NPCs: ARC Machines of the Rust Belt

In ARC Raiders, the ARC are a legion of hostile, AI-controlled robots that dominate the surface of a ravaged, futuristic Earth. The ARC come in various forms, each with unique behaviors, abilities, and threat levels, making them far more than generic enemies.

The ARC’s retro-futuristic design, inspired by sci-fi classics like Terminator and Horizon Zero Dawn, gives them a menacing yet intriguing presence. From small, skittering drones to towering, crab-like behemoths, they’re as varied as they are deadly, ensuring no two encounters feel the same. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll face and how to handle them.

Types of ARC Machines

Wasp

These flying, drone-like robots are equipped with powerful machine guns and operate in swarms. They’re fast, agile, and relentless, making them a nightmare in open areas. Their buzzing and screeching audio cues are your first warning—they’re coming for you.

Wasps patrol in groups and use line-of-sight detection, meaning you can avoid them by staying out of their vision cones. They’re aggressive when alerted, diving in to pepper you with gunfire.

Tactics:

• Stealth: Stick to cover like dense foliage or buildings to avoid detection. Their line-of-sight mechanic makes sneaking viable if you’re patient.
• Combat: If forced to fight, prioritize quick, accurate shots to take them down before they swarm you. Weapons like the Ferro (heavy ammo) are effective against them.
• Lure Grenades: These gadgets are your best friend. Toss a Lure Grenade to draw Wasps to a specific spot, creating chaos you can use to escape or ambush other Raiders.
• Tip: Use Wasps to your advantage by luring them toward enemy players, turning their aggression into a tactical distraction.

Tick

Small, spider-like robots that leap onto players, attaching themselves to your head in a terrifying nod to Alien’s facehuggers. They’re fast and disorienting, designed to punish careless Raiders.

Ticks are ambush predators, often hiding in dark corners or up high. They strike quickly, latching on to deal damage and disrupt your focus.

Tactics:

• Awareness: Listen for their skittering sounds and watch for movement in tight spaces like tunnels or ruins. The game’s awesome sound design is a lifesaver here.
• Melee: A quick melee attack with your pickaxe can dislodge them if they latch on, but act fast to avoid taking too much damage.
• Teamwork: In squads, have teammates cover you in confined areas where Ticks are likely to strike.
• Tip: Avoid sprinting blindly through dark areas—Ticks love to catch overconfident Raiders off guard.

Bastion

These are the big bosses of the ARC family—massive, crab-like machines. They’re slow but devastating, capable of shredding shields and dealing massive damage with heavy attacks.

Bastions patrol key areas or guard high-value loot caches. They’re less about speed and more about overwhelming force, making direct confrontations risky.

Tactics:

• Avoidance: Bastions are best avoided unless you’re well-equipped. Their slow movement allows you to sneak around them using cover or ziplines.
• Team Play: If you must fight, coordinate with your squad to focus fire. Use heavy weapons like the Ferro or explosives to chip away at their armor.
• Loot Reward: Defeating a Bastion yields valuable components like ammo and weapon parts, making the risk worthwhile for prepared teams.
• Tip: Lure Bastions into choke points where their size limits mobility, giving you a tactical edge.

Sentinel(Sniper Turrets)

Stationary but deadly, these turrets perch on high vantage points like rooftops or cliffs, scanning for targets with long-range precision.

They lock onto players from a distance and fire powerful shots. Their fixed positions make them predictable but no less dangerous.

Tactics:

• Stealth: Stay low and use terrain to break their line of sight. Crouch-walking or using smoke grenades can help you slip past.
• Counter-Sniping: If you have a sniper rifle, you can take them out from a safe distance. Aim for their optics to disable them quickly.
• Tip: Watch for their telltale laser sights to avoid stepping into their kill zones.

The Queen

This is the Goliath of the ARC forces, a colossal machine whose presence defines the battlefield. It is only deployed during the critical Harvester Event, acting as the immovable guardian of the Harvester unit. Its incredible durability and lethal arsenal make it the single greatest threat on the map; attempting to scratch its armor alone is a fool’s errand—you’ll need a full squad of Raiders working in concert just to stand a chance. Its attacks are devastating: Mortar Barrage: The dome atop the unit launches three massive mortars that land in a cluster around a targeted Raider. Two seconds after impact, they detonate in a fiery, engulfing inferno. Sustained Laser: It periodically sweeps its primary weapon, firing a continuous laser beam at any Raider it acquires in its line-of-sight. Close-Quarters Deterrents: Should Raiders try to get up close and personal, the Goliath switches modes, delivering either a disruptive EMP pulse to shut down technology or a crushing ground slam to obliterate anything nearby.

