Arc Raiders Riven Tides Hotel Keycard No 107 Beginner Guide

Guide: arcraiders · Published · 3,305 words · 17 min read

arcraiders in-game screenshot
In-game screenshot

Quick Answer: Arc Raiders Riven Tides Hotel Keycard No 107 is best treated as an early-game loot objective, not a must-buy item: learn where keycards fit into extraction routes, hoard survival resources, and only spend when the hotel run is worth the risk.

Arc Raiders is a multiplayer extraction adventure set on a lethal future Earth ruled by ARC machines, and it rewards cautious, efficient starts over reckless fighting. Source

What Arc Raiders Is Asking of New Players

Arc Raiders asks new players to survive, loot, and extract with more discipline than aggression. The game is built around short-to-medium raids where the biggest mistake is often not losing a fight, but losing everything because you stayed too long, carried too much, or ignored the safest path out.

That means your early goal is not “become a hero” but “come home with something useful.” In the first hours, the game teaches three habits that matter everywhere: read the map, manage noise, and recognize when a run has already paid for itself. If you are hunting a named item like Arc Raiders Riven Tides Hotel Keycard No 107, this mindset matters even more, because keycard runs usually tempt beginners into overcommitting to a single room or wing when the smartest play is often to enter, loot fast, and leave before the area becomes a magnet for other players or ARC patrols.

The broader structure of the game also shapes how beginners should think. Arc Raiders can be played solo or in teams of two or three, so you are not learning a fixed “one true” pace; you are learning how to adapt your risk to your squad size. Source Solo players should favor low-commitment routes, while duos and trios can afford a bit more map control, one player watching a hallway while another loots, or one member baiting danger away from a key room.

The game’s longevity also signals that the beginner phase is worth taking seriously. HowLongToBeat lists roughly 38.43 hours for the main story, 73.74 hours with extras, and 157.95 hours for completion, which is a strong hint that there is plenty of room to build good habits before chasing mastery. Source In practice, that means you do not need to rush into high-risk routes or advanced combat just because you found something exciting. A first-hour player who extracts twice with modest loot is often progressing faster than a new player who dies once with a full backpack.

What “beginner” really means here

  • You still panic under third-party pressure.
  • You have not yet learned common extraction choke points.
  • You are still figuring out which loot is worth taking on sight.
  • You do not yet know when to disengage from ARC enemies versus players.

Those are normal. Arc Raiders is built to punish impatience, not curiosity.

First-Hour Checklist

Your first hour should be spent learning extraction habits, not chasing perfect gear. The best opening routine is simple: secure a low-risk loadout, run a short raid, identify one safe route, and return with anything that improves your next outing.

Here is a beginner-friendly first-hour checklist you can follow without needing to know every map by heart:

  • Complete the tutorial or practice equivalent first. Treat this as movement, aiming, and interaction training, not a test of combat skill.
  • Check your inventory and stash behavior. Learn what is kept on death, what is lost, and what must be extracted to preserve it.
  • Run a short, low-intensity raid. Do not overextend just because the map looks quiet.
  • Loot with purpose. Pick up only items that clearly help survivability, progression, or a planned keycard route.
  • Test one extraction path twice. The first time is for observation; the second is for confidence.
  • Mark one “safe enough” route for future runs. A route that is merely consistent beats a “perfect” route you do not remember under pressure.
  • Avoid high-value ego fights. If you hear another squad near an exit, leave if the run is already profitable.

For a keycard-focused beginner, this checklist matters because a special item run can become a trap. If you find something like the Arc Raiders Riven Tides Hotel Keycard No 107 early, resist the urge to immediately sprint to the hotel and force the door. First, understand whether you already have a useful backpack state, a safe extraction angle, and enough time to complete the route without inviting an ambush.

A good first hour also includes observing enemy behavior. In a few raids, notice the difference between roaming ARC threats, stationary hazards, and player-made trouble. For example, if a drone patrol forces you to detour near a loot wing, that is useful information; if a player squad forces you to burn your healing and your exit is still far away, that is a sign you should cut future routes shorter. Beginners often think “I need more gear” when the real issue is “I need to waste less of the gear I already have.”

First-hour priorities in practical order

Priority What to do Why it matters early
1 Learn extraction timing Keeps you from dying with loot
2 Learn one safe route Gives you a repeatable money/loot path
3 Learn enemy spacing Helps you avoid noisy, unnecessary fights
4 Learn inventory discipline Prevents backpack clutter from slowing you down
5 Learn when to leave a run Stops overconfidence from erasing progress

If you are trying to build toward a hotel keycard objective, this checklist also keeps you from making the classic mistake of treating a single room as the whole game. Keycard runs are best when they are part of a stable loop: spawn, loot, assess, extract. That loop is what makes a rare access item valuable rather than just dangerous to carry.

arcraiders in-game screenshot
In-game screenshot

You might also like

Resource Priority Order

Your resource priority should be survival first, consistency second, and luxury third. Beginners usually get this backwards and spend too early on flashy gear, then have nothing left when a raid goes bad.

