After Rain Comes is one of those Arc Raiders quests that quietly signals you’re no longer in the onboarding phase. This is the moment the game stops holding your hand and starts testing whether you actually understand traversal, threat prioritization, and how to survive extended engagements without burning your entire stash. If earlier quests taught you how to shoot and loot, this one asks if you can think like a Raider.
Where It Sits in the Progression Curve
Unlocked after you’ve spent real time in the field, After Rain Comes acts as a bridge between early scav runs and the mid-game loop where objectives overlap and pressure stacks fast. You’re expected to read the map, manage stamina routes, and deal with hostile AI that punishes sloppy positioning. Failing here isn’t about bad RNG; it’s usually about bad decisions.
Why the Quest Is More Than a Checklist
On paper, the objectives look straightforward, but the real challenge is context. You’re operating in areas with increased Arc activity, tighter sightlines, and enemies that will chain aggro if you’re not careful. This quest subtly teaches you when to disengage, when to commit DPS, and how to avoid getting third-partied by patrols you didn’t plan for.
The Lore and World-Building Angle
Narratively, After Rain Comes leans into Arc Raiders’ core theme: the world doesn’t reset just because you extracted. Environmental storytelling, audio logs, and shifting weather cues reinforce the idea that the Arc is evolving, and humanity is barely keeping up. Paying attention here adds weight to later quests that build directly on what you uncover.
Why Completing It Matters Long-Term
Finishing After Rain Comes isn’t just about ticking off a quest node. It unlocks access to more complex contracts, better loot tables, and vendors that start offering gear actually worth risking a full loadout for. More importantly, it forces you to refine habits that will either carry you through late-game raids or get you wiped repeatedly once the difficulty curve spikes.
How to Unlock and Start “After Rain Comes” (Prerequisites & NPCs)
By the time After Rain Comes appears on your radar, Arc Raiders has already filtered out players who were coasting. This quest doesn’t unlock accidentally, and if you’re missing even one prerequisite, the NPCs simply won’t offer it. Understanding what the game is checking for here saves you from wasted runs and confused menu scrolling.
Core Prerequisites You Must Meet
First, you need to complete the full early scavenger chain that culminates in sustained surface deployments, not just tutorial extractions. If you haven’t finished the quests that force you to traverse multiple map sectors in a single run, After Rain Comes will stay hidden. The game is making sure you can manage stamina, ammo, and aggro without a safe reset every five minutes.
You’ll also need to have unlocked at least one mid-tier vendor upgrade, which typically requires turning in Arc components rather than basic scrap. This flags your account as being ready for contested zones where enemies hit harder and patrol paths overlap. If your vendors are still offering starter-tier gear only, you’re not there yet.
The NPC That Triggers the Quest
After Rain Comes is issued by the Operations Handler at the main hub, not a field NPC. This matters because the quest is tied to global world state progression rather than a single map event. If you’re looking for a radio call or an in-raid prompt, you’re searching in the wrong place.
The handler’s dialogue shifts subtly once the prerequisites are met, referencing increased Arc instability and delayed recon reports. That dialogue change is your tell that the quest is about to unlock. Exhaust their dialogue options fully, as the quest won’t appear if you back out early or skip the conversation tree.
When the Quest Actually Becomes Available
The unlock is extraction-based, not login-based. You must successfully extract from a run after meeting all requirements for the quest to populate in your log. This catches a lot of players off guard, especially if they finish the final prerequisite quest and immediately check the hub without running another deployment.
This design reinforces the theme of continuity in Arc Raiders. The world only moves forward once you survive and bring intel back, and After Rain Comes is the first quest that really commits to that philosophy.
Recommended Prep Before Accepting
Before you accept the quest, make sure your loadout is flexible rather than specialized. You’re not walking into a pure DPS check or a stealth-only objective, and overcommitting to either will get you punished. A reliable mid-range weapon, stamina-efficient armor, and at least one utility slot for disengagement will serve you better than raw damage.
