If you are working through Back on Top ARC Raiders, the confusing part is not the objective itself—it is figuring out exactly which building the quest is pointing you toward. The mission sends you across four different maps, and two of the targets are easy to confuse with nearby structures.
The good news is that you do not need to collect a special item for this quest. Your job is simply to find four designated locations and mark them with spray paint. The targets are the Pattern House on Dam Battlegrounds, a white lookout tower on The Blue Gate, the South Trench Tower at Spaceport, and a mural-covered building near Buried Properties in Buried City.
This guide breaks down each location, including useful landmarks, the easiest approach, what to look for when you arrive, and how to avoid wasting a raid because you reached the wrong building. It also covers rewards, practical loadout advice, common mistakes, and what happens after Back on Top.
What is Back on Top in ARC Raiders?
Back on Top is a Tian Wen quest that asks you to identify potential locations for new topside outposts. It is a four-part objective spread across Dam Battlegrounds, The Blue Gate, Spaceport, and Buried City.
The four objectives are:
- Dam Battlegrounds: Mark the Pattern House.
- The Blue Gate: Mark the white lookout tower south of the Warehouse Complex.
- Spaceport: Mark the South Trench Tower.
- Buried City: Mark the building with the mural in Buried Properties.
You can complete the objectives in different raids rather than having to visit all four locations in one run. Since there is no quest item that needs to survive extraction, this is also a good opportunity to use inexpensive equipment rather than risking your best kit. PC Gamer specifically notes that a free loadout is practical for this quest.
Back on Top ARC Raiders Locations at a Glance
| Map | Target | Useful landmark |
|---|---|---|
| Dam Battlegrounds | Pattern House | North of Generator Hall and Power Generation Complex |
| The Blue Gate | White lookout tower | South of Warehouse Complex, north of Maintenance Bunker |
| Spaceport | South Trench Tower | North of Launch Towers |
| Buried City | Mural building | Just north of Buried Properties |
The important distinction is that the quest does not always use the name of the structure as it appears on the map. The Blue Gate objective, for example, describes a white lookout tower rather than giving you a conventional named POI.
Dam Battlegrounds: Pattern House Location
The Pattern House is one of the easier objectives in Back on Top.
Head toward the northern section of Dam Battlegrounds. The building is north of the Generator Hall and Power Generation Complex and east of West Broken Bridge. These surrounding landmarks are more useful for navigation than simply looking for the words “Pattern House” on the map.
How to mark the Pattern House
Once you reach the building, walk around the bottom exterior walls.
You should see yellow interaction markers. You do not need to find one particular side of the building: the available interaction points around the lower exterior allow you to complete the objective. Interact with one of them and the quest should update.
Practical tip
Do not spend extra time climbing or searching the interior before completing the objective. The useful interaction is around the exterior.
If you are already near the northern part of Dam Battlegrounds, this is a quick objective to finish before deciding whether to loot or extract.
The Blue Gate: White Lookout Tower Location
The Blue Gate objective causes more confusion because the target is not a prominently named POI.
The quest asks you to mark the white lookout tower south of the Warehouse Complex. PC Gamer places it south of the Warehouse Complex and north of the Maintenance Bunker.
How to find the Blue Gate tower
Use this sequence:
- Enter The Blue Gate.
- Navigate toward the Warehouse Complex.
- Move south of the Warehouse Complex.
- Keep north of the Maintenance Bunker.
- Look for the white tower rather than searching for a named location.
- Approach the tower and look for the yellow interaction marker.
- Spray the marked section to complete the objective.
One useful visual clue is the terrain. The tower can be partly concealed by the nearby hill, so approaching from the wrong angle can make it seem as though the structure is missing. PC Gamer also notes a concrete ravine near the tower where the interaction point can be found.
Why this location is easy to miss
The biggest mistake is searching for a map label called “White Lookout Tower.” The objective is describing what you should visually identify, not necessarily giving you a normal named POI.
So, when searching the Blue Gate, think white tower + Warehouse Complex, not “find a location named White Lookout Tower.”
