ARC Raiders has quickly become one of the year’s biggest multiplayer sensations. With thousands of new players dropping into its chaotic world, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed at first. The game doesn’t spend much time walking you through every mechanic, instead throwing you straight into danger. Whether you’re just starting out or struggling to make it back to Speranza with valuable loot, these twelve essential tips will help you survive, extract, and thrive in this high-stakes shooter. Having enough ARC Raiders Coins can also help you succeed.

1. Survival Comes Before Victory

One of the first lessons every new player must learn in ARC Raiders is that survival—not victory—is the goal. This isn’t a traditional shooter or a battle royale where the last one standing wins. It’s an extraction shooter, and that means making it out alive with your loot is what really matters.

Pick your battles carefully. Engaging in firefights can yield great rewards, but the risk is enormous, even with powerful gear. It’s often smarter to avoid combat altogether and focus on escaping safely. The sooner you adopt a “live to extract another day” mentality, the more successful you’ll be in the long run.

2. Do Early Vendor Quests

After finishing the short tutorial, you’ll likely notice that ARC Raiders doesn’t explain all its systems. To fill in those gaps, visit the vendors in Speranza and start their early quests. These missions serve as a guided introduction to the game’s core mechanics—crafting, looting, upgrading, and identifying enemy types.

Completing these quests will not only reward you with useful gear but also expand your understanding of where to find key resources. It’s the perfect way to ease into the game before diving into higher-risk missions.

3. Use “Night Mode” for Better Audio Awareness

Sound is everything in ARC Raiders. You’ll need to pay attention to every creak, footstep, and distant explosion to survive. If you’re not using headphones, go into your settings and activate “Night Mode.”

Night Mode compresses the game’s audio levels, making quiet sounds like enemy footsteps or ARC drones more noticeable. This gives you a huge advantage when playing without a headset. Just keep in mind that it also amplifies your own sounds—so tread carefully when sneaking around.

4. Master Shoulder Switching

Positioning can make or break a fight. Thankfully, ARC Raiders lets you switch which shoulder the camera looks over. Click the right thumbstick (or press X on PC) to alternate your perspective.

This small trick is incredibly useful when peeking around corners, scouting through doorways, or clearing tight hallways. It helps you maintain visibility without exposing your entire body, giving you a vital edge in tense encounters.

5. Spend Skill Points Wisely

Leveling up in ARC Raiders earns you skill points, but unlike many other RPG-style shooters, you can’t respec your build. Once you spend a point, it’s permanent unless you start over.

Take your time to study the skill tree before committing. With a level cap of 75, you’ll be able to unlock plenty of abilities—but not all of them. Plan your build early so you don’t regret wasting points later.

6. Unlock the In-Round Crafting Skill Early

One of the most valuable early-game abilities is In-Round Crafting from the Survival skill branch. It allows you to craft essential items during missions using materials in your backpack.

This is a game-changer when things go wrong mid-match. Lost your shield? Craft a recharge kit on the fly. Need to free up space? Combine materials while looting. It’s a simple but powerful skill that drastically improves your odds of survival.

7. Use Free Loadouts to Learn the Game

Worried about losing your best gear? Try using Free Loadouts. These give you random equipment for a run—and if you extract successfully, you keep whatever you find.

Even better, completing a run with a Free Loadout earns you a Free Loadout Augment, which you can trade at the Clinic for a more useful augment: Combat, Looting, or Tactical. It’s a great way to practice, learn, and progress without risking your favorite items.

8. Use Pings to Identify Enemies

ARC Raiders’ ping system is more than a communication tool—it’s a survival tool. Use it to mark enemies and instantly see what type of ARC you’re facing.

Each ARC type has unique abilities and weaknesses. Pinging a “Leaper” or “Hornet” gives you vital information before you engage. Once you know what you’re up against, you can decide whether to fight, sneak past, or run.

9. Aim for Weak Points

Every ARC has weak spots that can make or break your firefights. Don’t waste precious ammo shooting at heavily armored areas.

Target propellers on flying ARCs, underbellies on turrets, and joints on walkers for maximum damage. You can also check your ARC Armor Penetration rating to see how effective your weapon is against armored enemies. Efficiency is everything when you’re low on supplies.

10. Dismantle Guns for Parts

Running out of space in your backpack? Instead of leaving weapons behind, dismantle them for components. You can do this straight from the loot menu without picking the gun up.

Dismantling is a reliable way to gather materials needed to craft and upgrade better weapons. It’s also a great way to profit from defeated enemies without cluttering your inventory.

11. Don’t Ignore Scrappy

Scrappy, your helpful little chicken companion, collects basic resources while you’re off scavenging for rare loot. Check in with him often at the Workshop—he can save you a lot of time gathering essentials.

You can even train Scrappy to find better materials if you collect specific items he requests. Keep an eye on that yellow notification in the Workshop tab—it means your hard-working buddy has goodies waiting for you.

12. Try Using Proximity Chat

Not every encounter has to end in bloodshed. ARC Raiders features proximity voice chat, allowing you to talk to nearby players. If you’re in a risky situation, try communicating before shooting.

Using the “Don’t Shoot” emote or calmly speaking through prox chat can sometimes diffuse tense encounters. Of course, not everyone will be friendly—but often, players are willing to let you pass if you approach respectfully.

Final Thoughts

ARC Raiders rewards patience, strategy, and awareness over blind aggression. It’s a game about extracting smartly, not fighting recklessly. Learn to read the battlefield, listen closely, plan your builds carefully, and value every extraction. With these tips in mind, you’ll soon find yourself escaping the wasteland with armfuls of loot—and maybe even a few new allies. Having enough ARCR Coins will also help you.