Inventory management also matters here. Once the quest is active, you’ll start encountering items and locations tied directly to its objectives, and full bags mean missed progress. Clearing space before you even click accept is a small step that prevents a lot of frustration later.
Map Breakdown and Objective Flow – Where You Need to Go and In What Order
Once you accept After Rain Comes, the game stops holding your hand entirely. Objectives are sequential but spread across multiple deployments, and the quest log only gives you partial direction. The real trick is understanding how each map feeds into the next so you’re not wasting runs or extracting too early.
Step One: Initial Recon in the Flooded Industrial Zone
Your first objective pushes you toward a low-elevation industrial area affected by recent rainfall, typically spawning near drainage systems, collapsed loading bays, or waterlogged streets. You’re looking for environmental clues rather than a glowing marker, so slow down and scan for Arc interference signals and damaged recon gear.
Enemy density here is moderate, but aggro chains easily if you sprint between cover. Focus on clearing patrols methodically and looting side rooms, since the quest item can spawn alongside high-value containers. Once you secure the intel, extraction immediately counts, so don’t overstay chasing extra loot unless your bag is already optimized.
Step Two: Mid-Map Transit Through the Urban Ruins
After extraction, the quest updates and redirects you to a denser urban map on your next deployment. This area is less about exploration and more about traversal efficiency, with verticality and narrow sightlines punishing careless movement.
The objective node usually sits near collapsed high-rises or transit infrastructure, forcing you into close-quarters fights. Shotgun-type enemies and Arc drones tend to overlap here, so manage aggro carefully and avoid pulling multiple floors at once. Grab the objective item and immediately reposition, as this zone loves spawning reinforcements once combat noise spikes.
Step Three: High-Risk Objective at the Weather Monitoring Site
The final leg sends you to an elevated weather or observation facility, often on the edge of the map. This is the hardest segment mechanically, not because of raw DPS checks, but because enemy spawns stack while your mobility options shrink.
You’ll need to interact with a fixed terminal or damaged sensor array, which locks you into a brief animation. Clear the surrounding area first, then start the interaction with stamina in reserve so you can disengage the moment it completes. This is a common failure point, as players get greedy and try to fight instead of extracting once the objective ticks.
Extraction Timing and Why Order Matters
Each step only finalizes on a successful extraction, and skipping that step resets progress for that objective. The quest is intentionally designed to punish “one more room” mentality, especially in the final phase.
Follow the order strictly: industrial recon, urban retrieval, elevated site interaction. If you jump maps or extract before the quest log updates, you’re burning time and durability for nothing. Treat each deployment as a single-purpose run, and After Rain Comes becomes controlled and efficient instead of chaotic.
Key Enemy Encounters and Environmental Hazards to Expect
By the time you’re extracting cleanly from the weather monitoring site, Arc Raiders has already tested your routing discipline. What usually trips players up next isn’t objective confusion, but underestimating how enemy density and environmental pressure escalate between each quest step. Knowing what’s coming lets you control the fight instead of reacting to it.
Industrial Patrol Units and Early Aggro Traps
During the industrial recon phase, expect standard ARC patrol units with predictable movement patterns and low burst damage. The danger isn’t their DPS, it’s how quickly they chain aggro if you fire unsuppressed or kite through open lanes. One misstep can pull three patrol paths into a single engagement, draining ammo and armor durability before the quest even starts.
Watch for stationary turret nodes mounted near cranes or loading bays. Their hitboxes are deceptively large, and they’ll tag you mid-sprint if you rely purely on movement instead of cover. Disable them first or route wide, because turret chip damage adds up fast when you’re trying to extract early.
Urban Ruins: Overlapping Enemy Roles and Vertical Pressure
The urban segment is where enemy composition starts to matter. Shotgun-type Raiders and close-range ARC units spawn in tight clusters, while drones float above broken stairwells and rooftops. If you fight on their terms, you’ll get pinched from multiple angles with no clean I-frame windows to reset.
