ARC Raiders boss list
There is no official boss list. Embark calls the Queen and the Matriarch "some of the biggest threats you'll find Topside"; we sort the rest by how you actually run into them.
| Name | Type | Where and when | HP | Loot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen | boss | Harvester map condition: The Blue Gate, Spaceport, Dam Battlegrounds | 23,000 (disputed) | Queen Reactor, Equalizer and Jupiter blueprints from the Harvester |
| Matriarch | boss | Matriarch map condition: Dam Battlegrounds, Spaceport, The Blue Gate | 23,000 (disputed) | Matriarch Reactor (for the Aphelion) |
| ARC Turbine | mini-boss | drops from the sky when 16–12 minutes are left in the round | about 4,000 | Turbine Compressor |
| ARC Frigate | ship, ARC Frigate map condition | Spaceport, Pendola Pass, The Blue Gate, Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City | weapons can't destroy it | Frigate Inductor, Amplification Modules |
| Fallen Emperor | "dungeon" | Pendola Pass, entry with a key | you don't fight it | Emperor Modulator, Amplification Modules |
The maps are the official Europe schedule from October 19, 2026. Conditions rotate in one-hour windows, so check the current lineup at arcraiders.com/map-conditions. How conditions work is covered in our maps and map conditions guide.
Boss HP is not official. The 23,000 figure comes from MeHow's test on April 13, 2026 (over 30 raids, damage counted from the Journey tab; clean Queen attempts: 22,991 and 23,002). The wiki lists the same number as an estimate. Other guides claim about 34,000 HP. Embark has not published a number.
Queen: guardian of the Harvester
The Queen is a six-legged machine with heavy armor. It only appears under the Harvester map condition and guards that machine, which always stands in the same spot:
- Dam Battlegrounds: south-east of the Power Generation Complex, at the Red Lakes.
- Spaceport: between the Maintenance Hangar and Staff Parking, on the south side of the map.
- The Blue Gate: west of the Checkpoint, in the middle of the map.
The Queen fires 2–5 mortars from its dome plus a laser, and up close it uses EMP Pulse or Ground Slam. Weak points: the red core (Core) under the armor plates, also exposed while the laser charges, and the yellow leg joints.
You don't have to kill the Queen. The Harvester has a puzzle:
- Collect 3 fusion cores from the containers on the upper level (one lies in the middle).
- Insert all three quickly into the central column.
- Shoot the 12 pulsing yellow targets (about 100 damage each).
Loot containers open, including 1–3 Equalizer or Jupiter blueprints, and the Harvester stops defending itself.
Matriarch: the boss with a shield and an escort
The Matriarch arrived on November 13, 2025 (Update 1.2.0 "North Line") and only appears under the Matriarch map condition.
Attacks: Missile Swarm (3–6 homing missiles), Leg Stomp (about 2 s of stun), stamina-draining gas and flashbangs. The most dangerous is the Energy Shield: for about a minute it absorbs bullets and thrown items, Wolfpack included, so you only deal damage from inside the shield. On top of that, it summons Bastions, Bombardiers, Leapers and Rocketeers.
The wiki advises against shooting the legs; aim at the front plates until they fall off and expose the red core. Good positions: Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers on Spaceport, the Electrical Substation on Dam Battlegrounds, the Reinforced Reception roof on The Blue Gate. The Photoelectric Cloak works against its missiles.
ARC Turbine: the mini-boss from Riven Tides
The ARC Turbine arrived on April 28, 2026 (Riven Tides, Patch 1.26.0) as a new enemy; some guides call it a boss. It usually drops from the sky when 16–12 minutes are left in the round. It has about 4,000 HP and heavy armor.
Its weak point shows after landing: the yellow spinning tanks in the open landing gear. The wiki recommends the Jupiter from 150–200 m. Since July 7, 2026 (Live Update 1.36.0), Turbine loot is worth significantly more.
ARC Frigate: how to board it
You can't shoot the Frigate down: you board it and disable it from the inside. In a Frigate round there are no Raider Hatches and no free loadout, and there is less loot on the map.
- The Frigate arrives about 30 s to 1 min after the start. Blue lasers on the ground warn of incoming fire from its cannon.
- Jump on an ARC Reclaimer (flying ARC that come down from the Frigate) and use the Raider Tool's Disrupt option. It raises a shield and carries you to the drone port at the lower rear.
- Destroy every Power Core (each one pulls in Rocketeers, Vaporizers and turrets), then the small core behind the red-lit hatch.
- Down in the middle is the cargo: the panels need 2 players at once until it detaches. Ride it down to the map and loot the containers.
- Getting off: go back to the drone port and disrupt a Reclaimer again. Then extract as usual.
The full event takes most of the round and needs at least 3 players. Solo players farm Frigate Inductors from containers on board without finishing the event.
Fallen Emperor: the Emperor dungeon and its key
The Emperor lies on Pendola Pass, in the western part of the map according to guides. The map unlocks after 25 rounds. You don't fight the Emperor: it is the game's first "dungeon".
