All the keys in ARC Raiders allow players to access locked rooms, which contain extra loot that is more valuable in most cases. Acquiring a certain key can be difficult because the chance of these dropping is random. In the case you find a key, you will need to know where to use it and what possible loot you can get behind the locked door.
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Dam Testing Annex Key Overview in ARC Raiders
Items & Equipment To Bring For the Key Run
Let's start by talking about how different the key is compared to the other keys. While other keys open a single locked room in most cases, for the Dam Testing Annex Key, you have two options. There are two locked rooms inside the Testing Annex, and using a key on one of these will consume the key, leaving you unable to loot the second room unless, of course, you have another key on you.
Before starting a match on Dam Battlegrounds, there are a few things you need to keep in mind and items to bring along with you. Firstly, the most value you will get from these keys is during a map condition. Electromagnetic Storm, Night Raid, and Cold Snap all increase the value of the loot you can get from these.
However, during Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storms, the hatches are closed, so if you find a lot of good loot, you will have to extract via the select few elevators active and risk running into another online raider.
For loadout, a Looting MK2 is a great option if you want to run a Light Shield kit. This ensures you have 2 Safe Pockets and some extra slots for trinkets. Apart from the heals and grenades, you should also bring some mines along with you. Jolt Mines or Explosive Mines can be extremely useful, as you can place them near the entry points of the Testing Annex, alerting you if another player enters the building while you are busy looting the key rooms.
If you are not planning to use the key during a map condition, make sure you bring a Hatch Key and escape through a hatch to return to Esperanza safely and quickly.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Where to Use the Dam Testing Annex Key in ARC Raiders
Once you load into the match, head for the Testing Annex, located in the southeast part of the map. This building has a medium loot value and c an drop Medical or Commercial items mainly. Once you reach the western entrances, head up the stairs and open the door.
Place a mine right next to the door after closing it and go forward, ignoring the stairs on your left. You will find the first locked door here and can use your Dam Testing Annex Key.
Inside this room, depending on your luck, you will find a few lockers, some medical bags, breachable cabinets, and a possible weapon case as well. All of these have a chance to drop high-quality medical or commercial loot like Vita Spray and rare crafting components. Players can also find blueprints along with possible weapons.
Once you have looted everything there is to this room, you can head on over to the next locked room, which is to the right of this room while facing it from outside. If you have another key, you can use it right now and start looting. Inside this room, you can find items lying on top of the tables and consoles.
There are a few drawers as well, which can drop some trinkets that mainly sell for Coins, but some are useful for Scrappy upgrades or project requirements.
If you are worried that you might run into a hostile raider while looting the locked rooms or when going for the extract and cannot risk losing your loot, you can opt for Duos or Trios. This will ensure that your friends will have your back while looting the building and making your way out, but you might have to share some of the key room loot with them.
Which Testing Annex Door to Open?
In the case that you have only one key and cannot decide which room to go to, our advice is to open the left locked door. This is because the possible lockers and breachable cabinets can potentially drop high-rarity blueprints, especially during a map condition, and the loot inside the room on the right feels slightly less when both are compared.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 85 /100 Critics Rec: 93%
- Released
- February 6, 2026
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Suggestive Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Koei Tecmo
- Publisher(s)
- Koei Tecmo
