Last updated October 2026, checked against ARC Raiders Live Update 1.45.0. Written by the BoostingXP team, who run BoostingXP's ARC Raiders services.
Key takeaways
- You keep only what you extract with. Every decision in a raid should serve getting out alive.
- Bring gear you can afford to lose. Free Loadouts exist so a bad run never leaves you broke.
- Treat ARC machines as obstacles to route around, not targets to farm.
- Plan the route backwards from your extraction: elevator or Raider Hatch first, loot second.
- Leave when your bag is useful. The longer you stay, the more you meet with a full bag.
This ARC Raiders beginner guide comes down to one rule: you only keep what you carry out. New raiders lose their first dozen runs because they play ARC Raiders like a shooter where the goal is to win fights, when the goal is to extract. Get that right and the rest of the game opens up.
| Decision | Safer choice while learning | Riskier choice |
|---|---|---|
| Loadout | Free Loadout or cheap gear | Your best kit every raid |
| Route | Short loop that ends near an extraction | Crossing the whole map |
| ARC machines | Avoid, or pick off a lone one from cover | Fighting a group in the open |
| Other raiders | Disengage unless you hold the advantage | Chasing every gunshot |
| Timing | Extract once your bag is useful | Staying until the raid ends |
How does an ARC Raiders raid work?
You drop in with the gear you chose, loot the surface, and reach an extraction point to keep what you found. If you're downed and nobody revives you, you lose the gear you brought and the loot you carried, except what sits in a safe pocket.
ARC Raiders is an extraction shooter from Embark Studios. You can queue solo, as a duo or as a trio, and two threats share the map with you: the ARC, the hostile machines that patrol the surface, and other raiders who want the same loot, or yours. Between raids you return to Speranza, the underground hub, to sell, store, craft and upgrade. All progress comes from what you bring back.
There are two ways out:
- Elevators (and metro stations on some maps). Calling one takes time and makes noise, so other raiders know where you'll be.
- Raider Hatches. A Raider Hatch Key opens one for your whole squad. It's single-use, but it gets you out quietly and fast.
What should you bring into your first raids?
Bring gear you're ready to lose. Early on your survival rate is low no matter what you carry, so an expensive loadout mostly means losing more.
The game hands you a safety net: the Free Loadout, a basic kit from the citizens of Speranza that you can take any time at no cost. Use it whenever your stash is thin or you're learning a new map. That's what it's for.
A sensible paid kit for the early game:
- A weapon you can control, with ammunition for two fights, not a long firefight.
- Healing for one or two emergencies.
- Free space in your bag for what you came for.
- Something worth protecting in your safe pocket, if your augment has one. Safe pocket items survive a death.
Raise the value of your kit step by step as your extraction rate improves. If a loadout costs more than you usually bring back, it's too expensive for now.
How do you deal with ARC machines?
Route around them. Some ARC drop useful parts, but a fight with several machines in the open is how raids end early, and the noise pulls in other raiders.
The machines a new raider meets most often, and where they're weak:
| ARC machine | What it does | Where to shoot |
|---|---|---|
| Tick | Small crawler that rushes you | Anything kills it; just don't let it reach you |
| Wasp | Light flying drone | Its exposed, unarmored thrusters |
| Hornet | Heavier flying drone | The rear thrusters; the front ones are armored |
| Leaper | Fast jumping walker | Leg joints; explosives work well |
| Rocketeer | Flying rocket platform | Thrusters, and the scanner on top |
| Bastion | Heavy armored walker | Yellow leg joints and the rear canister |
Three habits keep you alive around ARC:
- Watch patrol paths before you cross open ground.
- Engage a lone machine only from cover, with a way to break line of sight.
- Stop shooting and move the moment a second machine joins or you hear players.
When should you fight other raiders?
Fight when the other player hands you the advantage and walking away would cost more than fighting. Otherwise, leave. A fight you win can still lose you the raid if it burns your healing or draws a third squad.
A fight is worth taking when:
- You see them first and they're in the open.
- They're between you and your extraction and will reach you anyway.
- They're clearly hurt or busy with ARC.
Walk away when they hold the high ground, you can hear more than one of them, or your bag is already worth extracting.
How should you plan a route?
Plan it backwards from where you want to leave. Pick the elevator or hatch first, then two or three loot spots on the way there, not scattered across the map.
- Check which extractions are reachable from your spawn.
- Pick loot areas on the path to that extraction, not away from it.
- Decide before you drop what counts as "enough" for this raid.
- When the bag hits that line, go.
Short, planned raids with a high extraction rate progress faster than long raids you lose half the time. The same logic drives our Escape from Tarkov beginner's guide, if you play both extraction shooters.
Which mistakes cost new raiders the most?
- Staying too long. Every extra minute is another chance to meet a squad with your bag full.
- Looting loudly in the open. Doors, containers and gunfire tell everyone where you are.
- Chasing a kill across the map. Every minute of chase is a minute you're carrying loot without extracting.
- Bringing your best kit every time. Gear fear is real, but so is going broke.
- Ignoring Speranza. Selling, crafting and upgrading between raids is where progress actually happens.
What should you learn once the basics click?
- Learn two or three routes per map well instead of every building.
- Keep a cheap kit and a good kit, and pick based on the raid's goal.
- Stop and listen before you cross open ground or enter a building.
- Track what your workshop upgrades need and loot for that, not for everything.
The full list of what we offer for the game sits on the ARC Raiders services page.
Want to skip part of the grind?
If leveling is standing between you and the part of ARC Raiders you enjoy, an ARC Raiders level boost or a workbench boost is played by hand on your account.
FAQ
What is ARC Raiders?
ARC Raiders is an extraction shooter from Embark Studios. You raid a surface overrun by hostile machines called ARC, fight them and other players, and keep only the loot you extract with.
What should beginners focus on in ARC Raiders?
Extraction rate. Bring cheap gear or a Free Loadout, take short routes that end at an extraction, and leave once your bag is worth keeping. Fights come second.
Do you lose your gear if you die in ARC Raiders?
Yes. If you're downed and not revived, you lose the gear you brought and the loot you carried. Items in a safe pocket are kept, and the Free Loadout lets you go straight back in at no cost.
How do you extract in ARC Raiders?
Reach an elevator (or a metro station on some maps) and call it, or open a Raider Hatch with a Raider Hatch Key. Elevators are slower and louder. A hatch is quick and quiet but uses up the key.
Should I fight other players in ARC Raiders?
Only when you hold the advantage or can't avoid them. Plenty of good raids end with zero player kills and a full bag at the extraction.
How do I progress faster in ARC Raiders?
Extract more often. Steady small hauls fund upgrades and crafting faster than occasional big hauls between losses.
