If you're chasing Rusted Gears for that Gunsmith Bench level 3, you already know how nasty the grind feels, and it's why some folks look up cheapest Arc Raiders boosting when they're fed up of running basic kit into geared players. I did the same thing at first: wandering into houses, scooping up junk, then extracting with a bag full of "stuff" that didn't move the upgrade bar at all. You figure it out the hard way—this isn't about looting more, it's about looting smarter, and Rusted Gears basically scream "industrial."

Stop Looting Homes

Residential blocks feel safe, so people default to them. That's the trap. Gears don't come from kitchen drawers; they come from machines. Start treating vehicles like your real loot containers: cars, buses, and those long storage trucks with compartments on both sides. Don't just pop a crate and bounce. Check the engine areas, check the compartments, check the spots that look like they'd hold parts. Once you commit to that mindset, your runs change fast. You'll leave a whole neighborhood untouched and still come out richer than the guy vacuuming every bedroom in sight.

Dam Battlegrounds Solo Route

When I'm solo and don't feel like getting dragged into a full lobby brawl, I stick to Dam Battlegrounds. It's predictable, and that's what you want when you're farming. I like dropping on the south edge near the Scrapyard first—lots of busted vehicles and debris with quick checks. From there, I work north toward the Powergrid generators, staying wide and using cover instead of sprinting down the obvious lanes. If it's not a sweaty server, I'll push up toward the North Complex elevator area and hit the buses. Those things have treated me better than "high tier" rooms ever did, and they're usually faster to loot than a maze of containers.

Weather, Crowds, and Inventory Pain

One thing I don't see mentioned enough: conditions matter, at least in practice. I started queuing into Cold Snap or Night whenever I could. Visibility drops, people slow down, and you get more breathing room to actually search vehicles without a squad swinging on you every thirty seconds. If you want higher density, Buried City can deliver—northwest Warehouse and the Parking Garage are stacked—but it comes with the usual problem: too many players in too little space. Bring the biggest backpack you can justify, because gears are heavy and inventory sorting mid-run is how you get deleted.

When You're Tired of the Dice Roll

Sometimes RNG just won't cooperate. You can do everything right and still go home empty, and that's when people start weighing time versus stress. If you'd rather skip some of the grind, sites like u4gm are known for services around game currency and items, and I get why that's tempting when you've got work, school, or just limited playtime. Still, if you're sticking with farming, keep it simple: industrial zones first, vehicles first, and play the map edges like you mean it, then extract the moment you hit your goal.