If you’ve been dropping into ARC Raiders lately, you’ve probably spotted players running around in the rugged, desert-scavenger style Saltwalker Outfit. It’s easily one of the cleanest cosmetic sets in the game right now, and the good news is that getting the base version is surprisingly straightforward if you know what to focus on during the limited-time Forgotten Relics Event.
To unlock the core Saltwalker Outfit, you need to accumulate 150 Merits. Because this milestone sits right at the beginning of the event's reward track, you only need to earn a total of 15,000 XP across your extraction raids to hit it. It’s a very achievable target that you can hit in just a few successful runs, even as a solo raider.
Methods to Earn Merits Fast
While you’ll naturally progress just by playing the game, you can drastically speed up your grind and unlock the outfit much faster by optimizing your runs. Here are the best ways to stack up Merits:

• Focus on General XP: Every single match you play awards you XP based on your survival time, enemy kills, and general map interaction. This XP automatically converts into Merits, meaning your standard gameplay loop is constantly pushing you closer to the unlock.
• Loot and Extract Event Relics: Don't just breeze past loot containers. Make it a habit to check lockers, drawers, and crates all across the Rust Belt. Look out for hidden event relics; successfully extracting with these items grants a massive Merit bonus. The higher the rarity of the relic you bring back, the bigger the chunk of Merits you receive.
• Farm the Buried City Map: If you want to maximize your efficiency, skip the standard rotations and head straight to the Buried City map. The community highly recommends targeting specific high-tier locations like the Space Travel Building. This zone features an incredibly dense concentration of containers, giving you the absolute best spawn rates for epic and legendary trinket relics.

Quick Strategy Tip: When dropping into the Buried City, prioritize inventory space for high-rarity relics. If a fight gets too hot around the Space Travel Building, focus on securing your loot and heading to the nearest extraction point rather than risking your haul for a few extra grunt kills.

Unlocking Upgrades & Color Variants
Hitting 150 Merits secures the base outfit, but that’s only the beginning of the set. For the dedicated players who want the complete look, the event track stretches all the way up to 3,150 Merits (which translates to 315,000 total XP).
Full Outfit Customizations
As you continue to push through the Forgotten Relics Event Track, you will automatically unlock the individual cosmetic pieces that complete the theme. This includes matching set pieces like the:

• Speaker Bag
• Scarf
• Shoulder Pads
• Helmet
• Mask

Grinding out the full track completely changes your silhouette, transforming your raider into a fully geared wasteland survivor.
The Red & Black Variant
For those looking for ultimate bragging rights, there is also an exclusive Red and Black camouflage variant available. Unlocking this version requires a bit more effort than just earning XP. You’ll need to complete the final stage of the accompanying Converging Paths Player Project. This side track requires you to gather specialized survival supplies and actively recover specific relics for the Nomads, testing both your thorough scouting and your extraction skills under pressure.