The Arc Raiders Avian Alarm Project is a five-stage, time-limited Raider Project introduced with the Riven Tides update (Patch 1.26.0) on April 28, 2026. To complete it, players must lay a bird trap at the buoys along the Seabed in Riven Tides for Stage 1, then submit specific materials—including Tick Pods, Comet Igniters, Vaporizer Regulators, and Turbine Compressors—across Stages 2 through 5 before the project expires on May 26, 2026. Finishing all five tiers rewards the Dockmaster’s Detector, the Bird House backpack attachment, the Fist in Air emote, an Acoustic Guitar, and a total of 250 Raider Tokens.
Table of Contents
Avian Alarm Project at a Glance
Here’s a quick overview of everything you need to know before diving into the full walkthrough:
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Project Name | Avian Alarm |
| Update | Riven Tides (Patch 1.26.0) |
| Total Stages | 5 |
| Map Focus | Riven Tides (coastline, Seabed area) |
| Release Date | April 28, 2026 |
| Expiry Date | May 26, 2026 (last Tuesday of September) |
| Total Raider Tokens | 250 |
| Headline Reward | Dockmaster’s Detector (unlocks Beachcombing) |
| Big-Ticket Cosmetics | Bird House Backpack, Acoustic Guitar, Fist in Air emote |
| Estimated Time | 8–15 raids depending on RNG and combat efficiency |
Avian Alarm Project Arc Raiders: What It Is & Why You Should Care
I’ve been grinding Riven Tides for a few days now, and let me tell you—the Avian Alarm Project is hands-down one of the more interesting Projects Embark Studios has rolled out. Unlike the previous High-Gain Antenna or Weather Monitor System Projects, which were straight-up material delivery grinds, Avian Alarm has a unique twist: the very first stage doesn’t ask for a single resource. Instead, you have to head out to the new map and physically do something.
The lore-friendly premise is delightful. Speranza is essentially turning the Riven Tides coastline into a low-tech early-warning system. By placing bird cages on buoys scattered across the beach, the residents can monitor flock behavior to detect incoming tremors and atmospheric shifts. It’s the kind of jury-rigged solution that fits the post-collapse world of Arc Raiders perfectly.
There’s another huge reason this Project matters: Stage 1 hands you the Dockmaster’s Detector, which is the key item required to participate in the new Beachcombing Map Condition. Without that detector, you’re locked out of one of the most lucrative loot loops on the new map. So even if you don’t care about cosmetics, the very first stage is essentially mandatory.
What’s New: Multi-Stage Visibility
For the first time in Arc Raiders’ history, Embark has made every stage’s requirements visible from the start. Previously, Projects were a black box—you’d complete Stage 1 only to discover Stage 2 needed some absurd item you’d been throwing away for weeks. Now, you can plan your entire run, hoard the right materials, and avoid wasting inventory slots on junk. It’s a quality-of-life win, even if it kills some of that “community detective” vibe earlier Projects had.
How Long Do You Have to Complete the Avian Alarm Project?
The Avian Alarm Project officially ends on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. That gives players roughly four weeks from the Riven Tides launch to wrap up all five tiers. This expiration is consistent with Embark’s new policy of tying Project end dates to the next monthly update—the last Tuesday of every month is now the standard “patch day,” and Projects roll over with each new content drop.
If you compare this to older Projects like the High-Gain Antenna or Weather Monitor System—both of which ended with little to no warning—the new approach is a massive improvement. You now know exactly how much grind time you have, so plan accordingly. I’d strongly recommend not leaving Stage 5 for the last week, because the Turbine Compressor and Leviathan’s Crown Ship Model are both rare drops.
All 5 Avian Alarm Project Stages: Requirements & Rewards
Below, I’ve broken down every stage with the exact items you need, where to farm them, and what you get for completing each tier. Save this section—it’s the meat of the guide.
Stage 1: Initial Flock Intake
This is the unique stage I mentioned earlier. There are no items to submit. Instead, you have to perform a single in-game action.
Task: Lay a bird trap next to the buoys along the Seabed in Riven Tides.
Rewards:
- 1× Dockmaster’s Detector
- 25 Raider Tokens
Where to Find the Bird Trap Buoys (Seabed Location)
The buoys are located in the Seabed area on the new Riven Tides map. Once you spawn in, head toward the central coastal stretch and look for the tidal flats. You’ll see a cluster of large, bright orange buoys floating in shallow water—they really pop against the muted blue-grey shoreline. Each buoy has multiple interaction prompts circling it (visible as glowing icons when you get close enough).
