The game loop: raid, loot, extract, workshop
ARC Raiders is a PvPvE extraction shooter. You head to the surface (Topside), grab loot, fight ARC machines and run into other players. Whatever you bring back is yours to keep. If you die, you lose everything you carried except the contents of your Safe Pocket.
A single round goes like this:
- In Speranza, your base, you put together a loadout and pick a map.
- Topside, you search buildings and containers while avoiding ARC and strangers.
- You activate an exit (Extraction Point) and return with your loot.
- Back at base you sell, recycle, upgrade your workshop stations and spend skill points.
On the map, yellow outlines mark medium loot value and red ones mark high value. The new Pendola Pass map unlocks after 25 rounds played. We cover every map and condition in our maps and conditions guide.
Your first hours step by step
- Start with the Free Loadout. You risk nothing, and everything you extract with it goes into your Stash.
- Take quests from the traders. They give Coins and items, and since 2.0 they also give XP. One of the first, Picking Up The Pieces from Shani, rewards a Rattler III according to the wiki (pre-2.0 data).
- Open everything. You earn XP just for opening containers, even with a full backpack.
- Extract blueprints. You can only learn them in Speranza ("Learn and Consume"), so you have to get out with them. You can also sell any blueprint for 5,000 Coins.
- Build your first stations. The Workbench is available right away, and the Gunsmith costs 20× Metal Parts and 30× Rubber Parts.
- Upgrade Scrappy. The rooster passively brings you basic materials and Assorted Seeds. Level 2 needs a Dog Collar.
- Spend your skill points. You get 1 point per level, 76 in total. Resetting the whole tree costs 2,000 Coins per point. Players report that everyone got their points refunded for free with 2.0. What to pick is covered in our skill tree guide.
You can't complete Picking Up The Pieces on Pendola Pass (a known 2.0 bug), but it works on the other maps.
Speranza, the Outpost and the workshop
Workshop station costs according to the wiki in October 2026:
| Station | Build (level 1) | Upgrade (level 2) |
|---|---|---|
| Workbench | right away (1 round played) | – |
| Gunsmith | 20× Metal Parts, 30× Rubber Parts | 3× Rusted Tools, 5× Mechanical Components, 8× Wasp Driver |
| Gear Bench | 25× Plastic Parts, 30× Fabric | 3× Power Cable, 5× Electrical Components, 5× Hornet Driver |
| Medical Lab | 50× Fabric, 6× ARC Alloy | 2× Cracked Bioscanner, 5× Durable Cloth, 8× Tick Pod |
| Explosives Station | 50× Chemicals, 6× ARC Alloy | 3× Synthesized Fuel, 5× Crude Explosives, 5× Pop Trigger |
| Utility Station | 50× Plastic Parts, 6× ARC Alloy | 2× Damaged Heat Sink, 5× Electrical Components, 6× Snitch Scanner |
| Refiner | 60× Metal Parts, 5× ARC Powercell | 3× Toaster, 5× ARC Motion Core, 8× Fireball Burner |
The Refiner turns cheaper materials into rarer components, and the Utility Station at level 2 lets you craft the Raider Hatch Key. Legacy Gaming's launch guide (2025) recommended this order: Scrappy, Gunsmith, Medical Lab, Refiner.
The Stash starts with 64 slots, and each level adds 24 (the first costs 5,000 Coins). Since 2.0 the maximum is 328 slots.
The Outpost is a new Raider Den extension from Celeste. You unlock it through the Sheltered Retreat project (the Outpost tab at the top of the menu) in three stages:
- Research Topside Living Conditions: take a photo of a farmland house at Ruined Homestead on The Blue Gate. You can buy a Camera from Shani, craft one at the Workbench or find one.
- Gather Building Materials: sources list different items. All of them name Planks and Sheet Metal (3 Assorted Seeds each from Celeste), and some add ARC Alloy and Advanced Electrical Components.
- Safeguard the Building Site: deal 800 damage to flying ARC and 300 damage to the Bully.
The name of the new station is disputed. The patch notes say "Research Bench" in one place and "Research Workstation" in another, while the wiki and YouTubers say "Research Station". It unlocks a higher weapon mod level and lets you craft missing blueprints with research points from books.
The Outpost is not urgent. According to Arekkz Gaming the quest requires level 18 (Embark has not confirmed this), and the top levels, such as the Gunsmith at level 4 with Weapon Amplification, need rare items like the Emperor Modulator.
Traders in Speranza
| Trader | Currency | What a new player gets |
|---|---|---|
| Celeste | Assorted Seeds | basic and Topside materials, since 2.0 also furniture materials |
| Shani | Coins | Camera, Light Sticks, Raider Hatch Key for 9,000 Coins (2 per day) |
| Tian Wen | Coins | weapons, ammo, mods; since 2.0 no Anvil or Hullcracker |
| Lance | Coins + Free Loadout Augment | augments, shields, meds, trade-in for the Free Loadout augment |
| Apollo | Coins | grenades and gadgets |
| Nomadic Envoys (Cassio) | barter for materials and valuables | from level 25 extra Stash slots; weekly offers, including Anvil and Hullcracker |
Offers refresh once a day, so buy the things you need for upgrades at every refresh.