Rocketeer

This is a formidable flying ARC, a pure engine of destruction that dominates the airspace. It poses a significant threat not just because it flies, but because of its powerful rocket attacks and devastating focus on area-of-effect (AoE) damage. This unit is designed to saturate an area, turning cover into a liability and forcing Raiders to constantly relocate or be wiped out by the sheer force of its explosions. Treat it like a mobile artillery piece—it hits hard and wide.

Snitch

This little flyer is a swift and unarmored scout drone, often identifiable by its cluster of three rotors. While individually fragile, its primary danger is its role as an aerial alarm system. Once it spots Raiders, it immediately triggers a wide-band signal, effectively calling in a wave of flying ARC reinforcements—usually a swarm of Wasps or Hornets—to descend on your position. Taking it out before it completes its transmission is essential, as its light frame means a single, well-aimed burst will shatter it.

Hornet

This is a medium-class drone, easily recognizable by the pair of armored rotors mounted prominently on its front. It rarely operates alone, preferring to patrol the skies alongside a swarm of Wasps or to act as an aerial shield for a larger, ground-based ARC. Its main attack is a focused, high-speed projectile. Watch for the brief, one-second pulse of a red aiming laser—that’s your warning before it fires a specialized stun round designed to shred Raider shields and tear through light armor almost instantly.

Tactics:

• Bait the Pulse: Watch for the 1-second red laser pulse. Draw the stun shot with a quick shield flash or peek, then immediately dodge and use the post-shot delay to attack.
• A-B-C: Always Be Critting: Ignore the central body and focus all fire on the armored rotors or the rotor mounts. Taking out its lift is faster than punching through its armor.
• Isolate and Overwhelm: Prioritize eliminating the accompanying Wasp swarm first. A Hornet is easier to burst down when its aerial screen and distraction fire are gone.

Turret

This is a small, unarmored turret that provides close-quarters defense for the ARC. Its primary function is to scan constantly for movement, and you’ll typically find it mounted on interior walls inside buildings. Do not confuse this swift little gun with the massive, high-altitude Sentinel turrets you find outside. When it spots a Raider, it immediately opens fire, unleashing a two-second hail of bullets in an attempt to suppress and eliminate the threat quickly. Its lack of armor makes it fragile, but its location makes it dangerous.

Fireball

A small armored rolling ARC that spits flame. Will open up it’s front panel when near Raiders to burn them alive. While the front is open its soft unarmored core is exposed.

Rolls through open areas, igniting anything in their path. They’re less about precision and more about area denial.

Tactics:

• Mobility: Keep moving to avoid their flames. Ziplines or high ground can help you stay out of their reach.
• Distraction: Lure Grenades work well to redirect their attention, letting you slip by or set traps for other Raiders.
• Tip: Their flames can ignite flammable objects, so be cautious near gas canisters or fuel tanks.

Bison

This isn’t just an ARC; it’s a massive, arachnid-like siege engine. Its heavy armor gives it a hulking, near-indestructible presence on the battlefield, but don’t mistake its bulk for sluggishness.

This mechanized spider possesses an unnerving, gravity-defying ability to leap vast distances. Reports confirm it has been seen clearing impossible gaps, even bounding effortlessly to the summit of a Spaceport tower. It’s a vertical threat you can’t simply hide from. They are often found around high value loot areas.

Tactics:

• Cover: Take cover and try to stay out of their line of sight.
• Heavy Firepower: Use high-damage weapons to ground them quickly. Team coordination is crucial for taking them down.
• Tip: Their erratic movement makes them hard to hit, so wait for them to pause or land before unloading.

