Emperor Dungeon Shortcut in ARC Raiders: How to Skip the Puzzles
Skip every Emperor Dungeon puzzle in ARC Raiders by throwing a Showstopper at the first inner door, then a Showstopper or Hornet Driver at the second. A squadmate must open the main entrance first, and a Snap Hook or Grappling Hook gets you to the left-hand platform.
How to Skip the Emperor Dungeon Puzzles
The route reached the final loot room in under 2 minutes in the footage we reviewed. Follow these steps in order:
- Open the main entrance: Have a squadmate unlock the main Emperor Dungeon door, as covered in our Emperor guide.
- Go to the left-hand side exit: Once the entrance is open, head to the exit on the left side.
- Reach the platform: Use a Snap Hook or Grappling Hook to climb to the platform above the exit. The footage used a Snap Hook.
- Throw a Showstopper at the first door: The door opens as soon as the Showstopper lands. The creator suspects a sensor behind the door that the thrown item triggers, which is unconfirmed.
- Throw at the second door: Use another Showstopper, or a Hornet Driver if you have none.
- Walk into the loot room: The second door opens straight into the main loot room, with no puzzles completed.
What You Need for the Emperor Dungeon Shortcut
The shortcut needs a squadmate to open the main entrance, a Snap Hook or Grappling Hook, two thrown items, and a weapon that can break the loot room’s yellow buttons. The list below covers the official details and what the footage confirmed for each item.
- Opened main entrance: A squadmate must unlock it first. Our Emperor guide lists the unlock item as the Emperor Gateway Conduit, while the footage calls it an Emperor Key (naming TBC).
- Snap Hook or Grappling Hook: Embark’s Frozen Trail 2.0 update notes list the Grappling Hook as a new item and give Snap Hooks their own identity, with range reduced from 20m to 18m and durability use raised from 2% to 4% per use. The footage used a Snap Hook, and the creator says either hook works.
- Two Showstoppers: You throw one at each door, with a Hornet Driver as the fallback for the second. Check each item’s stats before you queue.
- A weapon for the loot room: The Anvil took about three shots per yellow button in the footage, so carry spare ammo for six buttons.
- Spare carry weight: The loot room holds more than one Raider can carry, so check your loadout weight before you queue.
Our Frigate guide reports a Snap Hook breaking mid-route during early runs, so check its durability before you queue.
Why the Main Entrance Has to be Opened First
Someone must open the main entrance first, because bypassing it without unlocking it burns you to death, much like the old key card rooms. The shortcut skips the puzzles inside, but it does not skip the door at the base of the fallen Emperor on Pendola Pass.
Our Emperor guide lists the Emperor Gateway Conduit as crafted at Workbench I from the Emperor Gateway Conduit Blueprint plus one ARC Conductive Coupler, one ARC Insulated Coupler, and one ARC Plated Coupler. Our Redirection map condition guide covers where the couplers came from in early access, so start there if you still need the conduit.
Redirection is a map condition, and event times are estimates that do not guarantee an identical window, so check the ARC Raiders Event Timers before you farm the couplers.
Can You Use a Hornet Driver Instead of a Showstopper?
Yes, a Hornet Driver opened the second door in the footage just as a Showstopper does, giving you access to the main loot room without any puzzles. It was only tested at the second door, so whether it also opens the first door is TBC.
The table below shows what the footage actually confirmed for each door:
| Door | Showstopper | Hornet Driver |
|---|---|---|
| First door, on the platform | Opens it in the footage | Not tested (TBC) |
| Second door | Part of the standard two-Showstopper kit, not shown on camera | Opens it in the footage |
Our database lists both as thrown items that stun nearby enemies, and no other thrown items were tested in the footage.
Hypothetical Example Scenario: You only carry one Showstopper and a Hornet Driver. Use the Showstopper on the first door, where it is shown to work, and keep the Hornet Driver for the second door, where it is shown to work.
How to Deal With the Wasps in the Loot Room
Stay tucked behind the containers on the right-hand side of the loot room until the wasps lose aggro and leave you alone. Avoid shooting any ARC, because it only draws more attention to you, and the creator also flags an ARC waiting near the exit.
Follow this order once the second door opens:
- Move to the right-hand containers: Duck behind them as soon as you enter, because the wasps patrol the room.
- Wait for the wasps to lose aggro: They eventually fly off, and waiting is faster than fighting them.
The type of ARC near the exit is TBC, so keep it out of your line of fire and start on the yellow buttons only after the wasps have cleared.
How to Open the Loot Containers in the Emperor Loot Room
Shoot every yellow button on the loot room walls, at least six in total with three on each side, and the loot containers appear along both side walls. The footage used an Anvil, which needed about three shots per button, so bring a weapon that can break them reliably.
