In RAGE 2, all of the weapons and abilities are acquired through Arks. These are small facilities usually guarded by enemies that must be killed before entering. A small number of Arks are accessed through the story but you’ll have to pick up the rest on your own. Here’s a look at the different weapons and Nanotrite abilities that can be found, what they do, and the locations of all their corresponding Arks.
Vineland Ark
Ability: Dash
Enemy difficulty: NA
The very first Ark you’ll encounter can be found in Vineland. It bestows Dash, which lets you quickly move in the direction held. Handy for avoiding rockets and dodging fire when weak.
Junker’s Pass Ark
Ability: Shatter
Enemy difficulty: Level 2
The first non-story Ark can be found in the Southern part of the map. Look close to the centre of this region and you’ll find the Junker’s Pass Ark. It provides Shatter, a melee-like lunge ability that’s good for stripping armour and pushing enemies back.
Quake Hill Ark
Ability: Vortex
Enemy difficulty: Level 2
In the Southern most part of the map, slightly Northeast from Vineland, is the Quake Hill Ark. Head inside to obtain the Vortex ability, which traps enemies together and then explodes. The player can also step on a placed Vortex to be launched into the air.
Great Crack Ark
Ability: Grav Jump
Enemy difficulty: Level 3
Head North of the Junker’s Pass Ark – or conversely, West from the Canyon Cove Ark – to locate the Great Crack and its Ark. This is where you receive Grav Jump, which is allows you to double jump. Nothing more, nothing less.
Mission: Blackout
Weapon: Combat Shotgun
This story mission sees you traveling to Gunbarrel to help John Marshall, one of the three main quest NPCs, battle a mutant infestation. You’ll need to investigate the nearby Ark for the Combat Shotgun. This will become one of your go-to weapons – it does very good damage at close range but when aiming down sights, it gains increased range and damage while sending enemies flying.
Earthscar Ark
Ability: Slam
Enemy difficulty: Level 3
Travel to the North of the map and you’ll find the Earthscar Ark. It contains Slam, which allows you to leap into the air and slam the ground. This sends enemies flying back and is very good for taking out groups.
Strongbox Ark
Weapon: Smart Rocket Launcher
Enemy difficulty: Level 4
In the Northeast, you’ll find the Strongbox Ark which contains the Smart Rocket Launcher. It functions like a normal rocket launcher but holding down the Aim button enables rockets to home in on enemies. Using the weapon with Overdrive lets you hover over foes with the reticle and unleash tracking rockets with zero downtime.
Canyon Cove Ark
Ability: Defibrillation
Enemy difficulty: Level 5
Look near the Junker’s Pass border, southeast of Canyon Cove. The Ark will be here and contains the ability Defibrillation. This allows you to self-revive by pressing the corresponding on-screen keys. Time it just right and you can recover a decent amount of health.
Spikewind Ark
Ability: Barrier
Enemy difficulty: Level 6
Located near the Junker’s Pass Ark is the Spikewind Ark. The ability Barrier can be obtained here and as the name indicates, it will block all incoming projectiles when thrown down.
Dealypipe Ark
Ability: Rush
Enemy difficulty: Level 6
West of the Spikewind Ark is the Dealypipe Ark which contains the ability Rush. It essentially provides a huge boost in speed while sprinting for a short time. Simply tap the Sprint button again when you’re already sprinting.
Shrouded Vault Ark
Weapon: Charged Pulse Cannon
Enemy difficulty: Level 6
In the Southwest part of the map is the Shrouded Vault Ark. You need to have both sub stations in the area completed to access it. It contains the Charged Pulse Cannon which deals more damage as the weapon begins to overheat. Cooling down the weapon will help sustain this effect.
Dank Catacombs Ark
Weapon: Firestorm Revolver
Enemy difficulty: Level 7
In the Northwest area of the world is the Dank Catacombs Ark. Mow through all the enemies and you’ll receive the Firestorm Revolver. This handy weapon fires rounds which can be ignited at command. Using the revolver with Overdrive active turns the slugs into incendiary rounds with a slight area of effect.
Needle Falls Ark
Weapon: Grav-Dart Launcher
Enemy difficulty: Level 7
In the Northern region of the map, namely the Southwest part, is where the Needle Falls Ark is located. It contains the Grav-Dart Launcher – fire at an enemy and then fire at something else to connect both together.
Greenhaven Ark
Weapon: Hyper-Cannon Railgun
Enemy difficulty: Level 10
All the way at the Northernmost part of the map is the toughest Ark – Greenhaven. The Hyper-Cannon Railgun can be found here. It fires a single high-damaging shot but when aiming down sights, the shot can be charged. This pierces through multiple targets.