Arc Raiders Strategy Guide — Cosmo Strategy Guides

01 · Drop & Pre-Raid Planning

The decisions you make in Speranza decide whether the raid was worth it.

Bring what you can lose Death drops everything except your safe pocket. Match your gear tier to the risk you are willing to absorb on the run.
Fill the safe pocket first The safe pocket protects a single slot from death. Put your most valuable item there before extraction — not before the raid starts, before you walk to the extract.
Match loadout to map Each map has a different ARC threat profile and PvP density. A loadout that wins on one map gets you killed on another.
Use Scrappy Your pet rooster collects basic crafting materials between raids. Free bandages and bullets, no time spent. Always check the chicken coop on return.
Bring repair tools Weapons degrade with use. A field repair kit is cheaper than re-crafting at the workshop, and it keeps you in the run longer.
Decide your party size in the lobby Solo, duo, or trio each has different risk profiles. Solo rewards stealth, trio rewards aggression. Pick before queueing, not in the middle of a fight.
Don’t over-gear early Mid-tier gear forces you to learn the map without expensive lessons. Save the high-tier kits for when you actually know where the threats live.
Bring at least one of each consumable A loadout missing healing, throwables, or a gadget gets punished hard. One of each beats two of one and zero of another.

02 · The ARC Threat

Five behavior classes of ARC machines. Know which you are fighting before you commit.

Aerial Scouts Light flyers, pack hunters

Travel in groups of two to four
Audible buzzing signature at distance
Low health pool, easy single-target

Bring: An SMG or AR is plenty. No need for special ammo.
Take: Free practice for new Raiders, free loot for veterans.

Loud kills attract heavier ARC nearby. Quiet weapons (energy or suppressed) keep the situation contained.

Aerial Heavy Ranged flyers with sustained fire

Rocket or rapid-fire weapons
Aggressive engagement at distance
Higher health, longer detection range

Bring: Rifles or marksman weapons, plus cover discipline.
Take: Cover during their volley pattern, fire during their cooldown.

Don’t stand still. Side-strafing and breaking line of sight is the survival pattern.

Bipedal Medium Ground walkers, mid-range threat

Patrol routes around POIs
Mid-range weapons
Decent armor on the front

Bring: AR or rifle, plus a way to flank around their armor angle.
Take: Cover-to-cover advance is safest. Open-field engagement is a coin flip.

Bipedal types often signal nearby ARC when engaged. Kill quickly or break line of sight before reinforcements arrive.

Heavy Ground Tank-class ground units

Slow but devastating attacks
Multiple weak points on the chassis
Long aggro range and persistent tracking

Bring: Heavy weapons, energy or railgun ammo, or coordinated team focus fire.
Take: Bring a teammate. Solo heavy-ground engagements are usually a write-off.

Disengaging is often correct. Loot from a heavy kill rarely pays for the ammo and the risk if you are mid-raid.

Boss-Class Rare scripted encounters

Unique mechanics per boss
Significant loot rewards
Server-event scale presence

Bring: A full trio with planned roles, max-tier gear, and a clear extract route.
Take: Boss kills are run-makers — but only if your team executes.

Boss encounters attract every nearby Raider. Plan your extract before engaging, not after.

03 · Weapons by Class

Eight weapon classes covering everything from suppressed sidearms to railguns.

Class	Effective Range	Best For
Pistol	0–30m	Backup sidearm and lightweight loadouts that prioritize loot space over stopping power.
SMG	0–25m	Indoor PvP and tight-corridor ARC clears. High DPS, ammo-hungry, falls off past 30m.
Shotgun	0–12m	Building clears and point-blank ARC encounters. One shot ends most close fights.
Assault Rifle	20–80m	Default mid-range primary. Balanced for both PvP and PvE — the safest first weapon for any raid.
Marksman Rifle	40–100m	Mid-long precision with semi-auto controlled fire. Strong at extraction overwatch.
Sniper Rifle	80m+	Long-range pickoffs at extraction routes and across open terrain. One per squad is plenty.
Energy Weapon	Varies	Specialized anti-ARC damage. Quieter signature than ballistics; shines against heavier machines.
Railgun	Long	High single-shot damage versus armored targets. Expensive ammo — carry only when the run justifies it.

