ARC Raiders Vaporizer Guide: How to Ground This Flying Nightmare
The Flashpoint update just dropped a heavily armored, laser spewing drone into the sky that completely despises your shield.
Getting melted from above while trying to extract is a miserable experience. If you thought the Rocketeer was an annoying obstacle, the new Vaporizer is going to test your sanity. It makes previous airborne threats like the Comet and Firefly look like absolute jokes. This thing is essentially a flying tank that sets the ground on fire and deletes your defensive layers in seconds.
However, ignoring it is not an option if you care about your arsenal. You need Vaporizer Regulators to craft the new Legendary Dolabra Energy Shotgun, and the blueprint for that weapon is locked behind the exact objective these machines are programmed to protect. I have spent enough time getting set on fire to know exactly what makes this machine tick. Here is how to systematically dismantle it without losing your loot.
Locating The Threat
You will not find these machines casually roaming the standard Dam Battlegrounds. They are elite units deployed for a very specific purpose.
Close Scrutiny And Assessors
Vaporizers only spawn during the Close Scrutiny Major Map Condition. This is the first ARC Operation added to the game, and it completely changes the dynamic of the map. These flying tanks are assigned to patrol and guard Assessors, which are the breachable probes exclusive to this map condition. If you want the Dolabra Shotgun blueprint, you have to breach an Assessor, which means a fight with a Vaporizer is entirely unavoidable.
If you are currently undergeared and absolutely terrified of fighting one, there is a minuscule sliver of hope. You can occasionally find Vaporizer Regulators inside ARC Couriers. It is a rare drop, but searching couriers can save you some scorch marks if you are desperate.
Surviving The Laser Show
Fighting this machine requires patience and a total refusal to stand in the open. If you try to run and gun across an empty field, you are going to die.
Hard Cover Is Mandatory
The Vaporizer relies on a single target delayed laser blast that tracks you similar to the Sentinel. When this hits, it obliterates your shield instantly and sets you on fire. It also sweeps the ground with a continuous laser that leaves a lingering trail of flames, restricting your movement and punishing groups of raiders who cluster too closely. Occasionally, it will unleash a barrage of smaller laser bolts that mimic the Aphelion Energy Rifle.
You must put hard cover between yourself and the sky. Find a concrete wall, a thick structural pillar, or a tunnel. You need an environment large enough to let you step back when it starts painting the ground with fire.
Respect The Energy Shield
Just to make things more infuriating, the Vaporizer comes equipped with a Matriarch style energy barrier. When this shield goes up, it negates all incoming damage. Do not panic throw your explosives. The shield intercepts tracking projectiles, meaning your Seeker Grenades and Wolfpacks will simply evaporate against the barrier.
The silver lining is that the Vaporizer cannot fire its lasers while the shield is active. Use this downtime to reload, reposition, and prep your heavy ordnance for the exact second the barrier drops.
The Takedown Strategy
Like every ARC machine in the game, brute force is terribly inefficient. You need to focus on its anatomical weak points to bring it down fast.
Focus The Rotors
Never shoot center mass while it is flying. The Vaporizer stays airborne using eight small rotors. There are two per corner, visually similar to the ones on a Snitch. Your immediate priority is popping these rotors. As you destroy them, the machine loses its maneuverability and is forced to drop lower to the ground.
Exposing The Core
Once you clip its wings and force it downward, the dynamic of the fight shifts. You can now clearly target its belly. The core located underneath its chassis takes massive critical damage. If you are feeling particularly brave, bringing the machine low to the ground actually allows you to climb on top of its chassis and deploy a Deadline mine directly onto its armor. It is a high risk play, but the damage output is spectacular.
Top Loadout Options
You need a mix of precision to hit the tiny rotors and raw explosive power to crack the belly core. Bringing an assault rifle and hoping for the best will just waste your ammo.
The Flashpoint update made the skies significantly more dangerous, but this machine follows the same logic as the rest of the ARC forces. Shoot the vulnerable bits, hide behind thick walls, and strike when the shield is down.
