Network Issue ARC Raiders

Lance Quest "Deaf Ears" Shipping Logs Bug - ARC Raiders Fix Guide

📅 Published: 2026-02-05 🔄 Updated: 2026-02-05 👥 Reports: 4 ⚡ Severity: 🟢 Low

🎯 Quick Answer

Reload the game instance by returning to the main menu and re-entering the Assembly area to trigger the quest completion flag.

SECTION 1: OVERVIEW

The "Deaf Ears" Lance quest progression bug is a scripting error that prevents the final objective from registering as complete. The error occurs when the player character interacts with the shipping logs terminal within the Assembly hub area. The game client fails to receive or process the completion flag from the server-side quest script, halting narrative progression. This error affects the Windows PC version of ARC Raiders. The issue manifests in the current live build version and is not version-specific. This is a common error based on support ticket volume. The severity is game-breaking for narrative progression, as it blocks advancement in the Lance questline and prevents acquisition of subsequent quests and rewards. No explicit error code or in-game message is generated; the failure is silent.

SECTION 2: SYMPTOMS

The primary symptom is the quest objective "Search the shipping logs in Assembly" remaining active and incomplete after the player successfully interacts with the designated terminal. The interaction animation and prompt execute normally. The quest log does not update upon interaction completion. The quest tracker in the HUD continues to display the objective. No new objectives appear in the quest log or tracker. The game world state does not change to reflect quest completion. This occurs specifically during the final stage of the "Deaf Ears" quest chain within the Assembly social hub.

SECTION 3: COMMON CAUSES

Category: Game Bug / Network Desynchronization Specific technical explanation: A race condition between the local client's interaction event and the server's quest state validation. The client sends the "interact" packet, but the server fails to update the persistent quest flag in the player's profile data due to a timing mismatch in the script sequence. Why this causes the problem: The quest progression system requires a confirmed state change from the game server. Without this confirmation, the local client remains in the previous quest state. Category: Game Bug / Instance Caching Specific technical explanation: Corrupted or stale instance data for the Assembly hub area. The game loads cached world state data that does not contain the correct triggers for the quest progression script. Why this causes the problem: The interactive object and its scripting environment are loaded from an invalid cache, causing the completion trigger to reference a null or incorrect quest state variable. Category: Configuration Error / Local Profile Corruption Specific technical explanation: Minor corruption in the local quests.dat or profile.sav file located in %LOCALAPPDATA%\ARC_Raiders. This corruption creates a read/write mismatch when the game attempts to write the "completed" state. Why this causes the problem: The game engine cannot serialize the completion flag to the local file, which acts as a temporary cache before syncing with the server, causing the operation to fail silently. Category: Network Problem / Packet Loss Specific technical explanation: UDP packet containing the quest completion event is dropped between the client and the game server during the specific interaction moment. The game's netcode lacks a robust retry mechanism for this non-critical gameplay event. Why this causes the problem: The server never receives the notification that the interaction occurred, so it cannot advance the quest state. Category: Software Conflict / Overlay Interference Specific technical explanation: Third-party application overlays (e.g., Discord, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, MSI Afterburner) hook into the game's DirectX rendering pipeline and can inadvertently block or intercept the input event that triggers the quest script. Why this causes the problem: The game's input handler for the specific interactive object does not receive a clean event, preventing the internal quest script from executing.

SECTION 4: SOLUTIONS

Solution 1: Force Game Instance Reset

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 3-5 minutes Success Rate: High Prerequisites: None Steps:

Open the in-game menu.
Select "Return to Main Menu." Confirm the action.
At the main menu, wait for 30 seconds to ensure a clean disconnect from the game server.
Select "Play" to re-enter the game and load into the Assembly hub.
Navigate directly to the shipping logs terminal located in the Assembly.
Interact with the terminal again.

Technical Explanation: This forces a full client reconnection and a fresh instance load, clearing any corrupted state data or memory. The new session establishes a clean synchronization point with the server, allowing the quest script to execute correctly. Verification: The quest objective "Search the shipping logs in Assembly" will immediately complete upon interaction. A new quest objective will appear in the log, or the quest will show as completed.

Solution 2: Clear Local Game Cache

Difficulty: Medium Time Required: 7 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Game not running Steps:

Fully exit ARC Raiders and its companion app/launcher (e.g., Steam, Epic Games Launcher).
Press Win + R, type %LOCALAPPDATA%, and press Enter.
Locate and open the ARC_Raiders folder (or the folder corresponding to the game's developer/publisher).
Within this folder, locate the Saved directory. Rename this directory to Saved_Backup.
Launch the game and log in. The game will generate a new Saved folder with default cache files.
Log into your character and travel to the Assembly hub. Interact with the shipping logs terminal.

