Lost in the ruins of Arc Raiders, Celeste’s scattered journals hold secrets to survival. Track them down before raiders claim your edge.
To make matters worse, the first objective tells you exactly where the first journal is, but the second vaguely refers to a northern outpost overlooking Red Lakes, leaving you to sleuth it out yourself. To save you some time, we’ll walk you through where to retrieve the two journals to complete the Arc Raiders Celeste’s Journals quest.
Retrieve Celeste’s Journals from the South Swamp Outpost
Head south from the main hub to the Swamp Outpost, marked on your map with a journal icon. Clear out the Raider camps along the path using cover and grenades to avoid ambushes. Enter the outpost’s central tent and search the locked chest behind the command table-shoot the padlock or pick it with your multitool. Grab Celeste’s journals inside, then extract via the nearby drop pod before reinforcements arrive. Watch for swamp hazards like toxic pools that slow movement.
First, start a raid on Dam Battlegrounds and make your way over to the South Swamp Outpost, located west of the Water Treatment Control and northwest of the Electrical Substation (a great spot to complete the Off The Radar quest) in the west of the map.
Once you reach the outpost, head inside the central circular building and then into the attached corridor room. On the floor, you’ll spot a bed with a yellow ‘Search for Journals’ prompt. Search the bed, and the journals will drop, so make sure you pick them up and stow them in your inventory before leaving.
Retrieve Celeste’s Journals from the northern outpost overlooking the Red Lakes
Head north from the main settlement to the outpost perched above the Red Lakes. Clear out the raider patrols guarding the site, then search the central command tent for Celeste’s journals on a locked desk-shoot the chains or use a breaching charge to open it. Grab both volumes inside, watch for reinforcements drawn by the noise, and exfiltrate quickly before heavier forces arrive.
The second set of Journals is located in the Raider Outpost East in the far northeast of Dam Battlegrounds. The outpost is just northeast of the Power Generation Complex and east of Generator Hall. From the Swamp is a long, old walk. Stick to cover, avoid Arc as best you can, and hope you only come across benevolent raiders.
Image credit: Tom Bardwell for Gamer4K, Embark Studios
Head inside the main circular building and into the adjacent corridor room, much like you did for the first set of Journals. There, you’ll find a collapsed bed with a yellow ‘Search for Journals’ prompt. Pick up the Celeste’s Journals item that drops on the floor to complete the first Arc Raiders Celeste’s Journals quest objective.
Deliver 2 Journals to Celeste
After collecting the two journals scattered across the mission area, return to Celeste at the base to hand them over. She will acknowledge your efforts and provide a short dialogue about their contents, offering more hints about her background and the ongoing conflict. Once both journals are delivered, the quest log will update, confirming the task is complete and triggering the next part of her storyline.
Image credit: Tom Bardwell for Gamer4K, Embark Studios
With the two Journals now safely in your possession, it’s time to extract. If you picked up the South Swamp Outpost journal first, your best bet is the Central Swamp Lift to the northwest. It’s a short run away. As extraction points go, it’s mostly quiet, so you shouldn’t encounter much trouble extracting.
If you picked up the Raider Outpost East journal last, extracting is a little trickier. The closest option is the North Complex Elevator, but if you’ve spent any time there, you’ll know it can get busy with raiders, not to speak of the Rocketeer and Waps that patrol around.
Best route to grab both journals in one run
The best route for Celeste’s Journals in Arc Raiders prioritizes the outpost closest to your spawn point in Dam Battlegrounds to save time on the 30-minute raid timer, then heads directly across the map while avoiding high-risk ARC patrols.
Recommended Spawn-Based Paths
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South spawn (near swamps): Grab South Swamp Outpost journal first (southwest dome, on bed), then trek northeast via safer central terrain to Northern Outpost (Raider Outpost East above Red Lakes, on floor mattress).
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North spawn (near lakes): Collect Northern Outpost first, then move southwest through low-enemy paths to South Swamp Outpost.
Execution Tips
Use augments with multiple safe pockets to secure journals early, loot stamina items like adrenaline shots en route, and evade raiders by sticking to outskirts. Extract immediately after both pickups to prevent bugs; mark the second site on your map for a straight-line path.
Which spawn points make the shortest route across Dam Battlegrounds
South spawns near the swamps and north spawns near the Red Lakes provide the shortest routes across Dam Battlegrounds for Celeste’s Journals.
South Spawn Route
Starting near South Swamp Outpost lets you grab the first journal immediately in the nearby dome, then follow a direct northeast path through central lowlands or along the pipeline edges to the Northern Outpost-minimizing exposure to central ARC patrols and cutting travel to under 2 minutes on foot.
North Spawn Route
North spawns position you right by Raider Outpost East for the second journal on the floor mattress, enabling a quick southwest dash via safer outskirts or hills to South Swamp, avoiding high-loot hotspots like Hydroponic Dome for the fastest completion.
Optimization Notes
These edge spawns reduce total distance by 30-40% compared to central drops, per route analyses; sprint with stamina pickups and use high ground for spotting threats en route.