04 · Gear & Loadout Tiers

Five gear slots that determine how much risk your loadout absorbs.

Helmet Head protection

Higher tiers reduce more headshot damage
Heavier helmets reduce visibility and movement
Some integrate with optics or HUD elements

Bring: A helmet you can afford to lose. Top-tier on extraction runs only.
Take: A meaningful HP buffer against headshots.

A blue helmet that survives an extraction is worth more than a purple helmet that does not.

Body Armor Damage absorption

Plate-style or vest-style construction
Higher tiers stop more rounds before breaking
Weight scales with protection

Bring: Mid-tier for exploration, top-tier when contests are likely.
Take: Direct damage reduction on the body.

Pair body armor with an appropriate backpack. Going heavy on plates and heavy on storage is a stamina trap.

Backpack Inventory storage

Tier 1 small, tier 4 large
Backpack contents are lost on death
Auto-unload to stash on extract

Bring: The biggest bag you can afford to replace.
Take: Loot capacity for the run.

A bigger bag is not always better. A smaller bag forces extraction discipline and quicker decisions.

Augments Loadout perks

Extra inventory slots
Faster reload or movement
Specialized PvE or PvP buffs

Bring: Slots tuned to your playstyle.
Take: Persistent perks that stack on top of gear.

Augments shape a build more than gear tier does. Pick them deliberately, change them between raids.

Safe Pocket Death-proof slot

One slot survives death and returns to base
Strict size and item-type limits
Visible in the inventory at all times

Bring: Your single most valuable item.
Take: A guaranteed return on every run, regardless of outcome.

Always fill the safe pocket before extraction. Forgetting to fill it is the biggest avoidable loss in the game.

05 · Squad Composition & Solo Strategy

Solo, duo, and trio play are nearly different games. Pick deliberately.

Solo rewards stealth Without teammates to cover sound, the solo Raider survives by hearing fights they are not in. Avoid contests; loot the aftermath.
Duo balances stealth and firepower A two-person squad keeps the noise profile low while still trading kills with most trios. Best size for ranked extraction.
Trio is for high-risk areas Three players unlocks the high-tier loot zones that are too dangerous solo. The trade is a louder squad and three loot inventories to coordinate.
Stagger your weapon ranges A trio with three SMGs has no answer for long-range fights. One short, one mid, one long covers any engagement window.
Designate ARC-watch and player-watch In a trio, one player tracks ARC threats while another watches for human ambushes. The third plays the objective. Roles change per encounter.
Plan the extract before the drop Decide your primary and backup extraction zones before queueing. A squad arguing about which way to extract loses runs.
Match-make rather than going alone if you are new Random fills share loot intel and survival callouts. Solo grinding is a faster path to frustration than to mastery.

06 · Movement & Positioning

Third-person camera changes how movement works compared to a first-person extraction shooter.

Use the third-person peek The camera lets you see around corners without exposing your character. Abuse it from cover before committing to any push.
Sound carries far Sprinting in proximity to enemies announces you. Crouch-walk in active zones; sprint only between known-clear areas.
Crouch and prone for stealth ARC enemies have detection thresholds based on motion and noise. Slow and low keeps you under their radar.
Use vertical space Building roofs, ladders, and ziplines offer angles ground-level players cannot answer. Most Raiders forget to look up.
Don’t sprint into unknown rooms ARC traps and player ambushes both happen in doorways. Slow approach plus a corner-peek is always faster in expectation than a rush.
Keep your back to a wall in firefights Third-person camera is for peeking, not for protection. A flanker can still kill you while you are watching the front through the camera.
Climb to high ground before any major engagement High ground in Arc Raiders, like in any shooter, gives you angles your opponent cannot trade. Take it before the trigger pull, not after.

07 · Combat Engagement

PvE and PvP fights have different rules. Mixing them up gets you killed.

Know which fight you are in Engagement against ARC machines and against other Raiders demand different positioning, ammo choices, and exit plans. Diagnose before you commit.
ARC enemies have weak points Headshots and rear-armor shots do massively more damage on most ARC types. Aim for the seams.
Other Raiders are unpredictable Some will trade loot peacefully; some will shoot first. Default to caution and let the other side initiate trust.
Sound discipline after the kill A fight you won attracts the next squad. Loot quickly, reposition, and avoid celebrating in the open.
Disengage when third-partied A 1v1 fight that becomes a 1v3 is a write-off. Break line of sight, accept the loot loss, live to extract on the next run.
Reload behind cover, never in the open A reload in the open is a coin flip whether you finish it. Cycle ammo only when an angle is broken.
Don’t push a low-HP enemy without confirming A wounded Raider is bait if their teammate is still up. Confirm the squad count before chasing the knock.