Technical Explanation: Corrupted instance or profile data in the Saved folder is bypassed. The game generates fresh files and re-downloads your profile state from the server, which typically includes the correct, server-authoritative quest state. Verification: The quest completes on interaction. The game may need to reapply graphic settings. The original Saved_Backup folder can be deleted after confirming the fix.

Solution 3: Disable Third-Party Overlays

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 5 minutes Success Rate: Medium Prerequisites: Knowledge of running applications Steps:

Open the System Tray (click the ^ arrow on the Windows taskbar).
Right-click and exit any application overlays: Discord, NVIDIA GeForce Experience, Xbox Game Bar, Steam Overlay (if not using Steam), MSI Afterburner/RivaTuner.
For the Steam overlay, launch Steam, go to Library > Right-click ARC Raiders > Properties. Under the General tab, uncheck "Enable the Steam Overlay while in-game."
For the Epic Games Launcher overlay, open the launcher, go to Settings. Scroll to the ARC Raiders section and toggle "Enable Overlay" to OFF.
Reboot the computer to ensure all overlay services are terminated.
Launch ARC Raiders directly from its desktop shortcut, bypassing launchers if possible. Attempt the terminal interaction.

Technical Explanation: Removes external software hooks that can intercept or block the specific OnInteract event sent from the game engine to the quest scripting system. Verification: The quest interaction completes successfully. Overlays can be re-enabled after the quest is completed.

Solution 4: Verify Game File Integrity

Difficulty: Easy Time Required: 10-20 minutes Success Rate: Low Prerequisites: Game installed via Steam or Epic Games Launcher Steps:

For Steam: Open Steam Library. Right-click ARC Raiders. Select Properties > Installed Files. Click Verify integrity of game files.
For Epic Games Launcher: Open Library. Click the three dots (...) under ARC Raiders. Select Manage. Click Verify.
Allow the process to complete. This will download and replace any missing or corrupted core game files.
After completion, restart the computer.
Launch the game and attempt the quest interaction.

Technical Explanation: Replaces potentially corrupted or altered game script files (*.pak, *.ucas) that contain the quest sequence logic for the "Deaf Ears" mission. Verification: The verification tool will report if files were replaced. In-game, the quest should complete upon interacting with the terminal.

Solution 5: Network Configuration Reset

Difficulty: Advanced Time Required: 5 minutes Success Rate: Low Prerequisites: Administrator access Steps:

Press Win + R, type cmd, then press Ctrl + Shift + Enter to launch Command Prompt as Administrator.
Execute the following commands in order, pressing Enter after each:

netsh winsock reset netsh int ip reset ipconfig /flushdns

After the commands complete, restart the computer.
Before launching the game, ensure no VPN or proxy is active.
Launch ARC Raiders and attempt the quest interaction.

Technical Explanation: Resets the Windows network stack and DNS cache. This ensures the most direct and clean routing of UDP packets between the client and game server during the critical interaction event, minimizing packet loss risk. Verification: Check the Command Prompt for confirmation messages ("Successfully reset the Winsock Catalog"/"Successfully flushed the DNS Resolver Cache"). The quest should complete in-game.

SECTION 5: PREVENTION

Maintain routine clearance of the game's local cache folder (%LOCALAPPDATA%\ARC_Raiders\Saved) after major game updates. Configure firewall and router settings to prioritize UDP traffic for ARC Raiders on its default ports. Establish a practice of fully exiting the game client after each play session instead of using suspend/resume features. Keep graphics drivers updated to stable, WHQL-certified versions, as driver instability can affect game scripting engines. Disable non-essential overlays during critical narrative progression moments. Monitor the game's official channels for patch notes addressing known quest scripting issues.

SECTION 6: WHEN TO CONTACT SUPPORT

Contact official ARC Raiders support if all documented solutions fail and the bug persists across multiple game sessions over 24 hours. Provide the diagnostic report generated by the game's built-in tool (if available) and a detailed account of the steps attempted. Include your platform, game version, and a video clip of the bug occurring. Locate official support through the publisher's website or the game's main menu support link. Do not submit reports based on forum suggestions without first executing the technical solutions outlined in this guide.