This is one of the most useful shortcuts for the entire quest.
Spaceport: South Trench Tower Location
For the Spaceport objective, you need to mark the South Trench Tower.
The tower is in the northern part of Spaceport, north of the Launch Towers.
How to complete the Spaceport objective
After reaching the South Trench Tower, do not assume you need to climb all the way to the top.
The useful interaction points are around the raised side of the structure above the trench. Yellow markers indicate where you can spray the building.
Approach from the raised side, locate the interaction prompt, and mark the wall.
Another guide similarly reports that approaching the South Trench Tower from the southwest and hugging the building can reveal the spray interaction.
Watch for ARC enemies
This objective deserves slightly more caution than the simple interaction suggests. The area can have ARC threats, including a Leaper or Rocketeer, while a Sentinel may also be positioned around the tower.
That creates a useful rule: complete the spray objective before exploring the surrounding area.
If your only purpose for entering Spaceport is Back on Top, there is little reason to turn a simple objective into a prolonged fight.
Buried City: Mural Building in Buried Properties
The Buried City objective is:
Mark the building with the mural in the Buried Properties.
The target is in east Buried City, around the Buried Properties area. More specifically, PC Gamer places the building just north of Buried Properties, east of Town Hall and southeast of Galleria.
What should you look for?
The target is a low concrete building with a mural.
There are two useful visual clues:
- Scaffolding around the structure
- A billboard behind it
Once you spot the mural-covered building, look for the yellow interaction marker and spray it.
Common Buried City mistake
Players can reach Buried Properties and assume the objective must be somewhere inside the district itself.
Instead, move just north of Buried Properties and search for the low concrete structure with the mural.
That small change in approach can save a surprising amount of time, especially when you are checking several similar buildings.
Do You Need to Complete All Four Objectives in One Raid?
No. Back on Top is spread across four maps, so you can handle the objectives in separate raids. The quest records the individual marked locations rather than requiring all four buildings to be tagged during one deployment.
That matters because trying to force all four objectives into one run would make the quest unnecessarily risky.
A better approach is to treat each objective as a short standalone mission:
- Enter the required map.
- Navigate toward the target.
- Mark the building.
- Leave or continue only if the situation is safe.
- Repeat on the next map.
This also lets you choose your route based on your spawn rather than committing to a huge cross-map journey.
What Loadout Should You Use?
Because Back on Top does not require you to bring a quest item out of the raid, an expensive loadout is usually unnecessary for the objective itself. PC Gamer recommends a free loadout specifically because there is no extraction requirement for an item.
A sensible setup is:
- A weapon you are comfortable using at medium range
- Enough ammunition to handle unexpected encounters
- Basic healing supplies
- Mobility or utility items you normally rely on
- No unnecessary high-value gear
The objective is reconnaissance, not a loot run.
A useful risk-management rule
If you mark the location successfully and have nothing else important to accomplish, do not automatically stay just because you still have inventory space.
The quest is already doing its job. Extra looting introduces additional opportunities for ARC encounters or PvP without improving the Back on Top objective.
A Fast Way to Complete Back on Top
If your priority is simply finishing the quest, use this approach.
Step 1: Check your quest before deployment
Confirm which objectives remain. This prevents arriving on a map and realizing you already completed that location.
Step 2: Use the nearest useful landmark
Do not navigate solely by the target name.
Use:
- Generator Hall and West Broken Bridge for Dam Battlegrounds
- Warehouse Complex and Maintenance Bunker for The Blue Gate
- Launch Towers for Spaceport
- Town Hall, Galleria, and Buried Properties for Buried City
These landmarks make the targets easier to locate.
Step 3: Look for yellow interaction markers
The spray interaction is the real confirmation that you have found the correct structure.
If you are standing beside something that looks right but there is no interaction prompt, do not waste time spraying random walls.
Step 4: Complete the objective immediately
Once the quest updates, your main task on that map is done.
Step 5: Decide whether extraction is worthwhile
If you have no other reason to remain topside, leaving safely is often the simplest choice.
