked room inside Dam Controlled Access Zone on Dam Battlegrounds |
| Key required | Dam Controlled Access Zone Key (blue‑green rarity) |
| Typical spawn | Standard key‑drop spots, including Berry City hospital trash cans |
| Core loot tier | Vita sprays, mid‑tier weapons, grenades, components, and occasional blueprints |
| Credit value per solid run | Roughly 60k–70k even when you do not fully clear everything around it |
How to reach the Dam Controlled Access Zone
Start from your usual Dam spawn near the main dam wall or the closer research buildings so you can push into the Controlled Access Zone quickly. From the dam side, move along the main road or the elevated walkways until you see the cluster of large silos and foliage‑covered structures. Those silos mark the outer edge of the Dam Controlled Access Zone.
Once you are in visual range of the silos, head toward the nearest access point that leads downward into the interior levels.
The path usually goes down one level from the outer road, past lockers, before you hit the actual access‑control floor.
Do not get dragged into the main puzzle room at the center; instead, stay on the side with the broken‑stairway section where the key‑room door is located.
How to find the key room door
As you move along the damaged interior level with the broken stairway, you will see a yellow‑trimmed door lit by a yellow overhead light. That is the button‑locked door you open when you do the full Controlled Access Zone puzzle with your squad. The key room is right there on the same floor, just off that corridor.
Look for a standard lockable door that does not have the special yellow puzzle‑style panel. When you approach it, your key‑wheel or prompt will show you the option to use the Dam Controlled Access Zone Key. Make sure you close the outer doors behind you if possible, particularly if you are in a crowded match, so you are not immediately rushed while you pick through cabinets and lockers.
How to clear the first key room
Step 1 – Open the main door and check the cabinets first
Use your key to open the central room, then immediately start opening the cabinets and containers along the walls. The first cabinet often holds Vita spray, so tag that immediately. Continue around the perimeter, grabbing ammo, grenades, and any small medical or security containers.
Step 2 – Pull out grenades and impact‑type items
The room usually spawns at least one light impact grenade and other grenade types, along with a security bridge or a few shield‑related items. Collect the grenades and place them in your backpack for sale, since even mid‑tier explosives can add several thousand credits at extraction.
Step 3 – Look for weapon cases and high‑rarity guns
Even though the room is not huge, there is a weapon‑case spawn‑point somewhere in the central area. You may find a renegade‑type or Volcano‑type gun plus a second lower‑tier weapon, all of which become instant credit sources. If you see a case on the table, break it open and check what’s inside before deciding what to keep and what to drop.
Step 4 – Gather Vita sprays and components
Tag and stash Vita sprays first, because each one is worth a substantial amount. Alongside those, grab any industrial chargers, advanced electrical components, or complex gun parts. These components stack quickly and can multiply your final payout even if you leave behind some low‑value ammo or generic materials.
Step 5 – Decide how deep you want to go
If you are pressed for time or safety, it is fine to stop after the first room and not fully strip every locker. You can still hit 60k–70k just from the main key room plus a couple of nearby caches, so you do not need to empty every side compartment to make it worth your run.
How to loot the extra lockers nearby
Step 6 – Open the adjacent room with additional lockers
There is at least one other medium‑sized room connected to the main key area, often accessed via a second door or a side corridor. Those lockers can drop blueprints, including grenade and mine blueprints, plus some mid‑tier gear. Open each locker in a quick pass, tagging anything that looks like a blueprint or a weapon.
Step 7 – Skip low‑value lockers conservatively
Not every locker in this wing is worth emptying. If you are carrying a full pack already, skip the lockers that only give common ammo or basic consumables. Focus instead on cabinets that have a higher chance of spawning rare components or blueprints, and save those spots for when you are running a lighter load.
Step 8 – Watch your backpack space
Keep an eye on your inventory as you pick up guns, grenades, and Vita sprays. If you overload, you will be forced to drop some of the highest‑value items. It is often better to take one or two very good guns plus a few Vita sprays and components than to cram every slot and lose a high‑tier weapon you cannot extract.
How to maximize your credit haul
Step 9 – Combine with nearby caches
Before heading to extraction, loop by one or two of the new cache‑style loot drops in the Dam Controlled Access Zone. Each of these can hand you another weapon, grenade, or blueprint, and they spawn frequently enough that even a quick stutter‑step run can net you an extra 10k–15k.
Step 10 – Prioritize what sells best
At extraction, prioritize selling Vita sprays, high‑tier guns, mines, and blueprints first. Components and mid‑tier guns come next, while leaving behind low‑value ammo or common consumables. This way, even if you did not fully clear every side room, your total payout will still land comfortably in the 60k–70k range or above.
Typical rewards from this key room run
| Item category | Typical finds in this key room |
|---|---|
| Healing / utilities | 2–3 Vita sprays, basic medical containers, occasional bandages |
| Weapons | 1–2 mid‑tier guns such as Volcano and Renegade variants, plus one lower‑tier backup weapon |
| Grenades and mines | Light impact grenades, security‑type grenades, and potential mine blueprints |
| Components | Industrial chargers, advanced electrical components, complex gun parts, shield parts |
| Blueprints | Chance of grenade or mine blueprints in nearby lockers |
| Approximate credit value | 60k–70k from a solid, not fully min‑maxed run |
This Dam Controlled Access Zone key room is one of the more consistently profitable spots on Dam Battlegrounds, especially if you already carry the key from earlier runs or other maps. Because the room is small and relatively easy to clear, you can drop in, extract a high‑value pack, and still have time to grab a few extra caches on your way out. For you, that means turning a single key into a repeatable 60k–70k+ credit run without needing perfect spawns or a huge squad.
Over several runs, stacking Vita sprays, components, and blueprints from this key room will noticeably boost your economy and let you trade into higher‑tier gear faster. If you treat this as your “priority light‑run room” on Dam Battlegrounds, you can treat almost every key you find for this zone as a guaranteed step toward becoming richer in Arc Raiders.