Walk up to any of the highlighted spots and trigger the “Deploy Bird Trap” interaction. That’s literally it. You don’t even need to extract from the raid for the progress to count—Arc Raiders registers the action the moment you deploy the trap. Just head back to Speranza after the match and pop into the Project menu to claim your Dockmaster’s Detector.
Pro tip: ARC enemies do patrol this area, especially Wasps and Fireflies. Bring at least a mid-range loadout, but you don’t need to engage them. Sneak in, deploy the trap, and ghost out. If a fight breaks out, just suicide-extract or die in peace—your progress is locked in.
Stage 2: Preliminary Signal Birds
The training wheels come off here. Time to start submitting actual materials.
| Requirement | Quantity | Where to Farm |
|---|---|---|
| Tick Pod | 7 | Drops from defeated Tick enemies |
| Canister | 20 | Residential Zones (most maps) |
| Moss | 12 | Residential & Vegetation-tagged zones |
| “Twilight Compass” Ship Model | 5 | Random world loot (containers/chests) |
Rewards:
- 1× Heavy Gun Parts Blueprint
- 3× Surge Coil
- 25 Raider Tokens
My take: The bottleneck here is almost certainly the Twilight Compass Ship Models. Ship Models are a brand-new collectible category introduced with Riven Tides, and they spawn as random container loot. Crack open every footlocker, weapon crate, and toolbox you can find. Tick Pods are easy if you fight even a handful of Ticks per raid—Ticks are the swarming little drone enemies you’ll see in cave systems and ARC nest zones.
Stage 3: Secondary Validation Birds
This is where the difficulty curve starts steepening. You’re now hunting elite ARC enemies and rarer Ship Models.
| Requirement | Quantity | Where to Farm |
|---|---|---|
| Comet Igniter | 3 | Salvage from defeated Comet ARCs |
| Fertilizer | 10 | Residential area random loot |
| Rusted Tools | 8 | Industrial zone random loot |
| “Velocity” Ship Model | 5 | Random world loot |
Rewards:
- 1× Anvil (Level 4)
- 1× Anvil Splitter
- 50 Raider Tokens
Strategy note: The Anvil Level 4 is a huge deal. It dramatically expands your stash space at Speranza, and it’s one of the few ways to get one without buying. Comet Igniters require you to actually take down a Comet ARC—those are the medium-sized flying enemies that drop down and explode—so build a loadout that handles airborne targets. A solid SMG or high-fire-rate rifle works wonders.
Stage 4: Heightened Alert Birds
Things get spicy. You’ll need to take out a Vaporizer to progress this stage.
| Requirement | Quantity | Where to Farm |
|---|---|---|
| Vaporizer Regulator | 1 | Salvage from a destroyed Vaporizer |
| Water Filter | 3 | Residential area random loot |
| Agave | 8 | Dry vegetation zones (desert/cliff areas) |
| “Sirena Dorata” Ship Model | 5 | Random world loot |
Rewards:
- 1× Gel Patches face style cosmetic
- 1× Riven Tides Hotel Keycard No. 311
- 50 Raider Tokens
Vaporizer combat tip: Vaporizers are the hulking quadrupedal heavy ARCs that emit a steam attack. Their weak point is the back module—try to circle behind them and unload. A Heavy Gun Parts Blueprint (which you got from Stage 2) helps a lot here, since heavy weapons shred armored ARCs. The Hotel Keycard No. 311 is also a sneaky-good reward—it unlocks a specific room in the Riven Tides hotel that contains high-tier loot.
Stage 5: Critical Warning Birds
The grand finale. This stage requires you to face the new Arc Turbine boss-tier enemy and find the rarest Ship Model in the game.
| Requirement | Quantity | Where to Farm |
|---|---|---|
| Turbine Compressor | 2 | Salvage from defeated Arc Turbines |
| Red Coral Jewelry | 3 | Chests and high-tier containers |
| Roots | 4 | Swamps in Dam Battlegrounds |
| “Leviathan’s Crown” Ship Model | 1 | Rare random world loot |
Rewards:
- 1× Bird House Backpack Attachment
- 1× Fist in Air emote
- 1× Acoustic Guitar
- 100 Raider Tokens
Final boss tip: The Arc Turbine is the new flagship threat introduced with Riven Tides, and it’s not a pushover. It hovers, attacks at long range, and has a wide attack pattern. Bring a friend or two, focus fire on its rotor sections, and use cover religiously. The Leviathan’s Crown Ship Model is going to be the rarest single drop in this whole Project—you might extract from a dozen raids before one shows up. Make sure you secure the extract whenever you find one. Losing it to another Raider in PvP would be soul-crushing.
