The Dust on the Wires quest in Arc Raiders is one of the meatier missions added with the Flashpoint update. Shani sends you to Spaceport to track down a scout patrol that went dark two days ago, and the whole thing plays out across 6 objectives that must all be finished in a single round. It covers a lot of ground, and there's a mandatory item extraction at the end that makes dying genuinely punishing.
What are all the Dust on the Wires quest steps?
Here's the full list of objectives before breaking each one down:
| Step | Objective | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Visit any Field Depot on the eastern side of Spaceport | Eastern Spaceport |
| 2 | Use the Field Radio to transmit the scout group's last log to Shani | Inside Field Depot |
| 3 | Interact with the terminal in the old Raider Tower north of the Maintenance Hangar | North of Maintenance Hangar |
| 4 | Find traces of the scout patrol near the Maintenance Hangar | Southwest of Maintenance Hangar |
| 5 | Search the remains left by the scouts | Road south of Maintenance Hangar |
| 6 | Deliver the Scout Patrol Note to Shani | Extract to Speranza |
Before you drop in: what to bring
The single most important piece of preparation is equipping an augment that grants you a Safe Pocket. The Scout Patrol Note you pick up in step 5 needs to survive extraction. If it's sitting loose in your inventory when you go down, the quest fails. Stash it in the Safe Pocket and it persists even through death.
Beyond that, pack enough Adrenaline Shots for the run. You're covering a solid stretch of Spaceport, and the route takes you through areas where ARCs patrol regularly. A Free Loadout drop is not recommended here.
Equip Safe Pocket before dropping
Step 1 and 2: Field Depot and the Field Radio
There are three Field Depots on the eastern side of Spaceport, but the southernmost one is the best choice. It sits between the Security Checkpoint to the south and the Communications Tower to the north, and it puts you closest to the next two objectives, saving a meaningful amount of travel time.
Field Depots are easy to spot by the antenna mounted on the roof. Head inside and look for the yellow-glowing terminal on the desk. Interact with it to resend the scout group's last log to Shani. That completes both steps 1 and 2 simultaneously.
Interact with the glowing terminal
Step 3: How to find the old Raider Tower
From the southern Field Depot, head west toward the Maintenance Hangar. The old Raider Tower is a small, scrap-built structure sitting just to the north of the hangar building. It's the same tower shown in the quest's own header image, so you'll recognize it on sight.
The tower looks improvised: rusted metal, compact footprint, stairs spiraling up the outside. Climb those stairs to reach the top and interact with the second yellow-marked terminal to resend the log again.
Climb the exterior stairs to the top
Steps 4 and 5: Where to find the scout patrol traces and remains
Descend from the tower and circle around to the southwest corner of the Maintenance Hangar. On the road outside, you'll find the first piece of evidence: an overturned trolley. Approach it and interact with the Transmit Location prompt when it appears.
Now head a short distance south down the same road. A second overturned trolley sits near a barrel and blue tarpaulin. Interact with this one and the Scout Patrol Note drops out. Pick it up immediately and move it into your Safe Pocket before doing anything else.
Step 6: How to deliver the Scout Patrol Note to Shani
With the Scout Patrol Note secured in your Safe Pocket, locate the nearest extraction elevator and get back to Speranza. Once you're back at the hub, talk to Shani to hand over the note and close out the quest.
The reward for finishing Dust on the Wires is the Fax Machine backpack attachment. It's a cosmetic reward, but completing the quest also advances your relationship with Shani and opens up subsequent missions in her quest chain.
For more Arc Raiders quest walkthroughs and tips, browse the latest guides on GAMES.GG.
