What is the Cooling Fan actually used for?

[Pulsaris]

Where do Cooling Fans usually come from?

In real gameplay, almost all Cooling Fans come from Technological loot sources, especially Server Racks. If you are running areas with offices, data centers, or industrial interiors, you are in the right place.

A few practical notes from experience:

Server Racks are often ignored by players rushing objectives. Slow down and check them.

Cooling Fans don’t drop every time, so you need multiple runs.

They tend to appear in mid-risk zones, not beginner areas and not extreme endgame zones.

If you are specifically farming Cooling Fans, it is usually more efficient to do short scavenging runs focused on tech buildings instead of long combat-heavy raids.

How much do Cooling Fans weigh, and does that matter?

Each Cooling Fan weighs 3.0, and they stack up to 3 per slot. That sounds manageable until you realize you may need five or more for a single project stage.

In practice:

Carrying multiple Cooling Fans limits how many other valuables you can extract.

Newer players often drop them because they look bulky and low value.

Veteran players usually extract them immediately once found.

Weight matters because Cooling Fans are not something you want to risk losing. If you already have two in your inventory and find a third, that is often a signal to head for extraction instead of pushing deeper.

Should you sell Cooling Fans for coins?

Cooling Fans sell for 2,000 coins each. That sounds decent early on, but selling them is almost never the right move.

Here’s why players regret selling them:

Coins are easier to get than Cooling Fans.

Project requirements don’t scale with your wallet.

Buying back lost progress costs time, not money.

Selling only makes sense if:

You are completely done with all projects that require them.

You already have a surplus stored.

You urgently need coins for repairs or insurance.

Most experienced players treat Cooling Fans as non-sellable until late game.

What do you get when you recycle a Cooling Fan?

Recycling a Cooling Fan gives:

Plastic Parts

Wires

The exact amounts are consistent enough that players rely on them as a reliable source of Wires rather than Plastic.

Salvaging (instead of recycling) only gives Wires and removes the Plastic output, so recycling is almost always the better choice unless you are extremely short on time.

In practice, Cooling Fans are not efficient Plastic farms. There are lighter and more common items for that. Their recycling value is mainly useful when:

You already completed required projects

You are short on Wires specifically

You need materials immediately without another raid

Is it better to recycle Cooling Fans or save them?

This is one of the most common questions, and the honest answer depends on project status.

Save them if:

You have not completed Core System and Framework projects

You are close to a project stage that requires them

You only have one or two total

Recycle them if:

All related projects are done

You have extras sitting in storage

You urgently need Wires for a craft

A common mistake is recycling early and then realizing later that you need five Cooling Fans at once. That mistake usually leads players to grind longer than necessary.

How do experienced players manage Cooling Fan inventory?

Most long-term players follow a simple rule:
Keep at least five Cooling Fans in storage at all times.

Why five?

That covers known project spikes.

It prevents panic farming later.

It leaves room to recycle extras safely.

Some players go even further and keep eight or ten, especially if they plan to push multiple progression branches without interruption.

This is also why some players choose to buy Anvil blueprint early. Once crafting options expand, having steady access to recycled materials without blocking progression becomes more important, and mismanaging Rare recyclables can slow everything down.

Are Cooling Fans hard to farm on purpose?

They are not hard, but they are inconvenient.

You can’t target farm them the way you farm enemies or containers. You have to:

Visit the right biome

Check the right objects

Accept RNG

That’s why most players don’t farm Cooling Fans directly. Instead, they pick them up naturally during tech scavenging runs and slowly build a stockpile.

Trying to farm them aggressively often feels inefficient compared to letting them accumulate over time.

What mistakes do new players make with Cooling Fans?

The most common mistakes are:

Selling them too early

Recycling them before checking project requirements

Dropping them due to weight pressure

Assuming they are easy to replace

None of these are obvious on a first playthrough. The game does not clearly signal how important Rare recyclables become later.

If you remember nothing else: Cooling Fans are more valuable in storage than in your wallet.

When do Cooling Fans stop being important?

Cooling Fans stop being critical once:

All major base progression projects are complete

You have stable access to Wires and Plastic

You are no longer unlocking systems

At that point, they turn into a convenience item rather than a bottleneck. Some players still keep a few out of habit, but losing one no longer feels painful.

Until then, treat them as progression keys, not crafting junk.

Final practical advice

If you find a Cooling Fan:

Extract safely

Store it

Do not sell it

Do not recycle it unless you are sure

ARC Raiders rewards patience more than efficiency. Cooling Fans are a small item that quietly punish impatience and reward planning. Handle them carefully, and your mid-game progression will feel much smoother.

ARC Refinery Advanced Material Conversion Pack | Global