Arc Raiders Planks Sheet Metal Sheltered Retreat Crafting Meta Market Analysis [2026 Update]

As originally reported by PC Gamer, Embark Studios has detailed the resource acquisition loop for the second phase of the Sheltered Retreat project in Arc Raiders. Players moving past the initial Ruined Homestead photo objective must now secure specific structural materials, namely planks and sheet metal, to advance their base development. According to PC Gamer's report, players can obtain these commodities directly from the vendor Celeste at three seeds per unit, or extract them manually from high-yield loot zones across the map. Planks predominantly drop within residential structures such as Pendola Pass's Old Town, while sheet metal reliably spawns inside technological installations like Stella Montis' Assembly area. Much like narrative-driven interactive progression detailed in our coverage of how , structural crafting loops in extraction shooters serve as vital anchors for long-term engagement. As players funnel into specific high-density zones to farm these materials, systemic resource bottlenecks are emerging, fundamentally reshaping player movement patterns and early-to-mid-game extraction risk profiles across the game's post-apocalyptic environment.