Arc Raiders: 'With A Trace' – My Quest Log's Been Telling Porkies, Mate!
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
The *Arc Raiders* 'With A Trace' quest is notoriously confusing due to misleading quest markers that activate prematurely, sending players on a wild goose chase. This guide, originally detailed by Ford James at Polygon, cuts through the digital fog to show you the exact Barren Clearing and Adorned Wreckage locations needed to complete the quest in Blue Gate without losing your marbles.
Alright, fellow digital adventurers, let's have a chinwag about *Arc Raiders*. You know that feeling, don't you? You're buzzing through a new quest, the objective pops up, and you think, 'Right, I'm on it!' Then you spend the next ten minutes wandering around like a lost tourist in a really dangerous theme park, only to realise the game's idea of 'here' is actually 'over there, a bit further, past the really big angry robots.' Yeah, *that* feeling.
Well, buckle up, because the 'With A Trace' quest in *Arc Raiders* is a bit of a classic in that department. It's got a knack for making you feel like you're hot on the trail, only to reveal you're actually just... warmish. Like finding a half-eaten biscuit when you were promised a whole tin, only instead of biscuits, it's more Arc machines trying to turn you into scrap metal.
This particular bit of digital detective work takes you back to Blue Gate – lovely place, if you enjoy being shot at by incredibly resilient Arc machines and raiders with questionable fashion sense. The legendary Ford James over at Polygon (massive props to them, mate!) has done the hard yards so you don't have to navigate a labyrinth of misleading quest markers. Let's dig into how to actually wrap this one up without losing your mind, or your health bar.
**First up: Finding Signs at Barren Clearing**
Your initial directive will be to 'reach Barren Clearing.' Now, here's where the digital shenanigans begin. Your quest objective might *actually* tick off as complete, making you think you've arrived, like an early bus that still makes you wait outside in the rain. But nah, mate, don't trust it! The game's just having a laugh, or perhaps the quest tracker's got a dodgy GPS module.
You need to keep hoofing it to the *actual* Barren Clearing landmark on your map. We're talking specifically *underneath* the 'ren' in 'Barren' on the map. It's proper pixel-perfect stuff, a bit like finding a single rogue pixel in a painting. Once you're there, look for a stray limb from a fallen machine strewn off to the side – give that a good investigate, and you're golden for the first stage. See? A digital treasure hunt, but with more existential dread about quest design.
**Next Stop: Inspecting the Adorned Wreckage**
Once you've done your bit of digital archaeology, your trusty (or not-so-trusty) quest log will point you to 'inspect the Adorned Wreckage.' And again, the game plays its little trick. You'll likely see a big, impressive bit of wreckage nearby and think, 'Aha! Found it!' But no, no, no. That's just a decoy, a red herring in a sea of digital debris, probably put there by a developer who secretly loves watching us struggle. Bless 'em.
Instead, you'll want to aim for the *actual* landmark named 'Adorned Wreckage' on your map. It's a fair dinkum trek, a couple of hundred metres south-east from your previous spot, just below Trapper's Glade. Once you get there, look for a cheeky computer terminal lurking off to the side. Give that a poke, interact with it, and *boom*! Quest complete. You've officially outsmarted the quest designer's playful deception and probably gained a new level in 'Patience' in the process.
So there you have it. 'With A Trace' isn't hard because of the enemies (though they're always keen for a scrap), but because the game's quest tracking is playing a bit of hide-and-seek. It’s a good reminder that sometimes, even in our shiny new Web3 worlds, we still have to contend with a bit of old-school quest-marker mischief. Cheers again to Ford James over at Polygon for shining a light on this digital riddle – saves us all a few respawns and a whole heap of head-scratching. Now, if you'll excuse me, I hear there's a rumour about a glitch that lets you ride a giant space-badger, and my curiosity is officially piqued...
Tags: Arc Raiders, Quest Guide, Gaming Frustrations, Walkthrough, Web3 Gaming
Original article: Polygon