The Acoustic Guitar is a meme-tier reward that the community has wanted forever—you can actually play it as an emote in Speranza, and yes, people have already started forming impromptu jam sessions in the lobby.
Total Raider Tokens & Rewards Summary
If you complete every single stage, here’s the full reward haul you’ll walk away with:
| Reward | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Dockmaster’s Detector | 1× |
| Heavy Gun Parts Blueprint | 1× |
| Surge Coil | 3× |
| Anvil (Level 4) | 1× |
| Anvil Splitter | 1× |
| Gel Patches face cosmetic | 1× |
| Riven Tides Hotel Keycard No. 311 | 1× |
| Bird House Backpack Attachment | 1× |
| Fist in Air emote | 1× |
| Acoustic Guitar | 1× |
| Total Raider Tokens | 250 |
That’s a stacked reward path, especially when you factor in the Anvil, the Hotel Keycard, and the Acoustic Guitar.
How to Use the Dockmaster’s Detector (Beachcombing Explained)
This is the value-add competitors keep glossing over. Once you finish Stage 1 and pocket your Dockmaster’s Detector, you can use it during the Beachcombing Minor Map Condition on Riven Tides. Map Conditions cycle every hour in Arc Raiders, and Beachcombing is exclusive to the new map.
When Beachcombing is active, you can equip your Detector and scan the beach to uncover buried treasure containing valuable trinkets, rare crafting materials, and (occasionally) high-tier weapon parts. If you die during the raid or lose the Detector, additional ones do spawn in containers across the map—but the spawn rate is RNG-based, so it’s not super reliable. Holding onto your Project-earned Detector is your safest bet.
My pro recommendation: Always check the Map Condition cycle before heading into Riven Tides. If Beachcombing isn’t active, you’re better off saving your Detector charge for when it is.
Pro Tips: How to Complete Avian Alarm Faster
After grinding through this Project myself, here are the optimization tricks I wish I’d known on day one:
- Hoard Ship Models from day one. Ship Models are demanded across all four material-based stages, totaling 16 across the entire Project. Every chest you crack on Riven Tides should be checked for them.
- Don’t sell or scrap Canisters and Fertilizer. These look like junk loot, but you need 20 Canisters and 10 Fertilizer just for Stages 2 and 3. Players who scrapped them early are now backtracking.
- Batch your ARC kills. Going for Vaporizer Regulators, Comet Igniters, and Turbine Compressors? Plan a raid where you sweep through known ARC patrol routes in sequence rather than hunting them piecemeal.
- Use a stash filter. Speranza’s stash now lets you filter by Project requirement—use it. Saves a ton of inventory micromanagement.
- Squad up for the Arc Turbine. Don’t try the Turbine solo unless you’re confident. Two competent Raiders can take it down in under three minutes; solo, it’s a 10-minute slog with high mortality risk.
- Don’t sleep on Hotel Keycard 311. After clearing Stage 4, beeline to the Riven Tides hotel and unlock that room. The loot inside often pays for itself many times over.
- Roots are easy if you know where to look. Skip wandering aimlessly—head straight to the swampy water sections of Dam Battlegrounds. They cluster there.
- Run with the Beachcombing condition. Combine your Project material runs with Beachcombing-active raids on Riven Tides to double-dip on rewards.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Scrapping Ship Models thinking they’re decorative junk. They’re literal Project keys—keep them all.
- Engaging Vaporizers head-on. They have AoE steam attacks. Always flank.
- Ignoring Tick Pods. Many players walk past Ticks because they’re weak; they’re also walking Project materials. Kill them.
- Forgetting the May 26 deadline. Block out time on your gaming calendar—miss this, and the rewards are gone for good.
- Trying to solo the Turbine on a fresh wipe. Bring decent gear or a squad.
Avian Alarm vs. Other Riven Tides Activities: Should You Prioritize It?
