If you have been jumping into ARC Raiders lately, you have probably noticed how much the Forgotten Relics event changes the rhythm of a raid. It is not just about grabbing loot and getting out. Every clean extraction feeds your Merit total, and that means steady progress toward the reward track. If you are also trying to keep up with ARC Raiders BluePrints, this event can fit right into your normal route without feeling like a separate grind.
How the event actually moves forward
The Merit system is simple on paper, but it matters more than most players expect. Every 100 XP you keep after a successful extraction turns into 1 Merit. So if you want to move fast, the real goal is not just fighting well. It is surviving, banking the XP, and keeping that momentum going raid after raid. A lot of players get caught up chasing one more fight, then lose everything at the exit. That hurts more than it sounds.
There are two clean ways to build Merits. First, you can earn XP the usual way by taking down ARC units, fighting Raiders, looting high-value rooms, and leaving the map alive. Second, you can hunt the new Forgotten Relics scattered across Topside. These relics hand out extra Merits based on rarity, and the better ones can move your total a lot faster than people think. The track has 21 rewards, and the final tier sits at 3,150 Merits, which works out to about 315,000 XP overall.
Where players are farming right now
If you want efficient routes, Buried City is still one of the best places to start. Grandioso Apartments, Santa Maria Houses, the surrounding residential blocks, and nearby medical buildings all have loads of drawers, lockers, cupboards, and shelves. That means more chances to find relics without wasting time crossing the whole map. Dam Battlegrounds is another solid pick, especially the Research and Development building, where the container density is just easier to work with.
The nice thing is that relics do not need elite enemies cleared first. You can move through quieter buildings, open every container you see, and skip fights that would only slow you down. That is usually what smart players do. They keep the route tight, take the relics, and extract before the run gets messy. High-rarity relics are the big prize here, though. One Legendary find can be worth a serious chunk of progress, sometimes close to what you would need many fights to earn on their own.
What to focus on during each raid
The fastest runs usually follow the same basic pattern. Start in a building cluster with lots of searchable containers. Clear the easy rooms first. Grab every relic you come across. If an ARC patrol is sitting in your path and it is quick to remove, take it out. If not, move around it. That little decision-making loop is what saves time. It also keeps you alive, which is the part that actually matters. XP only turns into Merits after extraction, so a dead run is just a dead run.
That is why a safe exit is better than a greedy one. Players often overestimate how much extra XP they can squeeze out before leaving. In practice, the best pace comes from repeatable raids, not highlight moments. You do not need to fight the whole map. You just need a route that keeps relics, XP, and extraction all working together. If you are also building up ARC Raiders Coins, these runs help there too, since the same loot route keeps bringing in items worth selling.
Final Thoughts
The Forgotten Relics event rewards players who keep things steady. You do not have to force every encounter, and you do not need to turn each raid into a full combat sweep. A smarter approach is to run dense loot areas, collect relics as you go, and extract before the raid gets noisy. That way, every session pushes your Merit total forward while also feeding your stash, your crafting plans, and your long-term progress. If you stay consistent, the event track feels much less like a grind and more like a route you can naturally fold into regular play. And if you are looking to save time on gearing between runs, checking ARC Raiders Bps for sale can make the rest of the climb a lot smoother.
