Arc Raiders 'Empathetic Prototypes' Quest Walkthrough: Disable the Magnetic Lock and Extract the Empathy Core

Arc Raiders 'Empathetic Prototypes' Quest Walkthrough

You finish 'Empathetic Prototypes' by dropping into the Spaceport map, reaching the Trench Towers on the northern side, and disabling the Magnetic Lock on the cargo crate. You have two options: use a Spaceport Trench Tower key at a terminal inside the South Trench Tower, or grapple to the top of the North Trench Tower and drop onto the hanging crate to disable the lock by hand. Search the crate for the Project Pathos Empathy Core, stow it in a safe pocket, extract, and hand it to Lance. The entire quest must be completed in a single Spaceport round.

Applies to: Frozen Trail 2.0 and later.

What You Need Before You Drop

Arc Raiders is a multiplayer extraction shooter from Embark Studios, and 'Empathetic Prototypes' arrived with the Frozen Trail 2.0 update. The quest is obtained from Lance after you complete 'Someone Else's Shoes'. Before you load into Spaceport, make sure you have the following:

• Arc Raiders with the Frozen Trail 2.0 update installed.
• 'Someone Else's Shoes' completed, so Lance offers 'Empathetic Prototypes'.
• A Grappling Hook if you plan to take the manual route up the North Trench Tower. The Grappling Hook is a gear item added in Frozen Trail 2.0.
• A Zipline for the manual route as a repositioning backup. The Zipline is a deployable charge, you carry a limited number and each deployment consumes one, so bring spares.
• A Spaceport Trench Tower key for the easy route. The key is a consumable: it is spent when you use it to open the South Trench Tower, so you need a fresh one per attempt. Keys are found as loot in Spaceport raids and from other players' stashes.
• An augment with a safe pocket so the Empathy Core survives if you die before extracting. A safe pocket is a dedicated slot on your augment that preserves an item through death and extraction; open your inventory, select the Empathy Core, and choose "Move to Safe Pocket" to stow it.
• Enough time in a single Spaceport round to reach the towers, disable the lock, loot the crate, and extract.

Step 1: Reach the Trench Towers on Spaceport

1. Load into the Spaceport map.
2. Head to the northern side of the map.
3. Look for the paired North Trench Tower and South Trench Tower, which sit just below the West and East Hangars and above The Trench.
4. Clear or avoid nearby ARC units before you commit to the climb, since you will be exposed while grappling.
5. Confirm you are at the correct towers: the cargo crate you need hangs below the North Trench Tower.

Step 2: Choose Your Route - Key or Grapple

The quest branches at the lock-disabling step, so a single playthrough completes one of the two lock-disabling objectives. Decide before you move.

If you have the key, take it. The manual route is widely described as the harder option and demands real acrobatic timing.

Step 3: Disable the Magnetic Lock via the South Trench Tower Terminal (Key Route)

1. Enter the South Trench Tower using the Spaceport Trench Tower key.
2. Find the terminal on the ground floor, on the interior wall to the right of the entrance.
3. Interact with it, the on-screen prompt reads "Override Magnetic Lock".
4. Wait for the confirmation that the lock is disabled before leaving the tower.
5. Head to the cargo crate below the North Trench Tower. It should now be accessible.

Step 4: Disable the Magnetic Lock Manually from the North Trench Tower (Grapple Route)

1. Grapple to the top of the North Trench Tower.
2. Position yourself above the hanging cargo crate.
3. Drop onto the crate.
4. Disable the Magnetic Lock manually once you are on it, the on-screen prompt reads "Disable Magnetic Lock".

Bring a Zipline as a backup for repositioning if you miss the drop. A failed drop wastes time you do not have in a single-round quest.

Step 5: Search the Cargo Crate for the Project Pathos Empathy Core

1. Once the lock is off, open the cargo crate.
2. Search it and collect the Project Pathos Empathy Core, the quest item.
3. Immediately move the Core into your augment's safe pocket so a death will not cost you the item. Open your inventory, select the Empathy Core, and choose "Move to Safe Pocket". Confirm the item now appears in the safe pocket slot before you move on.

Step 6: Extract and Deliver the Core to Lance

1. Leave the Trench Towers and head for the nearest extraction point, the West Hangar extract, just north of the towers.
2. Extract with the Empathy Core still in your safe pocket, the item must remain stowed through the extraction countdown, or a death during extraction can cost you the run.
3. Hand the Core to Lance to complete the quest.
4. Collect your reward.

Reported rewards for this quest are as follows; treat these as community-reported until confirmed in-game:

Common Mistakes That Cost You the Round

• Dying with the Core unprotected. If the Empathy Core is not in a safe pocket and you die, you can lose it and have to redo the entire quest. Stow it before extracting.
• Trying to split the quest across rounds. 'Empathetic Prototypes' must be completed in one Spaceport round. Leaving and coming back resets your progress.
• Attempting the manual route without a Grappling Hook. The North Trench Tower drop is impossible without one. If you have neither the hook nor the key, you cannot finish the quest this round.
• Missing the crate drop. The manual drop onto the hanging crate is precise. Bring a Zipline and reposition rather than forcing a bad jump.
• Confusing the towers. The terminal is in the South Trench Tower; the crate hangs below the North Trench Tower. Mixing them up wastes your round.

Unlock the Follow-Up Quest and Keep the Canto I SMG Ready

Completing 'Empathetic Prototypes' is reported to unlock a follow-up quest given by Shani, which community reports place at the Water Towers and the Launch Towers. The vertical traversal skills you just practiced carry straight over.

Keep the Canto I SMG and Vita Shots from your reward for that next run. Before you leave Spaceport, top up on Grappling Hook and Zipline charges so the next tower climb is smoother.