Why the ARC Matter

The ARC aren’t just fodder for your bullets; they’re a defining feature of ARC Raiders that sets it apart from other extraction shooters like Escape From Tarkov or Marathon. Here’s why they’re so engaging:

• Unpredictable Threat: Unlike human enemies, ARC machines introduce unpredictable PvE elements. Their varied behaviors force you to adapt on the fly, whether you’re sneaking past a Wasp swarm or bracing for a Bastion’s charge. This keeps every raid tense and varied.
• Tactical Opportunities: The ARC can be used as weapons against other players. Lure Grenades let you sic Wasps or Bastions on rival Raiders, turning the environment into a chaotic battlefield where clever tactics can outshine raw aim.
• World-Building: The ARC’s retro-futuristic design and mysterious origins add depth to the game’s lore. Why do they patrol the surface? What caused their rise? These questions linger, making every encounter feel like a piece of a larger puzzle.
• Risk vs. Reward: Taking down ARC, especially tougher ones like Bastions, yields valuable loot like weapon components and ammo. This tempts players to weigh the risk of engaging versus sneaking away with what they’ve already got.

Strategies for Dealing with ARC

Surviving the ARC requires a mix of preparation, awareness, and creativity. Here are some key strategies to master their encounters:

1. Loadout Preparation
   • Weapons: For beginners, stick to versatile weapons like the Anvil pistol (a fan-favorite revolver) for reliable damage or the Ferro for tackling tougher ARCs. Avoid burning through ammo on weaker enemies like Ticks unless necessary.
   • Gadgets: Lure Grenades are a must for redirecting ARC attention. Bandages and Shield Rechargers are essential to recover from ARC attacks, as shields are your lifeline in prolonged fights.
   • Safe Pocket: Always store high-value loot in your Safe Pocket to keep it even if you’re downed by an ARC or rival Raider.
2. Sound Awareness
   • ARC Raiders boasts top-tier sound design, with ARC machines giving distinct audio cues like Wasp buzzing or Tick skittering. Use these to anticipate threats before they spot you. Footsteps (yours and others’) are loud, so crouch-walk to stay stealthy.
3. Map Knowledge
   • Maps like The Dam, Buried City, and Spaceport have unique ARC spawns. For example, The Dam’s flora offers cover from Wasps, while Buried City’s sandstorms obscure Sniper Turrets. Learn each map’s layout to avoid ARC hotspots.
4. Team Play
   • Squads of up to three players can cover more ground and handle ARC encounters better. Assign roles: one player lures ARCs, another snipes, and the third loots. Communication is key to avoid being overwhelmed.
5. Stealth Over Firefights
   • ARC machines often rely on line-of-sight, so use cover, fog, or sandstorms to slip past. Engaging every ARC depletes your resources, so prioritize stealth unless the loot is worth the fight.
6. Exploit the Environment
   • Use ziplines, motion sensors, or car alarms to distract or evade ARCs. Triggering environmental hazards like gas canisters can damage ARCs or create diversions.

Lore and Atmosphere: The ARC’s Role in the World

The ARC aren’t just enemies—they’re a window into ARC Raiders’ haunting narrative. Set in a nasapunk, retro-futuristic world, the game paints a picture of a fallen civilization where humanity clings to survival in underground hubs like Speranza. The ARC’s origins are shrouded in mystery, but their presence suggests a technological catastrophe that reshaped the planet. Their designs, blending 1970s sci-fi aesthetics with brutal functionality, evoke a sense of lost ambition—think Blade Runner meets Terminator.

Each ARC encounter feels like a story beat. A Wasp swarm chasing you through a sandstorm in Buried City or a Bastion guarding a derelict spaceport adds to the game’s oppressive, immersive atmosphere. The ARC’s audio design—screeching drones, clanking metal, and ominous hums—amplifies the tension, making every raid feel like a desperate gamble.

Tips for New Raiders

• Start Small: Focus on scavenging and avoiding ARCs in your first few runs. The Dam map is beginner-friendly with plenty of cover.
• Conserve Ammo: ARCs like Wasps and Ticks can drain your resources. Only engage when the loot justifies it.
• Use Free Loadouts: If you’re low on gear, take a Free Loadout to minimize risk. You won’t have a Safe Pocket, but it’s great for learning the ropes.
• Learn from Death: Dying to an ARC teaches you their patterns. Treat each loss as a lesson in positioning and timing.
• Join the Community: Check the official ARC Raiders Discord for tips and squad mates. Playtest feedback suggests a vibrant community eager to share strategies.

Stay tuned to ARC Raiders’ official channels for updates, and sign up for playtests on Steam or Embark’s website to face these machines yourself. Got a favorite ARC encounter or strategy? Share it with the MetaForge community on Discord – we’d love to hear your tales from the Rust Belt.

We also have an interactive map which will show you where you can find all the Arcs.