Verticality is the real hazard here. Enemies aggro across floors, meaning firing on street level can wake up units two stories above you. Clear top-down whenever possible, or you’ll spend the entire fight dodging grenades and drone fire while boxed into narrow corridors.
Weather Site Defenders and Spawn Stacking
The final weather monitoring site introduces heavier ARC defenders with higher health pools and more aggressive pursuit behavior. These enemies are designed to punish stationary play, especially during the terminal interaction window. If you start the objective with even one patrol active, reinforcements can snowball into an unwinnable DPS check.
Expect delayed spawns after the interaction completes. Many players assume the fight is over and get caught looting or reloading while fresh units path in from the perimeter. As soon as the objective ticks, reposition and break line of sight before committing to any additional combat.
Environmental Hazards That Quietly End Runs
Across all three phases, environmental damage is the silent killer. Electrical puddles, collapsing floors, and weather-exposed platforms drain health faster than most players expect, especially when armor is already chipped. Getting clipped mid-fight can push you into one-shot range without realizing it.
Stamina management matters more here than raw DPS. Slippery terrain and elevation changes eat sprint faster, and running dry at the wrong moment removes your only escape tool. Keep stamina in reserve before every interaction and extraction push, because Arc Raiders rarely gives second chances once hazards and enemies overlap.
Recommended Loadouts, Gear, and Consumables for a Clean Run
With enemy stacking, vertical aggro, and environmental damage all working against you, the After Rain Comes quest is less about raw firepower and more about controlled efficiency. Your goal is to stay mobile, clear priority targets fast, and never get locked into a prolonged firefight where stamina and resources bleed out. The right loadout turns this from a scramble into a methodical sweep.
Primary Weapons: Consistent DPS Over Burst
Mid-range automatic rifles are the safest primary option for this quest. You need reliable DPS that can handle drones at elevation and armored ARC units without chewing through ammo reserves. Stability matters more than theoretical damage, especially when firing uphill or across broken sightlines.
Avoid slow, high-recoil weapons unless you’re confident in headshot consistency. Missed shots during rooftop or stairwell engagements tend to snowball into aggro pulls from adjacent floors. A controllable rifle keeps fights contained and predictable.
Secondary Weapons: Emergency Crowd Control
Your secondary should exist to bail you out, not replace your primary. Compact SMGs or fast-swap shotguns work best when enemies collapse on you during terminal interactions or extraction pushes. Time-to-kill at close range is the priority here, not ammo efficiency.
Sidearms with slow reloads or low magazine capacity are a liability. If you’re forced to reload mid-panic, you’re already behind the encounter’s pacing. Think of your secondary as a reset button when spacing fails.
Armor Choices: Mobility Beats Raw Protection
Medium armor is the sweet spot for this quest. Heavy armor reduces sprint efficiency and makes environmental hazards harder to recover from, while light armor leaves no margin for error against stacked spawns. You want enough protection to survive chip damage without sacrificing movement.
Pay attention to armor condition before starting the final site interaction. Even slightly degraded armor can push you into one-shot territory when electrical hazards or delayed spawns overlap. Repairing early is cheaper than restarting the run.
Gadgets and Tools: Control the Fight Space
Grenades and deployables shine here, but only if used proactively. Tossing a grenade to clear a stairwell before pushing prevents vertical aggro from waking up half the block. Saving them “just in case” usually means dying with them unused.
Utility tools that provide brief area denial or distraction are excellent during the weather site defense. Anything that buys you breathing room during the interaction window reduces the chance of spawn stacking. Think in terms of space control, not damage padding.
Consumables: Stamina Is the Real Health Bar
Stamina boosters and regeneration items are more valuable than extra healing in this quest. Running out of sprint while repositioning between floors or escaping environmental hazards is how clean runs fall apart. You should always have at least one stamina-focused consumable on your hotbar.
