Getting the Dog Collar in Arc Raiders is your first real challenge when it comes to upgrading your feathered companion Scrappy. This rare blue item can be frustratingly elusive if you don’t know where to look, but once you understand the best farming spots and strategies, you’ll have that rooster leveled up in no time. Let’s dive into everything you need to know about finding this essential upgrade item and why it’s worth the effort.
Here’s the thing about Arc Raiders that new players often miss – Scrappy isn’t just some cute mascot following you around your base. This rooster is basically your passive income generator, and the Dog Collar is your ticket to making him actually useful. While you’re out there dodging ARCs and dealing with other Raiders trying to steal your loot, Scrappy is back at Speranza working hard to gather basic crafting materials for you.
The real kicker? He does this whether you extract successfully or bite the dust. That’s right, even if you get absolutely demolished by a squad camping the extraction point, you’ll still come back to find Scrappy has collected some metal parts, fabric, plastic, rubber, and other essentials. It’s like having insurance for those rough raids where nothing goes your way.
Without the Dog Collar upgrade, Scrappy operates at his base level, which honestly feels pretty underwhelming. You get maybe 5-7 units of basic gray materials per raid. But once you slap that collar on him and bump him to Level 2, the collection rate increases noticeably. Plus, it opens up the path to further upgrades that can turn Scrappy into a genuine resource-gathering machine.
So where exactly do you find this elusive Dog Collar? The game tells you to look in “residential areas,” which sounds simple enough until you realize how vague that actually is. Let me break down what residential really means and where you should focus your search.
Residential areas are basically any locations that look like people once lived there – apartments, houses, small residential buildings. These spots are scattered across multiple maps, but not all residential areas are created equal. Some have way better drop rates than others, and knowing which ones to hit can save you hours of frustration.
The key identifier for residential zones is the little person icon on your map. When you hover over a location, it’ll tell you if it’s designated as residential. But here’s what the game doesn’t tell you – even areas not explicitly marked as residential can still spawn Dog Collars if they have the right type of loot containers. I’ve found them in commercial areas and even some administrative buildings, though the chances are definitely lower.
If you’re serious about finding a Dog Collar quickly, Buried City should be your first stop. This map is absolutely packed with residential areas, and the loot density here is insane. The western half of the map is basically one giant residential zone, which means more containers to search and better odds of finding what you need.
Top spots in Buried City:
The thing about Buried City is that it’s a PvP hotspot. You’ll run into other Raiders constantly, especially around the apartment complexes. If you’re rolling solo, consider hitting the smaller residential clusters first to gear up before tackling the main apartments.
Dam Battlegrounds offers a nice middle ground between loot quality and safety. While it doesn’t have as many residential areas as Buried City, the ones it does have are often less contested.
Key locations in Dam Battlegrounds:
What’s nice about Dam Battlegrounds is that these residential spots are clustered near Victory Ridge, making it efficient to hit all three in a single raid. Plus, the extraction points are relatively close, so you can get in and out faster than on larger maps.
Blue Gate often gets overlooked for Dog Collar farming, but it actually has some decent spots that most players ignore. The residential areas here are smaller and more spread out, but that also means less competition.
Notable spots in Blue Gate:
Spaceport maps also contain residential areas where Dog Collars can spawn, though the specific locations aren’t as well-documented as other maps. The residential zones here tend to be smaller and mixed with other area types, making them less efficient for targeted farming.
Not all containers are equal when hunting for Dog Collars. Understanding which ones to prioritize can dramatically improve your farming efficiency.
High-priority containers:
Lower-priority but still worth checking:
Here’s something most guides won’t tell you – Dog Collars can spawn as loose items on top of furniture like desks and tables. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen players rush through a room, looting containers but missing the collar sitting right there on a desk. Always do a visual sweep of surfaces, not just containers.
The spawn rate for Dog Collars seems to hover around the 5-10% range for residential containers, though this is based on community testing rather than official numbers. That means you might need to search 10-20 containers on average to find one. Some players report going multiple raids without finding one, while others get lucky on their first try. RNG gonna RNG, you know?
If you’re hunting solo, your approach needs to be completely different from squad play. Solo players should focus on:
Squad players can be more aggressive:
Efficiency is everything when farming for rare items. Here’s my recommended approach:
This is crucial and something newbies often forget – once you find a Dog Collar, immediately put it in your safe pocket. Your safe pocket preserves items even if you die, making it essential for rare upgrade materials.
The safe pocket has limited space, so you need to prioritize. If you’re specifically hunting for a Dog Collar, clear out everything else. That rare weapon attachment can wait – securing the collar for Scrappy is more important for your long-term progression.
The game has a built-in tracking system that makes finding Dog Collars easier. Go to the Workshop, select Scrappy, choose the training option, and select it to track the necessary resources. This adds a unique diamond icon to the item card when you find a Dog Collar.
This tracking feature is honestly a game-changer. The Dog Collar is classified as a rare (blue) recyclable item, and without tracking enabled, it’s super easy to overlook it in a pile of loot. The diamond icon makes it stand out immediately, saving you from that horrible moment when you realize you recycled a Dog Collar by accident.
Pro tip: Even with tracking on, double-check items before recycling or selling. I’ve seen players accidentally scrap their Dog Collar because they were button mashing through their inventory. Take your time when sorting loot.