The Riven Tides update dropped a lot of content simultaneously—new map, new boss enemy (Arc Turbine), the Last Resort live event, the Beachcombing condition, and the Avian Alarm Project. So how do you prioritize?
| Activity | Time Sensitivity | Reward Quality |
|---|---|---|
| Avian Alarm Project | Ends May 26 (high) | High—exclusive cosmetics + tokens |
| Last Resort Event | Ends May 25 (high) | Medium—Merit-based cosmetics |
| Beachcombing Map Condition | Ongoing | Variable—RNG-based loot |
| Arc Turbine kills | Ongoing | High—rare crafting parts |
My ranking: Stage 1 of Avian Alarm first (for the Detector), then alternate Last Resort grinds with material farming for Stages 2–5. Knock out Stage 5 last because the Turbine Compressor and Leviathan’s Crown are the hardest drops.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Avian Alarm Project in Arc Raiders?
The Avian Alarm Project is a five-stage, time-limited Raider Project added in the Riven Tides update on April 28, 2026. Players must complete one in-game objective and submit four sets of materials to unlock cosmetic rewards, the Dockmaster’s Detector, and 250 Raider Tokens. The Project ends May 26, 2026.
Where do I lay the bird trap for Stage 1?
You lay the bird trap at the cluster of bright orange buoys located in the Seabed area on the Riven Tides map. Walk up to any of the highlighted interaction points around the buoys and select “Deploy Bird Trap.” The progress saves immediately—you don’t need to extract for it to count.
When does the Avian Alarm Project end?
The Avian Alarm Project ends on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, which is the last Tuesday of September. After that date, the Project will be removed and you’ll lose access to the rewards. Embark Studios is now consistently aligning Project expirations with their monthly update schedule.
How do I get a Dockmaster’s Detector?
The easiest way is by completing Stage 1 of the Avian Alarm Project. Stage 1 gives you one Dockmaster’s Detector as part of its reward. If you lose it during a raid, additional Detectors can occasionally spawn in containers across Riven Tides during the Beachcombing Map Condition, but spawns are RNG-based.
What is the hardest part of the Avian Alarm Project?
Stage 5 (Critical Warning Birds) is by far the hardest. It requires defeating Arc Turbines—the new flagship enemy added with Riven Tides—and finding the Leviathan’s Crown Ship Model, which has the lowest drop rate of any Ship Model in the Project.
Can I complete the Avian Alarm Project solo?
Yes, you can solo every stage of the Avian Alarm Project, but Stage 5 is significantly easier with a squad of two or three. The Arc Turbine is a high-HP enemy with strong area attacks, so squad play massively cuts down on completion time and risk.
Do I lose progress if I die during a raid?
No. Project progress is tied to your Project menu in Speranza, not your raid inventory. However, materials you’ve collected during a raid are lost on death until you extract. So you can complete an objective like Stage 1 and die freely, but losing 5 Ship Models you just looted means having to grind them again.
Are Ship Models reusable across Projects?
No. Ship Models you submit to the Avian Alarm Project are consumed and cannot be reused for other Projects or quests. Submit them to the highest-priority Project first.
What rewards do I get for fully completing the Avian Alarm Project?
You get the Dockmaster’s Detector, Heavy Gun Parts Blueprint, 3× Surge Coils, Anvil (Level 4), Anvil Splitter, Gel Patches face cosmetic, Hotel Keycard 311, Bird House backpack attachment, Fist in Air emote, Acoustic Guitar, and 250 total Raider Tokens.
Can I view the requirements for later stages without completing earlier ones?
Yes! For the first time in Arc Raiders’ history, the game lets you scroll through every stage’s requirements in advance. You can plan your inventory and farming runs ahead of time, even though you can only progress sequentially through the actual stages.
Final Thoughts: Is the Avian Alarm Project Worth Grinding?
Absolutely. Even if you ignore the cosmetics, the Anvil Level 4 alone is worth the time investment—it permanently expands your stash space, which is one of the most valuable upgrades in the entire game. Toss in the Hotel Keycard 311, the Beachcombing access via the Dockmaster’s Detector, and a casual 250 Raider Tokens, and this Project is one of the most reward-dense activities Embark has shipped this year.
The key is pacing. Don’t burn yourself out trying to clear it in one weekend. Knock out Stage 1 immediately for the Detector, then chip away at the material stages over a couple of weeks while you naturally play other content like Last Resort. By mid-May, you’ll have everything stacked and ready for the Stage 5 Turbine fight.
Bookmark this page—I’ll update it with any patch tweaks Embark rolls out before the May 26 deadline. And if you find a faster method for grinding the Leviathan’s Crown Ship Model, drop a comment. The community’s still working that one out.
Good hunting, Raiders. See you on Riven Tides.