Standard healing items are still mandatory, but don’t overpack them. If you’re burning through heals faster than expected, it’s usually a positioning or pacing issue rather than bad luck. Fix the movement problem, not the inventory.
Inventory Discipline: Plan for the Exit
Leave at least one inventory slot free before starting the final objective. The rewards from After Rain Comes are worth extracting cleanly, and overloading yourself slows sprint recovery at the worst possible moment. Extraction is often more dangerous than the objective itself.
Resist the urge to loot mid-fight, especially after the terminal completes. Delayed spawns punish greed hard, and getting caught in an inventory screen is a rookie mistake this quest is designed to expose. Secure the area, reposition, then loot on your terms.
Step-by-Step Objective Walkthrough (Including Optional Side Interactions)
With your loadout locked and inventory trimmed, it’s time to execute the quest cleanly. After Rain Comes is less about raw combat skill and more about sequencing actions while the map fights back. Treat each objective as a controlled engagement, not a sprint to the marker.
How to Start After Rain Comes
The quest becomes available from the Resistance board after completing the preceding weather reconnaissance chain. Accept it before deploying, as the objective terminals will not spawn unless the quest is active. This sounds obvious, but many failed runs trace back to players assuming it auto-triggers like earlier contracts.
You’ll deploy into the Rain District, with objective markers pulling you toward the partially collapsed mid-rise zone. Avoid beelining straight to the marker if enemy audio is already spiking. Clearing a safe approach path reduces the odds of getting sandwiched during the first interaction.
Objective One: Locate and Scan the Weather Relay
The first task is to reach the rooftop relay and perform a short scan interaction. The scan locks you in place for several seconds, and enemies tend to aggro from adjacent rooftops rather than the ground level. Clear high angles first, even if the area looks quiet.
Midway through the scan, expect a delayed spawn wave. This is where pre-thrown grenades or deployables pay off, especially on stairwell entrances. If you cancel the scan to fight, the progress resets, so commit only when the space is controlled.
Optional side interaction: There is often a loot container tucked behind the relay housing. Grab it only after the scan completes, not before. Opening it early can trigger sound-based aggro that overlaps with the scripted spawn.
Objective Two: Descend to the Flooded Interior Site
Once the relay is scanned, the marker shifts inside the building’s lower levels. The fastest route is through the broken elevator shaft, but it’s also a vertical kill zone if enemies are already active below. Dropping straight down saves time, but costs you situational awareness.
A safer route loops through the eastern stairwell, giving you sightlines on most enemy patrols. Watch for electrical hazards caused by residual rainwater; these tick harder than expected and chew through armor durability. Stamina management matters more here than DPS.
Optional side interaction: A side room near the stairwell can spawn crafting materials and a data fragment. It’s optional, but worth grabbing if the area is quiet. Skip it entirely if you hear Arc unit audio cues, as they path directly through that corridor.
Objective Three: Activate the Weather Terminal
This is the quest’s main friction point. Activating the terminal starts a timed interaction while weather interference spawns enemies in pulses. Spawns favor doorways and upper ledges, so positioning with your back to a wall reduces flanking risk.
Do not chase enemies during this phase. Kiting too far can pull additional aggro and stack spawns beyond what the terminal phase expects. Hold space, rotate targets, and use stamina to reposition only when hazards overlap.
Optional side interaction: If you brought area denial gadgets, this is their moment. Placing them before activating the terminal is far more effective than reacting mid-fight. Think of the terminal as a defense objective, not a brawl.
Final Objective: Secure Data and Prepare for Extraction
Once the terminal completes, the quest updates immediately, but the danger doesn’t drop. A final delayed spawn often hits as players relax and start looting. Reload, repair if needed, and listen for audio cues before moving.
The quest reward drops into your inventory automatically, so there’s no need to linger unless you’re confident the area is clear. Plot your extraction route before leaving the terminal room. The shortest path isn’t always the safest, especially if weather effects are still active.
