How to Defeat Every ARC Type in ARC Raiders

ARC Raiders features a wide range of ARC enemies, each designed to challenge players in unique ways. From small, fast threats to heavily armored machines, understanding how each ARC behaves is key to surviving the wasteland.

This guide covers how to defeat every ARC type in ARC Raiders, complete with tactics, recommended weapons, strengths and weaknesses, and the loot each ARC can drop.

Bastion

Description:
The Bastion is a massive, heavily armored ground ARC designed to suppress and dominate the battlefield. Its signature machine gun can lay down continuous fire that forces players into cover. Bastions move slowly but have predictable attack patterns, making them dangerous in open spaces.

They are often stationed in choke points or guarding high-value loot, and their armor plating can withstand most standard weapons, forcing players to target weak points. Players may notice glowing yellow kneecaps and a rear cylinder — these are critical for dealing heavy damage quickly.

How to Defeat:

• Use cover to minimize exposure to its machine gun.
• Target the yellow kneecaps and rear cylinder to bypass armor.
• Coordinate with teammates to flank and distract it.
• Use heavy ammunition for faster damage output.

Recommended Weapons:
Heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, or rocket launchers.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Extremely durable, high firepower, good for farming Arc Alloy.
• Cons: Slow movement, predictable pattern can be exploited, requires teamwork to take down efficiently.

Loot Drops:
Bastion Parts, Arc Alloy, and upgrade components.
View full loot list on Metaforge

Bombardier

Description:
The Bombardier is a mid-sized ARC that excels at long-range area attacks. It launches explosive barrages that can devastate unprepared squads. While its armor is strong, it becomes vulnerable after discharging its weapons. Bombardiers tend to stay stationary or reposition slowly, giving observant players a chance to strike weak points on the upper chassis or core.

Their explosive attacks are particularly effective against grouped players but require timing and mobility to avoid.

How to Defeat:

• Stay mobile to dodge incoming bombardments.
• Focus fire on the upper chassis or exposed core.
• Use heavy ammo or explosives to pierce armor.
• Attack immediately after it finishes firing to exploit its temporary vulnerability.

Recommended Weapons:
Heavy rifles, explosives, or rocket launchers.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Powerful area attacks, strong defensive armor, drops valuable crafting parts.
• Cons: Slow repositioning, predictable pattern after firing, dangerous in open areas.

Loot Drops:
Bombardier Components, Arc Alloy, Motion Cores.
View full loot list on Metaforge

Fireball

Description:
Fireballs are small, rolling ARCs armed with flamethrowers. They move quickly and seek out players to inflict heavy close-range fire damage.

When preparing to attack, they open up, exposing their core — this is the perfect window for counterattacks. Fireballs often appear in groups and can create chaotic situations in tight corridors. Their predictable rolling pattern allows skilled players to kite them while targeting the exposed weak point.

How to Defeat:

• Wait until the core is exposed to maximize damage.
• Keep distance, as their flamethrower is lethal at close range.
• One heavy shot is often sufficient to destroy them.

Recommended Weapons:
Heavy rounds, mid-range rifles, or shotguns.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Fast, high close-range damage, low health makes them manageable.
• Cons: Predictable movement, can overwhelm unprepared players in groups.

Loot Drops:
Fireball Burners (used for crafting and upgrades).
View full loot list on Metaforge

Hornet

Description:
Hornets are agile aerial ARCs armed with stunners and rapid-fire projectiles. Essentially an upgraded Wasp, Hornets can suppress squads and are particularly dangerous in groups. If you have not defeated one yet, be ready to fight some later on for a quest. As it requires 2 Wasp drivers which can only be found from these ARCs.

How to Defeat:

• Target rear or underside thrusters.
• Use heavy or medium rounds; avoid light ammo.
• Stay mobile to avoid stun attacks.

Recommended Weapons:
Heavy rifles, machine guns, or energy weapons.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Agile, long-range suppression, high threat in groups.
• Cons: Fragile thrusters, weak when grounded.

