That Trophy Display grind hits different when Stage 2 asks for Expired Respirators. Three of them. Sounds easy until you realise they're treated like junk in the world, but they're basically a key item for you. I went down the rabbit hole while stocking up on ARC Raiders Coins, and the big lesson is simple: stop treating this like "loot more, hope more." You're not shopping, you're hunting one specific medical drop, and you've gotta extract with it.

Know What You're Actually Searching

Expired Respirators come from medical loot pools, full stop. If you're cracking industrial crates, toolboxes, or random storage, you're just burning time and making noise. Aim for spots that scream "clinic" or "lab." Filing cabinets, white medical drawers, medicine stands, and those little shelves tucked into infirmary corners. You'll start to notice the pattern fast: the game rewards players who read the room and loot with intention, not players who vacuum every container in sight.

Dam Battlegrounds: Testing Annex Runs

If you want consistency without turning every raid into a gunfight, run the Testing Annex on Dam Battlegrounds. It's in the south, small enough to clear quickly, and dense enough with medical containers that you don't feel like you're rolling dice every run. What I like most is how "in-and-out" it feels. You sweep the cabinets and shelves, check the drawers, then rotate straight toward the nearby extraction lift. It's not foolproof, but it's calmer than the usual hotspots, so you spend less time panicking and more time actually looting.

High Risk Options and a Simple Survival Trick

Buried City's Hospital can be insane for volume. More rooms, more containers, more chances. But yeah, everyone knows that, so it's also where squads go when they want contact. If you're geared and you like PvP, go for it. If you're just trying to finish a project requirement, it can feel like a trap. Stella Montis Medical Research can work too, but my results there have been streaky. Wherever you farm, do yourself a favour: the second you find a respirator, put it in a Safe Pocket. Don't "hold it for later." Later is when you get third-partied.

Make the Quest Feel Small Again

The easiest way to stay sane is to treat each raid like it has one job: hit medical containers, secure one respirator, leave. Do that three times and you're done, no heroic looting tour required. If you keep your route tight and your exits planned, the whole Stage 2 wall stops feeling like a wall, and more like a quick checklist on the way to better unlocks, especially if you've already got your ARC Raiders Coins buy plans sorted and just want to move on to the fun gear.