How to Find Dodger’s Stash Inside the Traffic Tunnel – ARC Raiders Guide 2026

Pravin Kumar

5 days ago

How to Find Dodger's Stash Inside the Traffic Tunnel

The Outstanding Balance quest is a brand-new mission added to ARC Raiders as part of the Flashpoint update, which went live on March 31, 2026. Tian Wen — the gun shop owner stationed at Speranza — gives you the job. She had a deal arranged with a raider named Dodger for a Bastion Cell, but Dodger has gone completely quiet. Now she wants what’s owed to her, and she’s sending you to collect it before some other scavenger beats you to it.

The setup is simple enough. The execution, though, is another story.

To finish the quest, you need to complete all three objectives without dying or extracting early — not even once. That means searching Dodger’s stash inside the traffic tunnel, tracking down his deal spot near Pilgrim’s Peak, and then getting out with Dodger’s Note safely in your possession. All in one clean run.

Players who go in unprepared tend to learn this lesson the hard way.

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Where to Find Dodger’s Stash Inside the Traffic Tunnel

Let’s get right to it. This is what most players are searching for, and rightly so — the tunnel is disorienting, and the stash isn’t exactly sitting out in the open waiting for you.

How to Get to the Traffic Tunnel

Start your raid on the Blue Gate map. Your first destination is the Checkpoint POI, located in the center of the map. You’re looking for a pair of large industrial doors that lead underground — head through the Outer Gates POI, and you’ll drop into the tunnel system beneath the map.

One thing worth saying upfront: do not take a Free Loadout into this quest. The Checkpoint area is one of the most actively patrolled spots on the map, and going in without proper gear will almost certainly end your run before you even reach the stash.

Step-by-Step Path to the Stash

Once you’re inside the tunnel, follow these steps carefully:

The moment you enter, stick to the left-hand wall.
Follow the main northwest road straight toward the back of the tunnel. Don’t take side routes or explore off the main lane.
Stay cautious of Shredder units. You’ll likely encounter at least one between the entrance and your destination. You can engage it or slip past — just don’t rush.
Keep moving until you hit the dead end at the back of the northwest lane.
In the right corner of that dead end, you’ll spot a small makeshift campsite. Look for a parked truck and a blue tarpaulin draped over a cage-style rack stacked with boxes. That’s the stash.

The tunnel is genuinely dark back there, so don’t rely on spotting boxes from a distance. The blue tarp and the truck are your best visual cues. Once you see them, you’re exactly where you need to be.

What Actually Happens When You Search It

Hit E to interact with the stash and hold the prompt until the search animation finishes. Now here’s what trips up a huge number of players: your inventory won’t change. Nothing drops. There’s no loot prompt. No item gets added to your pack.

This is not a bug. It’s intentional. Searching the stash simply advances an internal quest flag and updates your active objective. Don’t spend time clicking around looking for something you missed — you didn’t miss anything. Just move on to the next step right away.

Staying Alive Inside the Traffic Tunnel

Finding the stash is only part of the problem. Actually surviving long enough to search it — and then get out — is what separates successful runs from frustrating failures.

What You’re Up Against

The traffic tunnel isn’t a quiet place. Here’s a quick breakdown of the threats you’ll face:

Shredders — Quick, aggressive AI units that patrol the tunnel’s main lanes. There’s almost always at least one standing between you and the stash.
Fireballs and Pops — Ranged enemy types that can blindside you in narrower sections of the tunnel, especially when your attention is elsewhere.
The Bastion — This is the one you really want to avoid. It’s a heavyweight patrol unit that roams through the central tunnel section, and getting its attention is typically how runs end. Give it as much space as possible.
Wall-Mounted Turrets — Stationed at certain points along the tunnel walls. Be mindful of your sightlines and don’t walk into their fields of view carelessly.
Other Players — Because Blue Gate is a live extraction map, you’re sharing the space with real people who may not share your goals. Not everyone in that tunnel is looking for the same stash.

Tips That Actually Help

Gear up properly. A full, real loadout is non-negotiable here. A free kit is not enough.
Equip the Safe Pocket augment before you drop. You’ll understand exactly why when you get to the second half of the quest.
Move with purpose, not speed. Rushing through the tunnel creates noise and draws attention. Slow and deliberate beats fast and dead every single time.
Leave the Bastion alone. If you can route around it, do. Killing it is possible, but it’s rarely worth the noise and the time.

Finding Dodger’s Deal Spot at Pilgrim’s Peak

With the tunnel objective done, your quest will update and point you northeast — toward the Pilgrim’s Peak POI on the far end of the Blue Gate map. The path between the two locations runs across open terrain, so the risk doesn’t disappear just because you’ve left the tunnel. Stay moving and keep your eyes open.