Common Mistakes in Back on Top
Searching for the wrong Blue Gate location
The white lookout tower is not a conventional named destination. Its relationship to the Warehouse Complex and Maintenance Bunker is more useful than searching for a map label.
Looking inside the Pattern House
For Dam Battlegrounds, the marking interaction is around the lower exterior walls. You do not need to spend time searching the entire building.
Searching the wrong side of the South Trench Tower
At Spaceport, approach the raised side above the trench and look for the yellow markers rather than assuming you need to climb the tower.
Staying too long after completing an objective
A completed quest objective is valuable progress. Continuing to loot can be worthwhile if the area is safe, but it is not necessary for Back on Top itself.
Bringing your best gear
This quest is primarily about navigation and interaction. Losing an expensive loadout while completing a simple spray objective can turn an easy mission into an avoidable setback.
Rewards for Back on Top
Completing Back on Top rewards:
- 1× Renegade I
- 1× Stable Stock III
- 80× Medium Ammo
The quest is also part of Tian Wen’s progression. Current quest references list Our Presence Up There as the following quest, which takes the Pattern House objective further by having you work on an outpost there.
That makes Back on Top more than a collection of unrelated map errands: the four locations establish potential topside outpost sites, while the subsequent quest develops the Pattern House location.
Three Useful Insights That Are Easy to Miss
First, the quest is really a navigation test. None of the four objectives requires a complicated puzzle. The difficulty comes from translating descriptions such as “white lookout tower south of the Warehouse Complex” into an actual landmark in a busy map.
Second, the interaction prompt matters more than the exact wall. At several objectives, you do not have to find one pixel-perfect spray location. Yellow interaction markers identify usable points around the relevant structure.
Third, the quest rewards efficiency more than greed. Since the objective does not require you to extract a special item, you can approach each raid as a focused reconnaissance trip. A cheap loadout, direct route, quick spray, and safe exit can be more practical than turning every objective into a full loot expedition.
FAQ
Where is Back on Top in ARC Raiders?
Back on Top is a multi-map quest involving Dam Battlegrounds, The Blue Gate, Spaceport, and Buried City. You must mark one specific building or structure on each map. The quest is associated with Tian Wen.
Where is the Blue Gate Back on Top location?
The Blue Gate target is a white lookout tower south of the Warehouse Complex and north of the Maintenance Bunker. It is relatively easy to miss because it is not presented as an obvious named POI. Look for the tower and use the yellow interaction marker to spray it.
Where is the Back on Top location in Buried City?
In Buried City, travel to Buried Properties and search just north of the area. The target is a low concrete building with a mural, scaffolding, and a billboard nearby. Use the yellow interaction point on the building to complete the objective.
Where is the Pattern House in Dam Battlegrounds?
The Pattern House is in the northern part of Dam Battlegrounds, north of Generator Hall and the Power Generation Complex and east of West Broken Bridge. You can mark it from the yellow interaction points around the building’s lower exterior.
Where is the South Trench Tower in Spaceport?
The South Trench Tower is in northern Spaceport, north of the Launch Towers. Approach the raised side above the trench and look for the yellow spray interaction. ARC enemies can be present nearby, so completing the objective quickly is sensible.
What are the Back on Top rewards?
The quest rewards one Renegade I, one Stable Stock III, and 80 Medium Ammo. After Back on Top, the quest progression continues with Our Presence Up There, which focuses on the Pattern House at the Dam.
Conclusion
Back on Top in ARC Raiders looks more complicated than it really is because it sends you across four separate maps. Once you know the landmarks, the objectives are straightforward: mark the Pattern House at Dam Battlegrounds, the white lookout tower at The Blue Gate, the South Trench Tower at Spaceport, and the mural building near Buried Properties in Buried City.
The key is to navigate by surrounding landmarks rather than relying only on the objective names. Use inexpensive gear, watch for yellow interaction markers, complete the spray as soon as you reach the correct structure, and avoid unnecessary fights or detours.
With those details in mind, Back on Top becomes a quick reconnaissance quest rather than a frustrating search across four maps.