Free Loadout: when to take it and when you can't
You get the free kit when choosing a map: a random weapon, a Light Shield, ammo, meds, a gadget and a grenade. According to the wiki (as of June 2026; the 2.0 patch notes don't change this), its augment has 14 backpack slots, 4 Quick Use slots, a 35 weight limit and no Safe Pocket. Custom augments give 16–24 slots and 1–3 Safe Pockets.
When the Free Loadout won't work or makes no sense:
- Night Raid and Close Scrutiny: since Live Update 1.33.0 (June 16, 2026) you can't take the free kit there. In July Embark wrote that it was considering extending the ban to more conditions; it has not published a full current list.
- Full Stash: without free space you can't deploy with the free kit.
- When you carry something valuable: a key or blueprint won't survive death, because there is no Safe Pocket.
After a successful extraction the kit is yours. Trade the augment to Lance for Looting Mk. 1, Combat Mk. 1 or Tactical Mk. 1: you get a cheap loadout with a Safe Pocket.
What to keep and what to recycle
- Items with a gem icon (Trinket, e.g. Rubber Duck) are only for selling and can't be recycled.
- Recyclable items should be broken down in Speranza: for example, an Alarm Clock gives 1× Processor and 6× Plastic Parts. Salvaging during a raid gives less.
- A worn-out item recycles for the same amount as a new one. Below roughly half durability, a weak weapon is better recycled than sold.
- Keep the materials from the station table, plus Dog Collar, Lemon and Apricot (Scrappy), ARC Alloy, and Planks, Sheet Metal and Battered Paperback (Outpost).
Don't be afraid to sell: almost everything can be farmed again.
Extraction: how to get out with your loot
You activate exits (Extraction Points) at a terminal. There are four types: cargo elevators, metro stations, airshafts and Raider Hatches. For most of them the map shows a countdown until the terminal shuts down.
- Calling an elevator or a metro triggers an alarm that other players can hear. You have to survive until the transport arrives.
- The terminal also works while you are downed. If you activate it right before it shuts down, the exit stays open ("overtime").
- A Raider Hatch opens with a Raider Hatch Key. It stays open for about 10–15 seconds, one person enters at a time (strangers too) and there is no countdown, so it saves late raiders. Night Raid and Electromagnetic Storm have no hatches.
- On Pendola Pass you leave via the new Ballistic Gondola: activate the transceiver and jump into one of the tubes.
- Room keys are single-use and often drop on a different map from the one where you use them.
Other players (PvPvE) and playing solo
Matchmaking rates how you behave toward other players on a scale. You are more likely to meet similar players, but there is no guarantee. A single shot won't push you into a "PvP lobby".
Playing solo? The "Solo vs. Squads" option was removed in 2.0, but Embark prioritizes matching teams of the same size. Around strangers, say "friendly" on voice chat or use "Don't shoot" from the emote wheel. Listen carefully: a red Raider Flare means a downed player, and a full backpack makes you louder.
Until October 20, 2026 at 11:00 CEST, the PvE toggle test is running: no damage between players and lower loot value. It doesn't work with the Night Raid, Locked Gate, Hidden Bunker, Frigate and Redirection conditions. It is a test, not a permanent mode. Details: PvE mode.
Most common beginner mistakes
- Shooting ARC for no reason: fights draw players. Aim for weak points; Heavy ammo works better against ARC than Medium and Light.
- Sprinting until your stamina runs out: keep at least half the bar in case you get shot at.
- Sprinting inside buildings: the echo carries far. If you suspect an enemy, crouch.
- Too little ammo: at the start of a raid the game reloads your weapon from your reserve, so bring an extra magazine.
- Fighting without a charged shield: take cover and heal first.
- Unupgraded weapons: even an upgrade to level II makes a big difference. Rankings: best weapons.
Frequently asked questions
Can you play ARC Raiders solo?
Yes. Embark prioritizes matching teams of the same size. Players say solo lobbies are usually calmer than trios.
How do you start playing ARC Raiders?
Run your first raids on the Free Loadout, take quests and extract blueprints. Then build your workshop stations, starting with the Gunsmith.
Will ARC Raiders have a wipe?
According to a summary of Embark's Q&A from September 2026, there are no plans for a forced wipe. Voluntary Expeditions (a character reset for rewards) are paused until early 2027.
Is there a PvE mode?
For now there is only the PvE toggle test, running until October 20, 2026 at 11:00 CEST. Embark will decide after a survey whether it stays for good.
