The Mixed Signals quest in Arc Raiders looks simple on paper… until you realize the ARC Surveyor is basically a slippery metal bowling ball with a spotlight and an attitude. If you’ve never noticed it before, you’re not alone — most players run right past the thing without realizing it’s the target.
This guide breaks down exactly how to find the Surveyor, how to kill it efficiently, and what weak points to aim for so you can extract without getting pancaked.
🎯 Quest Overview – Mixed Signals (Shani)
Shani gives you this quest, together with the following flavor text:
“Have you spotted any Surveyors; the big round ones? They seem to be transmitting data back into orbit… break one open so we can decipher the data.”
Objectives:
- Destroy one ARC Surveyor
- Loot 1 Surveyor Vault
- Extract safely and return to Shani
No map restrictions. No single-run requirement. Do it anywhere, anytime.
🔍 How to Find the ARC Surveyor (The Trick Everyone Misses)
⭐ Look for the blue beam in the sky
This is the key. Surveyors broadcast a vertical blue laser beam, visible from across the map — that’s your beacon.
If you’ve never noticed it:
- It looks exactly like a searchlight.
- It does not move.
- It’s visible even in bad weather.
Follow the beam → that’s the Surveyor.
📌 Behavior to expect
Once you get close:
- The Surveyor notices you and starts rolling around, trying to keep distance.
- If it feels threatened, it will charge at you like a bowling ball and can knock you down.
- Its armor is thick, so normal bullets feel like tickles.
💥 How to Kill the ARC Surveyor (Fast)
This enemy is tanky — but it also has clear weak spots and a predictable pattern.
1. Best Weapons
To break through its armor, use heavy ammo:
Top Picks
- Anvil — big damage, shreds armor plates fast.
- Farro IV (hobo sniper) — one of the best armor-piercers in the game, but single-shot reload requires patience.
Explosives may work, but heavy ammo is the consistent method.
2. Break the Armor Plates
Every powerful hit knocks off a chunk of armor.
After 2–4 heavy hits, several weak gaps appear.
🚨 Tip: Always shoot the exposed plates
That’s where damage ramps up like crazy.
3. BONUS Tech – The 30m Weak-spot Trick
A YouTuber discovered this and it actually works:
If you stay roughly 30 meters away, the Surveyor:
- Often won’t detect you,
- Won’t start rolling around,
- And keeps the blue-beam emitter exposed.
This emitter is a massive weak point → perfect for Anvil/Ferro shots.
This can melt the Surveyor in 3–5 hits.
4. Handle its Charge Attack
When it charges:
- Don’t stand in the open
- Don’t let it corner you
- Dodge sideways (its turning speed while charging is slow)
You can even bait its charge → step aside → shoot the exposed underside.
📦 Loot the Surveyor Vault
After killing it:
- Search the body
- Grab the Surveyor Vault
- Put it in your Prison Pocket
- Extract safely
If you die before extracting, you lose the vault and must repeat.
🏆 Rewards for Completing Mixed Signals
When you hand it in to Shani, you receive:
- Photoelectric Cloak
- Raider Hatch Key
Not bad for cracking open a giant robotic bowling ball.
🎮 Final Thoughts – Why This Quest Feels Hard
Most players struggle with Mixed Signals because:
- They don’t know what a Surveyor looks like
- They miss the blue beam
- They use weak weapons
- They let it rush them
- Or they don’t notice the exposed weak spot
Once you understand its behavior, the Surveyor becomes a slow, armored, blind potato with a giant laser pointer — not a boss-level threat.
