ARC Raiders Phantom Targets (1.42): Full Event Farm Before Sept 6

Phantom Targets is a time-gated Player Project that ends September 6, 2026, so if you want the Legendary weapons, the Anomia outfit and the token payouts, you've got a short window to clear both parts. Part 2 dropped with Update 1.42 on August 18, and the clock is now the real enemy — not the ARC.

I've run enough of these signal-hunt projects to know the trap: people faff about early, then panic-farm rare ARC parts in the last 48 hours. Let's not do that. Here's what changed, what's worth your time, and the exact run plan I'm using.

What changed with Update 1.42

Update 1.42 kicked off the back half of the event. This patch starts part two of the six-part Phantom Targets player project, which promises rewards for those who participate including blueprints, gear, tokens, and a backpack charm at the end. Alongside the project track, there's also a Phantom Targets event running until September 7th that grants more tokens, merits, and cosmetics.

The story hook is deliberately vague: Shani detects confusing surveillance data with an unknown origin, sending Raiders out to investigate strange signal readings across the map. Embark has also been clear this is a warm-up act — while this update is smaller than many expected, it appears to be building toward a larger October update (that's Frozen Trail, landing October 8).

Field note: Treat Phantom Targets as prep for Frozen Trail. Any tokens, blueprints and materials you bank now are still yours after the event ends. The deadline is on the project, not on your stash.

Why it's worth doing

Honestly? The headline pulls are the weapons. The biggest reason to finish the project is the Legendary weapon rewards from Stage 2. Aphelion, Dolabra, and Jupiter give players three additional Legendary options, while the other stages provide useful gear, attachments, and Raider Tokens.

On the Part 2 side, the project includes a structured track with several reward milestones. The update preview shows weapon rewards such as a Kanto 3 and Volcano 3 with attachments, plus blueprint rewards including fireworks and the Crash Map. The cosmetic carrot is the standout: the Anomia outfit is a free skin earned through the event reward pass — a no-purchase cosmetic goal tied directly to participation.

There's also a sneaky-good utility drop in Part 1. One reward worth calling out is the Powered Descender — it's a relatively hard item to find in the wild, so completing this stage is one of the more reliable ways to get your hands on one. And finishing all of Part 1 pays out 100 Raider Tokens on top of the stage rewards.

The run plan, stage by stage

Stage 1 — the antenna warm-up

This is the easy one, so bank it first with a throwaway loadout. The first stage asks you to upgrade three antennas on Cargo Elevators. Eligible elevators can be found on Dam Battlegrounds, Spaceport, and Riven Tides. Raider Hatches and other extraction types don't count.

Dam Battlegrounds is the fastest for this stage because it has several standard extraction points you can reach without crossing the whole map. The interaction itself is finicky-looking: climb up the sloping edges of the extraction point and hit E to upgrade it. The upgrade animation looks like it failed — the faulty antenna is still visibly present afterwards — but the upgrade did register. Don't waste a second attempt.

Pro tip: Do the antenna repairs on a light kit. Antenna upgrades and part-testing runs don't need your best gear. Save the premium kit for the Event. There's no reason to lose a stacked loadout to a random third-party while you're climbing a structure.

Stages 2 & 3 — parts and damage types

This is where it gets fiddly, and where prep pays off. These stages want specific ARC parts and damage types — Pop Triggers, Wasp Drivers, and the Leaper Pulse Unit for Stage 2, then fire-damage items (Blaze Grenade, Firefly Burner, Fireball Burner, Flame Spray), energy weapons (Aphelion, Dolabra, Jupiter, Equalizer) against Bastions, Leapers, Vaporizers or Rocketeers, and Launcher Ammo against flying ARC for Stage 3.

The move here is to hoard before you commit. If you find Pop Triggers, Wasp Drivers, or Leaper Pulse Units beforehand, saving them cuts down the amount of farming you need once Stage 2 becomes active. Later in Part 2, one objective asks players to deal damage to flying ARC using fireworks, which gives the event a more playful challenge layer.

What to bring for Stages 2–3:

• A fire item or two (Blaze Grenade / Flame Spray) for the fire-damage objective
• An energy weapon — your freshly-earned Aphelion or Dolabra works
• Launcher Ammo for the flying-ARC tasks
• A material buffer so you can re-craft fast: have materials in reserve — new event modes reward players who can re-craft and re-equip fast between deaths.

Pros and cons of grinding it now

Pros:

• Three free Legendaries (Aphelion, Dolabra, Jupiter) plus attachment blueprints
• Free Anomia outfit with no purchase
• 100 Raider Tokens for finishing Part 1, plus more from the event track
• A reliable route to the otherwise-rare Powered Descender

Cons:

• Hard deadline — miss September 6 and the project rewards are gone
• Stages 2–3 gate you behind specific ARC parts that don't always drop when you want them
• It's a smaller patch; the big content is Frozen Trail in October
• Sources agree Part 2 tables were only fully confirmed once 1.42 went live, so double-check in-game before farming to a spec

What to expect next

This event is a bridge, not a destination. With Part 2 and the Tick Hunter Bundle live, players have more content to experience, and Phantom Targets could be the first step toward a larger update later this year. That larger update is Frozen Trail on October 8 — a new snowy map, new ARCs and new weapons — so anything you bank now rolls straight into that. If you want a head start, our Frozen Trail prep guide covers what to stockpile before it drops.

Clearing every Phantom Targets stage means a lot of targeted runs — repairing antennas, hunting Pop Triggers and Wasp Drivers, and grinding out fire and launcher kills against specific ARC, all before the September 6 cutoff. If you'd rather spend that short window actually playing the event instead of farming crafting mats and Coins to fund your loadouts, our ARC Raiders Coinsfrom $0.49 delivery keeps your stash topped up so you never sit out a run waiting on materials. Fast, safe, and it leaves your prep window free for the fights that matter.