Running Pendola Pass under Redirection and not sure what the glowing beacons actually do? This is the full farm loop: what a Damaged Emperor Relay gives you, how the Emperor Beacon calls down a Harvester Payload, and why this is the intended way to farm the three ARC couplers that gate the Fallen Emperor. It is one of the most misunderstood systems in Frozen Trail 2.0 — half the sub thinks the beacon is the key. It isn't.
TL;DR — the Emperor Beacon loop in one read
On Pendola Pass under the Redirection map condition, find a Damaged Emperor Relay (red beam in the sky), search it for an Emperor Beacon, deploy the beacon in an open area, step out of the debris, then breach and loot the Harvester Payload it calls down. The payload is where the ARC Conductive / Plated / Insulated Couplers and a chance at the Emperor Gateway Conduit Blueprint come from. Relays go live around 25 minutes left on the 30-minute raid. The beacon does not open the Emperor — the crafted Conduit does.
ARC Raiders - Blueprints
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What is the Emperor Beacon in ARC Raiders?
The Emperor Beacon is an Epic, Quick Use item, weight 2.0, stack size 3, found by scavenging on Pendola Pass (arcraiders.wiki/wiki/Emperor_Beacon). Its in-game description reads: "A beacon with a copy of the Emperor's identifier signal. Deploy in an open area to call in Harvester Payloads."
Deploy it and you summon a Harvester Payload — a container that drops out of the sky with the loot the fallen Emperor's Harvester gathered. That payload is the single most important thing on the map during Redirection, because it is where the amplification-endgame materials live.
The confusion worth clearing up first: the beacon is not the Emperor Gateway Conduit, and deploying one does not unlock the Fallen Emperor dungeon. The beacon farms the materials you need; you still have to craft the Conduit key separately before you can walk in the front door. Players on r/ArcRaiders routinely mix these up — "still need the key" is the most common reply under any beacon or coupler screenshot.
How does the Redirection map condition work?
Official Redirection map-condition card art (arcraiders.wiki/wiki/Redirection).
Redirection is a Minor map condition, exclusive to Pendola Pass (arcraiders.wiki/wiki/Redirection). Its condition card reads verbatim: "Emperor Beacons are activating throughout the area. Raiders can loot and deploy these to redirect valuable payloads to their own position."
Three listed effects run while it is active:
- No Flash Freeze — Redirection suppresses the map's cold entirely. This is the biggest routing unlock on Pendola Pass: no scramble for shelter, so you can commit to open ground.
- Emperor Relays active — the relays you loot for beacons go live.
- Falling Debris — the sky is hazardous. Deploying a beacon makes it worse in your immediate area.
Redirection is one of several conditions that can roll on Pendola Pass — the ARC Frigate condition is another you will see on the Map Selection screen. It is a timed window, not a permanent map state, so you have to actually land on Pendola Pass while Redirection is up to run this loop at all. Check the Map Selection screen before you queue.
How do you run the Emperor Beacon farm loop?
Pendola Pass raids run 30 minutes, and the relays activate at roughly 25 minutes remaining — about five minutes in. Here is the clean loop:
- Queue Pendola Pass under Redirection. If the condition is not up, this loop is not available. No Flash Freeze means you can skip cold shelters and move directly.
- Find a Damaged Emperor Relay. They show as red beams firing up into the sky and appear as relay markers on your map. Several spawn across the valley; the fallen Emperor sits centre-left.
- Search the relay to pull an Emperor Beacon. The beacon stacks to 3, so it is worth grabbing more than one relay before you commit to deploying.
- Deploy the beacon in an open area. It needs clear sky overhead to call the payload. Do not deploy under a roof or in a tight interior.
- Step out of the drop zone immediately. Debris starts falling shortly after activation and damages you if it hits you — this is on top of the condition's ambient Falling Debris. Treat the deploy spot as a no-stand zone until the payload lands.
- Breach and loot the Harvester Payload. The main payload has to be breached before you can access its contents — that breached payload is what holds the ARC materials and parts, including the couplers. Any smaller searchable containers around the drop are standard ARC loot, not coupler sources.
- Extract and repeat. Each beacon is a fresh payload. If you have three, that is three payloads per raid, threats permitting.
What drops from a Harvester Payload?
The reason to run this loop at all is the materials gate for the amplification endgame. Harvester Payloads (and ARC enemies) are the source of three Epic Topside couplers:
| Material | Weight | Stacks | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARC Conductive Coupler | 0.5 | No (1) | One of three couplers that combine into the Conduit |
| ARC Plated Coupler | 0.25 | No (1) | One of three couplers that combine into the Conduit |
| ARC Insulated Coupler | 0.25 | No (1) | One of three couplers that combine into the Conduit |
All three share the in-game line: "One of three distinct couplers found in ARC machines, said to combine into a singular conduit." None of them stacks, so each one takes an inventory slot — plan your loadout weight before a coupler run, not after.