Optional side interaction: If stamina and ammo allow, a nearby side alley sometimes spawns an elite unit with high-tier drops. This is a pure risk-versus-reward call. If your armor is chipped or inventory is full, extracting clean beats gambling the run.
Common Failure Points, Bugs, and How to Avoid Wasting a Run
Even if you execute the objectives cleanly, After Rain Comes has a habit of punishing small mistakes. Most failed runs here don’t come from raw combat difficulty, but from systems overlap, unclear triggers, and players misreading when the game considers an objective “complete.”
Terminal Interaction Not Progressing
The most reported failure point is the weather terminal not advancing the quest despite a full interaction bar. This usually happens if enemies are actively aggroed on you when the terminal finishes. Clear the current wave fully before the final seconds tick down, even if it feels safe.
If the terminal locks without updating the objective, do not leave the room immediately. Back away, wait for audio cues to settle, then re-approach the terminal. In many cases, the prompt reappears after a short delay, saving the run.
Delayed Spawns Catching Players Mid-Loot
That final spawn after the terminal isn’t random, and it’s not optional. Players who open containers or start inventory management immediately often get clipped while stationary, especially if stamina is low from the defense phase.
Treat the terminal completion like a soft checkpoint, not the end. Reload, top off stamina, and reposition before touching any loot. If you hear mechanical movement or Arc unit charge sounds, that’s your warning to hold position and clear first.
Environmental Damage During Extraction
Residual rain hazards don’t despawn when the quest updates, and this catches a lot of players on the way out. Sprinting through puddles or electrical arcs while over-encumbered can chunk health faster than expected, especially if armor durability is already compromised.
Plan your exit path with terrain in mind, not just enemy density. Slower, cleaner movement beats burning stamina and panicking when a tick finishes you off ten meters from safety.
Overcommitting to Optional Elites
The elite unit near the extraction route is a classic run-ender. It’s tuned to punish low armor and sloppy positioning, and the arena around it favors wide swings and vertical pressure.
If you choose to engage, commit fully and burn it down fast. Half-measures lead to drawn-out fights, extra spawns, and unnecessary risk. If your ammo count or armor isn’t where it should be, walking away is the correct play.
Quest Credit Not Registering After Extraction
Rare, but brutal when it happens. Extracting before the final quest update text appears can cause the quest to remain incomplete, even though the reward item is in your inventory.
Always wait for the objective text to fully update and disappear before calling extraction. Those extra few seconds are worth more than rerunning the entire quest chain.
Loadout Mismatch for Weather Phases
Players who spec entirely into burst DPS often struggle here more than expected. Sustained fights, stamina drain, and environmental hazards favor balanced builds with mobility and survivability.
Prioritize weapons with controllable recoil and reliable reload speeds. Gadgets that control space or buy time outperform raw damage tools in this quest, especially during the terminal defense.
After Rain Comes doesn’t fail you loudly. It bleeds you out through impatience, bad reads, and misunderstood systems. Respect the pacing, listen to the audio cues, and treat every phase like the game is about to test you one last time.
Extraction Strategy – Safely Leaving With Quest Progress Intact
Once the final objective clears, the quest isn’t over yet. This is where a lot of After Rain Comes runs die, not because of a bad fight, but because players relax too early and treat extraction like a formality.
Think of the exit as the last encounter in the quest chain. Your goal isn’t speed, it’s consistency. Every system that threatened you during the mission is still live, and the game fully expects you to misread that.
Confirming Quest State Before You Move
Before taking a single step toward extraction, stop and check your HUD. You want to see the objective text fully resolve and disappear, not just flicker to a new line.
If the quest tracker is still updating or briefly reappears, wait it out. Moving too early risks triggering extraction while the backend hasn’t locked your progress, which is how players end up holding the item but missing completion credit.
Choosing the Right Extraction Window
Calling extraction immediately after combat is tempting, but it’s rarely optimal. Enemy aggro lingers, and audio cues can be masked by weather effects, making late spawns harder to read.
