I'm honestly surprised by how much fun I've had with Arc Raiders so far, as extraction shooters really aren't in my wheelhouse and the pre-release Server Slam completely passed me without interest. However, something about the tight 30 minute max surface raids for loot coupled with ongoing missions just clicked with me, and I'm so glad I gave it a go. As I discovered though, there's a lot to learn about in Arc Raiders that I've been gradually picking up over time, which would have been much better if I'd know about from the start, so I've rounded up that knowledge here to give you a head start on your own journey.
Arc Raiders basics
I felt pretty overwhelmed when I first started, as there were a ton of menus and options vying for my attention. So these Arc Raiders tips will give you a good fast grounding in what to expect. The main thing to know is that you start a raid by selecting a destination from the map, then set your loadout of weapons and items to take with you. If you don't successfully extract from the raid then you'll lose everything from your inventory (bar one slot called your Safe Pocket), which was a prospect I found terrifying. However, you can choose to get a free loadout in Arc Raiders instead, sending you out with a set of disposable low-level items instead, and I found this incredibly useful for exploring new areas or attempting quick missions with much lower stakes if I got eliminated.
While it can be useful to start with an inventory full of equipment, there are plenty of useful items you can find while exploring the surface. Initially I had no idea what to do with the large metal crates I could pick up and carry around, until I discovered that nearby Arc Raiders field depots have a special extraction machine to give you supplies when you deposit a crate into it. Each location also has a number of Supply Call Stations dotted around that are marked on your map, and you can call in Arc Raiders supply drops by interacting with them to fire a flare – just remember that other players will see this too, so you may be attracting unwanted company.
Successfully completing raids will earn XP and unlock points to level up your Raider, and while I've invested heavily in the Conditioning branch to help with looting you may find the best Arc Raiders skills for you lie elsewhere. I've also started amassing a small arsenal of guns, though the highest entries on the best Arc Raiders weapons tier list are a lot harder to come by. Any Arc Raiders blueprints I found on my travels immediately got stuffed into my Safe Pocket, as getting those back to Speranza means I can make my own weapons and items once my workbenches are levelled up sufficiently.
Understanding Arc Raiders loot
Most of my time exploring the surface has been spent rummaging through containers and hoovering up loot, though it took me a while to realize the value of certain items. Often when I got back to Speranza I'd immediately go through my stash and recycle or sell anything I didn't have an immediate use for – which turned out to be a mistake.
Keeping the Memory
A Lay of the Land
Eyes on the Prize
A First Foothold
Humble items such as an Arc Raiders Battery or some Rusted Gears can easily be sold for a quick buck or turned into crafting materials, but sooner or later they're required for specific assignments and I was left kicking myself that I hadn't held on to them. Since I realized that, I now always check my haul against this Arc Raiders loot cheat sheet to see if any items have important future uses, or if they're safe to get rid of. I highly recommend investing some of your funds into expanding your stash capacity back at base, so you can keep hold of more useful items until you need them.
Of course, to help with my general loot collecting I wanted to level up Scrappy The Rooster as quickly as possible, but keeping my fowl friend happy proved to be tricky as well. My first sticking point was finding Arc Raiders apricots for him, which I ended up sourcing from Marano Park in Buried City by running around hitting trees while dodging incoming blasts from patrolling enemies. However, it turns out that Scrappy is a particularly hungry lad, so I'm currently stockpiling Prickly Pears and Mushrooms to prepare for future upgrades.
Arc Raiders enemies
I've been quite lucky during my time so far, in that I've encountered almost no other hostile players to get into skirmishes with. This may be because I mainly play solos and haven't ventured into the high-level maps just yet, but I've found that using the "Don't shoot!" prompt whenever I see another player or enter an enclosed area has worked for me so far. However, sometimes interactions (good or bad) with other players are unavoidable, so if you're wondering can you revive enemies and dead teammates in Arc Raiders then the short answer is you can revive downed enemies using a Defibrillator, but once a teammate is KO'd there's no way to bring them back.
Of course, the main threat everyone faces is the Arc machines themselves, and while it can be tempting to go after these enemies whenever you see them I suggest you lay low and avoid contact where possible – at least until you have more powerful weapons and shields at your disposal. There are certain missions where you have to take down Arc Raiders Hornets and Bastions, or Fireballs to get their fireball burners, and we've got some specific pointers on those, but a top tip to bear in mind with any flying enemies is to target one of their propellors to knock it out of the sky. Heading out in Arc Raiders Electromagnetic Storms can help as Arc enemies will get zapped by lightning, but you can also be struck so be prepared to change position quickly.
There's still so much more I have left to discover in this world, such as trying to solve the mystery of the Arc Raiders Hidden Bunker over in the Spaceport and exploring the twisting corridors of the abandoned research facility at Stella Montis to track down three Androids. However, armed with the knowledge I've gathered so far, I know I'm going to be ready for the fight.
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