The key is the Emperor Gateway Conduit. You craft it at the Workbench (level 1) from an ARC Insulated Coupler, an ARC Conductive Coupler and an ARC Plated Coupler, but you need the blueprint. The Conduit is also the final reward of the Frozen Trail Premium Reward Pass. One key means one entry.
You get the parts during the Redirection map condition:
- From about 25 minutes before the end of the round, Damaged Emperor Relays switch on (a red laser into the sky).
- Take an Emperor Beacon from one and deploy it in open ground.
- Wait out the falling debris under a roof, then loot the large standing payload. Only that one has couplers and the blueprint.
The blueprint is the bottleneck: the Arc Raiders Hub team needed more than 20 payloads, others 5–6.
Inside there are about a dozen trials; the ground floor and the final hangar are always the same. Doors with two white lights lead onward, a yellow light leads back. In the hangar, destroy 6 nodes, don't attack the Vaporizer (it leaves after about a minute) and watch the orange canisters: they are bombs. Leaving the Emperor is not extraction; you continue on the Ballistic Gondola.
The loot is Amplification Modules Mk I–V and, at random, the Emperor Modulator, needed for the Gunsmith (level 4), which unlocks Weapon Amplification. Only the Frigate and the Emperor drop the modules.
Big ARC that are not bosses
| ARC | HP (wiki) | Weak point | Unique loot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bombardier | 2,670 | rear plate, leg joints (2 Spotters first) | Bombardier Cell |
| Bastion | 2,050 | yellow cylinder on the back, knees | Bastion Cell |
| Leaper | 1,100 | eye, leg joints | Leaper Pulse Unit |
| Rocketeer | 1,100 | thrusters | Rocketeer Driver |
| Bully | no data | leg joints, open head when it fires | Bully Fragmenter |
| Hydra | no data | unarmored back (Frigate and Emperor only) | none |
You meet them in regular rounds, no map condition needed.
Queen and Matriarch loot after 2.0 ("Queen Cores")
Players say "Queen Cores" for the Queen Reactor: a legendary item for the Equalizer and the Jupiter (plus 3 Magnetic Accelerators and 3 Complex Gun Parts, Gunsmith level 3, blueprint). The Matriarch Reactor goes into the Aphelion; since December 16, 2025 the Aphelion blueprint comes from Stella Montis.
On October 8, 2026 Embark "moved higher tier loot from the armor pieces of the legs to the legs pieces", because the plates are meant to protect the legs. The plates can still hold some loot. The odds had already been lowered on January 27, 2026.
The effect, according to players on Steam: before, a solo player could shoot off 2–3 leg armor segments and leave with the cores; now the cores only come after destroying the legs or the whole Queen. Once it dies, up to 10 players converge. Some defend the change because it rewards fighting as a team.
Boss fight tactics
The tips and grenade counts below date from February 25, 2026, before 2.0. Since October 8, 2026 explosive damage against ARC works differently: the Hullcracker deals over 50% more damage to armor plates but about 30% less to weak points. After a bug fix, the Jupiter also hits armor harder and weak points softer.
Queen: play solo lobbies, where players cooperate more often, and fight from cover. You have three options:
- Shoot the body (Heavy Ammo, Energy Clip, Hullcracker) until the armor falls off, then the core.
- Shoot the yellow leg joints, visible from below.
- Snap Hook onto its back, break the top plate and shoot the core, or plant a Deadline and jump off. Killing it with Deadlines alone took about 8–9 of them.
Carry a spare shield in your backpack, and throw the Wolfpack above the target, in open ground.
Matriarch: like the Queen, only harder. Breaking the front armor exposes the core for good. Recommended for breaking armor: Equalizer, Aphelion, Jupiter, Hullcracker, Anvil and Ferro (more in best weapons). Riding on its back is dangerous: its own missiles and its reinforcements hit you.
Boss size comparison
Embark has published no dimensions, so these are only fan estimates from October 2025. The most popular estimate: the Queen is about 20 m (a leg joint is about 2 Raiders at 180 cm), the Baron is similar, a "King" is bigger and the Emperor is the biggest. The author admits it is a guess. The lore describes Emperors as "walking giants".
FAQ
How much HP does the Queen have in ARC Raiders?
The best documented figure is 23,000 HP (MeHow's test, April 2026), the same as the Matriarch. Other sources say about 34,000. There is no official number.
How do you get into the Emperor in ARC Raiders?
You need the Emperor Gateway Conduit key. Craft it from three couplers and a blueprint, which drop from payloads during the Redirection condition on Pendola Pass.
Can you shoot down the Frigate?
No. You board it via an ARC Reclaimer and disable it from the inside.
Are the bosses in PvE mode?
In the PvE test (until October 20, 2026, 11:00 CEST) players meet the Harvester and the Matriarch, but the Frigate and Redirection have no PvE option. Details: PvE mode.
