Do not hold your whole Workshop back while hunting one Cat Bed or Very Comfortable Pillow. The better progression order is to upgrade Scrappy to Level 2 as soon as the Dog Collar drops, reach Level 3 early for stronger passive materials, then keep your essential benches moving while you collect the rarer Level 4 and Level 5 items.
Scrappy collects Metal Parts, Fabric, Plastic Parts, Chemicals, Rubber Parts, and Assorted Seeds while you are Topside. Higher levels improve that return, so an early upgrade keeps basic crafting materials flowing without filling every raid bag with common loot.
Scrappy Levels 1 to 5 at a Glance
Scrappy’s collection amount changes with time spent Topside and whether you extract. To make the improvement easy to compare, the output below uses the maximum time-based base yield for a successful extracted raid lasting more than 15 minutes.
| Level | Name | Upgrade Requirement | 15+ Minute Successful Raid |
| 1 | Fledgling | None | 6 of each basic resource, 5 Seeds |
| 2 | Forager | 1 Dog Collar | 7 of each basic resource, 7 Seeds |
| 3 | Scavenger | 3 Lemons, 3 Apricots | 7 of each basic resource, 9 Seeds |
| 4 | Treasure Hunter | 6 Prickly Pears, 6 Olives, 1 Cat Bed | 8 of each basic resource, 11 Seeds |
| 5 | Master Hoarder | 12 Apricots, 12 Mushrooms, 3 Very Comfortable Pillows | 8 of each basic resource, 13 Seeds |
Scrappy only builds materials while you are Topside. Time spent offline or sitting in Speranza does not add to the collection box.
He can also hold rewards from only five rounds before the box needs to be collected, so empty it regularly.
Level 2 Should Be Your First Scrappy Upgrade
Level 2 requires only one Dog Collar, making it the cheapest useful jump.
Dog Collars are most commonly associated with Residential loot. Buried City is a good place to search apartment and housing areas, while residential sections on other maps give you alternatives if one route is heavily contested.
Put the collar in your Safe Pocket once you find it if your current Augment allows it. Losing the first upgrade item on the way to extraction simply creates another unnecessary farming run.
Scrappy Level 2 is worth taking early because it does not compete with the large stacks of components needed for Workshop stations.
Push Level 3 While Farming Nature Loot
Level 3 needs:
- 3 Lemons
- 3 Apricots
Blue Gate is efficient because the Olive Grove can produce both fruits and also gives you a chance to start collecting Olives for Level 4. Buried City’s garden areas are a useful alternative when Blue Gate is too busy.
Do not stop after the third Apricot. Scrappy Level 5 needs another 12, meaning you need 15 Apricots in total across the full upgrade path.
If you are already building out your broader progression, the ARC Raiders resource and gear upgrade guide can help connect these farming runs with your Workshop needs.
At this point, Scrappy becomes a strong early progression investment. If collecting the required materials is taking time away from the rest of your account goals, you can also explore Scrappy the Rooster boost options while planning your next upgrades.
Level 4 Is Where You Stop Forcing the Upgrade
Level 4 needs:
- 6 Prickly Pears
- 6 Olives
- 1 Cat Bed
Olives can be collected while running the same Nature routes used for Lemons and Apricots. Prickly Pears are found around cactus areas, with Buried City offering useful routes for them.
The Cat Bed is different. It comes from Residential and Commercial loot, so you cannot finish the entire level with one Nature farming loop.
This is the point where Scrappy should not automatically take priority over every Workshop bench.
If a Gunsmith, Medical Lab, Gear Bench, Refiner, or Utility upgrade unlocks a craft you need immediately, keep that bench moving while the Cat Bed appears naturally. Scrappy does not need to block the rest of your progression.
Prepare Level 5 Before You Reach It
For ARC Raiders Scrappy level 5, you need:
- 12 Apricots
- 12 Mushrooms
- 3 Very Comfortable Pillows
The Apricots are the easiest item to prepare early because you already farm them for Level 3.
Mushrooms are Nature loot. Dam Battlegrounds, especially areas with suitable vegetation and hydroponic loot, gives you another farming route instead of repeating the same Blue Gate run.
Very Comfortable Pillows are the main bottleneck. They are Residential and Commercial items, which makes targeted building searches more useful than Nature routes.
Keep every Very Comfortable Pillow you find once you decide to max Scrappy. Selling one for short term Coins is rarely worth another series of dedicated searches later.
