The Old Town container trial can be one of the most rewarding challenges in ARC Raiders when approached as a carefully planned route rather than a normal loot run. Reaching a score of 35K or more requires efficient movement, smart container selection, and a clear understanding of when to visit different parts of the area. Players preparing for the challenge may also benefit from useful ARC Raiders BluePrints that support a flexible and efficient loadout.
Bird City is particularly useful for this challenge because the Old Town area contains a high concentration of containers, while the surrounding rooftops and outer sections provide additional Bird Nests. With a well-planned route, scores between 35K and 40K are realistic. Efficient use of key rooms and strong Bird Nest cleanup can help experienced players achieve even higher scores.
Start With the Densest Container Areas
One of the biggest mistakes players make is trying to search every available loot location as soon as the raid begins. This approach often wastes valuable time and creates an inefficient route.
Instead, begin by moving through the buildings with the highest concentration of containers. Old Town should be your main priority during the early stage of the trial. Focus on locations where you can collect several qualifying containers without repeatedly traveling across large sections of the map.
A simple opening strategy is to move continuously through connected buildings, clear the easiest containers, and avoid unnecessary backtracking. You should always have a general direction rather than randomly moving between objectives.
During this stage, it is usually better to leave many Bird Nests untouched. Their value can become much greater later in the run.
Save Bird Nests for the Final Stage
Bird Nests are one of the most important parts of a high-scoring Old Town trial, but timing is essential.
Searching a fresh Bird Nest can require valuable interaction time. However, when another Raider has already searched a nest, your interaction can often be completed much more quickly. This means a busy Bird City lobby can actually work in your favor.
Rather than opening every Bird Nest during the first few minutes, allow other players to explore the surrounding area naturally. While they move across rooftops and outer locations, you can concentrate on your primary container route.
Then, during the final part of the raid, begin a fast Bird Nest cleanup loop.
This strategy can greatly improve your efficiency because you may encounter several nests that have already been searched by other Raiders. Instead of spending valuable seconds on every location, you can move quickly between them and collect additional trial progress.
The best time to begin this loop is usually around the final eight to ten minutes, depending on how much of Old Town you have already cleared.
Residential Key Rooms Can Add Valuable Progress
Players who want a more consistent chance of reaching the upper score range should consider bringing the appropriate Residential Master Key.
Key rooms within the Old Town trial area can contain multiple containers that count toward the objective. Because several qualifying containers can be collected from a relatively compact location, these rooms can provide an efficient boost without requiring a major detour.
A run without access to key rooms can still produce a strong score. Reaching the mid-30K range is possible with efficient routing and effective Bird Nest cleanup. However, the additional containers found in key rooms provide more flexibility and can make a score of 40K or higher easier to achieve.
The key is to include these rooms naturally in your route. Do not waste several minutes crossing the entire area just to reach one room if it does not fit your current position.
Avoid Slow Breaches and Long Detours
Not every loot source is worth your time.
The container trial rewards efficient interaction, so spending too long breaching a difficult container can hurt your final score. If a breach is directly along your route, it may be worthwhile. However, if it requires a long detour or a lengthy interaction, consider skipping it.
The same principle applies to distant buildings.
You do not need to clear the entire map to achieve a strong result. Your objective is to collect as many qualifying containers as possible within the available time while still extracting safely.
Whenever you reach a decision point, consider whether a location provides enough potential progress to justify the travel time. A nearby group of containers is usually more valuable than a single distant objective.
Treat the Church as an Optional Bonus
The church area on the southeastern side of Old Town can provide additional opportunities, but it should not always be part of your main route.
Because the area is relatively far from the primary container path, visiting it too early can interrupt your momentum. It is best treated as a bonus location when you have already completed your most efficient objectives.
If you still have plenty of time after clearing the densest parts of Old Town, the church may be worth checking. On the other hand, if the timer is already entering its final stage, forcing a trip there can create more problems than benefits.
A strong trial route should remain flexible. The church is an option rather than a requirement.
Build Your Loadout Around Speed and Flexibility
Movement is one of the most important factors in the Old Town trial. You will constantly travel between buildings, rooftops, and outer sections, so equipment that supports fast repositioning can save valuable time.
A practical loadout may include:
· A shield setup that supports mobility
· A backup shield for unexpected encounters
· Snap Hooks for vertical movement
· Snap Zip Lines for crossing gaps
· Basic healing supplies
· Defibrillators
· A Hatch Key
· Equipment for unexpected ARC encounters
· Residential Master Keys when available
Defibrillators can also provide indirect value during Bird City runs. Keeping other Raiders active may mean that more players continue searching Bird Nests throughout the area. Even if you are focused on your own objective, an active lobby can create more opportunities for efficient late-game cleanup.
Mobility tools should also be used to reduce downtime. Every unnecessary climb, long walk, or missed shortcut can reduce the number of containers you can reach before extraction.
Divide the Trial Into Clear Phases
The easiest way to improve consistency is to organize the raid into separate stages.
Early Raid: Focus on high-density buildings and easy containers in Old Town. Avoid unnecessary detours and leave most Bird Nests untouched.
Middle Raid: Continue through the remaining primary locations and collect containers along your planned route. Visit key rooms when they fit naturally into your path.
Final Eight to Ten Minutes: Begin your Bird Nest loop. Prioritize locations that may already have been searched by other Raiders.
Final Minutes: Collect nearby missed containers, avoid major detours, and begin moving toward extraction.
This structure helps prevent one of the most common mistakes: realizing too late that you still need to search Bird Nests while being far away from them.
Final Tips for Reaching 35K+
The Old Town container trial rewards good timing more than random exploration. Focus on dense container areas first, avoid spending too much time on low-efficiency interactions, and use the final stage of the raid to take advantage of Bird Nests that other players may have already searched.
For a first serious attempt, reaching 35K or more is already a strong result. As you become more familiar with the Old Town layout, key room locations, movement shortcuts, and Bird Nest routes, pushing toward 40K and beyond becomes much more realistic.
If you are looking to improve your preparation before the next trial, some players choose to buy ARC Raiders Bps to expand their available equipment options and build more flexible loadouts. Better preparation will not replace efficient routing, but having the right resources available can make your runs smoother when unexpected encounters or difficult travel routes appear.
The best results ultimately come from combining preparation with practice. Learn the fastest paths through Old Town, pay close attention to the extraction timer, and adjust your route based on the current situation. With a disciplined approach, the Old Town container trial can become a reliable opportunity to chase high scores instead of simply becoming a race against the clock.
