ARC Raiders Leveling Guide: The Real XP Farm Is Just... Opening Empty Boxes
Stop grinding kills and start opening empty boxes.
Let's be real, the main reason you're grinding in ARC Raiders is for skill points. You need them to unlock those game-changing perks, and with a max level of 75, you're going to need a lot of XP.
But if you think the only way to level up is by clicking on raider heads, you're doing it wrong. This game's XP system is... weird. It rewards you for everything.
I've dug through the data and my own runs, and it turns out the most reliable way to level up fast isn't being a PvP god. It's being a shameless, obsessive loot goblin.
The 'Loot Goblin' Method: The Best XP Farm
This is, by far, the most important tip. The easiest, most consistent way to earn XP is by scavenging.
Search Everything (Even Empty Crap)
This is the big one. ARC Raiders gives you XP for interacting with a container. It doesn't care if it's full of high-tier loot or if your teammate just emptied it.
You get +200 to +500 XP every single time you search a container.
This is, and I'm not exaggerating, the most important-by-far method for leveling. You don't even have to wait for the loot window to pop up. Just run through a building, hit your "interact" key on every cabinet, box, and backpack, and watch the XP roll in.
How to Abuse This in a Squad
This is where it gets beautifully cheesy. If you're in a squad, you can double-dip. Have one teammate run into a building and loot everything. Then, you run in right behind them and "search" all the empty containers they just cleared. You both get the full XP. It's brilliant.
Looting Corpses Is a Jackpot
This is the other part of your new goblin lifestyle. Looting a dead Raider gives you a fat +500 XP.
Looting dead ARCs is even better. Big machines, like Rocketeers or Bastions, are an XP piñata. When they die, they break into multiple lootable pieces, and each piece gives you XP. You can get up to 2,000 XP just from looting the corpse of a single heavy ARC.
The 'Time is Money' Method: Passive XP
Not a loot goblin? Fine. You can also level up by... just... not dying.
The 'Just Being Alive' Drip
The game pays you just to be topside. You earn roughly 180-181 XP per minute just for breathing. This is your safety net. Even if you have a terrible run, get no kills, find no loot, and die in a fire, you'll still get all the XP you earned just from surviving for 10 minutes.
The 'Safe Return' Bonus
This is the big one. Successfully extracting gives you a massive +1,000 to +2,000 XP "Safe Return Bonus".
This is why survival is key. A safe, 15-minute run where you loot a few buildings and extract is often worth more than a 29-minute, high-kill run that ends with you getting one-tapped at the extraction point. Don't get greedy.
The 'Traditional' Methods (Combat & Quests)
Okay, yes, killing stuff also works. But you have to be smart about it.
Killing Raiders (The PvP Route)
This is high-risk, high-reward. A full kill on an enemy Raider nets you +500 XP... plus all the XP from the damage you dealt.
Even an assist on a kill is worth +250 XP. So, if you're in a squad fight, at least hit the guy. Tapping a target your teammate is fighting is just free experience.
Farming ARCs (The PvE Route)
This is much more reliable. You get XP for both damaging and killing ARCs. This is great because big, beefy ARCs (like Rocketeers) have huge health pools. You can farm thousands of XP just from the "damage dealt" category before the thing even explodes.
Doing Your Chores (Quests)
This is your chunk XP. The early Shani quests are just tutorial fluff. But the mid-to-late game quests? Those are massive XP bombs, dropping anywhere from 5,000 to over 30,000 XP for a single completion. You should always have a quest active.
The One-Time Bonus (Exploration)
The first time you discover a new landmark or extraction point, the game tosses you a small, one-time XP boost. It's not a "farm," but it's a nice bonus while you're learning the maps.
My Ultimate XP Farming Loop
Alright, here's the simple, 5-step plan:
Grab a quest. Pick one that aligns with what you're doing (e.g., "kill ARCs" or "loot X area").
Go topside and become a goblin. Hit your interact key on everything. Every cabinet, every backpack, every corpse, every single ARC part.
Shoot ARCs while you're running between loot spots. The damage XP adds up fast.
Don't be a hero. Prioritize survival. That 1,000-2,000 XP bonus for extracting is your real paycheck.
Extract.
That's it. Loot, shoot, and scoot. This game rewards consistency, not just high-skill PvP plays. Now go get those skill points.
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