Loot Drops:
Hornet Driver (stun grenade component), Arc Alloy.
View full loot list on Metaforge

Leaper (Bison)

Description:
The Leaper, formerly Bison, is a fast, spider-like ARC that leaps into combat and delivers devastating melee damage. It is highly mobile, making it deadly in close quarters. Observing its charge pattern allows skilled teams to preemptively strike its legs to reduce mobility.

How to Defeat:

• Focus on legs to immobilize.
• Use cover and teamwork to manage jumps.
• Avoid close-range combat.

Recommended Weapons:
Heavy rounds, grenade launchers, or energy rifles.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: High mobility, heavy melee damage, exploitable weak points.
• Cons: Vulnerable legs, predictable charges.

Loot Drops:
Leaper Driver (explosive AoE grenade), Arc Alloy.
View full loot list on Metaforge

Pop

Description:
Pops are smaller, faster versions of Fireballs that rush players and self-destruct. They are extremely aggressive but have very low health. Correct timing is crucial, as allowing them to reach players can deal massive damage. So shoot them as soon as you see them to avoid this issue.

How to Defeat:

• Use heavy ammo to destroy quickly.
• Keep distance to avoid explosions.
• Tag to differentiate from Fireballs if completing missions.

Recommended Weapons:
Shotguns or heavy rifles.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Quick, aggressive, predictable path.
• Cons: Extremely low health, weak armor.

Loot Drops:
Pop Triggers, Arc Powercells and Arc Coolant.
View full loot list on Metaforge

Queen

Description:
The Queen is the ultimate endgame ARC boss, commanding other units and defending the high-value “Harvester.” She performs devastating area attacks, summons reinforcements, and can control the battlefield.

Engaging the Queen requires high-tier weapons and a coordinated team. Her large hitbox makes her easy to target, but her attacks can wipe out unprepared squads. Observing her attack patterns is key — she pauses briefly after summoning, creating a window to strike core weak points.

How to Defeat:

• Focus fire on her core and any exposed weak points.
• Eliminate summoned ARCs first to reduce pressure.
• Coordinate with your team for sustained damage.
• Keep moving to avoid area attacks.

Recommended Weapons:
Heavy launchers, EMP grenades, energy weapons, or coordinated squad fire.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: High durability, summons reinforcements, rewards high-tier loot.
• Cons: Slow movement, requires a full squad to tackle safely.

Loot Drops:
Queen Cores, Motion Cores, Thermo Linings.
View full loot list on Metaforge

Rocketeer

Description:
Rocketeers are heavily armed aerial ARCs that launch guided missiles. They are among the toughest aerial enemies, capable of devastating squads caught in open terrain.

Players should stay under cover and prioritize the red glowing core underneath or thrusters to limit movement. EMP grenades can temporarily disable them but are costly. Their targeting lock-up sound cues are vital to dodging missile barrages.

How to Defeat:

• Use cover at all times; avoid open spaces.
• Focus on thrusters or core for critical damage.
• Heavy ammo required for efficiency.
• Dodge missiles by timing movement with audio cues.

Recommended Weapons:
Heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, or energy weapons.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Long-range firepower, high damage output.
• Cons: Slow tracking, vulnerable thrusters, difficult solo encounters.

Loot Drops:
Rocket Components, Arc Alloy, High-Tier Crafting Parts.
View full loot list on Metaforge

Sentinel

Description:
Sentinels are stationary ARCs designed to guard important locations. They deploy shield emitters and wield long-range weaponry. While immobile, their shields make them dangerous at distance.

Removing shield generators first is essential. Once disabled, Sentinels are highly vulnerable and can be flanked for easier elimination.

How to Defeat:

• Destroy shield generators first.
• Use medium or heavy rounds for efficiency.
• Flank from cover when shields drop.

Recommended Weapons:
Energy rifles, heavy rifles, or explosives.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Strong defensive capabilities, high damage with shields.
• Cons: Immobile, weak when shields collapse.

Loot Drops:
Sentinel Cores, Arc Alloy, Circuitry.
View full loot list on Metaforge

Snitch

Description:
Snitches are small reconnaissance drones that alert nearby ARCs to player presence if not destroyed quickly. Though fragile, failing to eliminate them promptly can escalate combat by summoning multiple ARCs. Observant players often destroy them preemptively or avoid them altogether to prevent reinforcements.

