Arc Raiders Skills Are Lying To You: Here Is What They Actually Do

We all pressed the big red "Reset" button for the Expedition, and now we are staring at a blank skill tree wondering why we can't run for more than five seconds without wheezing.

If you participated in the Expedition event, you are currently naked. Well, mechanically speaking. Your stash is gone, your level is 1, and your skill tree is empty. This is the perfect time to actually learn what these skills do before you waste your precious points. The in-game descriptions are vague at best and misleading at worst. Thanks to some obsessive testing by the community, specifically the work done by KiraTheUnholy and the data crunchers over on Youtube, we now have the hard numbers.

The "Must-Haves" vs. The "Do Not Touch"

Before we get to the massive data dump, I need to warn you. Not all skills work as advertised.

The Broken Stuff (Save Your Points)

• Heroic Leap: Testing shows this has "little to no effect." Unless there is a secret trigger nobody has found, it is a waste of 5 points.

• Sky-Clearing Swing: Testers noticed "absolutely no difference" in damage to drones. Do not buy this.

• Sturdy Ankles: A 10% reduction in fall damage at max level is pathetic. Just don't jump off cliffs.

The God Tier

• Marathon Runner: A 20% reduction in sprint stamina cost is mandatory. This is a movement shooter. If you aren't moving, you are dying.

• In-Round Crafting: This is not optional. You need this to craft meds and adrenaline shots mid-raid.

• Proficient Pryer: 30% faster breaching speed. In a game where looting makes a loud noise and leaves you exposed, speed is safety.

The Master List: Every Skill Explained

Here is the raw data for all 42 skills. I have broken down the max bonuses you get at 5 points (or 1 point for single-tier skills) and added notes on what is actually happening under the hood.

MOVEMENT & STAMINA SKILLS

If you can't move, you're just loot for someone else.

SKILL NAME	MAX BONUS	HIDDEN STATS / NOTES
Marathon Runner	20% lower sprint stamina usage	Absolutely essential. Get this first.
Youthful Lungs	25% higher max stamina	Pairs perfectly with Marathon Runner for infinite kiting.
Nimble Climber	7.5% faster climb/vault	Warning: Ladders do NOT count. Only vaulting walls.
Slip and Slide	20% increased slide distance	Buggy if you hold sprint or use toggle crouch. Use with care.
Effortless Roll	32.5% lower roll cost	Great for combat dodging.
Off the Wall	20% further wall leap	Specific to leaping away from a ledge hang.
Three Deep Breaths	120% faster exhaustion recovery	Applies to gas exhaustion too. Massive for escaping gas grenades.
Carry the Momentum	Free sprinting after dodge	Lasts 2-3 seconds. Cooldown is 10 seconds. Good for burst escapes.
Agile Croucher	10% faster crouch move	Underwhelming. Skip unless you live in stealth.
Revitalizing Squat	20% faster crouch regen	Basically negates the penalty for crouching stamina regen. You heal stamina as if standing still.
Calming Stroll	Regen stamina while walking	Works while aiming down sights (ADS) or carrying heavy items.
Vigorous Vaulter	No exhaustion slow on vault	Vaulting and climbing aren't slowed when you are exhausted. Niche but okay.
Unburdened Roll	Free roll on shield break	Gives you a 2-3 second window to dodge for free after your shield pops.
Sturdy Ankles	10% less fall damage	Weak. Just don't jump off buildings.
Heroic Leap	N/A	BROKEN. Testing shows little to no effect. Do not buy.

LOOTING & CRAFTING SKILLS

The skills that pay the bills (and build the bombs).

SKILL NAME	MAX BONUS	HIDDEN STATS / NOTES
In-Round Crafting	Unlock basic crafting	Unlocks: Adrenaline Shot, Bandage, Shield Recharger, Fruit Mix, Flame Spray. MANDATORY.
Traveling Tinkerer	Unlock advanced crafting	Unlocks: Trap variants, Herbal Bandage, Noisemaker, Raider Hatch Key.
Proficient Pryer	30% faster breaching	Crucial for high-tier loot runs. Saves you from being shot in the back.
Looters Instincts	25% faster reveal	Reveals loot in containers faster. Good for speed runs.
Looter's Luck	50% chance for double reveal	Reveals twice as many items at once. Makes looting huge crates much faster.
Broad Shoulders	10 extra carry weight	Simple, effective. More loot = more money.
Silent Scavenger	Less noise looting	Exact noise reduction unknown, but prevents sound traveling as far.
Gentle Pressure	Less noise breaching	Makes breaching quieter. Good for stealth runs in PvP zones.
A Little Extra	Resources on breach	Generates grey/green resources when you break stuff. Okay for passive income.
Security Breach	Open Security Lockers	Required if you want the good guns locked behind cages.
Minesweeper	Disarm mines	Gives prompt to disarm. Does not change trigger radius.
One Raider's Scraps	Extra loot (Raider crates)	Chance to find a field-crafted item in Raider containers.
Stubborn Mule	10% faster regen (encumbered)	Reduces the stamina regen penalty when you are overweight.
Loaded Arms	50% lighter equipped weapon	Your currently equipped gun weighs half as much. Good for heavy MG builds.

SURVIVAL & COMBAT SKILLS

Staying alive when everything wants you dead.

SKILL NAME	MAX BONUS	HIDDEN STATS / NOTES
Used to the Weight	50% lower shield penalty	Reduces Medium Shield penalty to 2.5% and Heavy to 7.5%. Massive for tanks.
Crawl Before You Walk	50% faster crawl	Essential for getting to cover when downed.
Turtle Crawl	30% damage reduction (Downed)	Makes you surprisingly tanky while bleeding out.
Downed but Determined	+30 seconds bleed out time	Gives your squad a massive window to save you.
Fight or Flight	10% stamina on hit	Regain stamina when hurt. 50s cooldown. Lifesaver.
Blast-Born	-4 seconds ear ringing	You recover from explosion stun/deafness much faster.
Flyswatter	1-hit melee Wasps/Turrets	Does exactly what it says. Very satisfying.
Survivor's Stamina	25% faster regen (Critical)	Recover stamina faster when critical HP. Good for clutch escapes.
Back on your Feet	Regen to 25% HP	Slowly heals you up to 25% when critical. Saves a medkit.
Suffer in Silence	Less noise when critical	Makes you quieter when you are about to die. Hard to measure, but potentially useful for hiding.
Good as New	10-15% faster regen (Healing)	Stamina regenerates faster while a healing effect is active.
Effortless Swing	50% lower melee cost	Great if you melee a lot, but shooting is usually better.
Sky-Clearing Swing	N/A	BROKEN. Testers found no difference in drone damage. Avoid.

Credit Where It’s Due

This data wouldn't exist without the relentless testing of the community. Massive shoutout to KiraTheUnholy on Reddit for verifying the data and the spreadsheet creators who spent hours running into walls and falling off cliffs to get these numbers. You can find their full breakdown here.

Now, go spend those points. Just don't spend them on Sturdy Ankles. Seriously.

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