A Caravan departure is one of the clearest moments in ARC Raiders when stash management really matters. Your ARC Raiders BluePrints may determine which items you want to craft later, but Stage 5 asks you to make a different decision: which parts of your current inventory are worth converting into Caravan progress.

That makes ARC Raiders BluePrints worth considering before you start loading. If a resource is required for an important crafting plan, sacrificing it may create problems later. The Caravan has fixed category requirements, so careful preparation is much better than simply selecting the most expensive items in your stash.

Four Requirements Make Up Stage 5

The Loading Phase requires 830,000 Coins of total item value, divided across four categories.

Combat Items need 250,000 Coins and include weapons, Weapon Mods, ammunition, grenades, and traps. Materials have the highest requirement at 300,000 Coins and include Basic, Advanced, Refined, Recyclable, and Topside materials.

Provisions require 180,000 Coins and cover Keys, Nature items such as fruit, Trinkets, and Old World items. Survival Items complete the list at 100,000 Coins, with Shields, Augments, Utilities, Gadgets, and regenerative items included.

These separate targets mean stash organization is more important than total wealth. You can have a very valuable inventory and still be short of one category.

Build a Materials Buffer

Because Materials require 300,000 Coins, they deserve early attention.

Instead of immediately loading everything that qualifies, look at what your current crafting plans require. Put those resources aside and identify the surplus.

This is particularly helpful for players who regularly collect materials during raids. Some resources accumulate much faster than they are consumed, and those extras can provide useful Caravan value without forcing you to sacrifice essential gear.

The important point is that Caravan value is based on standard selling price. The amount you originally paid to acquire something does not determine its contribution.

Evaluate Weapons by Usefulness

Combat Items represent another large portion of the Caravan, with a 250,000-Coin target.

There is no rule saying you need to use weapons to reach that number. Weapon Mods, Ammo, Grenades, and Traps also qualify.

This creates room for a more balanced approach. If you have a favorite weapon that you still want for your final raids, keeping it may be sensible. Surplus ammunition or tactical equipment can potentially provide the missing value instead.

The same principle applies to modifications. A mod sitting unused in your stash can be a better Caravan candidate than an attachment you plan to build your next loadout around.

Do Not Ignore Provisions

Provisions can account for 180,000 Coins, which is enough to make them an important part of your overall plan.

Keys deserve special consideration because their practical value can be higher than their role in Caravan loading. If you still have a reason to use a key before departure, there is no need to contribute it immediately.

Nature items, Trinkets, and Old World items can provide additional options. Sorting these items by actual usefulness can make the category easier to complete without giving away something you were saving.

Use Survival Items as a Smaller Adjustment

The 100,000-Coin Survival requirement is the smallest target.

Shields, Augments, Utilities, Gadgets, and regenerative items can all contribute. Because you only need to reach 100,000 Coins, this category can often be completed with surplus items rather than core equipment.

It is worth checking this category near the end of your preparation. Once you know how much value remains, you can choose only enough items to reach the threshold.

The Fifth Expedition Is Different

The fifth Expedition runs from September 8 to September 29, 2026. It is also the last Expedition before the system is paused until early 2027 while major accessibility changes are implemented.

Previous Expedition rules rewarded the next Raider based on combined raw currency and stash value, with one permanent bonus Skill Point per 1,000,000 Coins up to five points.

The fifth Expedition changes this. Primary bonus Skill Points are earned by reaching active damage thresholds from 5,000 through 100,000 damage. Players therefore do not need to focus entirely on building an enormous stash for these new points.

However, historic missed points can still be recovered through a catch-up mechanic. Each point requires 300,000 Coins of stash or currency value.

What Actually Carries Over

Departure resets your level, skills, standard blueprints, and inventory. Your raw Coins, Cred, cosmetics, and permanent Stash Space upgrades remain.

That difference makes the final stash check important. You should not assume every item you own is lost forever, nor should you assume every valuable item deserves to be protected.

Instead, consider what helps the next Raider and what has little value after the reset.

Handling an Unfinished Caravan

There is also a useful fallback for players who cannot finish the Caravan before September 29. Any partial Loading Phase progress is automatically wiped and converted into Ermal Vouchers of equal value.

Those vouchers can be exchanged with Ermal for special gear offers or sold to rebuild your raw Coin budget for the next Raider cycle. So an unfinished Caravan still leaves you with something useful rather than simply deleting your progress.

Final Stash Check

The best Caravan preparation is not about sacrificing the most expensive items. It is about meeting every category requirement while protecting the resources that still have practical value. Review your stash by category, use surplus materials and consumables first, and remember what actually survives departure. A careful final check can also leave you with enough cheap ARC Raiders Coins to make the next Raider cycle easier to manage.