ARC Raiders Guides & News
Weapons tier lists, map walkthroughs, squad loadouts, and patch notes for Embark Studios' free-to-play extraction shooter. Content updated for the 2026 beta.
33 articles published
Weapons
ARC Raiders Weapons Tier List: Top Guns Ranked 2026
ARC Raiders weapons tier list for April 2026: all 22 guns ranked S to D tier for PvP and PvE. Best picks for every loadout budget and playstyle.
· 11 min read
Maps
ARC Raiders Maps Guide: All 6 Zones and Extractions
ARC Raiders maps guide covering all 6 zones with extraction points, key POIs, difficulty ratings, and what sets Stella Montis apart as the endgame map.
· 10 min read
Loadouts
ARC Raiders Best Squad Loadouts: Roles, Builds & Tips
ARC Raiders best squad loadouts: how to build three-player teams around distinct roles, which weapons pair well across slots, and how to avoid redundancy.
· 10 min read
ARC Raiders Best Solo Loadouts: Weapons, Gear & Tips
ARC Raiders best solo loadouts: ranked weapon, armor, and gadget picks for surviving White, Orange, and Red zones as a solo Raider with no backup.
· 9 min read
Crafting & Economy
ARC Raiders Crafting Guide: Workbenches, Recipes, Materials
ARC raiders crafting guide: workbench recipes, the Ferro stack, how to level vendor relationships, and which materials to hoard for the next session.
· 11 min read
ARC Raiders Loot Guide: What to Keep, Sell, or Scrap
ARC Raiders loot guide: which materials to keep for crafting, which to sell for vendor XP, and which to scrap for components. Safe Pocket priority.
· 7 min read
ARC Enemies
ARC Raiders Machine Types: How to Kill Every ARC Unit (2026)
ARC Raiders machine types guide: Hornet, Wasp, Tick, Firefly, Rocketeer kill strategies with exact weak points, ammo picks, and detection patterns.
· 10 min read
ARC Raiders Enemy Types Guide: ARC Units Ranked by Threat
ARC Raiders enemy types guide: ARC machine classes ranked by threat, with audio cues, detection behavior, and the best counters by zone tier.
· 10 min read
Getting Started
ARC Raiders Blue Gate Guide: Loot, Augments, Tips 2026
ARC Raiders Blue Gate guide: the reinforced reception augment spot, underground headhouse section, and what this starter map actually teaches you.
· 8 min read
ARC Raiders Beginner Guide: Survival, Loot & Extraction
ARC Raiders beginner guide: how to survive your first raids, manage loot, use the skill tree, and extract safely in Embark Studios' extraction shooter.
· 9 min read
News & Patch Notes
ARC Raiders PvE: What the Rebellion Mode Beta Changes
ARC Raiders PvE is being tested through Rebellion, a China beta that floods the map with ARC threats to push co-op over PvP. Here's how it works.
· 4 min read
ARC Raiders Frozen Trail: What the October Expansion Adds
ARC Raiders Frozen Trail is the next big expansion, due October 2026. Expect the largest map yet, a rebuilt skill tree, new ARC enemies, and origin lore.
· 8 min read
ARC Raiders Anti-Cheat: Kernel-Level Testing Begins
ARC Raiders anti-cheat testing begins with kernel-level detection, targeting cheats that EAC alone can't catch. What Embark announced on May 7.
· 4 min read
Guides
ARC Raiders Buried City Guide: Loot Zones & Extractions
ARC Raiders Buried City guide: the four regions, best loot POIs like Library and Grandioso, where ARCs spawn, and how Metro Station extractions work.
· 9 min read
ARC Raiders Vaporizer Guide: Down the Flying Laser ARC
ARC Raiders Vaporizer guide: shoot the rotors to ground it, hit the belly core, break line of sight on the laser, and Wolfpack the instant the shield drops.
· 8 min read
ARC Raiders Matriarch Boss: Break Armor, Hit the Core
ARC Raiders Matriarch boss: shatter the armor with a Hullcracker, shred the Head Core, stop firing when the shield pops, and survive the phase 3 swarm.
· 8 min read
ARC Raiders Stella Montis Guide: Loot, Blueprints, PvP
ARC Raiders Stella Montis guide: endgame zone, night-exclusive Tempest and Wolfpack blueprints, free loadout strategy, and why it's the highest-PvP map.
· 8 min read
ARC Raiders Turbine Guide: How to Kill the Aerial ARC
ARC Raiders Turbine guide: read its red, yellow, blue light phases, hit the core only when it lands and spreads its legs, and why the Hullcracker downs it.
