The bus is the part people miss. If you searched how to finish A Wrench in the Works in ARC Raiders, here's the short answer: on the Spaceport map, check the bus by the western gate first, then climb the northernmost Water Tower in the northwest and use the transmitter at the top. I ran it twice after the Riven Tides update because my first drop turned into a messy PvP detour, and the objective flow stayed the same both times. While you're planning a run and sorting your ARC Raiders Coins spending for ammo, meds, and crafting stuff, know that this mission saves as soon as the tower transmission completes, so extraction isn't required for quest progress.
Where is A Wrench in the Works in ARC Raiders
Celeste gives this one in Speranza, and it's less about big fights than paying attention to the map. The mission was added during the Riven Tides update, and it works like a story bridge more than a loot contract. You're checking proof of worker sabotage, not hauling some giant item across half the zone with every drone on your back. That's why the route matters more than raw DPS. If your loadout is built for speed, quiet clears, and one fast reset button like smoke or EMP, you'll have an easier time than if you go in chasing a meta boss-killer setup.
Bus location near the western gate in Spaceport
That first clue sits inside a bus between the Departure and Arrival sides near the western road. Not beside it. Inside it. Look, a lot of players waste time checking crates, benches, and the outer lane because the area feels like it should have a pickup on the ground. It doesn't. Get in the bus and interact near the driver's seat area to grab the notes. The animation leaves you open for a few seconds, and yeah, that's long enough for a patrol or another player to ruin your day. I learned that the dumb way on my first run when a Spotter drifted over mid-interact and I had to cancel, back out, and clear the lane all over again.
Which Water Tower is the right one for A Wrench in the Works
The second objective is the northernmost Water Tower in the northwest cluster. That's the one people mix up, because there are multiple towers in that industrial corner and only one actually counts. If you climb the wrong tower, you'll still find normal loot now and then, but the mission won't move. So, from the bus, rotate north and angle into the cluster with cover instead of sprinting through open pavement. Enter the correct tower at the base, then go up through the interior using ladders, platforms, and busted debris until you reach the upper circular landing. It's cramped in there. Good for breaking line of sight on drones, bad if another Raider is already above you holding the angle like their rent depends on it.
Do you need to extract after the transmit location step
No, and that's the best part of this quest. Once you hit Transmit Location at the top and the bar fills, the game records the objective right away. Your account keeps the progress even if you get folded on the way out. Honestly, I wish more investigation missions worked like this, because extraction shooters already have enough ways to waste your time. In this case, the game respects the fact that you did the actual mission work. After my second clear, I stayed in raid to poke around for extra components, but if your bag is weak or the lobby sounds hot, you can just bail mentally and treat anything after the transmit as bonus value.
A Wrench in the Works rewards and why players bother
The reward people care about is the Radio Renegade cosmetic, plus mechanical components and mod components for early-to-mid-game upgrades. And yeah, cosmetics aren't power, but this one is tied to the Riven Tides story line, so it feels like a real progression marker instead of random store fluff. The bigger reason to do it, though, is story context. Celeste's lead confirms the sabotage in Spaceport isn't random damage from scavengers or ARC chaos. It's organized. Hidden caches, worker mutiny, inside jobs — the whole thing starts to click here. That matters because later missions hit harder when you know why you're digging through these locations instead of just following a quest marker like a sleep-deprived courier.
Best route, enemy pressure, and common mistakes
Here's the practical stuff. 1. Approach the bus from the southern side if you can, because it gives you a cleaner look at movement around the road. 2. Clear nearby drones before interacting, especially Spotters if they're in your seed, since getting marked in that lane can snowball fast. 3. Don't burn too many heals before the tower climb, because close interiors turn sloppy quick when a Swarmer pack gets weird. I can't confirm the quest causes unique spawns — I didn't see proof of that in my runs, and the game doesn't spell it out — but the northwest sector already has enough patrol pressure that bringing EMP grenades feels like a no-brainer. If you're short on gear, check prices and item options on RSVSR before a retry, because coming in prepared matters more here than pretending your aim will fix a bad route, and the quest itself is pretty simple once you stop checking the wrong tower.
