This Isn't Apex: your one-stop Guide to Surviving Arc Raiders

Guide
Written By NLM Team

Alright, let's get one thing straight: Arc Raiders is not your typical shooter. If you go in with a "hero shooter" or "battle royale" mindset, you're going to lose all your gear, get pissed off, and quit. This is a PvPvE extraction shooter. Your K/D means nothing. The only thing that matters is extracting with your bag full of loot.

You are a Raider, a scavenger. You go to the surface ("Topside") to fight murderous robots (ARC) and other, even more murderous players, for scrap and components. If you die, you lose everything you're carrying. If you extract, you get to bank it all in your hub, Speranza. This is a game about greed management, patience, and paranoia. Here’s the rundown.

The Raid: How the Loop Actually Works

Every match, or "raid," drops about 21-24 players onto a map for 30 minutes. The matchmaking is smart, pitting solos against other solos, and full parties against other parties, so you won't get steamrolled by a 3-stack if you're alone. You can even join a raid in progress, up until the 17-minute mark.

Extraction is Everything (Seriously)

Your only goal is getting out. Extraction isn't an afterthought.

  • General Exits: These are the public lifts or metro stations. They are on a timer and start closing as the match ends. They are also obvious, high-traffic ambush spots.

  • The Timer Lie: That 30-minute timer isn't a hard stop. You can still extract after it hits zero, only if you successfully called the elevator before the 30 minutes were up.

  • Raider Hatches: These are special, key-locked exits. They aren't on a timer, but once you use a key, the hatch is only active for 15 seconds. It's rumored one key can let up to three players escape.

  • Extract While Downed: This is a game-changer. If you are downed (bleeding out) but can crawl to an extraction, you can still call the lift or use a hatch. Robots will even ignore you in this state

Combat: Human Brains vs. Robot Brawn

You'll be fighting both AI robots (ARC) and other players. The ARC are predictable threats; the players are the real problem.

PvP - Fighting Other Raiders

  • Shields Lie: Your shield does not block 100% of damage, and it does nothing for fall damage. Your health is always more important.

  • No Hitmarkers: The game doesn't give you a nice little "X." You have to watch your shots. Sparks mean you're hitting their shield. A flash means their shield just broke. Red blood clouds mean you're hitting health.

  • Melee is King (in CQC): Melee attacks (strong and weak) use stamina, but they have a secret weapon: they completely ignore an enemy Raider's shield and deal 20 damage straight to health. If someone is in your face, shiv 'em.

  • The Red Flare: When a player is downed, their body shoots a bright red flare straight up. Outdoors, this is a giant "COME KILL ME" sign for every third-party squad on the map. Indoors, it just bounces around chaotically. Be warned: there is a fake flare gadget designed to bait you into an ambush.

  • Execute, Don't Shoot: Do not waste ammo shooting a downed player. They become a bullet sponge. Just walk up, press your interaction key, and execute them.

PvE - Fighting the ARC Bots

  • Don't Fight Dumb: Pick your battles. Your starting weapons can't do shit to heavy units like a Rocketeer. Just hide or run.

  • Aim for Weak Spots: This isn't Halo. Aim for the glowing bits: drone propellers, battery packs, leg joints, and optical sensors (eyes).

  • Use the Right Ammo: Heavy and Energy ammo types are your best bet for killing robots quickly. Grenades are also fantastic, with the "Wolf Pack" grenade being the true all-star.

  • Know Your 'Bots: They have different roles. Snitch drones are scouts; kill them fast or they'll alert everyone. Ticks are crawling bombs. Hounds are fast melee pack hunters. Rocketeers will kill you from a mile away and should be your top priority. Reclaimers are rare bosses that drop the best loot but will alert the whole map.

Movement and Stealth: Don't Be Loud

Sound is everything in this game. Running, shooting, even looting makes noise that will get you killed. Silence is survival.

  • Holster (H) to Hustle: Put your weapon away by pressing H. You run significantly faster.

  • Stamina Sucks: Your stamina is drained by sprinting, jumping, and melee. It's also drained by having your shield active and by being overweight. Manage it.

  • Slide for Stamina: Sliding down slopes isn't just fast; it actually restores your stamina. Use this constantly.

  • Listen to Nature: Birds suddenly flying away means a player (or bot) is moving nearby.

  • Disable (or Use) Alarms: Security cameras, metal detectors, and car alarms will rat you out. You can melee them or use a silenced weapon to disable them... or you can leave them active as an alarm system to hear if other players are clumsy.

The Speranza Hub: Crafting and Your Mascot

Speranza is your underground safe house. It's where you craft, trade, and upgrade.

Workbenches and Field Craft

You'll eventually unlock 7 different workbenches for crafting weapons, shields, gadgets, explosives, and meds. You can also upgrade weapons from Level 1 to 4. The Refiner, which unlocks after 10 raids, is crucial for crafting high-end upgrade materials.

One of the most powerful unlocks is in the red skill tree: Field Crafting. It lets you craft essentials like ammo and medkits during a raid from materials in your inventory. It's a lifesaver.

Your Pet... Loot Chicken? (Pljushkin)

You have a pet named Scrappy. After every raid, he passively brings you a handful of basic resources like cloth, plastic, and metal parts. Your highest priority as a new player should be upgrading him. That free, passive income of materials is what lets you jumpstart your workbench upgrades and crafting without having to risk your neck for every single screw.

Useful Links (The Raider's Black Book)

This game is dense, and the community has already built some insane tools. Don't go in blind.

Seriously, don't be a hero. Play smart, play quiet, and remember that loot doesn't count until you're back home. Good luck.

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NLM Team
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