· 8 min read
ARC Raiders Queen Boss Guide: Weak Points & How to Kill
ARC Raiders Queen boss guide: break a leg to expose the joints, burn the head core, and fight from inside the deactivated Harvester to survive the mortars.
· 8 min read
ARC Raiders Riven Tides Guide: Shockwave, Loot, and Secrets
ARC Raiders Riven Tides guide: Shockwave clears the coastal mist, the Panorama Azzurro hotel loot is deceptively light, and room 404 is still a mystery.
· 7 min read
ARC Raiders Augments Guide: Best Frames Ranked 2026
ARC Raiders augments guide: Combat, Looting, and Tactical frames explained, the best Mark III picks, and how backpack, weight, and shield trade off.
· 9 min read
ARC Raiders Vendor Leveling Guide: Fastest Route 2026
ARC Raiders vendor leveling guide: five vendors, one priority order. Tian Wen 2 for the Ferro, Lance 2 for armor, Apollo 2 for sensors. Fastest route.
· 10 min read
ARC Raiders Spaceport Guide: Towers, Loot & Vaporizers
ARC Raiders Spaceport guide: Acerra Spaceport POIs, where Vaporizers spawn on the towers, open-terrain extractions, and loadouts that survive sightlines.
· 10 min read
ARC Raiders 1.27.0: Riven Tides Map and All Changes
ARC Raiders 1.27 dropped May 5: Turbine visibility fixes, grenade exploit patched, audio overhaul, and Embark's direct response to Riven Tides backlash.
· 5 min read
ARC Raiders Endgame Guide: Trials, Expeditions & Season 4
ARC Raiders endgame starts at purple loadout: Trials scoring thresholds, Season 4 challenge breakdowns, Expeditions, and Cantina Legend rank explained.
· 10 min read
ARC Raiders Other Raiders: Survive Player Encounters
ARC Raiders other Raiders guide: how to avoid, outmaneuver, and survive contested extractions. Extraction types ranked by silence and run behavior.
· 9 min read
ARC Raiders Dam Guide: Loot, Patrols & Extractions
ARC Raiders Dam guide: Alcantara Power Plant loot, patrol routes, close-quarters tips, and which extractions to use in this toxic waterlogged zone.
· 9 min read
ARC Raiders Armor Guide: Tiers, Noise & Zone Choices
ARC Raiders armor guide: all three armor tiers compared by noise penalty, protection, and zone fit. Includes head vs chest trade-offs and upgrade priority.
· 9 min read
ARC Raiders Extraction Guide: All 4 Types Explained
ARC Raiders extraction guide: how to use all 4 extraction types, what each alarm radius covers, when to use a Raider Hatch Key, and how not to waste one.
· 9 min read
ARC Raiders Electromagnetic Storm: What It Does and When
ARC Raiders electromagnetic storm: what the modifier does, which extractions it disables, and how to survive a lightning strike for 1,800 Trial points.
· 7 min read
ARC Raiders Contracts Guide: Rewards, Reset & Stacking Tips
ARC Raiders contracts guide: where to find missions in Speranza, how to stack them across raids, which types pay best, and exactly how the reset works.
· 7 min read
ARC Raiders Currency Guide: Credits and Progression
ARC Raiders currency guide: how credits work, which vendors to prioritize, crafting vs. buying, and how to build vendor relationships for better stock.
· 13 min read
ARC Raiders Skill Tree Tier List: Best Upgrades Ranked
ARC Raiders skill tree tier list for 2026: all three branches ranked by impact. Which upgrades to prioritize first and what to save for endgame.
· 9 min read
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is ARC Raiders?
- ARC Raiders is a free-to-play co-op extraction shooter developed by Embark Studios. Players team up to scavenge resources from a world overrun by robotic ARC machines, then escape with their loot before being eliminated. It entered beta in 2026.
- Is ARC Raiders free to play?
- Yes. ARC Raiders is free to play on PC via Steam. Embark Studios has confirmed a free-to-play model with optional cosmetic purchases.
- How many players can play ARC Raiders together?
- ARC Raiders supports squads of up to 3 players in co-op PvE extraction mode, as well as solo play. PvP encounters can occur when other player squads are in the same map.
- What platforms is ARC Raiders on?
- ARC Raiders is currently available on PC via Steam. Console versions have not been confirmed for the initial beta period.
- Who made ARC Raiders?
- ARC Raiders is developed by Embark Studios, the team behind The Finals. Embark is a Swedish studio founded by former DICE and EA executives.