Wondering what those mysterious Pacific Drive anomalies do? As you dive deep into the Exclusion Zone, you’ll come across all manner of supernatural phenomena, including strange entities known as Anomalies. While fascinating, these can spell disaster for you and your car. Before approaching one, here is our handy guide about all of the game’s possible Anomalies and what dangers they pose.
What is an Anomaly in Pacific Drive?
Anomalies in Pacific Drive are strange, supernatural occurrences in the Olympic Exclusion Zone. They can potentially kill you and cause various types of serious damage to your car, which can end in a scrapped trip and the loss of many valuable items (unless you have it disabled in ‘Settings’).
The anomalies take different forms, feeding off the region’s instability and anything in their wake that they deem consumable or a threat. As a living human in a working car, this makes you a considerable target for any of them, and avoiding them is your biggest priority.
They’re the direct result of the scientific catastrophe that ravaged the region in the 1950s after the government decided to test a new type of technology that turned out to be far more destructive than they anticipated. A gigantic wall was erected around its perimeter to seal it off from the rest of the world, a tomb for their past mistakes that are still very much active.
Every Anomaly You Can Encounter in Pacific Drive
There are about 23 different Anomalies in Pacific Drive that we have discovered in our travels throughout the Olympic Exclusion Zone so far. Some you can discover as soon as your very first drive from Oppy’s Auto Shop, others you won’t find until later on in the story.
We’ve detailed every Anomaly below, their physical description, where we’ve seen them, along with the potential dangers/damage they can inflict upon you and your car. Most Junctions will have multiple Anomalies present for you to deal with, so make sure you prepare accordingly with plenty of methods of defense and recovery before heading out.
| Anomaly | Description | Location(s) Seen | Damage Effects |
| Spark Tower | Tall metal tower that projects streams of electricity; plasma tanks at its base can be destroyed with Impact Hammer for resources. | Most Junctions, very common due to it being a source of plasma. | It will project streams of electricity in a line that will track you if you get too close. |
| Abductor | A floating mass of broken machinery with a light on its underside that scans the ground on its path. | Most Junctions, very common | If detected, it will attempt to literally “abduct” your car, tethering to it and dragging it off the road. |
| Minuteman | Grey metal objects resembling pylons that emerge from the ground and project electrical currents. | Most Junctions; specifically near ARC Anchor locations. | These will sprout up around you usually after picking up an ARC Anchor, and attempt to catch you in streams of electricity. |
| Can Opener | Giant serrated blades that grind through the ground via indicated patterns that glow red. Found in open fields, streets, etc. | Most Junctions in the Outer Zone | These can be deadly if you run into them as they cross their indicated red path. They can shred your car’s tires. |
| Crackling Crawler | The same as the Can Opener, but emits electrical currents as it cuts a path that glows blue. | TBD | These are just as deadly as their Can Opener counterparts; will shred your car’s tires if contact is made, and cause electrical damage as well. |
| Tourist | These are dirt-based anomalies resembling humans that randomly spawn, often in groups and on roadways. | Most Junctions, very common | Avoid driving through them at all costs, as they explode like grenades upon contact and can cause a chain reaction with any nearby, causing serious damage. |
| Shocked Tourist | An electrical variant of the Tourists, these are also found in groups and generate currents of harmful electricity. | Junctions in the Deeper Zones | Also avoid driving through these variants, as they can cause serious Electrical damage to your car. |
| Cappy | A giant mass of machinery, it’s the biggest Anomaly in the entire Exclusion Zone; is encountered during the “Remnant Experiment” quest. | Sierram | Encountering Cappy is required for the “Remnant Experiment” story quest. Does not cause damage. |
| Spiked Puddle | A large purple puddle of mysterious substance that creates harmful spikes | Found in a few Junctions of the Outer Zone, but mostly deeper in. | These most often spawn on roadways and wreak havoc on your car’s tires. Can be hard to spot at night without good headlights, so drive carefully. |
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| Pothole | Despite their name, these are clumps of floating rocks on roadways that can obstruct your view or distract you from other threats. | Found in every driveable area of the game; extremely common. | These are probably the most common Anomaly in the game and do not cause much damage at all. To our knowledge, driving through them is safe. |
