Arc Raiders Buried City Music Puzzle Guide

The Buried City music puzzle in Arc Raiders is one of the most intricate secrets currently hiding in the game. Spread across the ruined streets and rooftops are 15 small buttons, each mapped to a musical note. Hit them in the correct order, in a single raid, and you’ll unlock a hidden room packed with guitars and other musical rewards near the Red Tower.

This guide walks you through how the puzzle works, how to reach every button, and how to plan a safe, efficient route so you don’t lose progress to enemy patrols or other players.

How the Buried City Music Puzzle Works

The puzzle is centered on a locked door close to the Red Tower in Buried City. Nearby, you’ll find a little music room with instruments and a board displaying a sequence of notes. Those notes correspond to the 15 hidden buttons scattered around the zone.

To open the door and claim your musical loot, you must:

• Press all 15 buttons in the exact order shown on the music board.
• Do it within a single raid (run) in Buried City.
• Avoid dying or disconnecting before you finish, or the sequence will reset.

Each button is small and can be easy to miss, typically embedded in walls, furniture, or rubble. When you press one correctly, you’ll hear an audio cue confirming that the note has been accepted.

Preparation: Gear, Loadout, and Mindset

Because you need to traverse nearly the entire map, staying alive and mobile is more important than raw damage. Consider prioritizing:

• Mobility tools such as ziplines, traversal abilities, or perks that reduce fall damage.
• Reliable mid-range weapons so you can safely clear patrols without getting too close.
• Sustain options like healing items, armor plates, or shields to survive chip damage during long cross-map sprints.

If you are playing in a squad, agree on one person to act as the button runner who focuses on hitting the switches while others provide overwatch and deal with threats.

Overview: Button Order and City Layout

The music puzzle is not simply about visiting 15 locations; the order is critical. The intended route covers many of the district names on the Buried City map. The sequence roughly starts on the western side near Plaza Rosa, loops through central blocks like Galleria and Marano Park, skirts residential and industrial districts, then finishes near Red Tower.

To help you visualize the run, here is a summarized table of the buttons and their associated landmarks:

Button-by-Button Location Guide

The following walkthrough assumes a reasonably direct route through the city. You may need to adapt it to your raid’s spawn point, enemy patrols, and other players.

Button 1: Plaza Rosa Kitchen

Begin your journey in the Plaza Rosa area, recognizable by its open plaza and cluster of multi-story buildings. Look for the lower-left corner building on your map, then:

• Enter and head up to the second floor.
• Move into the kitchen area with counters and chairs.
• Check between the furnishings; the button is tucked close to the wall.

Button 2: Galleria Roof and Elevator Shaft

From Plaza Rosa, head toward the Galleria, a large commercial structure with navigable rooftop walkways.

• Make your way to the roof, preferably via external ladders or ramps.
• Locate an open elevator shaft on the southern edge.
• Zipline or drop down the shaft, then turn left and move along the wall.
• The button is hidden behind a rusted shelving unit or similar structure.

Button 3: Warehouse Vents

Push westwards to the industrial Warehouse area. This building has a broad, flat roof dotted with vents and skylights.

• Climb onto the rooftop using ladders, rubble, or ziplines.
• Look for a cluster of ventilation blocks next to glass skylights.
• The third button sits between these vents.

Button 4: Marano Park Newsstand

Continue toward Marano Park, a green space with pathways converging in the center.

• Head to the middle of the park where a small newspaper kiosk stands.
• Go inside the kiosk and look low near the back panel.
• Press the button once you hear the confirmation sound.

Button 5: Grandioso Apartments Lounge

From Marano Park, move toward the Grandioso Apartments, a residential complex with multiple stories and balconies.

• Find the main apartment tower and access the roof or upper floors via an elevator shaft.
• At the top, step onto the balcony, then transition into the neighboring apartment.
• Walk to the far room; the button is behind a sofa in a lounge-like space.

Button 6: Ledge at Piazza Arbusto

Next, travel toward Piazza Arbusto. Look for a distinct pale blue structure or tower overlooking the area.

• Reach the tower’s upper level by climbing, jumping, or using a zipline.
• Walk along the narrow ledge encircling the tower.
• The button is placed on the side facing towards the nearby subway entrance.

Button 7: Bus Near the Library

Head north toward the Library district. On the streets just north or northwest, you will find a stationary bus.

• Approach the bus from the front or rear and climb inside.
• Check along the interior panels; the button is situated near seatbacks or the side wall.

Button 8: Damaged Building by Corso da Vinci

From the bus, shift your route toward Corso da Vinci, a thoroughfare bordered by older residential buildings.

• Locate a red, partially collapsed building slightly north of the labeled Corso da Vinci zone.
• Go through the broken wall entrance and turn left.
• Head past a set of stairs into the far-left room.
• The eighth button lies on the ground or low on a wall in that room.

Button 9: East Buried Properties Generator

Travel toward East Buried Properties, an area of ruined apartment shells and half-buried foundations.

