Phantom Targets is easy to misplay because it rewards investigation rather than ordinary elimination speed. Instead of spending valuable combat supplies on every ARC encounter, players should treat each raid as a targeted test and protect resources that support future progression, including ARC Raiders BluePrints when planning longer-term loadouts. The project is most useful for Raiders willing to adjust their equipment, check objectives between runs, and accept that efficiency matters more than forcing every task into one raid.
Read the Objective Before Deploying
Phantom Targets began with Update 1.40 and uses a staged structure. The next requirement remains locked until the current one is completed, so entering with a generic build can waste both time and inventory space. Open the Raider menu, select Projects, and read the active task before choosing a map or weapon setup.
The opening requirement involves upgrading three antennas positioned on top of Cargo Elevators. These structures appear on maps including Dam Battlegrounds, Spaceport, and Riven Tides. Reaching the roof and interacting with the antenna is more important than clearing every nearby ARC unit, making a low-risk route preferable to a high-value combat loadout.
One interface detail can create unnecessary confusion: the interaction may still appear available after an antenna has been upgraded. That does not automatically mean the action failed. Check the Project progress directly, because the upgrade can register correctly even when the prompt remains visible.
Use Specialized Damage Intelligently
Later objectives ask players to test ARC components such as Pop Triggers, Wasp Drivers, and Leaper Pulse Units against enemies. These are fundamentally different from conventional weapons. Their value comes from meeting a specific project condition, not from delivering reliable damage across an entire raid.
Small, enclosed areas are usually better testing grounds than open terrain. A limited space reduces the chance that an ARC target moves away or causes the item to miss its useful impact. Shredders and other predictable targets can also make the process easier because their movement is simpler to read. This approach is slower than using a normal weapon, but it is far more consistent for progression.
Carry only the ARC part required by the active objective.
Choose a target whose movement allows repeated, controlled attempts.
Leave the area after confirming progress instead of chasing unnecessary fights.
Check the Projects menu before assuming a registered hit was missed.
Build Around the Current Test
Fire damage, energy weapons, and launcher ammunition introduce a different preparation problem. Players should assemble a temporary objective build rather than weakening their preferred long-term setup with every possible damage type. Cheap equipment is often the better choice when the task only requires testing a weapon or ammunition category.
Flying ARC enemies deserve additional planning. Areas with restricted ceilings or predictable flight paths give players better control over sBlockedword/sentence placement. Open spaces may offer more escape options, but they also increase missed attacks and expose a fragile objective loadout to unnecessary threats. This is where route selection matters more than raw weapon quality.
Part Two Changes the Planning Window
Part 2 was scheduled for August 18 with Update 1.42, continuing the investigation while the separate Phantom Targets Event also began. Players should verify the live requirements in the Projects menu rather than relying on early datamined lists. Placeholder item requirements discussed by the community were not guaranteed to match the final objectives.
For newer Raiders, the project is best approached as controlled practice with limited spending. Experienced players can combine objectives with normal farming, but only when the required items are already available. Forcing a project task during a dangerous extraction can cost more progression than the reward justifies.
Protect Resources Between Stages
Save useful ARC parts instead of automatically selling or recycling every unusual item. Return to Speranza after a successful objective, claim available rewards, and then rebuild around the next requirement. This rhythm is safer than carrying several incompatible tools and hoping to complete everything in one run.
Players who need to replace low-cost supplies should compare that expense with the risk of using premium gear for a temporary test; cheap ARC Raiders BluePrints can support affordable replacement planning while leaving better resources available for late-game raids and more demanding progression.
Read the Objective Before Deploying
Phantom Targets began with Update 1.40 and uses a staged structure. The next requirement remains locked until the current one is completed, so entering with a generic build can waste both time and inventory space. Open the Raider menu, select Projects, and read the active task before choosing a map or weapon setup.
The opening requirement involves upgrading three antennas positioned on top of Cargo Elevators. These structures appear on maps including Dam Battlegrounds, Spaceport, and Riven Tides. Reaching the roof and interacting with the antenna is more important than clearing every nearby ARC unit, making a low-risk route preferable to a high-value combat loadout.
One interface detail can create unnecessary confusion: the interaction may still appear available after an antenna has been upgraded. That does not automatically mean the action failed. Check the Project progress directly, because the upgrade can register correctly even when the prompt remains visible.
Use Specialized Damage Intelligently
Later objectives ask players to test ARC components such as Pop Triggers, Wasp Drivers, and Leaper Pulse Units against enemies. These are fundamentally different from conventional weapons. Their value comes from meeting a specific project condition, not from delivering reliable damage across an entire raid.
Small, enclosed areas are usually better testing grounds than open terrain. A limited space reduces the chance that an ARC target moves away or causes the item to miss its useful impact. Shredders and other predictable targets can also make the process easier because their movement is simpler to read. This approach is slower than using a normal weapon, but it is far more consistent for progression.
Carry only the ARC part required by the active objective.
Choose a target whose movement allows repeated, controlled attempts.
Leave the area after confirming progress instead of chasing unnecessary fights.
Check the Projects menu before assuming a registered hit was missed.
Build Around the Current Test
Fire damage, energy weapons, and launcher ammunition introduce a different preparation problem. Players should assemble a temporary objective build rather than weakening their preferred long-term setup with every possible damage type. Cheap equipment is often the better choice when the task only requires testing a weapon or ammunition category.
Flying ARC enemies deserve additional planning. Areas with restricted ceilings or predictable flight paths give players better control over sBlockedword/sentence placement. Open spaces may offer more escape options, but they also increase missed attacks and expose a fragile objective loadout to unnecessary threats. This is where route selection matters more than raw weapon quality.
Part Two Changes the Planning Window
Part 2 was scheduled for August 18 with Update 1.42, continuing the investigation while the separate Phantom Targets Event also began. Players should verify the live requirements in the Projects menu rather than relying on early datamined lists. Placeholder item requirements discussed by the community were not guaranteed to match the final objectives.
For newer Raiders, the project is best approached as controlled practice with limited spending. Experienced players can combine objectives with normal farming, but only when the required items are already available. Forcing a project task during a dangerous extraction can cost more progression than the reward justifies.
Protect Resources Between Stages
Save useful ARC parts instead of automatically selling or recycling every unusual item. Return to Speranza after a successful objective, claim available rewards, and then rebuild around the next requirement. This rhythm is safer than carrying several incompatible tools and hoping to complete everything in one run.
Players who need to replace low-cost supplies should compare that expense with the risk of using premium gear for a temporary test; cheap ARC Raiders BluePrints can support affordable replacement planning while leaving better resources available for late-game raids and more demanding progression.