PC Gamer’s broader ARC Raiders upgrade material list also highlights how easily Scrappy items can get mixed with the large number of Workshop, quest, and Project materials players are already storing.
When Should Scrappy Take Priority Over Benches?
Use a simple rule: upgrade Scrappy immediately when you already have his required items, but do not delay an important crafting unlock just to force a rare Scrappy drop.
Scrappy should take priority when:
- The required materials are already sitting in your stash.
- You regularly run out of Metal Parts, Fabric, Plastic Parts, Chemicals, or Rubber Parts.
- You play enough Topside rounds for the passive collection improvement to add up.
- Your current Workshop levels already cover the gear you use most.
A bench should come first when:
- It unlocks a weapon, healing item, shield, utility item, or component you need right now.
- Scrappy is blocked by a rare Cat Bed or Very Comfortable Pillow.
- The next bench upgrade will directly make your farming runs safer or faster.
This prevents a common mistake where players spend several raids forcing one rooster upgrade while a useful crafting station sits ready to progress.
Fastest Level by Level Route
Level 1 to 2: Search Residential loot for one Dog Collar.
Level 2 to 3: Run Nature areas for three Lemons and at least three Apricots. Keep extra Apricots.
Level 3 to 4: Continue collecting Olives, switch to cactus areas for six Prickly Pears, then search Residential or Commercial areas for the Cat Bed.
Level 4 to 5: Finish the additional 12 Apricots, collect 12 Mushrooms from Nature areas, then make Residential and Commercial loot the priority until all three Very Comfortable Pillows are secured.
Track the Scrappy upgrade in the Workshop while farming so required items are easier to recognize, and protect the rarest item first when inventory space becomes tight.
What Changes After Scrappy Reaches Level 5?
Level 5 gives you Scrappy’s strongest standard collection tier, with the current 15 minute successful raid rate reaching eight of each basic resource and 13 Assorted Seeds.
The Flashpoint update also expanded Scrappy beyond standard passive collection. You can now feed him particular items to influence the types of loot he collects, with additional valuable items possible while the feeding effect is active. Embark explains the feature in its official Flashpoint update.
There is no reliable public drop percentage for every possible feeding reward, so treat feeding as an extra resource tool rather than a guaranteed rare item farm.
Farming Scrappy Yourself vs Using a Boost
There is no honest fixed number of hours for self farming. Your time depends on loot spawns, map choice, extraction success, player pressure, and whether you saved later upgrade items before reaching their level.
Self farming makes sense when the materials overlap with raids you already want to run.
Want to skip the material grind? Explore these ARC Raiders upgrade services
If the Cat Bed, Pillows, or fruit grind becomes the only thing holding progression back, the dedicated Scrappy the Rooster boost currently supports progression up to max Level 5. The listed method uses manual in game play on the account, with an estimated delivery of one to three days depending on the selected level.
Players who also need several Workshop stations upgraded can instead compare that route with the Crafting Station Boost rather than treating Scrappy as the only progression bottleneck.
Conclusion
The best Scrappy upgrade timing is aggressive at Levels 2 and 3, then opportunistic at Levels 4 and 5. Secure the Dog Collar early, save all 15 Apricots across your progression, and never throw away a Cat Bed or Very Comfortable Pillow once max Scrappy becomes the goal.
Keep your benches progressing whenever they unlock something immediately useful. Scrappy works best as a long term resource engine alongside the Workshop, not as a reason to stop every other upgrade until one rare item finally drops.
Frequently Asked Questions
What materials do you need for Scrappy Level 5?
Level 5 requires 12 Apricots, 12 Mushrooms, and 3 Very Comfortable Pillows.
How many Apricots do you need to fully upgrade Scrappy?
You need 15 Apricots in total. Level 3 uses three, and Level 5 requires another 12.
What does Scrappy collect in ARC Raiders?
Scrappy collects Metal Parts, Fabric, Plastic Parts, Chemicals, Rubber Parts, and Assorted Seeds while you are Topside.
Does Scrappy collect materials while you are offline?
No. Scrappy’s standard collection progresses while you spend time Topside, not while offline or waiting in Speranza.
Should I max Scrappy before upgrading my Workshop benches?
Not always. Take easy Scrappy upgrades early, but prioritize a Workshop station when its next level unlocks gear or crafting options you currently need.