| Bollard | These are tall stone pillars that emerge out of the ground randomly, often on roadways. | Also very common, seen most often around roadways. | These pose virtually no threat, as they don’t move or emit anything harmful. Simply don’t drive into them to avoid unnecessary damage. |
| Hot Dust | Appear as clumps of large, bright green pools on the ground that expand; often when the player stops their car in an area for long periods. | Extremely common, found everywhere. | These look more menacing than they actually are. Will spawn when you stop in a random area for too long. Don’t cause serious damage, safe to drive through. |
| Cough Box | These are severely toxic green clouds of poison that should be avoided at all costs without protective gear. | Found primarily in Swamp-type areas of the Zone. | These poison gas clouds are very dangerous, as they can melt your HP and eat away the durability of your car’s components. |
| Sizzling Mist | Blue-grey clouds of electric currents that spawn randomly, usually just off roadways. | Found in most Junctions, very common. | These are usually easy to avoid and not especially dangerous; damage caused isn’t serious. |
| Left-Right | These are bizarre, circular currents that glow red and blue, and appear either on or right beside roadways. | Found in most Junctions, very common. | These are deceptively dangerous, as if you drive right through one it will cause your car to go haywire and out of your control for several seconds. Can cause a devastating wreck if not careful. |
| Airstrip | Light blue strips of strong air currents that spawn from the ground, either in open fields or across roadways. | Found in the Deeper Zones | If you drive over one of these, it will seen your car flying up in the area before crashing back down, so we highly recommend avoiding them. |
| Broken Bunny | These are notorious little orbs of broken wires and unstable energy that tend to ambush, and otherwise float and bounce around random areas, often by roadways. | Seen in a few Junctions of the Outer Zone, but mostly in the Deeper Zone. | While small in size, these can cause trouble if you venture too close, as they’ll latch onto your car and cause serious degradation to various components until you can shake them off. |
| Happy Hare | Very similar in look to the Broken Bunnies, these glow green instead of orange and are actually beneficial to the player. | Found in the Deeper Zone, inside of Friendly Dumpsters rather than out in the open. | This variant of the Broken Bunny provides regenerative health benefits to your car, healing to whatever components it latches onto. Very useful in a pinch. |
| Wriggling Wreck | Resembles piles of scrapped, rusty cars in the middle of roadways. Will come alive and emit waves of electric currents to those who venture too close. | Rarely found in the Outer Zone, more common in Deeper Zone. | These unassuming piles of rusty cars aren’t a threat if you don’t approach them. If you happen to swerve towards one, it will project troublesome electric damage. |
| Glittering Boulder | As big, floating yellow orbs these look a lot like ARC Anchors, but they’re not. Often seen on roadways. | Very common in the Outer Zone and Deeper Zones. | If you approach one of these in person, it will explode and cause some damage to your HP, but not serious. If you approach in your car, it will give you a super-speed boost for a few seconds. |
| Shaggy Scrambler | Similar in form to the Glittering Boulder, but these glow orange and purple instead of yellow. Found along roadways or in fields. | Almost exclusively found in the Deeper Zones. | Unlike the Glittering Boulder variant, these are nothing but trouble. If you approach too close in person or in your car, it will come after you and cause a big explosion. Avoid at all costs. |
| Shakers | Similar to Airstrips, these are earthquake-like fissures that appear from the ground and glow yellow, projecting air currents. | Found randomly in zones. | These usually spawn when you remove an ARC Anchor from its holder, but can also randomly spawn along roadways if you linger too long. |
| Bubblegum Buddies | Strange entities made up of long, pink tentacles that like to stick to things. They can spot you relatively easily. | Found exclusively in the Deeper Zones. | These can be big trouble if you get too close, as their long tendrils will latch onto your car and have a much harder time letting go. Can rip off components. |
That concludes our guide for all Anomalies in Pacific Drive and what they do. Be sure to check out all of our other guides for Pacific Drive, such as how the Friendly Dumpster works.
Published: Feb 27, 2024 04:57 am