Here’s how to drop a Hornet with a Trigger ’Nade or Snap Blast — without wasting all your ammo.
The Sparks Fly quest in Arc Raiders comes from Apollo, and it’s all about one thing:
💥 Kill a Hornet using explosives.
Sounds simple, but here’s the catch:
Hornets are fast, armored in the front, and grenade timing is everything. If you don’t finish the kill with the explosion, the quest won’t progress.
This guide gives you everything you need:
- where Hornets spawn
- how to weaken them safely
- how to land the killing blow with a Trigger ’Nade or Snap Blast
- and extra gameplay tips to avoid getting stung into the dirt
Let’s get into it.
🎯 Quest Summary
Quest Giver: Apollo
Objective:
➡️ Destroy a Hornet using a Trigger ’Nade or a Snap Blast grenade
Hornets can spawn on any map:
- Dam Battlegrounds (best pick)
- Buried City
- Acerra Spaceport
- Blue Gate
⚡ What Apollo Actually Wants
When you read the quest log, you get:
“These Hornet stings can really mess you up. Even if you destroy one, you’re wasting a ton of ammo. I’ve been working on a more elegant way to bring them down. Care to make some sparks fly?”
So the mission teaches you:
- Grenade-based anti-air combat
- Weakening drones before throwing ordnance
- Timing explosions on fast-moving targets
🛠️ How To Complete “Sparks Fly” in Arc Raiders
1️⃣ Find a Hornet
Hornets spawn most reliably:
- On rooftops and terraces
- Near apartments or housing blocks
- Along high-traffic yellow zones
- Hovering over residential clusters
They roam in predictable patterns — stay below rooftops and listen for the rotor hum.
2️⃣ Weaken the Hornet First (Very Important)
Trying to kill a full-health Hornet with just a grenade?
Not happening.
Use a weapon with good range — the Ferro rifle (Ferro IV) is ideal, especially with heavy ammo.
Shoot the rotors, especially the back rotors, because:
- front rotors have armor
- back rotors are exposed
- breaking two rotors causes the Hornet to lose stability
Bring it to low HP before switching to grenades.
3️⃣ Equip Your Explosive
Both work:
- Snap Blast — simple timed explosion
- Trigger ’Nade — manual detonation
How to aim your explosives (PC):
- Hold Left Click to preview the arc
- Adjust for the Hornet’s hover pattern
- Release to throw
For Trigger ’Nade:
- Right Click to detonate when the grenade is close
4️⃣ Finish the Hornet With Explosion Damage
To complete the quest:
✔️ The grenade’s explosion must deliver the killing blow
❌ Shooting it to death does NOT count
❌ Bleed damage or secondary fire does NOT count
The safest method:
- weaken Hornet to 10–20%
- wait until it hovers in place
- throw grenade directly at the rotor cluster
- trigger at the perfect moment
Once the drone explodes mid-air from your grenade:
➡️ Objective completes instantly
➡️ Extract safely
🎁 Rewards for Completing Sparks Fly
| Reward | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Trigger ’Nade Blueprint | 1 |
| Crude Explosives | x4 |
| Processor | x2 |
The Trigger ’Nade blueprint is the real win here — an amazing utility grenade for PvE and PvP.
💡 Extra Tips From Real Gameplay (Not Found in Other Guides)
✅ Hornets love to hover before stinging
That’s the perfect grenade window.
✅ Heavy ammo removes front rotor armor
This makes the weakening phase MUCH faster.
✅ Use vertical cover
Hornets shoot slow projectiles that are easy to line-of-sight.
✅ Don’t fight them in wide open areas
You’ll get hit from multiple angles and waste time.
🧨 Final Thoughts
The Sparks Fly quest looks simple, but most players get stuck because they don’t realize the explosion must finish the kill. With the right prep — weak spot shots + one well-timed grenade — it becomes one of the easiest Apollo quests in Arc Raiders.