• Find a broken building near a generator or power unit.
• Enter the structure and search near the machinery.
• The button is typically next to or behind the generator housing.

Button 10: Hospital Stairwell

Next stop is the Hospital, a large building with a visible front entrance and signage.

• Enter through the main entrance, watching for heavier resistance.
• Go to the lower stairwell near the entrance lobby.
• The button is tucked beneath or behind the stair structure, sometimes close to warning signs.

Button 11: Collapsed Abandoned Highway Section

Head toward the Abandoned Highway to the east of Grandioso Apartments and north of Corso da Vinci. This raised road is partially destroyed.

• Reach the collapsed section where debris spills down from the bridge.
• Look under the rubble or near a rope that provides a shortcut between levels.
• The button is nestled in a small gap where the concrete has broken away.

Button 12: West Church Ruins Chimney

Now make your way south toward the West Church Ruins. This area features a crumbling church with fragments of roof still accessible.

• Climb up onto the roof via external scaffolding or rubble.
• Find a chimney partially buried by sand or debris.
• The twelfth button is on or beside this chimney base.

Button 13: Santa Maria Attic

From the church ruins, head towards the Santa Maria building complex. It is a sizeable cluster of structures with multiple floors.

• Identify the central building and look for a skylight or an external zipline leading to the upper level.
• Enter the attic, which may be dimly lit and cluttered.
• Search around beams and crates; the button is mounted along the interior surfaces.

Button 14: Tower Near Marano Station

Shift back toward the rail line and Marano Station. Just below it, on a slightly sunken patch of terrain, stands a small watchtower or utility tower.

• Drop down to this tower and step inside via its doorway.
• Scan the interior walls; the fourteenth button is easy to spot once you’re inside the confined space.

Button 15: Stairwell North of Red Tower

The final stop is the area just north of Red Tower, an imposing structure dominating the skyline. Find a building at the foot of the tower’s northern side.

• Enter on the ground floor, through a door or half-buried window.
• Move toward the base of the stairs; the last button is on the wall near the bottom.
• Once you press it, you’ll hear a distinctive completion sound indicating the guitar room has unlocked.

The locked door to the reward room is within this same building, so you won’t have far to go to claim your loot.

Rewards: What You Get From the Guitar Room

Inside the secret room you will typically find:

• Several Acoustic Guitars, which function as cosmetic or collectible items.
• Additional musical props such as maracas or other rhythm instruments.
• Standard loot containers that may hold resources, mods, or equipment.

While the exact contents may vary by patch and drop tables, the puzzle primarily exists as a flavorful secret and showpiece, adding character to Buried City and rewarding exploration-minded players.

Route Planning Tips and Survival Advice

Because the puzzle spans the entire zone, efficient routing can dramatically reduce the risk of failure.

• Minimize backtracking: Try to hit Plaza Rosa, Galleria, Warehouse, and Marano Park in one sweep before swinging east and south.
• Avoid peak traffic: If player activity is heavy around Red Tower, consider saving that area for last but be cautious about ambushes.
• Use verticality: Rooftop routes are often safer than main streets, letting you bypass patrols and sniper lines of sight.
• Communicate in squads: Have teammates scout ahead or cover choke points while the designated runner presses buttons.

These principles are consistent with general tactical guidance in cooperative shooters: positioning, communication, and route selection often matter more than pure aim skill, especially on objective-centric runs.¹

Troubleshooting: What If Something Goes Wrong?

If you miss a button, press the wrong one, or die mid-run, you will need to restart the sequence in another raid. To reduce frustration:

• Practice segments: Run the first 5–7 locations a few times until the route is memorized.
• Use landmarks, not just names: Visual cues (bus, chimney, generator) are easier to remember than district names under pressure.
• Record your run: If you can capture gameplay, use the footage to double-check tricky indoor locations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to hit all 15 buttons in one raid?

Yes. The music puzzle is designed so the full sequence must be completed within a single Buried City raid. Leaving the area or dying before finishing effectively resets your progress.

Can multiple players press different buttons?

As long as the buttons are pressed in the correct numerical order, it usually does not matter which squad member activates each one. However, to avoid confusion, it’s smart to assign one player as the primary activator while others provide support.

What happens if I press buttons out of order?

Pressing a button out of sequence will break the chain. You will need to start over from the first button in another raid, since the puzzle tracks the progression of notes in the order specified by the music board.

Is the guitar room reward permanent?

Once you’ve completed the puzzle, the guitars and cosmetic items you collect are typically added to your account or inventory like other rewards. However, the room itself can be re-entered in future raids if you repeat the puzzle or if the game’s progression system changes in later updates.

Does difficulty or player count change the puzzle?

The button locations and sequence remain the same regardless of difficulty or player count. What changes is how dangerous your journey becomes: higher difficulties or active lobbies mean more NPC threats and potential encounters with other players.