Last updated: 24 July 2026

ARC Raiders Beginner's Guide How to Play

ARC Raiders is a third-person extraction shooter from Embark Studios where you drop into a machine-ravaged future Earth, fight autonomous robots called ARC, scavenge loot, and fight your way to an extraction point to keep what you found. If you die before extracting, your main inventory is lost. That single rule shapes every decision you make in the game, and understanding it early will save you hours of frustrating losses. This guide covers the core loop, zone system, enemy types, and the key habits every new Raider needs to build.

01What Is ARC Raiders?

ARC Raiders was developed and published by Embark Studios (a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nexon), releasing on 30 October 2025 for PC (Steam and Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. It runs on Unreal Engine 5 and won Best Multiplayer at The Game Awards 2025. The game is set on a post-apocalyptic Earth colonised by hostile machines called ARC — autonomous robotic constructs that patrol every map and respond aggressively to noise and movement.

The core format is extraction: you drop into one of several map zones, loot buildings and ARC corpses for weapons and materials, craft or repair gear mid-raid if needed, and then fight or sneak your way to an exit point. Only items you successfully extract carry over to your persistent base (Speranza). Items left in your main inventory when you die are gone permanently.

The game supports squads of up to three players per team, and each raid also contains other human squads competing for the same loot, creating a mix of PvE and PvP tension on every run.

02Zone Types: White, Orange, and Red

Every map in ARC Raiders divides its space into risk tiers, colour-coded by danger and loot quality. Understanding which zone you are in — and whether you are ready for it — is the most important structural knowledge for new players:

• White zones — Low risk, sparse loot. Minimal ARC patrols and few if any human players. These are training-ground conditions: ideal for learning enemy patterns, map layouts, and extraction routes without your life constantly on the line. Loot tends to be Common and Uncommon rarity.
• Orange zones — Medium risk, decent loot. ARC patrols are regular and more aggressive, and you are likely to encounter other squads. Uncommon and Rare items appear here, including crafting materials that matter for mid-game progression.
• Red zones — High risk, best loot. Multiple ARC enemies including Elite units, and the highest concentration of other Raider squads. Epic and Legendary rarity items, Blueprints, and rare crafting components drop here. Do not enter a Red zone without a repaired weapon, a plan to extract, and either a squad or excellent stealth capability.

A practical early strategy is to start each run in a White zone, build up a small stash of loot, then push into an Orange zone if your inventory has room and your weapon durability still allows it. Only move into Red zones once you have reliable gear and at least one Raider Hatch Key in your safe pocket.

03ARC Enemies You Will Face

ARC machines are not a homogeneous threat. Each enemy type behaves differently and requires a slightly different response:

• Wasps — Fast aerial scouts that fly in tight patterns. They detect Raiders through sound as well as sight, making suppressed weapons and crouching essential when Wasps are nearby. Low health but dangerous in groups.
• Hornets — Larger aerial units that fire rockets. Stay mobile and use cover — rockets deal heavy damage and can knock you prone in open ground. Prioritise these over ground units when both are present.
• Rocketeers — Long-range ground units that hold positions and fire from distance. Break line of sight and close the gap before engaging; they are weaker at short range.
• Couriers — Rare ARC transport units that carry valuable loot drops. Killing a Courier almost always yields high-rarity items, but the kill notifies other players on the map that good loot is now available, so extract quickly afterwards.
• Queen — A rare boss-type ARC enemy. Do not engage as a solo beginner. The Queen requires coordinated squad fire, ARC-armour-penetrating weapons (Bettina or Hullcracker), and a clear extraction plan before you start the fight.

All ARC enemies respond to noise. Firing an unsuppressed weapon will pull nearby units to your location within seconds. Whenever possible, use suppressed weapons or a melee approach on isolated targets to keep other enemies unaware of your position.

04Extraction: The Rules That Matter

Extraction is not automatic and not instant. You must physically reach a designated exit, activate it, and then wait a short countdown before leaving. During that window you are vulnerable — enemies can interrupt the activation, and other players can ambush you at known extraction points.

There are several extraction types across ARC Raiders maps:

• Elevator shafts — The most common extraction. Press the activation console, wait for the lift, and ride it up. Loud and obvious to nearby enemies and other players.
• Metro stations — Train-based exits. Same activation mechanic as elevators, similarly noisy. Can be camped by squads who know the schedule.
• Raider Hatches — Silent, single-use exits that require a Raider Hatch Key. No noise, no animation that alerts others, and no countdown camping window. This is the safest extraction method in the game. Always keep a Raider Hatch Key in your safe pocket if you can afford one from a vendor.

Pressing X (PC default) holsters your active weapon, giving you a significant sprint speed boost. Use this when running to an extraction under pressure — a holstered weapon means you move faster than you can shoot, but it dramatically improves your chance of making it out.

05The Safe Pocket: Your Lifeline

The Safe Pocket is a dedicated inventory slot — separate from your main backpack — whose contents are preserved even if you die in a raid without extracting. It is the single most important inventory mechanic for new players to understand.

At the start of the game your Safe Pocket holds a limited number of slots. Upgrading your Augment at Speranza unlocks additional Safe Pocket capacity:

• Mk.1 Augment — 1 Safe Pocket slot. The default starting level.
• Mk.2 Augment — 2 Safe Pocket slots. A significant power jump; upgrade here as early as possible.
• Mk.3 Augment — 3–4 Safe Pocket slots. Endgame utility.

What belongs in your safe pocket on every run: a Raider Hatch Key (so you always have a silent exit option), any Legendary Blueprint you pick up, and then your highest-value crafting item or ARC Powercell. Never use a safe slot on a weapon — keep it for materials and keys.

06First Steps: What to Do in Your First Raids

• Run the Ferro + Stitcher budget loadout. Both weapons cost under 500 credits total, are cheap to replace when you die, and are effective enough to handle White and Orange zone threats. Don't craft expensive gear until you understand the extraction routes on each map.
• Learn one map completely before exploring others. ARC Raiders has several maps — Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Acerra Spaceport, The Blue Gate, and Stella Montis. Spend your first 5–10 runs on a single map learning building layouts, ARC patrol paths, and where each extraction point is located.
• Upgrade Gunsmith to Level 2 at your workshop first. This is the single biggest power spike available early in the game and unlocks better weapon mods including suppressors.
• Recycle at Speranza, not in the field. Items recycled at your base return more raw materials than field salvaging. Carry junk home and recycle it rather than trashing it mid-raid.
• Prioritise Gun Parts and ARC Powercells when looting. These two categories cover weapon maintenance and shield crafting — the two things that keep you alive raid over raid. Blueprints are next in priority; everything else is secondary.
• Keep noise discipline indoors. Suppress your shots, crouch-walk when near unknown ARC units, and avoid throwing grenades inside buildings unless you have already confirmed the location of every enemy. Noise travels and pulls enemies through walls.