ARC Raiders 101: A No-Nonsense Arc Raider Beginner Guide

Getting started in ARC Raiders can feel like a lot of information to process, but this definitive Arc Raider Beginner Guide will walk you through the essential systems, from the main hub’s economy to understanding enemy weaknesses, ensuring you are prepared for your first few extractions.

A special thank you to Synystar for allowing us to share his content here on our site!

The Main Hub and Trader System

The main hub acts as your operational base where you can invite your fireteam, track your overall progress, and queue for the next match.

Two main progression currencies drive your time in the hub:

1. Raider Cred: Rewarded through Challenges, this currency is used to unlock items within the Battle Pass, which in turn unlocks further tiers.
2. Coin/XP/Items: These are gained by completing Quests provided by the various Traders.

The Traders are a core component of both the game’s progression and lore. Completing quests builds trust with a Trader, resulting in access to better quality rewards and items for purchase. An important, yet perhaps obvious, point is that teammates can complete quests and feats for you, making progress faster when playing consistently with the same group.

Crafting and Stash Management

Synystar suggests to prioritize crafting items at the workbenches over purchasing them directly from the Traders. Hoarding materials in your stash until their intended purpose is a good way at the start of the game to get things going.

You can determine what a material is used for by checking your inventory. Right-clicking an item and selecting Recycle shows what it will break down into. This allows you to weigh the options: sell the item for Coin, or recycle it for specific parts needed for crafting.

Workbench Functions:

• Weapon Bench: Used for crafting and modifying weapons and their attachments.
• Equipment and Utility Bench: For gear, augments, utility items, and gadgets.
• Medical Bench (Med Station): Dedicated to healing items and medical gear.
• Explosive Bench: For grenades, mines, and other explosive devices.
• Refiner: Creates advanced components and parts used by other benches. Crucially, the Refiner can up-convert lower rarity items into higher rarity items, which is often exactly what is required.

If you want to see what Requirements you need for each level, you can take a look at our Hideout Tracker.

For efficient looting, the Unload Backpack button is critical. This button is found in the main hub and at the end-of-raid screen, and it quickly moves all non-equipped items into your stash. If your inventory is cluttered, use the Merge Stacks button to condense materials and free up slots. Having maximum Stash Space is arguably the most important long-term investment, as it provides the most options for crafting and saving money.

Character Loadout and The Skill Tree

Your character screen is where loadouts are managed and where your unique playstyle is defined via the Skill Tree and also where you can make your character look awesome with the cosmetics.

The Skill Tree is split into three categories: Conditioning, Mobility, and Survival. The smaller nodes offer passive perks, which can be levelled up five times to increase their effectiveness. Allocating points in the first phase of the tree opens up opportunities to purchase points further down the chain.

The ultimate goal for character progression is unlocking the advanced Traits. These are massive, significant buffs to your Raider, but they require 15 points to be allocated in the skill tree first. The skill tree is one of the most vital elements for diversifying and refining your playstyle.

Loadout Essentials and Rarity

A standard loadout consists of 1-2 weapons, ammo, various medical items (bandages, syringes), shields, and an Augment. Your augment determines your available backpack space and the type of shields you can effectively use. Note that higher rarity shields generally weigh more, which can negatively affect your movement speed.

Item rarity follows a standard color-coded system:

• White: Common
• Green: Uncommon
• Blue: Rare
• Pink: Epic
• Yellow: Legendary

Finally, be aware of Safe Pockets. If you use a free loadout, you will not have access to these slots. Safe Pockets are designated slots for items you absolutely do not want to lose on death, such as rare blueprints or the necessary Raider Hatch Key.

Here is a great shot of Synystar showing us why Safe Pockets are important! haha!

Ark Enemy Weaknesses

When queuing into a raid, you will select a map, and each map has varying weather and real-time events that impact the environment and rewards, such as Night Raids or the Queen Harvester event.

When engaging the ARC enemies, a general rule is that heavy ammo is effective at breaking their armor. Their weak spots typically include their red-glowing eyes or any components they rely on for movement.

Here is a quick reference for exploiting the most common Ark weak points:

• Hornets & Rocketeers: Target their engines to reduce their threat level.
• Leaper, Queen, Bastion, & Bombader: Disabling their legs offers opportunities to damage other weak spots.
• Fireball: Wait until its core is exposed when it is shooting flames, then land a heavy round into the core.
• Tick: This enemy is easily killed in one shot with most weapons.
• Bastion: Target the joints on its legs or the highly visible yellow canister on its back.
• Snitch: This is a surveillance drone that calls for backup. It is very vulnerable; shoot one of its three wings to rip the armor off, then finish it by shooting the interior.
• Rocketeer: A highly dangerous, tanky threat. Focus fire on the engines to take it down.

Be sure to take a look at our Arc Database for full information on the different types of Arcs.

Extraction Methods

When you have secured the loot you need, there are two primary ways to escape the raid:

1. Standard Extracts: These are loud, time-consuming, and immediately attract the attention of hostile Raiders.
2. Raider Hatches: This is the superior, stealthier option. With the use of a Raider Hatch Key, this provides a quick and almost instant escape from the surface.

Finally, while other Raiders are often considered hostile, it is possible to use proxy chat to befriend them to benefit your own survival, as trust is earned. Furthermore, an advanced tactic involves using the environment—specifically, the Ark—against other Raiders by aggroing aggressive enemies like the Leaper to finish off an opponent whose shield you have already broken.

A huge thanks to Synystar for sharing his Beginners’ Guide to Arc Raiders with us!

Bookmark our ARC Raiders Maps for quick and easy access:

• ARC Raiders Dam Battlegrounds map
• ARC Raiders Spaceport map
• ARC Raiders Buried City map
• ARC Raiders Blue Gate map