Arc Raiders Candle Holders Guide: Locations, Loot Tips, and Flickering Flames

Candle Holders look like trivial props in Arc Raiders, but they are a key requirement for progressing the early Flickering Flames projects and events. Because they are tied to specific loot rules and spawn types, many players end up running multiple fruitless raids before they understand how to farm them efficiently.

This in-depth guide walks you through how Candle Holder drops actually work, where you should concentrate your searches, and how to build safe, repeatable routes so you can get the three (or more) you need without wasting entire sessions.

Understanding Candle Holders and Why They Matter

Before you head off to loot every building in sight, it is worth understanding what Candle Holders are and why the game makes them feel so rare.

What Candle Holders Are Used For

Candle Holders are a mid-tier, Residential-type loot item connected to the Flickering Flames projects. In the current version of Arc Raiders, their main functions are:

• Project / Event progression: You must donate a specific number of Candle Holders (typically three) to advance the Flickering Flames project chain.
• Optional income: Any extra Candle Holders can usually be dismantled for crafting materials or sold for currency, depending on how the economy is tuned after patches.

Once you have met the project requirement, Candle Holders do not have many other major uses yet, so you can safely convert surplus into resources.

How Loot Works in Arc Raiders (And Why Candle Holders Feel Rare)

Arc Raiders uses a contextual loot system rather than fixed, static spawns. Official communication from Embark Studios highlights that the game is a session-based extraction shooter with dynamic events and randomized loot to encourage replayability and tension.¹ In practical terms, that means:

• Items are grouped into categories such as Residential, Industrial, Military, etc.
• Points of Interest (POIs) are tagged to favor certain loot categories.
• Within those POIs, containers roll random items from the preferred category with some crossover.

Because Candle Holders sit in the Residential category and are flagged as uncommon, you will not find them everywhere. They are far more likely to appear in apartments, houses, and similar civilian spaces, and typically inside household containers like cupboards, drawers, and wardrobes.

Residential POIs: The Key to Finding Candle Holders

If you search industrial compounds or military depots, you can run entire raids without seeing a single Candle Holder. To avoid that, you must focus on Residential POIs on each map.

How to Recognize Residential Areas

On the in-game map, Residential points are clearly marked. While iconography can evolve with patches, these areas are usually denoted with a symbol that implies a person or housing cluster and have names that suggest living spaces. Typical characteristics include:

• Apartment complexes with multiple floors and corridors.
• Rows of smaller houses, cabins, or village-style dwellings.
• Interior spaces featuring kitchens, bedrooms, bathroom units, and storage closets.

Whenever you see an area named after Residences, Apartments, Houses, Village, or similar, treat it as a prime candidate for Candle Holders.

Best Residential Zones to Target

Different maps in Arc Raiders have multiple viable Residential POIs, but a few stand out because of container density and convenient extraction options. The list below summarizes the most productive choices.

You are not limited to these locations. Any POI flagged as Residential can roll Candle Holders; these are simply the most efficient areas that many players gravitate to.

Map-by-Map Candle Holder Farming Strategies

Let us break down the recommended approach on each of the major maps so you can build a routine that fits your risk tolerance and playstyle.

The Blue Gate: Village Hotspot

The Village on The Blue Gate is widely considered one of the top Candle Holder farms because of its sheer loot density. Buildings are packed closely together, many with multiple rooms and vertical layouts.

Suggested Village Route

1. Spawn near the outskirts if possible and approach from a side with fewer AI patrols.
2. Enter the first multi-floor building you see, then clear room by room from top floor down.
3. Focus on kitchens, bedrooms, and hallways where cabinets, drawers, and suitcases are clustered.
4. After finishing one building, move to the next closest structure without crossing large open streets when possible.
5. Once you secure at least three Candle Holders, prioritize a safe extraction over continuing to loot.

The main drawback of the Village is competition. As the community learns that this area is lucrative, more players will drop in, increasing PvP encounters. Treat every corner as potentially contested, and consider running with a squad to secure your route.

Buried City: Grandioso Apartments and Nearby Blocks

Grandioso Apartments in Buried City is the archetypal Residential POI: tall, stacked floors, narrow corridors, and a dense concentration of lootable furniture. Unlike a sprawling village, everything is vertical, allowing you to sweep many containers without moving far.

Efficient Grandioso Sweep

• Start at the top floor if you can access it safely, then move systematically downward.
• Search every kitchen cabinet, wardrobe, bedside table, and bathroom cabinet.
• Use sound to your advantage; footsteps carry clearly in tight corridors, so pause occasionally to listen for enemy players.
• Once the building is clear, decide whether to extract or extend the raid towards other nearby Residential blocks.

The southern portions of Buried City often contain additional houses and apartments. If you still need Candle Holders, push through these blocks in a loose zigzag pattern, prioritizing buildings with intact interiors over ruined shells with few containers.

Dam Battlegrounds: Ruby Residence and Pale Apartments

Ruby Residence and Pale Apartments sit in a somewhat quieter corner of Dam Battlegrounds. Compared to The Blue Gate or central Buried City, you will typically run into fewer players here, making it a good choice if you prefer lower PvP pressure.

Low-Profile Residential Farming

To make the most of these areas:

• Approach via terrain that offers cover and avoids obvious main roads.
• Enter buildings through side doors or back entrances to reduce sightlines.
• Concentrate heavily on kitchen areas, as many players and guides report a high incidence of Residential loot in cupboards and counters.
• Plan an extraction route ahead of time, such as a nearby hatch or lift, so you can leave quickly after your inventory fills.

