Arc Raiders Cooling Coil Guide: Veteran Scavenger Locations Tips and Farming Routes

f you have spent more than a few hours in ARC Raiders, you already know that some materials are way harder to track down than others. Ammo and scrap come easy. But the moment your Expedition or workbench starts asking for Cooling Coils, things get real. This is one of those items that separates casual scavengers from players who actually know how to work the maps.

In this Arc Raiders Cooling Coil guide, I will break down exactly where to find them, which maps are worth running, what containers you should be looting, and how to farm them efficiently without getting wiped every run. This is written from the perspective of someone who has burned through more Dam Battlegrounds raids than I care to admit, so we are keeping it practical and battle tested.

Let us get into it.

What Is a Cooling Coil in Arc Raiders

The Cooling Coil is classified as an Industrial item in ARC Raiders. It is not used for simple crafting. Instead, it becomes critical once you start pushing deeper into your Expedition objectives, upgrading your workstations, and unlocking late game progression.

You cannot craft it.
You cannot buy it.
You cannot recycle other items into it.

The only way to get Cooling Coils in Arc Raiders is by scavenging them in the field.

This is what makes them so valuable and so frustrating. Even though they spawn on several maps, they only appear in specific locations and containers. If you are not targeting the right areas, you can run ten raids and still walk out empty handed.

How Cooling Coils Actually Spawn

Understanding how the game handles loot is what turns this from a grind into something manageable.

Cooling Coils only spawn in Industrial areas. These areas are marked on your map with a building style icon over the point of interest. But here is the part a lot of players miss.

Not all Industrial zones are equal.

Some have trash loot tables. Some have lockers and containers that actually roll rare materials like the Cooling Coil. The secret is knowing which Industrial areas are worth risking your gear for.

Even more important than the map location is the container type.

From testing and from what veteran players see consistently, Cooling Coils most often appear in
Red lockers
Breachable metal boxes

Regular shelves, toolboxes, and loose loot can spawn them, but the odds are much lower. If you want to farm Cooling Coils efficiently, you should be routing your runs through locker dense Industrial zones.

Best Maps for Arc Raiders Cooling Coil Farming

You can technically find Cooling Coils on several maps, but only three are actually worth your time.

Dam Battlegrounds
Spaceport
The Blue Gate

Stella Montis can spawn them, but it is an end game PvP bloodbath. If you are only hunting Cooling Coils, it is not worth the risk.

Let us go map by map.

Dam Battlegrounds Cooling Coil Locations

If I had to recommend one map for farming Cooling Coils in ARC Raiders, it is Dam Battlegrounds. It is dangerous, yes, but it has the best mix of locker density, Industrial zones, and accessible routes.

The key locations here are

Hydroponic Dome Complex
Water Treatment Control
Power Generation Complex
Scrap Yard

Hydroponic Dome Complex

This is the king of Cooling Coil farming.

The big domed structures inside the Hydroponic Complex are loaded with red lockers. These lockers have the highest known chance to spawn Cooling Coils as long as you are in an Industrial zone.

If you only loot one place on this map, make it this one.

The downside is that everyone knows it. Expect ARC units, players, and third parties. If you survive long enough to clear a few locker rows, your odds of walking out with a Cooling Coil are better here than anywhere else in the game.

Water Treatment Control

This is my second favorite spot.

Water Treatment Control has solid Industrial loot and a great secret weapon if you have the Dam Surveillance Key. The locked room inside has an entire row of lockers on the left wall, and it is not uncommon to pull at least one Cooling Coil from that room alone.

Even without the key, you get a good mix of metal boxes, toolboxes, and lockers. If Hydroponics is already looted or too hot, rotate here.

Power Generation Complex

This is a decent backup. It has Industrial loot but fewer lockers. You can still find Cooling Coils here, but your odds are lower than Hydroponics or Water Treatment.

Scrap Yard

Low risk, low reward. You can find Cooling Coils here, but the spawn rate is poor. I only hit this if I spawn nearby and need something quick.

Spaceport Cooling Coil Locations

Spaceport is the second best map for Arc Raiders Cooling Coil farming.

The Industrial zones you want are

Rocket Assembly
Vehicle Maintenance
Container Storage
Shipping Warehouse

Rocket Assembly

This is the best Cooling Coil location on Spaceport.

Both the first and second floors have red lockers, and those lockers love to spit out rare Industrial materials. I have pulled Cooling Coils here more times than I can count, often alongside Epic tier crafting materials.

The only downside is the travel distance. It sits closer to the center, so you will run into players and ARCs on the way.

Vehicle Maintenance and Container Storage

These two are side by side and form a very efficient loot route. You get multiple Industrial containers and lockers without committing to a deep run into Rocket Assembly.

If you want a safer Spaceport route, this is the play.

Shipping Warehouse

Honestly, this one is not great. It is on the edge of the map, the loot rarity is low, and the time investment is bad. Skip it unless you spawn right next to it.

The Blue Gate Cooling Coil Locations

The Blue Gate is more limited, but still useful.

Your two real options are

Warehouse Complex
Adorned Wreckage

Warehouse Complex

This is the only reliable spot on The Blue Gate. The top floor has a row of lockers that can spawn Cooling Coils. If that row has not been looted, your odds are decent.

The problem is that spawns here are inconsistent. Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes you get nothing.

Adorned Wreckage

This is only worth hitting if you spawn close. It is far west, and the loot density is not amazing. You can find Cooling Coils here, but do not build your farming route around it.

Best Containers to Loot for Cooling Coils

This is where most players mess up.

If you are opening random shelves and crates, you are wasting time.

These are the containers that actually matter

Red lockers
Breachable metal boxes

If you see a red locker inside an Industrial area, open it. Period. These have the highest confirmed drop chance for Cooling Coils.

Metal boxes can also spawn them, but the odds are lower. Still worth opening if you are already there.

Efficient Cooling Coil Farming Routes

If you want to minimize deaths and maximize results, here is how I run it.

On Dam Battlegrounds
Spawn
Rush Hydroponic Dome lockers
If looted or too hot, rotate to Water Treatment Control
Extract

On Spaceport
Spawn
Head to Vehicle Maintenance and Container Storage
If clear, push into Rocket Assembly
Extract

On The Blue Gate
Spawn
Rush Warehouse Complex top floor
Extract

Do not linger. Get in, loot lockers, get out. Cooling Coils take inventory space and you do not want to lose them to a third party squad.

Why You Need Cooling Coils

Cooling Coils are required for

Expedition progression
Workbench upgrades
Late game crafting paths

Some Expedition steps require multiple Cooling Coils, which is why so many players suddenly hit a wall when they reach that stage. You might have ignored Industrial loot early, but now the game demands it.

This is also why some players choose to trade or buy materials using Arc Raiders coins from services like G4mmo to skip the grind, especially if they are stuck on Expedition progression. But even then, knowing how to farm them yourself is still valuable.

Final Thoughts from a Veteran Raider

The Arc Raiders Cooling Coil is not rare because it is impossible to find. It is rare because most players do not know where to look.

If you focus on Industrial zones, prioritize red lockers, and run smart routes on Dam Battlegrounds and Spaceport, you will get them. It might take a few runs, but it is completely doable.

Once you learn these maps, Cooling Coils stop being a roadblock and start being just another thing you grab on the way to bigger loot.

And that is what separates a new raider from a seasoned one.

Good hunting out there.