I’ve seen a lot of players hit a sudden brick wall with the Tribute to Toledo quest, and honestly, I didn’t fare much better the first time through. Celeste asks for a Power Rod, and unless you’ve been actively crafting odd bits of gear, you probably haven’t even noticed one dropping. They’re pretty uncommon and mostly tied to niche builds, so it’s easy to miss them completely. If you’re in that spot right now, you’re not alone, and grabbing one is a lot easier once you know where to look—especially if you’ve stocked up on
ARC Raiders Items before diving into the mission.
Finding the Right Area
The game does offer a vague pointer by nudging you toward the Generator Halls in the northeast part of the Dam Battlegrounds. What you really want, though, is the Power Generation Complex just beside it. It’ll probably look familiar if you remember the Flickering Threat quest. It’s messy, full of players trying to ambush each other, and there’s usually a Rocketeer hanging around the extraction point, which makes the whole run feel way more chaotic than it needs to be. Before you step foot inside, it’s worth equipping a Safe Pocket. The minute you grab a rod, stash it. Losing one to a random ambush feels awful, and it happens more often than you’d think.
What to Search For
Once you’re in the complex, don’t waste time rummaging through scattered loot. The good stuff comes from the big electrical cabinets tucked around the tunnels and the main machinery room. You can breach them, and they’re easily the highest‑probability source for a Power Rod. There aren’t loads of them, but there are enough that you can make a loop through the area without feeling like you’re gambling everything on a single spot. And yeah, you’ll probably run into other players doing the exact same thing—so grabbing what you need quickly helps a lot.
Crafting and Recycling Options
If the place is too busy or you’ve had a rough streak with drops, you do have alternate routes. A Level 3 Refiner lets you craft a Power Rod with two Advanced Electrical Components and two Arc Circuitry. It’s not exactly cheap, but at least you control the process. You can also break down a Heavy Shield or a Snap Hook to get one back. Some players forget this, but if you’ve unlocked the Ninja Pack on page four of the Raider Deck, you’ve already got a Snap Hook you can melt down if you’re desperate and don’t fancy another trip into the Generator Halls.
Turning It In
After you finally get your hands on one, the rest is easy. Hand it over to Celeste and you’re done. And if you ever find another Power Rod in a later run, hang on to it—you can use it to power open a locked door near the Loading Bay on the Dam Battlegrounds, and the loot inside is almost always worth the trouble, especially if you’ve been keeping an eye on
buy ARC Raiders gear for upgrades.