The couplers, plus a chance at the Emperor Gateway Conduit Blueprint, come from the breached Harvester Payload the relays feed during Redirection (arcraiders.wiki/wiki/Harvester_Payload). Embark has not published a drop rate, and the blueprint is not guaranteed from any single payload — expect several Redirection runs before the blueprint appears. Treat the couplers as the consistent reward and the blueprint as the jackpot.
What do you do with the couplers and the blueprint?
Once you have the Emperor Gateway Conduit Blueprint and one each of the three couplers, learn the blueprint and craft the Emperor Gateway Conduit at Workbench I. That Conduit is the key that opens the entrance to the Fallen Emperor — Pendola Pass's dungeon and one of only two sources of Amplification Modules.
Two routing facts that save you wasted raids:
- You cannot pool couplers with squadmates. Each raider farms their own set. You extract, craft the Conduit solo, and re-enter on a new run to actually use it.
- You do not strictly need to carry a Conduit to enter. If a squadmate or any other raider with a Conduit opens the gateway, you can go in on their key. The Conduit is also available directly as a Level 60 reward on the Frozen Trail Premium Reward Pass if you would rather grind the pass than the payloads.
So the full chain is: Redirection → Damaged Emperor Relay → Emperor Beacon → Harvester Payload → couplers + blueprint → craft Conduit → open the Fallen Emperor → Amplification Modules → amplified weapons. The beacon loop is the first and most-farmable link in that chain.
ARC Raiders - Materials
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Is the Emperor Beacon loop worth the risk?
Yes — if Redirection is up and you want into the amplification endgame, this is the intended path to the couplers. But it is not a quiet farm. The condition card is explicit that beacons "redirect valuable payloads to their own position," which means every other raider on the map knows roughly where the loot is the moment your beacon fires. In practice a deployed beacon acts as a flare that draws both ARC and rival raiders toward your drop.
Practical read: run it with a squad or run it fast. Deploy in an open area you can hold or peek, bait the debris window, breach the payload, and leave. Do not plant a beacon and stand on top of it — the Falling Debris alone can chip you down, and a contested payload is a gunfight you started on a timer. The payoff (a reliable coupler source, a shot at the blueprint, and no Flash Freeze to fight) is strong enough to justify it, provided you treat the deploy as the loudest thing you will do all raid.
If you would rather skip the grind entirely, our team can run the Pendola Pass loop or the Emperor dungeon for you.
Skip the coupler grind?
Our ARC Raiders boosters farm the Redirection loop and the Fallen Emperor so you get straight to amplified weapons.
- ARC Raiders Frozen Trail Runs — Pendola Pass loot and coupler farming runs
- ARC Raiders Frozen Trail Boss Kill — the Fallen Emperor and Frigate, cleared for you
- ARC Raiders Frozen Trail Quest Line — full Frozen Trail progression, done for you
Related ARC Raiders guides
- ARC Raiders Amplification Module Farm: Emperor or Frigate — where the modules you are unlocking the Emperor for actually drop
- ARC Raiders Pendola Pass: The New Frozen Trail Map Explained — the full map, POIs and extracts
- ARC Raiders Pendola Pass Map: Systems & Extracts — best loot route under each map condition
- ARC Raiders Flash Freeze: How to Survive Pendola Pass Weather — the cold that Redirection turns off
FAQ
What is the Emperor Beacon in ARC Raiders? It is an Epic Quick Use item (weight 2.0, stacks to 3) you find on Pendola Pass. Deploying it in an open area calls down a Harvester Payload full of ARC materials. It does not open the Fallen Emperor by itself.
How do you get an Emperor Beacon? Run Pendola Pass while the Redirection map condition is active, find a Damaged Emperor Relay (a red beam in the sky, marked on your map), and search it. Relays go live around 25 minutes remaining on the 30-minute raid.
What does the Harvester Payload drop? ARC-related materials and parts, including the three Epic couplers — ARC Conductive, Plated and Insulated — plus a chance at the Emperor Gateway Conduit Blueprint. Embark has not published a drop rate, and the blueprint is not guaranteed from any single payload.
Does deploying an Emperor Beacon open the Fallen Emperor? No. The beacon farms the couplers and blueprint. You still craft the Emperor Gateway Conduit at Workbench I from one of each coupler plus the learned blueprint, and that Conduit is what opens the Emperor's entrance.
Can I share couplers with my squad to craft the Conduit? No. Couplers cannot be pooled between squadmates — each raider farms their own set and crafts their own Conduit. You can, however, enter the Emperor on a teammate's Conduit without carrying one yourself.
Is deploying an Emperor Beacon dangerous? Yes. Falling debris starts shortly after activation and damages you if it lands on you, and the payload pulls both ARC and rival raiders to your position. Deploy in an open spot you can defend, step clear of the drop, and grab the loot fast.
