ARC Raiders is a brand-new extraction shooter game developed by Embark Studios that challenges players to survive raids in a world filled with hostile robots, drones, and rival scavengers. Your task is to gather supplies for the settlement of Speranza. Each run through the wasteland demands sharp awareness, smart decision-making, and adaptability. Your loadout sets the foundation, but real success comes from reading your surroundings, listening carefully, and knowing when to fight or flee. Our ARC Raiders Beginner’s Guide details everything that you need to know in order to start playing the game.
Beginner’s Guide – ARC Raiders
Below you will find some tips and tricks that will help you understand the various mechanics of Arc Raiders and get better at the game.
- Start with the Free Loadout
The free loadout is perfect for beginners in the game. It can be used to explore maps, find loot areas, and complete early missions without worrying about losing an expensive loadout. It is also great for testing out different weapons and playstyles before you buy an expensive one. If you manage to survive a raid, trade your basic augment at the vendor for a better one.
- Pay Close Attention to Sounds
Sound is one of the best ways of knowing your enemy’s location in ARC Raiders. Footsteps, gunfire, explosions, or the sound of looting can all reveal the presence of NPCs or enemies. Train yourself to recognize these sounds so you can react quickly while raiding and avoid your enemies
- Use Good Positioning to Win Fights
Always use good positioning as it can win you the fights easily. Stay aware of high ground, chokepoints, and take cover that can protect you while fighting. Always plan your escape routes before pushing into an area, and force enemies into bad positions where you have the advantage over them.
- Keep Scanning the Environment
Your surroundings are also a source of information for you. Flashing ARC lights, opened doors, looted containers, or flares in the distance often mean someone has been there recently or may be there. Keep scanning as you move to avoid walking into danger.
- Gather and Dismantle Resources Smartly
Don’t grab everything you find. Collect only what you need most. Dismantling items during a raid saves space but gives fewer materials compared to doing it at your base, so plan what to break down and what to bring back safely.
- Upgrade Workbenches and Train Scrappy
Your workbench is your crafting hub. You should upgrade it to make new gear, gadgets, and med items. Collect maps, refine raw materials, and make sure to train Scrappy. He is your helper who brings back materials after each Topside visit. The better his training, the more valuable his findings are.
- Find the Dog Collar to Upgrade Scrappy
Scrappy is a rooster who collects crafting materials while you are away raiding. To make him more efficient, find a dog collar to level him up. You can find the dog collar in random containers during raids; one known location is the research and administration area at The Dam map.
- Don’t Be Too Greedy
If you have already secured good items or completed objectives, make your decision whether to leave now with all the items or keep looting until enemies arrive and you lose everything. After doing long fights, your enemies might know your location, so pull out before they arrive.
- Manage Your Stamina Wisely
Your stamina is a vital resource. Doing sprinting, jumping, and rolling all drain it. Keep an eye on your stamina bar. You can slide while running to recover stamina faster, and you should upgrade mobility skills to last longer in combat.
- Craft Useful Items During Raids
The Survival skill tree allows you to craft items like bandages, shield cells, and grenades during a raid. You should craft those materials that you need and don’t have at that time.
- Pick Augments, Skills, and Gear Carefully
Always choose augments that fit your role and consider trade-offs between defense and speed. Because a heavy shield may protect you better but obviously slow you down. You should also have a good combination of weapons and gadgets for balanced teamwork.
- Learn the Shoulder Swap Key Before You Play
ARC Raiders is a third person shooting game; knowing how to switch your camera from one shoulder to the other during fights is important. By doing this, you can peek around corners safely without exposing your whole body. By default, the shoulder swap key on PC is “X”, but you can change it if you prefer another key.
- Complete Quests for the People of Speranza
While the ARC Raiders game lets you freely explore and raid, but you should follow the guided progression mission in the game. These missions guide you through different activities, unlock better equipment, and reveal tougher challenges with bigger rewards. After every raid, check in with the traders in Speranza to see what new quests are available or which ones you can turn in.
- Focus on Larger Loot Items
When scavenging, you will find all different sorts of materials like metal scraps, wires, and plastic tubes. These are useful, but they quickly fill up your limited inventory space. Instead, prioritize larger items like TVs, radios, and ARC robot parts.
- Build Up Your Wealth
When you can’t find specific crafting materials during raids, focus on valuable items like jewellery, vases, or other treasures. You can sell these to traders in Speranza for good money, then buy the better weapons and equipment.
- Don’t Rely Only on Guns
In most of the games, guns can change the tide of the game. But, in ARC Raiders, Gadgets and deployable tools can completely change a fight when used correctly. Grappling hooks and ziplines give you better mobility, explosives can force enemies out of cover, and smoke or deployable walls can protect you while advancing. For a clever trick, throw noise lures to draw ARC robots toward enemy players.
- Play Solo or With a Squad
After the prologue, you can now play the game solo or with a squad. To start playing, you must first create an Embark ID through the Embark Studios website.
If you prefer to go alone, you can hit “Play” and pick a map to begin a solo match. For those who want to play with someone, they can form a squad of up to three players. Invite your friends by using their Embark IDs or use the “Fill Squad” option to automatically team up with random Raiders. Turning on crossplay will also allow you to match with players on other systems.
- Map Layouts
ARC Raiders has four massive maps, each with its own environment, landmarks, and types of loot. Every map also has a separate matchmaking queue.
For example, on the Blue Gate map, Pilgrim’s Peak in the northeast contains technological and electrical parts, while the Ancient Fort in the south holds a mix of both tech and old-world items. Also, take note of extraction points like Raider Hatches, Cargo Elevators, and Airshafts, so you will know where to extract from.
- Watch the Skies and Pick Your Battles
When you go Topside, you will see drones, turrets, and small robots moving around structures. Later, you will see armored walkers.
Use your ping system to mark enemies for teammates. Once a robot detects you, it can alert others of your location. Before fighting, check your weapon’s ARC Armor Penetration stat. For instance, guns like the Ferro or Hullcracker are great against robots, while lighter weapons like the Kettle, Stitcher, or Bobcat won’t do much damage.
- Use Consumables Carefully
Consumable items play a huge role in your survival. Here are the main ones you’ll use often:
- Bandages slowly heal your health over time. You need to wait after using one bandage.
- Shield Rechargers restore your energy shields, which serve as armor.
- You can revive teammates by holding the interaction button or use a Defibrillator to bring them back much faster.
- Skill Tree
Each time you complete raids, you gain XP based on your actions. As you level up, you earn skill points to spend across three main trees:
- Conditioning
- Mobility
- Survival
That is all for this guide. Additional ARC Raiders guides are listed below:
- Arc Raiders Coin Farming Guide – How to Get Coins Quickly
- ARC Raiders PC Optimization Guide – Best PC Settings for Online Gameplay
- ARC Raiders Workbench Guide – How to Level Up Workbench
- ARC Raiders Mushrooms Guide – Where to Find
- ARC Raiders Dog Collar Guide – Where to Find
These are all the Beginner’s tips in our guide you need to kickstart your journey in the ARC Raiders. If you have some tips and tricks for us, share them with us in the comments section below.