How to Defeat:

• Destroy before it signals other ARCs.
• Three to five heavy rounds usually suffice.
• Target wings or sensors for rapid elimination.

Recommended Weapons:
Medium or heavy rifles, SMGs for close range.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Provides early warning for ARC patrols.
• Cons: Fragile, low health, failure to destroy increases combat difficulty.

Loot Drops:
Snitch Scanners (used for crafting or throwable lures).
View full loot list on Metaforge

Surveyor (Rollbot)

Description:
Surveyors are spherical reconnaissance ARCs, formerly known as Rollbots. They scan terrain and relay player locations to nearby ARCs. Though minimally offensive, they are highly mobile and can escalate combat quickly if left unchecked. Their weak points include the exposed core and detachable components that fall as they take damage.

How to Defeat:

• Attack while scanning; most vulnerable then.
• Use heavy ammo for maximum efficiency.
• Destroy components as they detach for additional loot.

Recommended Weapons:
Heavy rifles, explosives, or energy weapons.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Detects enemies quickly, mobile, minimal offensive threat.
• Cons: Low health, easy to destroy if targeted early.

Loot Drops:
Robot Parts, Arc Alloy, Surveyor Cores.
View full loot list on Metaforge

Tick

Description:
Ticks are small, spider-like ARCs that leap and latch onto players, dealing continuous damage. Which can be removed by pressing the action key multiple times. These are extremely weak so can easily be dealt with.

Ticks are usually found in a group of 2 or 3. So you can equip your melee weapon and easily take these out without making too much noise.

How to Defeat:

• Melee weapons are effective for quick elimination.
• Shoot before they close distance, but be mindful of noise.
• If latched, remove quickly or have teammates shoot them off.

Recommended Weapons:
Any weapon type; automatic weapons or shotguns preferred.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Quick, hard to spot in groups, low health makes them easy to manage.
• Cons: Fragile, weak individually.

Loot Drops:
Tick Pods (used for crafting and upgrades).
View full loot list on Metaforge

Turret

Description:
Turrets are static defense ARCs found throughout ARC zones. They may be equipped with machine guns or snipers. Turrets in ARC Raiders are like all other games, they will sit in a corridor and survey the area.

Your best bet is to sneak under or around these to save yourself a lot of ammo but also not give away your position to others in the area. If you are stuck facing these make sure to shoot at its power cores to take it out, but these are extremely tanky which will drain your ammo.

How to Defeat:

• Avoid line of sight where possible.
• Use energy or heavy ammo to disable.
• Destroy power cores to shut down permanently.

Recommended Weapons:
Energy weapons, rifles, or explosives.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: Strong ranged defense, useful for farming components.
• Cons: Fixed position, consumes ammo if engaged directly.

Loot Drops:
Turret Components, Arc Alloy, Flex Rubber.
View full loot list on Metaforge

Wasp

Description:
Wasps are fast-flying ARCs armed with machine guns, providing mid-air suppression. They are the “junior version” of Hornets and can be a nuisance if not dealt with quickly. Thrusters are key weak points; taking them out brings Wasps down efficiently.

How to Defeat:

• Aim for thrusters to disable flight.
• Use heavy or medium ammo for best effect.
• Avoid open ground during combat to prevent flanking.

Recommended Weapons:
Heavy rifles, energy weapons, or precision fire.

Pros and Cons:

• Pros: High mobility, long-range coverage, drops useful crafting components.
• Cons: Weak armor, vulnerable once thrusters are destroyed.

Loot Drops:
Wasp Driver (explosive grenade component), Arc Alloy.
View full loot list on Metaforge

Final Thoughts

Make sure to check out the Metaforge ARC Raiders Interactive Map to track ARC locations, loot drops, and event spawns in real time.

Understanding the behavior, strengths, and weaknesses of each ARC gives players a tactical advantage, whether grinding for crafting parts or hunting rare components. Use this guide to prepare, plan, and dominate every encounter in ARC Raiders.