70 ARC Raiders Tips to Help You on Your First Day

Arc Raiders is a brand new PvPvE extraction shooter with dozens of quirks and unique mechanics you’ll need to master quickly.
This guide condenses 70 key tips and tricks I learned during the play test, giving you a serious head start compared to unprepared raiders.

Even if some details shift by launch, the fundamentals won’t. If I miss anything, feel free to share your own tips in the comments!

1. Loadouts and Preparation

• You always play the same character, keeping stats and XP progress across raids.
• Custom Loadout = bring your own gear.
• Free Loadout = random low-tier gear you can’t preview until spawn.
• Always check durability on weapons and shields. Broken gear mid-raid is useless.
• Bring ammo, heals, and shield rechargers before entering. Don’t rely on finding them mid-raid.
• Always carry at least one smoke grenade—it’s cheap and lifesaving for risky extracts or looting.
• Keep a radar hatch key in your safe pocket. It allows unique extraction options later.

2. Raid Timing & Map Awareness

• Raids last 30 minutes before the Orbiter wipes the map.
• Spawn early (30 min left): outskirts safer, loot/quests available sooner.
• Spawn late (25 min or less): center is dangerous, outskirts safer but busier with cautious raiders.
• Study your map at spawn. Always identify which extract point stays open last.
• Hatch extractions (with keys) are lifesaving—open for 15 seconds before requiring another key.
• Yellow and red map zones = high risk, high reward.
• Use labels for loot hunting (medical = syringes, electric = wires, etc.).

3. Questing & Progress

• Track recipes and quests to avoid wasting raids.
• Quests can be progressed by one teammate on behalf of the squad.
• Depots provide raid-only objectives for XP and loot. Great for free loadout runs.

4. Stamina Management

• Running, vaulting, dodging drains stamina. Walking, sliding, standing restores it.
• Holster your weapon to sprint faster and signal peaceful intent to others.
• Slide downhill to regenerate stamina while moving (and even heal like in Apex Legends).
• Never let stamina hit zero—you’ll be unable to dodge or escape.
• Consumables exist to restore or boost stamina regen.
• Spend early skill points on stamina upgrades—always useful.

5. Stealth & Noise Control

• Red light = alarm trigger. Avoid or melee-destroy:
  • Cameras beep in line of sight.
  • Metal detectors beep when walked through.
  • Cars alarm when bumped.
• Birds flying off = noise cue.
• Arc enemies make noise when firing/detecting you.
• Sometimes leave alarms intact as traps for other raiders.
• Close doors behind you to mask presence and gain sound cues.
• No prone option—only crouch, walk, crouch-walk.
• Breaching doors/containers = loudest action possible.

6. Combat Tips

• No hitmarkers. Instead:
  • XP pop-ups confirm damage (with slight delay).
  • Shield hits spark/ricochet.
  • Shields breaking spark + shutdown sound.
  • Health hits = blood effect.
  • Knockdowns = flare shot into the sky (alerts nearby raiders).
• Melee is underrated:
  • One-hit weak Arc enemies.
  • Silent turret takedowns.
  • Surprising in CQC vs. raiders.
• Health vs. Shields:
  • Shields mitigate, not replace health. You can die at full shield.
  • Always heal first when low HP.
  • Use weaker heals when safe; save big heals for emergencies.
• Arc enemies drop power cells (restore 2 shield bars).
• Craft mid-raid: bandages, shield recharges, grenades, etc.

7. Downed State & Extraction

• Downed before death—even solos.
• 2 minutes to bleed out:
  • Hide your body.
  • Beg for mercy.
  • Extract via elevators/subways even while downed.
• Don’t give up instantly—you might still extract.
• Loot recycling: recycle enemy guns/gadgets so others can’t use them.
• Proximity chat enables alliances. Raiders together strong.
• Extraction tricks:
  • Dash through closing doors at the last second.
  • Knock out extracting raiders, then extract with them.
  • Elevators/subways auto-close after 1 min; must be recalled.

8. Fighting Arc Enemies

• Target weak points:
  • Drones = 2 thrusters same side.
  • Bastions = legs/back.
• Destroyed Arcs emit black smoke—follow it for loot.

9. Post-Raid & Progression

• Journey Screen: timeline of fights, loots, raiders you fought.
• Findings Screen: loot value, weight, raid stats.
• XP Breakdown & Quests: shows exact progress—always claim rewards.
• Visit Scrappy (your rooster companion): he gathers loot while you raid. Upgrade him early.
• Craft weapons, ammo, gear between raids.
• Repair gear and prep your next loadout.

10. Final Advice

Arc Raiders rewards preparation, map knowledge, and resourcefulness.
With these 70 tips, you’ll have the foundation to:

• Survive your first raids.
• Progress faster.
• Extract with loot more consistently.

More guides and build breakdowns are coming soon. If this helped you out, support by liking, subscribing, and following me on Twitch.

See you topside, Raider.