Source: Embark Studios (official key art via Steam)
ARC Raiders Beginner Guide: Learn the Loop First
Every raid in ARC Raiders follows the same loop, and this ARC Raiders beginner guide starts there because the loop decides everything else. You deploy from Speranza, drop onto the surface, loot the Rust Belt, survive the ARC machines and other players, then extract with whatever you managed to carry out. Die with a custom loadout and you lose the gear and the loot. Free loadouts come back with no permanent loss. The whole game is one repeated decision: push deeper for bigger rewards, or leave now with what you have.
Run Free Loadouts Until You Know the Maps
This is the mistake that costs new players the most. Your first 20 to 30 extractions should be learning runs, and learning runs end in death a lot. Dying with rare weapons and valuable augments is throwing resources away before you know what they are worth. Run free loadouts or cheap crafted gear while you learn map layouts, ARC patrol routes, and extraction points. Save the good stuff for squad runs with friends, events, or the day you actually know the map you are dropping into.
One small habit pays off immediately: holster your weapon to sprint faster (H on PC, Triangle on PlayStation, Y on Xbox). You will cover ground quicker, and in a game where the raid timer and other players are both working against you, speed is survival. Also, do not sell your free loadout augment. Trade it at the clinic instead, where it is worth more to your progression.
Pick Your Extraction Before You Need It
Extraction is where most beginners lose their loot, not in the firefights. Standard exits like cargo elevators and airshafts are loud: activating one starts a countdown and broadcasts your position to nearby ARC and players, which turns your exit into an ambush window. Always clear the area first, listen before you activate, and enter from cover.
The quiet option is the Raider Hatch, a hidden exit that is nearly silent. It needs a Raider Hatch Key, found in loot or bought from traders, so keep one in your stash for the run that matters. If your planned exit is camped, rotate to another one or use a hatch. Forcing the obvious door favors whoever is waiting on the other side.
Loot With a Purpose, Not a Full Backpack
Grab everything early on and you will learn what matters fast, but stop hauling junk once you know better. Prioritize keycards, locked tech crate contents, crafting materials for your workshop, and blueprints. Blueprints drop most reliably from ARC Walkers, turrets, and elite variants, and in high-risk locations like the Buried City, Dam Battleground, and the Spaceport interior. Harsh map conditions like snowfall or storms also improve high-value loot spawns while cutting player traffic, which makes them good farming windows.
Use your safe pocket for the one item you cannot afford to lose, usually a quest item or a blueprint. The moment that item is stashed, your mission is effectively complete. Another room is rarely worth losing it.
The Best Starter Weapons to Craft First
You do not need an expensive gun to make a profitable run. The community consensus for early weapons is consistent:
Ferro: a break-action rifle that is cheap, hits hard, and punches through ARC armor. Your best early PvE foundation.
Kettle: a semi-automatic rifle that comes free in loadouts and handles close to mid-range work comfortably.
Anvil: a heavy-hitting hand cannon and arguably the best all-rounder once you can craft it. Note that the Frozen Trail update moved it to the Rare tier, so it costs more than it used to.
Stitcher: a cheap automatic backup for close-range self-defense, though its recoil takes practice.
Stiletto and Bantam: two accessible weapons added in the Frozen Trail update on October 8, with the Stiletto a solid precision option for medium range.
Pair a heavy hitter with something fast for emergencies, and keep your ammunition types simple. One weapon for ARC armor and one for players covers almost every early route.
Spend Your First Skill Points on Stamina and Health
Your first skill points should go to Stamina and Health Regeneration. Stamina controls how long you can sprint and reposition, and health regen keeps you in the raid after the small mistakes that are guaranteed early on. Damage skills look tempting, but they do not help if you cannot reach the fight or survive the walk out.
The same logic applies to your workshop. Prioritize upgrading your Gunsmith bench early, since higher tiers unlock better weapons and cut crafting costs. Keep minimum stocks of common materials, but hold onto purple-tier components for advanced blueprints instead of dismantling everything you find. Some items that look recyclable are actually needed for station upgrades.
Greed Kills: Know When to Leave
The final tip is the one every ARC Raiders veteran repeats: greed kills. Each map has a timer, extraction points open for limited windows, and the last exits attract every remaining player. Stop looting when the clock gets low, commit to the safest reachable exit, and leave. A successful extraction with decent loot beats a dead run with a full backpack every time. Treat each death as data about enemy paths, extraction routes, and loot spawns, and the Rust Belt starts to feel like home. If you want more extraction-shooter basics, our Marathon beginner guide and Escape from Playtime beginner guide cover the same survival instincts in different games. Embark's own store page for the game is on Steam.