While not available at launch, many extraction shooters eventually add player trading. If Arc Raiders follows this trend, buying Dog Collars from other players might become an option. For now, though, you’re on your own.
Night raids can increase your chances of finding better loot, including Dog Collars. The darkness makes navigation harder and PvP more intense, but the reduced player count and potentially better loot tables might be worth it.
Night raids aren’t for everyone. Visibility is seriously limited, and ARCs seem more aggressive. But if you know the map layouts well and have decent gear, the reduced competition for loot containers can pay off.
Keep an eye on special events and modifiers. While there haven’t been specific Dog Collar events yet, games like this often run increased drop rate events for upgrade materials. Following the official Discord and social media channels helps you stay informed about these opportunities.
I mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating – Dog Collars can be recycled into 8 Fabric and 1 Metal Part. While that might seem tempting if you’re short on materials, it’s absolutely not worth it. The passive resource generation from an upgraded Scrappy will give you way more materials in the long run.
Everyone rushes to Grandioso Apartments because it’s the “best” spot. But sometimes the best spot is the one nobody else is looting. Those smaller residential clusters might have lower container density, but if you can loot them uncontested, your actual chances of leaving with a Dog Collar might be higher.
If you’re specifically hunting for a Dog Collar, don’t extract early just because you found some decent loot. Use the full raid timer to maximize your search attempts. Every container you don’t check is a potential Dog Collar missed.
The RNG nature of loot spawns means you might go 5-6 raids without seeing a single Dog Collar, then find three in one run. Persistence is key. Keep at it, vary your routes, and eventually, you’ll get one.
Once you finally get that Dog Collar back to base (and trust me, the relief is real), upgrading Scrappy is straightforward. Head to your Workshop, select Scrappy, and hit the “Train” button. This upgrades him to Level 2, allowing him to collect more raw materials while you’re out raiding.
At Level 2, Scrappy will return 5-7 units of each basic gray-rarity crafting material when you return from a raid, whether you extract successfully or die. This might not sound like much, but it adds up fast. After 10 raids, you’re looking at 50-70 units of each material without lifting a finger.
Scrappy can hold up to 50 units of each material, so remember to collect from him regularly. If your stash is full, though, letting him hold onto materials temporarily can be a decent storage solution.
The Dog Collar is just the beginning of Scrappy’s upgrade journey. Scrappy has 5 total upgrade tiers, each requiring different materials:
What’s interesting is that previous playtests required both a Dog Collar and a Torn Blanket for the first upgrade, but the full release simplified this to just the Dog Collar. This change makes the initial upgrade more achievable, which is great for new players.
Each tier significantly improves Scrappy’s gathering capabilities. By Level 5, he’s collecting not just basic materials but also rarer resources. The time investment to max him out is absolutely worth it for the long-term benefits.
The Arc Raiders community has developed some interesting strategies for Dog Collar farming that go beyond the obvious:
Some players advocate for “naked runs” where you go in with minimal gear, sprint to residential areas, loot quickly, and extract ASAP. The idea is volume over thoroughness – do 10 quick runs instead of 3 careful ones.
Others prefer fully gearing up and systematically clearing entire residential districts. This takes longer but ensures you don’t miss any containers. Plus, you can defend yourself if things get spicy.
Playing during off-peak hours (early morning or late night for your server region) means fewer players competing for the same loot. Sure, your sleep schedule might suffer, but that Dog Collar won’t find itself.
The Arc Raiders community has become remarkably friendly, with many players choosing cooperation over conflict. Don’t be afraid to use voice chat or emotes to communicate with other players. You might even team up temporarily to clear areas together.
When specifically hunting for Dog Collars, your loadout should prioritize mobility and inventory space over heavy combat gear:
Remember, you’re not looking for fights. You’re looking for a very specific blue collar that a rooster needs for some reason. Stay focused on the mission.
Let’s be real for a second – hunting for a Dog Collar can be frustrating. You’ll watch streamers find three in one raid while you’re on your tenth run with nothing to show for it. This is normal. RNG-based loot systems are designed to create these variable reward schedules that keep us hooked.
My advice? Set realistic expectations. Tell yourself you’re doing 5 raids tonight to hunt for the collar. If you find it, great! If not, you’ve still gathered other materials and gained map knowledge. Don’t let the hunt consume your entire play session unless you’re genuinely enjoying it.
Take breaks. If you’ve done 3-4 raids without success, go do something else in the game. Run some squad matches, work on challenges, or just explore new areas. Coming back fresh often seems to help with RNG (though that’s probably just confirmation bias).
Finding the Dog Collar in Arc Raiders is essentially your first real test of patience and map knowledge in the game. It teaches you valuable lessons about loot spawns, map navigation, and risk assessment that’ll serve you well throughout your raiding career.
Some final pro tips to maximize your success:
The Dog Collar might seem like a small item, but it represents your first step toward efficient resource management in Arc Raiders. Once you get Scrappy to Level 2, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without him. Those passive resources add up quickly, funding your future raids and upgrades.
Remember, everyone struggles to find their first Dog Collar. It’s almost a rite of passage in the Arc Raiders community. When you finally get one, you’ll understand why players celebrate finding this simple blue item. Good luck out there, Raider, and may the loot RNG be ever in your favor!
Best Maps for Dog Collar:
Top Locations:
Essential Tips:
Container Priority:
Author: ManticBlog Team