Because these apartments are less dense than the Blue Gate Village, you may need to chain several buildings together in one trip. However, the relative safety can more than make up for the extra walking.

What Containers to Loot for Candle Holders

Contextualized loot in Arc Raiders is not just about location; it is also about container type. Household items tend to appear in plausible storage spots. Understanding this can significantly improve your odds.

High-Priority Container Types

When you are short on time or under pressure from incoming enemies, focus on these:

• Kitchen cabinets and cupboards – Often include plates, utensils, small homeware, and yes, Candle Holders.
• Dressers and wardrobes – Good all-purpose Residential loot sources.
• Sideboards and shelves – Particularly those in living rooms or dining areas.
• Suitcases and travel bags – These can hold miscellaneous household and personal items.

Containers You Can Deprioritize

While Candle Holders can technically appear almost anywhere within Residential zones, some containers tend to be less productive when you are specifically hunting these items:

• Toolboxes and industrial crates – Better for mechanical and crafting materials.
• Weapon lockers – Primarily geared towards combat gear.
• Outdoor trash piles – Contain assorted junk with low odds of targeted Residential items.

If your only goal for a raid is Candle Holders, it is usually more efficient to push deeper into another house than to spend time looting a workshop or military bunker.

Dealing With RNG: How Many Runs to Expect

No matter how strong your route is, Arc Raiders still relies heavily on RNG for individual drops. Compared to single-player campaigns where item placement is scripted, extraction shooters are intentionally unpredictable to maintain long-term engagement.² This has two implications:

• You might find all three Candle Holders in one lucky run.
• You might have several raids where you find none despite optimizing your route.

Practical Tips to Manage RNG Frustration

To make the grind more manageable:

• Set a run limit: Decide in advance how many raids you will dedicate exclusively to Candle Holders. After that, switch goals (gear, money, other materials) to avoid burnout.
• Stack objectives: Combine Candle Holder farming with other tasks, such as gathering crafting resources or completing combat-related contracts.
• Play in squads: Multiple players can search different floors or buildings simultaneously, increasing the number of containers opened per session.
• Learn extraction timing: Once you have enough Candle Holders, do not get greedy. Extract and bank them; losing them to a late death or disconnect is far more painful than leaving a few containers unopened.

Risk Management: Surviving Residential Hotspots

Residential zones are attractive not only to you but to every other player chasing the same project rewards. To survive in these contested hotbeds, you need both mechanical skill and basic tactical discipline.

Sound and Movement Discipline

Apartment complexes amplify sound. Footsteps on metal staircases, doors opening, and gunfire echo through hallways:

• Walk or crouch-walk when enemies might be nearby rather than sprinting everywhere.
• Close doors behind you to mask your path and force others to make noise when following.
• Pause periodically to listen before entering a new floor or room.

Preferred Engagement Ranges

Because Residential interiors often mean tight corridors and short sightlines:

• Equip at least one weapon that excels in close to mid-range, such as an SMG or fast-handling rifle.
• Use corners and doorways as natural cover; pre-aim likely entry paths when looting sensitive containers.
• Avoid extended rooftop fights that attract third parties; if you must fight on rooftops, finish quickly and reposition.

What to Do With Extra Candle Holders

Once you have turned in the required number of Candle Holders to the Flickering Flames project, you will probably still occasionally find more while running your usual routes. In most builds of the game so far, they have limited additional uses.

Recommended Handling of Surplus

• Dismantle: Break them down for crafting components if your build requires lots of materials.
• Sell: Offload extras for currency if vendors offer a reasonable payout. In extraction shooters, maintaining a healthy cash buffer helps replace lost gear quickly.³
• Stash a few: Keep a small reserve in your storage in case a future project or patch introduces additional uses.

Quick Reference Checklist

Use this condensed checklist when you are about to start a Candle Holder farming session:

• Map choice: Pick The Blue Gate (Village), Buried City (Grandioso + nearby blocks), or Dam (Ruby Residence & Pale Apartments).
• Goal: Get at least three Candle Holders before extraction.
• Focus containers: Kitchens, wardrobes, dressers, sideboards, and suitcases.
• Playstyle: Slow, methodical room-clearing with good sound discipline.
• Exit plan: Identify your extraction before you enter the main Residential cluster.

FAQs About Candle Holders in Arc Raiders

How many Candle Holders do I need for Flickering Flames?

You typically need at least three Candle Holders to fulfill the early Flickering Flames project requirement. Check the project description in-game in case future updates adjust the number.

Can Candle Holders spawn outside Residential areas?

In rare cases, you might find Residential items in other POIs due to randomization, but the drop rate is significantly lower. To maximize your chances, always prioritize Residential-tagged locations.

Are there any guaranteed Candle Holder spawns?

No fully guaranteed, permanent spawn points have been confirmed. Arc Raiders relies on randomized loot pools, so even in the best Residential zones you are still rolling the dice each raid.

What happens if I die while carrying Candle Holders?

Candle Holders are treated like other loot. If you die before extraction, you will usually lose the items on your character. Always extract as soon as you have enough to complete your objective.

Should I farm Candle Holders solo or with a squad?

Both options work, but squads can search more containers per run and provide cover in contested apartments. The trade-off is that you will need to share loot or decide in advance who gets priority on Candle Holders.