08 · Healing & Resource Economy

Heals take time you do not have in the open. Manage the budget across the raid.

Bandages, syringes, medkits Bandages stop bleeding fast. Syringes heal HP at moderate speed. Medkits fully restore but lock you in place much longer. Carry a mix.
Heal in cover, never in the open A solo player healing in the open is a confirmed kill. The animation is the most punishable moment in the game.
Stagger team heals Healing all at once leaves the squad open. Stagger animations so at least one player is always covering or repositioning.
Conserve ammo Mid-raid ammo runs out fast. Aim for headshots, fire in controlled bursts, avoid spraying at distance.
Don’t hoard top-tier consumables A purple medkit you never used because you were saving it does not survive death any better than the white one. Use what you carry.
Repair tools are cheaper than re-crafts Field repairs cost less than workshop crafts and keep you in the run. Carry a small repair kit on every loadout.
Bring more healing than you think you need New Raiders consistently bring too few heals. Two extra bandages and a syringe weigh almost nothing and save more runs than another grenade.

09 · Map Awareness & Extraction

The exit is the run. Plan it before the gun fires.

Identify your extraction zones at drop Each map has multiple extracts. Know your primary, your backup, and the route to each from any major POI.
Extraction zones are PvP hotspots Late-raid is the most dangerous time. Other squads camp extracts because they know your loot is at maximum value.
Listen for incoming squads at extraction Footsteps, weapon swaps, and reload sounds at the extract are warning signs. Hold for ten seconds and listen before exposing.
Don’t extract immediately Sometimes waiting out a third party is correct. The extraction window stays open; the squad waiting outside does not.
Weather and conditions change the run A raid mid-storm plays differently from a sunny one. Visibility, sound, and ARC behavior all shift with the weather state.
High-tier loot zones attract conflict The best loot is in the most contested places. If you can’t afford to lose what you brought, avoid the obvious POIs.
Know the route to the nearest extract from anywhere A clean mental map of extract distances from every POI lets you choose engagement timing, not just react to it.

10 · Communication & Pings

Quiet teams stay alive. Loud teams feed third parties.

Voice over text in active fights Typing in a firefight is a death sentence. Voice comms are the standard for active engagement; text is only for safe-zone planning.
Direction and distance in every call Clock direction or compass heading plus distance turns a panicked "they’re here" into actionable intel.
Mark ARC threats and player threats differently A drone swarm and an enemy squad need different responses. Use different call words for each so the team reacts correctly.
Don’t over-comm Constant chatter buries the actual callouts. Make every call mean something; silence is information too.
Confirm callouts A short "got it" or "copy" tells the caller their info landed. Without confirmation, the caller repeats and bleeds time.
Comm before engaging, not while engaging Plan the push before the trigger pull. A "going in" call mid-fight has zero value; the engagement is already happening.
Save panic comms for actual emergencies Constant urgency is noise. A real "help me" only registers if the team can tell it apart from baseline chatter.

11 · Pro Tips

Compound habits.

One extraction is better than zero Greedy runs that go for one more loot pile end as deaths. Extracting with mid-tier loot beats dying with high-tier every time.
Don’t bring what you can’t lose If losing a kit would tilt you for the night, you should not have brought it. The game punishes attachment.
Patience compounds A patient Raider survives encounters an aggressive one would die in. Aggression has its place — just not as the default mode.
Learn one map deep before spreading Knowing every extract, POI, and ARC patrol on one map beats surface knowledge of all four. Specialize first, generalize later.
Use Scrappy daily The pet rooster is free supplies that compound across sessions. Skipping the chicken coop is leaving free crafting on the table.
Watch your replays Death recap teaches more than ten more raids. Two minutes of review per death compounds across hundreds of games.
The voice line that saved your run is worth more than the kill that didn’t happen Comms over kills. The team that talks lives; the team that frags individually feeds.