If you’ve been jumping into Arc Raiders lately, you’ve probably seen players running around in the Saltwalker Outfit. It’s easily one of the cleanest cosmetic sets in the game right now. The good news is that getting the base version is incredibly easy, but if you want the full set with all its armor pieces, toggles, and color variants, you'll need a solid strategy to grind out Merits as efficiently as possible.

Here is a straightforward guide on how to unlock the Saltwalker set without spending days doing it.

The Core Goal: Understanding Merits

To get your hands on the core Saltwalker Outfit, you need to earn 150 Merits during the parallel Forgotten Relics limited-time event.

Because this outfit sits at the very first reward milestone—which translates to roughly 15,000 total XP equivalent—you can actually unlock the base skin in just one or two successful extraction runs if you know what you're looking for. However, getting the full cosmetic set with all its customization options requires maximizing your Merit gains quickly before the event ends.

Target High-Density Maps & Modifiers

Trinkets and event relics are randomly generated, so there isn’t a single static chest or location that guarantees a drop every time. Instead, your best bet is to farm areas with the highest density of loot containers.

• Prioritize Buried City & Bird City: Focus your deployments on the Buried City map, or watch out for when the Bird City map modifier becomes active. These maps are packed with residential and commercial loot containers, giving you the highest statistical chance of finding relics.

• Hit Specific Zones: When you're on the ground, head straight for spots like the Grandioso Apartments, Santa Maria Houses, and local shopping plazas.

• Check Everything: Don't just look for big crates. Relics hide in everyday containers, so make sure to search cupboards, drawers, lockers, and even chimneys.

Memorize Relic Merit Values (Safe Pocket Guide)

Any event-specific trinkets you extract with are automatically converted into Merits alongside your standard match XP as soon as you make it out alive. Space in your inventory is always tight, so you should prioritize your safe-pockets for the highest-value items.

Here is the breakdown of what each relic is worth:

• Elephant Obelisk (Legendary): 150 Merits (Finding just one of these instantly unlocks the base outfit!)

• Colorful Shoes (Legendary): 150 Merits

• Tellurion / Colorful Shoes (Epic): 50 Merits

• Equatorial Sundial / Colorful Shoes (Rare): 25 Merits

• Sextant / Vintage Steering Wheel (Uncommon): 15 Merits

• Train Model (Common): 10 Merits

If your inventory is filling up, drop the lower-tier common stuff and make sure those legendary and epic relics are tucked away safely.

Double-Dip with Player Projects for the Red Variant

Here is a massive tip: once you successfully extract with these relics, do not sell them or throw them away. Take them straight back to Speranza and look for the Converging Paths player project.

The exact same trinkets you need to gather for the event are also required to progress through Stage 3 (Procure Relics) and Stage 5 (Cabinet of Curiosities) of this project. By donating your extracted relics here, you hit two birds with one stone. Even better, completing the final stage of the Converging Paths project is the only way to unlock the exclusive Red color variant for the Saltwalker set.

Maximize Your Survival XP

Since standard match XP converts directly into event Merits, surviving your raids is the most important factor. An extra 50 Merits won't do you any good if you die and lose your haul.

To speed up your passive point generation, stick close to your squad, complete live surface trials when they pop up, and focus on extracting cleanly. It is always better to take a safe, boring extraction with a bag full of rare relics than to pick a high-risk PvP fight that could wipe out your entire inventory and waste your time.