A practical spending and hoarding order looks like this:

  1. Healing and immediate survival consumables
  2. Reliable weapons or upgrades you can actually bring home
  3. Inventory support and utility items
  4. Crafting materials for repeatable gains
  5. Specialized items like keys, tools, and situational grenades
  6. Comfort purchases, novelty builds, and “maybe useful later” extras

This ordering works because extraction games punish the player who is rich in theory but broke in the field. If you are holding Arc Raiders Riven Tides Hotel Keycard No 107, then your next decision is not “What else can I buy?” but “Do I have enough healing, ammo, and space to make this key worth using?”

Spend first on things that keep you alive

Early spending should favor items that save a raid after a mistake. That usually means:

  • healing
  • ammo for your dependable weapon
  • basic utility for opening paths, escaping danger, or handling pressure

Examples of good first purchases or craft targets include a practical healing stack, a weapon you can control under stress, and one mobility or utility item that helps you leave trouble faster. Beginners often underestimate how much value comes from consistency. A modest rifle you can aim well is better than an impressive weapon you panic-swap with one magazine left.

Hoard items that are hard to replace

Hold onto:

  • rare access items
  • quest items
  • materials used in multiple recipes
  • anything with obvious route value

A keycard is the perfect example of a hoard-first item. Do not “test” it by running straight at the hotel with no plan. If the card opens a room, wing, or checkpoint, then it is part of a route, not the route itself. The same applies to other route-enabling drops: a good extraction player values the chain of preparation, not just the final door.

Craft with repeatability in mind

Crafting in a beginner phase should solve problems you face every raid, not problems you imagine might happen someday. If you keep dying because you run dry on healing, craft healing. If you keep losing fights because you cannot stay on target, prioritize the weapon or attachment path that stabilizes your aim. If you keep leaving with a full bag but no room for key items, invest in capacity or better item selection habits before chasing more loot.

Resource priorities by use case

Situation Spend on Hoard Avoid spending on
First raids Healing, ammo, basic utility Rare materials Cosmetic or experimental buys
Keycard run Mobility, healing, extraction safety The keycard itself until the route is ready Unnecessary side purchases
Learning PvP Stable weapons, grenades, armor support Valuable upgrade mats High-risk “all-in” gear sets
Solo survival Sustain, escape tools, noise control Everything that improves escape odds Heavy commitment to prolonged fights

For beginners, this is the cleanest rule: if an item helps you survive the next mistake, it belongs near the top of your priority list. If an item only helps after everything has already gone right, it is not a beginner priority yet.

Common Mistakes and How to Fix Them

Common beginner mistakes in Arc Raiders usually come from impatience, overconfidence, or not understanding that extraction value is measured at the exit, not when you pick something up. The good news is that almost every early mistake has a simple workaround.

  • Mistake: carrying too much junk because “loot is loot.”
    Why it happens: New players fear leaving value behind.
    Fix: Give every pickup a job—survival, progression, or route access. If it does not clearly help one of those, leave it.

  • Mistake: forcing a keycard or locked-room run the moment you find the item.
    Why it happens: Rare items feel urgent and exciting.
    Fix: Save the run for when you know the approach, the exit, and your backup plan. A card like Arc Raiders Riven Tides Hotel Keycard No 107 is most valuable when paired with a clean route.

  • Mistake: fighting every ARC threat on sight.
    Why it happens: Beginners want to prove control.
    Fix: Ask whether the fight is loud, time-consuming, or likely to attract players. If yes, detour unless the reward is clearly worth it.

  • Mistake: staying in a raid after the run has already paid off.
    Why it happens: “One more room” syndrome.
    Fix: Set a mental extraction trigger, such as “I leave after one high-value room” or “I leave once my healing is below comfort level.”

  • Mistake: ignoring sound cues and map pressure.
    Why it happens: Beginners focus on the screen and not the environment.
    Fix: Pause after each loot interaction to listen. Footsteps, shots, and machine noise tell you whether the area is still safe.

  • Mistake: bringing your best gear into an unfamiliar route.
    Why it happens: Players assume better equipment solves uncertainty.
    Fix: Learn the route with replaceable gear first. Bring premium gear only after you know where trouble tends to come from.

A lot of beginner frustration also comes from believing that deaths mean poor mechanical skill. Often they do not. You may have died because you entered a cramped hotel corridor with no escape path, or because you chased a target into a third-party zone. That is not an aim problem; it is a planning problem. Arc Raiders rewards planning very heavily, especially when you are trying to use a specific access item.

Common Mistakes

These are the recurring errors that show up again and again in new players, and each one has a direct fix.

1. Treating every encounter like a required fight

New players often believe they must clear an area before looting, but Arc Raiders usually punishes unnecessary combat.
Why players fall for it: Shooter instincts tell them to “secure the room” before moving on.
Fix: Break line of sight, reposition, and only fight when the route or reward justifies the noise.