Clear a small buffer zone first. Reset stamina, reload everything, and listen for patrol routes before you commit. A clean extraction call with zero pressure beats shaving ten seconds off the clock.
Managing Weight, Stamina, and Weather on Exit
Over-encumbrance is the silent killer during this phase. Quest items, spare ammo, and repair materials add up fast, and rain-modified terrain punishes low mobility hard.
If you’re flirting with the weight threshold, drop non-essential loot. Stamina regen matters more than extra credits here, especially when residual hazards force longer, safer pathing instead of straight-line sprints.
Defending the Extraction Zone Without Overextending
Extraction defense isn’t about wiping every enemy in range. It’s about controlling angles and preventing chip damage that stacks faster than you expect.
Use cover to break line of sight and let enemies path into you instead of chasing. Gadgets that stagger, slow, or displace are at their best here, buying time without draining ammo or durability.
Knowing When to Abort and Reposition
If the extraction zone gets flooded or an elite wanders in at a bad angle, don’t panic. You can cancel the call, rotate, and re-engage on better terms without losing quest progress.
This is especially important if armor is cracked or a weapon is near breaking. A 30-second reset is cheaper than dying and rerunning the entire chain.
Final Checks Before Liftoff
As the timer hits its last stretch, stay alert. Late spawns and weather ticks love to line up here, catching players who are already mentally done with the run.
Keep moving, manage stamina, and don’t tunnel vision the extraction ship. When the screen fades, that’s when After Rain Comes is actually complete, and not a second sooner.
Quest Rewards, Follow-Up Quests, and Progression Impact
Once the extraction timer clears and the results screen locks in, After Rain Comes finally pays out. This quest is less about raw loot and more about unlocking momentum, and that makes its rewards far more valuable than they look at first glance.
Primary Quest Rewards Explained
Completing After Rain Comes grants a solid chunk of faction reputation alongside mid-tier crafting materials tied to weather-modified zones. These materials are easy to overlook, but they feed directly into mobility upgrades and durability-focused armor, which are critical for surviving rain-heavy deployments later.
You’ll also receive credits scaled to your completion efficiency. Taking unnecessary damage or triggering multiple elite spawns doesn’t fail the quest, but it does reduce the payout ceiling, reinforcing the game’s push toward clean, controlled extractions.
Hidden Value: What the Quest Really Unlocks
The real reward is access. Finishing this quest flags new contracts tied to dynamic weather systems, opening up patrol-heavy zones that were previously locked behind progression checks.
This is where Arc Raiders starts testing your situational awareness instead of your DPS. Enemies gain denser patrol patterns, weather interferes more aggressively with audio, and extraction zones become less predictable, all of which build directly on the skills After Rain Comes forces you to learn.
Follow-Up Quests and Narrative Continuation
After Rain Comes feeds directly into a short chain focused on recovery and system failures caused by prolonged storms. Expect objectives that reuse familiar map sections but remix them with new spawn logic, tighter resource budgets, and heavier emphasis on traversal under pressure.
If you struggled managing weight or stamina here, those weaknesses will get punished harder in the follow-ups. On the flip side, players who mastered repositioning and extraction control will find these quests smoother than expected.
Long-Term Progression Impact
From a progression standpoint, this quest is a pivot point. It transitions you from early-game scavenging into mid-game planning, where loadout decisions and route knowledge matter more than raw firepower.
The upgrades enabled by its rewards improve stamina efficiency, repair economy, and survivability during extended fights. That directly translates into fewer failed runs, better extraction consistency, and higher-value loot brought back over time.
Final Tip Before Moving On
Before queuing your next deployment, spend the rewards immediately. Craft, repair, and rebalance your loadout around mobility and sustainability rather than damage spikes.
After Rain Comes isn’t testing if you can shoot straight. It’s checking whether you’re ready to think like a Raider, and everything that follows assumes you passed that test.