ARC Raiders uses a long-term skill tree through which you customize yourself. Since the game gives you only 75 skill points out of 135 total, it is very easy to make mistakes that hurt your build later. The good thing is that most skills are useful in some way, depending on how you play. You can also plan things out ahead of time by using the Metaforge Skill Tree Builder. If you want a good setup without stressing about every choice, this guide is for you. In this ARC Raiders Skill Tree Progression Guide, we will go over which skills are best to unlock during different in-game stages.
How to Reset Your Skill Tree in ARC Raiders
Before we jump into the skills you need to unlock in the game at different stages, it is important to know how you can reset your Skill Tree in the game. ARC Raiders does not have a classic respec option or a system where you pay credits to reset your skills. However, the game does include a resetting system through Expeditions, which unlock at level 20. Every 8 weeks, a new Expedition appears. To finish it, you must gather a long list of materials before the final wipe phase.
Although wiping is optional, it works like a fresh start:
You will lose:
- all raider levels
- stash items
- blueprints
- quest progress
You will keep:
- cosmetics
- map unlocks
- meta progression
- seasonal bonuses and rewards
While casual players may not find this system attractive, it gives you a chance to rebuild your skill tree from scratch with helpful buffs that make leveling and catching up much faster.
Best Early-Game Skills (Levels 1–20)
The first skill you should aim for early on is In-Round Crafting, found in the Survival path.
You can only unlock it after putting two points into Agile Croucher and Revitalizing Squat, so it becomes available at level 3.
In-Round Crafting lets you craft basic gear like Bandages, Grenades, and Shield Rechargers during a match. This gives you a huge boost in survival because you don’t need to buy or carry as many supplies before entering a raid.
Once you unlock crafting, start picking up some simple skills from the Mobility tree, especially:
- Marathon Runner: You lose stamina more slowly.
- Useful Lungs: You have more total stamina.
To reach Carry The Momentum, a perk that reduces stamina loss after a dodge roll, you will need to place three more points somewhere in the Mobility tree. Putting them into Slip And Slide is a good choice because sliding helps you escape trouble faster in ARC Raiders.
After improving your movement and stamina, spend your last two skill points before level 20 on Looter’s Instincts. This will set you up nicely for the Survival skills you will need next.
Best Mid-Game Skills (Levels 20–45)
Although you have to choose based on your game style, a few Survival skills are clearly more valuable as you work toward unlocking Security Breach, which requires 36 Survival points total.
Since you will need 12 more Survival points from here, start by finishing Looter’s Instincts. This makes collecting resources safer and easier. Then continue investing in Revitalizing Squat and Silent Scavenger to boost your stealth and sneaking abilities.
Once you are ready for the next major upgrades, choose between:
- Suffer In Silence: Sneak better while critically injured.
- Good As New: Stamina comes back faster when healing.
After picking one, go directly into Traveling Tinkerer, which is an upgraded form of In-Round Crafting and lets you make more types of gadgets during a match. This is extremely helpful even when entering raids with cheap equipment. After unlocking it, max out Broad Shoulders to carry more items. Then put points again into One Raider’s Scraps and Agile Croucher before you hit level 45.
Best End-Game Skills (Levels 45–75)
When you reach the endgame part of the skill tree, place 6 more points into Survival until you finally unlock Security Breach. This ability allows you to break into Security Lockers on any map. These lockers contain a huge amount of valuable materials, blueprints, and even weapons. Since many players don’t invest this deeply into Survival, it becomes a major advantage for looting.
Even though the Conditioning tree should be saved for last, it still offers strong upgrades. The suggested order for your first 16 points in Conditioning is:
- Used To The Weight: Wearing a shield slows you down less.
- Gentle Pressure: You make less sound when breaching.
- Proficient Pryer: Breaking into doors and containers is faster.
- Unburdened Roll: Your first dodge after the shield breaks uses no stamina.
These greatly increase your odds of surviving fights against both ARC enemies and other players.
Next, spend points on:
- A Little Extra: Extra resources from breaching.
- Loading Arms: Reduces weapon weight.
Finally, return to the Survival and Mobility trees and unlock Crawl Before You Walk.
This improves your crawling speed, which is perfect for reaching teammates during tough firefights or escaping on your own when you are downed.
That is all for this guide. Additional ARC Raiders guides are linked below:
- ARC Raiders Dam Surveillance Key Guide – How to Find, Where to Use
- ARC Raiders Rusted Gears Guide – Where to Find
- ARC Raiders Marked for Death Quest Guide – How to Complete
- ARC Raiders With a Trace Quest Guide – How to Complete
- ARC Raiders Reduced to Rubble Quest Guide – How to Complete
- ARC Raiders Snitch Scanners Guide – How to Get
This concludes our ARC Raiders Skill Tree Progression Guide. If you want to add anything to this guide, feel free to use the comments section below.
