ARC Raiders Contracts Guide: Rewards, Reset & Stacking Tips

ARC Raiders has contracts. It does not spend much time explaining them. They're at vendor stations in Speranza, they track objectives during your raids, and they pay out credits plus vendor relationship XP when you complete them. That's the whole system — but using it well makes the difference between a run that builds progression in two dimensions versus a run that only builds one.

The prerequisites: you need to understand the basic extraction loop first. If raids are still unfamiliar, start with the ARC Raiders beginner guide.

Key Takeaways

• Contracts are optional objectives from vendor stations in Speranza — check them before every raid
• Rewards are credits plus vendor relationship XP — the XP often matters more
• Stack compatible contracts to complete multiple objectives in one run
• Some contracts are map-specific — check before deploying to the wrong location
• Contracts track automatically during a raid; no manual interaction required mid-run

Overview

This guide covers contracts and missions in ARC Raiders as of the April 2026 build, on PC. The system works the same way across PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.

What this covers: how to find contracts, how they track, how to stack them, and the reward structure. For the broader economy these rewards feed into, the ARC Raiders currency guide has the vendor relationship framework in full.

Step-by-Step: Using Contracts

Step 1 — Check Every Vendor Before Each Raid

Five vendors in Speranza, five contract boards. Celeste handles material gathering objectives. Tian Wen handles weapon-use and combat objectives. Apollo covers deployable use and gadget objectives. Lance posts survival and medical objectives. Shani occasionally posts reconnaissance contracts.

Don't only check the vendors you use most. A Lance contract to survive a Red zone with a specific health threshold could complete passively during a run you were already planning. A two-minute check of all five boards before deployment costs nothing.

Step 2 — Read the Map Requirement

Before accepting, confirm whether the contract specifies a map or zone.

Map-specific contracts say something like "extract from the Dam Battlegrounds" or "reach a Red zone at Blue Gate." Accepting these and running Acerra Spaceport instead means the contract doesn't progress regardless of how well the run goes.

Map-agnostic contracts use language like "extract 10 units of [material]" or "defeat 5 Hornet units" without a location qualifier. These complete anywhere the conditions can be met.

Build your run selection around the contracts you've accepted, not the other way around. The ARC Raiders maps guide has zone-by-zone enemy type and loot room information that helps match contracts to maps efficiently.

Step 3 — Stack Compatible Contracts

Contracts run simultaneously. A material gathering contract from Celeste, a weapon-type contract from Tian Wen, and a survival contract from Lance can all run on the same raid if the map supports them.

The most efficient stacking pattern: one material contract (Celeste) + one combat contract (Tian Wen) + one passive contract (any vendor that completes based on extraction rather than a specific action). Three vendor relationship tracks advance from a single run.

Watch for conflicts. A contract requiring you to stay in White zones conflicts with a contract requiring Red zone entry. Don't stack objectives that force contradictory map routes.

Step 4 — Track Progress via the HUD

Active contracts appear in the raid HUD. Progress updates automatically when conditions are met — no interaction required at the moment of completion. You don't need to "turn in" a contract mid-run; the completion registers and you collect rewards when you return to Speranza after extraction.

Dying before extraction cancels in-progress contracts. The contracts reset rather than staying at partial completion — you'll need to restart from zero on the next run. This is the main reason to treat contracts as a reason to commit to extracting, even at lower loot value, rather than pushing one more zone.

Step 5 — Collect Rewards at the Vendor

Return to the matching vendor after extraction to collect credits and relationship XP. The game may prompt you automatically, but verify at each vendor board after returning — especially if you completed multiple vendor contracts in one run.

Relationship XP posts to the vendor's track immediately on collection. If a vendor tiers up from your completion, new stock appears in their shop right away.

GODEEPER: Credits and relationship XP work together — the currency guide breaks down how vendor tiers unlock better contracts and why early relationship XP matters more than the credit payouts. ARC Raiders Currency and Credits Guide →

Tips

Match contracts to your planned run type. If you're running a crafted loadout on an Orange zone focus, take contracts that fit that scope — material and combat objectives for Orange zones. Don't accept Red zone-specific contracts on sessions where you're playing conservatively.

Contracts at higher vendor relationship tiers pay better. Early Tian Wen contracts reward modest credits and XP. Tian Wen level 3 contracts reward meaningfully better relationship XP and occasionally blueprint drops. The early contracts are worth running for the relationship XP they provide, not the credit value — the payoff scales.

Don't abandon contracts partway through for a bigger push. If a contract requires extracting 8 materials and you have 6, extracting at 6 and restarting is more efficient than dying chasing the last 2 units. Partial completion resets on death; a successful extract at 6 still completes 6 contract units worth of relationship XP.

Use the ARC Raiders extractions guide if you're trying to manage contract completion timing. Knowing when to call extraction — and whether to use a Hatch Key for a silent exit — affects how you execute a contract-completion run versus a pure loot run.

Check the ARC Raiders armor guide before taking survival contracts. Lance survival contracts often have conditions tied to damage received or threat level sustained. Going into those with heavy armor (which expands your detection radius) makes the survival conditions harder, not easier.

GODEEPER: Your extraction plan is part of contract execution — knowing when to call it and whether to use a Hatch Key changes how runs end. ARC Raiders Extractions Guide →

Frequently Asked Questions

How do contracts work in ARC Raiders? They're optional objectives from vendor stations in Speranza that track automatically during raids and pay credits plus vendor relationship XP on completion.

Where do you pick up contracts in ARC Raiders? At vendor stations in Speranza before deploying. Check all five vendors — Celeste, Tian Wen, Apollo, Lance, and Shani.

Do contracts expire in ARC Raiders? Embark hasn't publicly confirmed a specific expiration cadence. Assume accepted contracts are active until completed. Check vendor boards each session for new offerings.

Can you run multiple contracts at once? Yes. Stack compatible contracts to advance multiple vendor relationship tracks in a single run.

What rewards do contracts give? Credits and vendor relationship XP. Higher-tier contracts at elevated vendor relationship levels occasionally add crafting materials or blueprint drops.

Do contracts require specific maps? Some do, some don't. Read the contract description before accepting — map-specific contracts don't progress on the wrong map.

References

• ARC Raiders on Steam
• ARC Raiders official site — Embark Studios
• ARC Raiders subreddit