The Pneumatic Actuator is one of the new Epic materials that arrived with ARC Raiders Frozen Trail 2.0, and it has quickly become one of the most requested items in trade chats. Players need it for Amplified Weapons, yet it refuses to show up in normal village loot. This guide covers what the Pneumatic Actuator actually is, what it is used for, and the two reliable farm routes that drop it: the ARC Frigate and the Emperor Payload on Pendola Pass.
What Is the Pneumatic Actuator in ARC Raiders?
The Pneumatic Actuator is an Epic Topside Material added in the ARC Raiders Frozen Trail update. It exists for one purpose: Amplified Weapon crafting.
Item Stats
Rarity: Epic
Category: Topside Material
Stack size: 3
Weight: 0.5 kg
Sell value: 5,000
Recyclable: Yes
Workshop use: None
Quest use: None at the moment
What It Is Not Used For
A few points worth clearing up, because many players waste stash space on this item:
Nothing on the Workshop track asks for it. No Gear Bench, Gunsmith, or Research Station upgrade requires a Pneumatic Actuator.
No current quest requests it.
A Residential drawer is the wrong box. The loot tracker does not place it in any village crate.
It sits alongside the Pressure Regulator as one of two Epic materials tied directly to the Amplification system. Since both are tied to the same progression step, you will usually farm them together.
Now that you know what it is, let's look at how it fits into the Amplified Weapon system.
How To Use the Pneumatic Actuator
The Pneumatic Actuator is a crafting material spent at the final step of Amplifying a weapon. It is not something you socket, equip, or research on its own.
The Amplification System in Short
Amplified Weapons sit above the normal weapon upgrade tiers and add permanent branching perks such as full-auto conversions, Incendiary Rounds, Scoped variants, and Drum Mags. Fifteen weapons support Amplification at the launch of Frozen Trail 2.0:
| Module | Rarity | Weapons |
|---|---|---|
| Mk. I | Common | Hairpin, Kettle, Rattler |
| Mk. II | Uncommon | Burletta, Il Toro |
| Mk. III | Rare | Anvil, Canto, Osprey, Rascal, Renegade |
| Mk. IV | Epic | Bettina, Hullcracker |
| Mk. V | Legendary | Aphelion, Equalizer, Jupiter |
Requirements Before You Can Spend It
Amplification is an endgame system, so several steps come first:
Complete the Sheltered Retreat Project to gain access to the Outpost.
Upgrade your Gunsmith to Level 4.
Upgrade the Outpost Research Station to Level 4.
Own one of the 15 supported weapons and push it through its normal upgrade path.
Find the Amplification Module matching the weapon's original rarity.
Socket the module to open the Amplification tree.
Complete the matching Research Station project (5,000 Research Points plus a specific ARC component and a gameplay objective).
Spend the crafting materials, including the Pneumatic Actuator and Pressure Regulator, to apply the perk permanently.
Points To Keep in Mind
Amplification choices are permanent for that weapon. Check the full tree before you commit.
Some perks form separate branches and cannot be combined, while others stack into a stronger final variant.
Keep enough copies for the gun you are Amplifying and sell the rest at 5,000 each. There is no other sink for the item.
Repairs use Amplified Fragments, not Pneumatic Actuators, so you do not need to hoard extras for upkeep.
Knowing how to spend it is only half the job. The harder part is finding it, which brings us to the farm routes.
Where & How To Get the Pneumatic Actuator
The loot tracker lists two pools for the Pneumatic Actuator: Frigate areas and Collector areas. On top of that, the Emperor Payload during the Redirection condition on Pendola Pass has been a consistent source for players. Here is how each one works.
Drop Location 1: The ARC Frigate Cargo
This is the primary farm. The full route takes most of a raid, so start early and bring a proper kit with Heavy Ammo and either Energy or Launcher Ammo for Power Cores and armored ARC.
Step-by-step route:
Check the condition. Select a map showing "ARC Frigate" beneath its title. Once you spawn, look up and head toward the ship rather than searching the far side of the map.
Board from the Reclaimers. Climb onto a Reclaimer drone, disrupt it, and ride it up to the platforms at the back of the Frigate.
Destroy every Power Core. Work through the central core assembly, the two mirrored upper cores, the fire rooms on the top deck, and the pair at the bow. Do not skip the small core under the red light hatch at the bottom.
Lower the Cargo. The Cargo sits in the bottom middle of the ship and needs two Raiders on opposite panels, pressing repeatedly until it releases.
Ride it down. Jump on the Cargo and descend with it. Standing on the side of the drop can kill you, so stay off the edge and keep to the center.
Search everything. Loot every container on the Cargo once you are on the ground. The hull also has round breach ports, so check each one you can reach while aboard.
Extract normally. The Cargo descent does not count as extraction. You still need to reach a regular exit, so move the Pneumatic Actuator into your Safe Pocket the moment it hits your bag.
Drop Location 2: Collector Containers
The Collector is the second pool listed by the tracker. Since the Frigate run already eats most of a raid, clear any Collector containers you pass on the same trip rather than planning a separate run for them. Treat it as a bonus pool rather than a standalone farm.
Drop Location 3: Emperor Payload on Pendola Pass
Many players report finding Pneumatic Actuators and Pressure Regulators almost exclusively inside Emperor Payloads. To farm this route:
Queue Pendola Pass when the Redirection map condition is live.
Follow the fallen Emperor route and search the interior and high-value ARC loot around the crashed body.
The Emperor also drops Amplification Modules, so this run can cover both halves of the Amplification cost at once.
Which Route Should You Run?
| Source | Map Condition | Maps | Extra Rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARC Frigate Cargo | ARC Frigate | Pendola Pass, Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City (plus Blue Gate and Spaceport in files) | Amplification Modules, Frigate Inductors, research items |
| Collector containers | Varies | Same run as Frigate | General Epic loot |
| Emperor Payload | Redirection | Pendola Pass | Amplification Modules, Pressure Regulators |
If the Frigate is up, run it and sweep Collector containers along the way. If it is not, Pendola Pass under Redirection is the fallback.
Trading for Pneumatic Actuators
Because the item only comes from two high-risk activities, it has become a hot trade good. Players in community groups regularly offer Herbals, Snap Hooks, Emperor keys, and even Emperor modulators in exchange for Pneumatic Actuators and Pressure Regulators. If you have spare copies after Amplifying your main gun, trading them for Insulation Rolls, Launcher Ammo, or bench materials often beats the flat 5,000 sell price. What's more, you can easily and quickly buy new ARC Raiders items at AOEAH.COM at the best prices!
More FAQs About Pneumatic Actuator
Is the Pneumatic Actuator in any village or residential container?
No. The tracker lists only Frigate and Collector areas, and players have otherwise found it only in Emperor Payloads.
Does any Workshop upgrade need it?
No. It is purely an Amplified Weapon material.
Can I recycle it?
Yes, though at a 5,000 sell value and limited supply, selling or trading is almost always the better move.
Do I need it for every Amplified perk?
It is one of the shared Epic materials for Amplification. Check the specific perk's cost in the weapon tree, since some branches ask for Pressure Regulators as well.
Can I solo the Frigate route for it?
Lowering the Cargo requires two Raiders on opposite panels, and the lever sequence at the central core wants three, so a squad is strongly recommended.