2. Entering hotel-style loot zones without an exit plan

A named location can look safe until you realize the exit is crowded, noisy, or far away.
Why players fall for it: The loot is visible and the objective feels close.
Fix: Before opening a locked space, identify two ways out and decide which one you will use if another player appears.

3. Using rare loot immediately instead of banking it

Beginners often consume or spend the first good thing they find.
Why players fall for it: They want instant benefit.
Fix: Store rare route items, then build a run around them once you have supporting supplies.

4. Underestimating how much noise they make

Sprinting, fighting, and rapid looting can announce your position to everyone nearby.
Why players fall for it: Action games reward speed, so they carry that habit over.
Fix: Slow down around high-value rooms, doors, and exits.

5. Carrying an overstuffed loadout into a learning run

Too much gear can create hesitation because you are afraid to lose it.
Why players fall for it: Better equipment feels safer.
Fix: Use a modest, repeatable loadout until the map and routes feel familiar.

Pro Tips

Advanced beginner success comes from small habits that reduce risk before it turns into disaster. These tips go beyond the obvious “be careful” advice and help you play like someone who expects the map to fight back.

Tip 1. Leave one inventory slot mentally “reserved”

If you are heading toward a route that may include something like Arc Raiders Riven Tides Hotel Keycard No 107, pretend one slot does not exist. That reserve makes it easier to grab a quest item, a repair material, or a high-value drop without forcing a messy inventory shuffle in the middle of danger.

Tip 2. Clear your route before you open the rewarding door

When you reach a locked room or special area, do a quick sound check and corner check first. If you hear movement behind you, delay the open. The loot is not going anywhere, but your life can disappear very quickly if another player uses the noise to close in.

Tip 3. Use “soft retreat” movement instead of panic sprinting

If a fight turns bad, back up while staying aware of cover rather than turning your escape into a straight line. A soft retreat preserves aim, lets you re-center, and prevents you from running directly into a second threat.

Tip 4. Learn one reliable disengage point on every route

Pick a hallway, stairwell, exterior edge, or broken sightline that you can use to reset. On repeated hotel runs, this matters as much as the room itself. A route with one good fallback is often stronger than a route with slightly better loot.

Tip 5. Spend your first real mastery on timing, not aim

Most early deaths are caused by bad timing: arriving late, staying too long, or moving when the area is loud. Aim helps, but timing saves more raids. If you want a concrete training goal, focus on entering, looting, and leaving before the space becomes crowded.

Tip 6. Treat team comms as a risk-reduction tool

In duos and trios, even simple callouts like “left door,” “back hall,” or “extract now” prevent expensive confusion. A well-timed retreat call is often the difference between a clean extraction and a lost backpack.

Graduation Threshold

You are out of the beginner phase when you can predict danger, extract reliably, and choose routes for value instead of fear. The threshold is not a level or a scoreboard; it is behavioral.

A player has likely graduated from beginner status when most of these are true:

  • You can enter a raid and decide your objective within the first minute.
  • You know when to avoid a fight because it threatens the whole run.
  • You can carry a special item without letting it pressure your decision-making.
  • You have at least one extraction route that feels repeatable.
  • You spend resources deliberately, not emotionally.
  • You can read whether a location is “still worth it” before it turns into a death trap.

For a keycard-focused player, graduation is especially obvious. Once you can hold something like the Arc Raiders Riven Tides Hotel Keycard No 107 and remain calm enough to plan the route, you have moved beyond the stage where the item owns you. In the beginner phase, the card feels like a dare. After you mature, it becomes a tool.

A practical way to self-check is this: if you die, do you know why? If the answer is yes more often than no, you are learning. If you can explain whether the problem was pathing, timing, noise, greed, or a bad fight choice, you are already approaching competence. Beginner players usually say “I got unlucky.” Growing players say “I opened too early,” “I stayed too long,” or “I should have extracted after the second loot room.” That difference is the real graduation marker.

Signs you are ready for the next tier of play

  • You can repeat a profitable route several times.
  • You stop looting automatically and start looting selectively.
  • You understand when solo play is safer than grouping, or vice versa.
  • You recover after a bad fight without tilting into a second bad decision.
  • You are comfortable banking a rare item for a later, cleaner run.

These are the most useful next reads if you want to keep building out your knowledge after this beginner guide.

Sources

See also

Arc Raiders Hub Editorial avatar

Reviewed by

Editor · GameFleet

Expertise: Editorial team behind Arc Raiders Hub. Content is compiled from official patch notes, community wikis, and playthrough notes, then reviewed and updated on schedule.

Editorial policy

Sources

📋 Patch Notes & Updates

Browse all patch notes →

Was this guide helpful?

Help us grow — rate this guide so we can improve it.

Share your own tip

Found something not in the guide? Submit it below — our editors review every tip before publishing. No account required.

30 more chars needed800 chars left
10 submissions / IP / day · plain-text only · moderated.