Reaching the Antenna Tower

When you arrive at Pilgrim’s Peak, you’re looking for the main radio antenna tower — the tall one, not the smaller structures nearby. Walk up to the base of the tower and you’ll find a zipline that takes you up.

Locating the Deal Spot

Here’s the detail that most players get wrong: don’t ride the zipline all the way to the top. Dodger’s deal spot sits on the floor just below the highest level — a small platform or chamber one step beneath the roof. As you ride up, jump off just before you reach the top to land on this level.

Once you’re there, look between the two red generator-style machines on that floor. Sitting between them is a yellow duffle bag. Interact with it to search what the game calls Dodger’s Bag. When the interaction finishes, a physical item — Dodger’s Note — will appear on the floor.

Why the Safe Pocket Augment Is So Important Right Now

At this point in the quest, you’re carrying an item that you absolutely cannot afford to lose. If any enemy — human or AI — takes you down before you reach the extraction point, there’s a real chance you lose the note entirely. Storing it in your Safe Pocket slot keeps it protected even if you get eliminated, so don’t skip this step when gearing up before the raid.

What You Earn for Completing Outstanding Balance

Finishing this quest is genuinely worth the effort. Here’s what Tian Wen hands over when you return:

High-tier weapon attachment blueprints — these are particularly valuable for mid-to-late game loadout optimization.
Crafting resources — including Mechanical Components and Gun Parts, both of which you’ll want for upgrade progression.
Reputation XP with Tian Wen — leveling up her shop unlocks better ammo options and expanded inventory items that aren’t available early on.

On top of the direct rewards, completing this quest is a meaningful marker of mid-game progression. It opens up access to harder content and more advanced missions, so it’s worth doing sooner rather than later.

Mistakes That Will Cost You the Run

The Outstanding Balance quest has a short list of failure points that show up again and again. Here’s how to avoid each one:

Grabbing a Free Loadout. The traffic tunnel and Pilgrim’s Peak are both unforgiving locations. Entering without quality gear greatly increases the odds of failing the single-run condition before you finish even the first objective.

Waiting around after you search the stash. The interaction produces no inventory item. If you stand there expecting something to appear, you’re wasting time and leaving yourself exposed. Update registered — move on.

Riding the zipline to the roof. The deal spot is one floor below the top, not at the very peak. Going too far means backtracking while enemies potentially have eyes on you.

Leaving Dodger’s Note on the ground. The note is a manual pickup. It will not auto-collect into your pack. Skipping this step makes the entire run count for nothing.

Running without the Safe Pocket augment. One unlucky death between Pilgrim’s Peak and the extraction point can wipe out all your progress. Protect the note before you ever step into the raid.

FAQ:

Q: Can I complete the Outstanding Balance quest across multiple sessions or raids? No. Every objective — searching the stash in the traffic tunnel, finding the deal spot at Pilgrim’s Peak, and extracting with Dodger’s Note — must all happen within one continuous raid. If you die or extract early, your progress resets and you have to start over from scratch.

Q: I searched the stash, but nothing happened. Is the quest broken? It’s not broken. Searching the stash doesn’t add any item to your inventory — it just advances the quest’s internal progress and updates your objective marker. You should see your active objective shift to point toward Pilgrim’s Peak. If your quest tracker doesn’t update, try restarting the game and checking again.

Q: I can’t find the stash in the tunnel. Where exactly is it? Queue for Blue Gate, head to the Checkpoint POI, and enter the Traffic Tunnel through the Outer Gates. Once inside, hug the left wall and follow the northwest lane all the way to the dead end at the back. The stash is in the right corner — look for a blue tarpaulin covering a cage-style rack next to a parked truck.

Q: Is it possible to solo this quest, or do I need a squad? It’s doable solo, but noticeably harder. The Checkpoint and tunnel areas are hotspots for both AI enemies and other players. Running with a squad reduces the pressure significantly and gives you backup if things go sideways.

Q: How do I get the Safe Pocket augment, and why does it matter? The Safe Pocket augment is available through Speranza’s merchants. It protects a single item in your inventory from being lost if you die during a raid. For this quest, you’ll want to slot Dodger’s Note into that protected space the moment you pick it up — it’s the difference between a completed quest and a wasted run.

Go Collect What Dodger Owes

The Outstanding Balance quest is the kind of mission that ARC Raiders does well — it demands real preparation, punishes careless play, and rewards players who actually pay attention. Finding Dodger’s stash inside the traffic tunnel is just your opening move. The full quest takes you from one end of Blue Gate to the other, and every step along the way has something that can go wrong.