Work through the buttons in this order:
- Shoot the left-hand buttons: Destroy all three on the left side, reloading as needed.
- Shoot the right-hand buttons: Repeat the same three on the right side.
- Check both side walls: Containers now stand along each side of the room.
- Loot the middle containers last: The smaller containers in the center of the room are optional, but they hold loot as well.
The same yellow-target design appears on the Frigate deck, where shooting every target on one side folds the wall into steps and opens loot compartments. Check our Frigate guide for the full route once you finish looting.
What Loot You Can Get from the Emperor Loot Room
The shortcut loot room drops Emperor Modulators, pink data cards, and orange components, and the creator left one run with over 160,000 worth of loot. The gold Emperor Modulator is the one to protect, because the footage shows it is needed for the Gunsmith level 4 upgrade.
The table below groups what the footage shows by what each item does:
| Item | Use | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Pink data cards | Earn research points | Research points are spent on blueprints and upgrades |
| Orange components | Craft the new upgraded weapons | Needed for every upgraded weapon you plan to build |
| Gold Emperor Modulator | Upgrade the Gunsmith to level 4 | Its only use at the time of the footage, and the upgrade is required to craft upgraded weapons |
| Other Emperor Modulators | Not specified in the footage | TBC |
Our Emperor guide notes that Amplification Modules from Mark 1 to Mark 5 drop inside the Emperor, but the footage does not show one in the shortcut loot room. Whether these containers roll them is TBC, so cross-check unfamiliar items against the Loot Value Tiers page before you sell or stash them.
How to Leave the Emperor Dungeon After the Shortcut
You can leave through the main exit, or backtrack the way you came in if you are in a PvP lobby and want to avoid other players. The doors open automatically on the way back, so you do not spend any more equipment getting out.
You have three ways out once the loot room is cleared:
- Main exit: This is the simplest route, and the footage shows it as the default option.
- Backtrack through the shortcut: Retrace the route through both doors, which reopen on their own.
- Reckless Transceiver: This gondola transceiver sits in the Emperor’s shadow and is the closest extraction after an Emperor run. It is also the most exposed, so compare it with other exits on the ARC Raiders Interactive Map before you commit.
Will Embark Patch the Emperor Dungeon Shortcut?
Embark’s Frozen Trail 2.0 update notes, checked on October 12, 2026, do not mention a fix for this shortcut, but the creator expects a quick patch because it skips a large part of the dungeon. Treat the route as temporary and run it sooner rather than later.
This page is based on footage of the method and has not been re-tested on the current live patch, so confirm the doors still respond to thrown items before you commit a full squad.
Raid the Emperor Loot Room Before the Shortcut Closes
Bring a squadmate with the unlock item, a hook gadget, two Showstoppers, and a weapon for the yellow buttons, then clear the Emperor loot room before a patch closes the route. Keep the gold Emperor Modulator for the Gunsmith level 4 upgrade.
From there, spend your research points on blueprints and plan the components you still need in the Workshop Planner so you can craft the upgraded weapons. Then take your next ARC Raiders run to the Frigate, the only other source of Amplification Modules.
FAQs
Is the Emperor Dungeon shortcut bannable in ARC Raiders?
Embark has not said whether the Emperor Dungeon shortcut is bannable, as of October 12, 2026. Its September 30 anti-cheat post covers cheat software and economy exploits, while the shortcut only uses in-game items, so the ban risk is unconfirmed and worth weighing before you queue.
Can you do the Emperor Dungeon shortcut solo in ARC Raiders?
A solo Emperor Dungeon shortcut run is unconfirmed. The footage shows a squad of two, with one player opening the main entrance and the other using the shortcut, and a solo Raider with their own Emperor Gateway Conduit should manage both steps, so bring a squadmate for the confirmed route.
Does the Emperor Dungeon layout change every run?
Yes, MetaForge’s Emperor guide says the Emperor Dungeon interior reconfigures between sessions, with a handful of key locations always appearing in a different order. Whether the shortcut’s left-hand exit, platform, and two doors stay in the same place every run is TBC, so check the route each time you enter.
Does the Emperor Dungeon shortcut work in the PvE Toggle beta?
Embark has not confirmed it. The PvE Toggle beta test runs October 13-20, 2026, with zero player-to-player damage, and excludes Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate, and Frigate, but whether the Emperor Dungeon or its shortcut works in that queue is TBC, so test it in a normal lobby first.
Can you climb the Emperor in ARC Raiders without opening the dungeon door?
Yes. You can reach the highest point on the map without entering the dungeon by placing a zipline on the right side of the Emperor’s leg, climbing onto the knee joint, and placing a second zipline to the top. Use that perch to scout before you commit to a run.
