ARC Raiders throws you into one of the most punishing extraction shooter environments currently available. The surface world combines Dark Zone-style PvP chaos with post-apocalyptic wasteland dangers, where both hostile ARC machines and ruthless players are constantly hunting for targets. Survival requires more than just good aim—it demands tactical thinking, resource management, and knowledge of gameplay mechanics that aren’t always obvious.
Whether you’re struggling to make it to your first successful extraction or looking to optimize your farming efficiency, these tips and tricks will dramatically improve your survival rate and overall performance. Let’s dive into the essential knowledge every Raider needs.
Master Weapon Management: The Movement Speed Secret
One of the most fundamental—yet frequently overlooked—mechanics in ARC Raiders revolves around weapon states and movement speed:
Rule #1: Holster Weapons While Traveling
The mechanic: Having any weapon equipped (including your Pickaxe) reduces movement speed and increases stamina consumption. Your Raider essentially moves in a “combat ready” state that prioritizes quick weapon access over mobility.
The solution: Holster your weapon when traversing the map, exploring areas, or rotating between locations.
How to holster:
- PC: Press H
- Console: Press Triangle (PlayStation) or Y (Xbox)
The speed difference is immediately noticeable. Holstered movement lets you cover ground faster, consume less stamina, and maintain better positioning during rotations. When you’re running coin farming routes or trying to reach extraction before other players, this movement speed advantage can mean the difference between success and elimination.
Rule #2: Keep Weapons Drawn While Looting
The danger: While holstered movement is faster, you’re vulnerable during the weapon draw animation. If an enemy spots you mid-draw, those precious milliseconds can get you killed before you fire a single shot.
The solution: Always have your weapon equipped when entering buildings, approaching loot locations, or clearing contested areas. The slight movement speed penalty is worth the ability to immediately return fire.
Tactical balance: Holster while moving between locations in relative safety, draw weapons when approaching any potential danger zone. Develop the habit of toggling weapon states based on your current activity and threat level.
Stamina Management: Your True Lifeline
Beyond health and shields, stamina is arguably your most critical resource in ARC Raiders. Running out of stamina mid-combat or during an escape attempt leaves you completely helpless—a sitting duck for enemies.
Understanding Stamina Depletion
What drains stamina:
- Sprinting
- Climbing obstacles
- Jumping repeatedly
- Having weapons equipped (slower drain but constant)
- Being overencumbered (more below)
Recovery mechanics:
- Standing still provides fastest regeneration
- Walking provides moderate regeneration (improved with Calming Stroll skill)
- Crouching provides enhanced regeneration (further improved with Revitalizing Squad skill)
- Moving with weapon drawn slows regeneration
The Adrenalite Shot: Your Emergency Button
What it does: Instantly restores all stamina and grants unlimited stamina regeneration for 6 seconds
When to use it:
- Emergency escapes when ambushed with depleted stamina
- Pursuing fleeing enemies who would otherwise escape
- Final sprint to extraction when you’re exhausted but close
- Extended combat engagements requiring constant repositioning
Recommendation: Always carry at least one Adrenalite Shot in your consumable slots. The 6-second window of unlimited stamina can save your life or secure a kill that would otherwise be impossible.
Think of Adrenalite Shots as insurance—you might not need them most raids, but when you do need them, nothing else works.
Encumbrance: The Hidden Movement Penalty
While most players obsess over backpack slot counts, encumbrance is an equally important—and often ignored—factor:
What is encumbrance: A weight-based system that affects movement speed and stamina consumption separately from inventory slot limits.
Where to find it: Look for the encumbrance indicator directly below your loadout display. It shows current weight versus maximum capacity.
The problem: You can have available inventory slots but still be overencumbered if the items you’re carrying are too heavy. Heavy weapons, shield types, and dense loot all contribute to encumbrance.
Practical implications:
- Full Heavy shield + multiple heavy weapons = significant speed penalty
- Light shield + compact gear = minimal encumbrance
- Stack of metal components = heavier than equivalent cloth materials
Management strategy: Prioritize high-value, low-weight items when farming. Epic recyclables often weigh less than common materials while being worth exponentially more coins. If you need more carrying capacity, invest in Looting Augments that expand inventory without adding weight.
Stealth and Noise Management
ARC Raiders punishes loud, careless players. Every action generates audio cues that alert nearby threats:
High-Noise Activities
Shooting unsuppressed weapons: The loudest action in the game, broadcasting your position to everyone nearby
Breaching containers and doors: Creates distinct audio cues audible from significant distances
Shield recharging: Surprisingly loud, making mid-combat shield restoration risky
Sprinting: Creates audible footsteps that experienced players track
Reducing Your Audio Footprint
Essential skills:
- Gentle Pressure: Reduces breaching noise (high priority unlock)
- Proficient Pryer: Decreases breach time, minimizing exposure (high priority unlock)
Check our best skills guide for detailed information on these critical abilities.
Tactical choices:
- Weapon suppressors: Dramatically reduce gunfire audio, making you harder to locate
- Crouch movement: Significantly quieter than sprinting
- Walking: Moderate noise reduction versus sprinting
- Timing: Recharge shields during natural noise cover (other players fighting, ARC machine explosions)
The Element of Surprise
Extraction shooters reward ambush tactics. The player who shoots first usually wins the engagement. By managing your noise profile:
- You avoid attracting unnecessary ARC drone attention
- Enemy players can’t track your location via audio cues
- You control engagement timing rather than reacting to ambushes
- Extraction becomes safer when rivals don’t know you’re there
In contested areas like Old Battleground, stealth often matters more than raw firepower.
Conservation Tactics: Save Ammo, Use Your Pickaxe
Ammunition isn’t infinite, and running dry mid-raid forces you to rely on scavenged weapons or retreat. Smart Raiders conserve ammo by using melee effectively:
When to Use Pickaxe Over Guns
Low-threat ground enemies:
- Pops: Small crawling robots easily dispatched with melee
- Fireballs: Ground-level threats vulnerable to pickaxe swings
- Ticks: Weak enemies not worth wasting bullets on
- Turrets: Many turret types can be destroyed with melee if approached correctly
Indoor drone encounters: Drones entering buildings through doors or windows often come within melee range. A well-timed pickaxe swing eliminates them silently without alerting distant enemies to your position.
The Triple Benefit
Using your pickaxe provides:
- Ammo conservation: Bullets saved for serious threats
- Noise reduction: Melee is significantly quieter than gunfire
- Resource efficiency: No economic cost versus buying ammunition
Don’t underestimate melee combat in ARC Raiders. Against weaker enemies, it’s often the optimal choice.
The Foliage Setting Exploit: Competitive Advantage
This is arguably the most impactful performance tip in this entire guide—one that competitive players universally use:
The Problem with Foliage
At higher graphics settings, bushes, tall grass, and vegetation render densely, providing what appears to be visual cover. Many players hide in this foliage, thinking they’re concealed.
The exploit: Players using Low foliage settings see significantly less vegetation density. Bushes that appear solid at High/Epic settings become sparse or nearly transparent at Low, exposing “hidden” players.
How to Enable This Advantage
Step-by-step:
- Open your Settings menu
- Navigate to the Graphics tab
- Scroll down near the bottom of the settings list
- Locate Foliage setting
- Change it to Low
What this does:
- Drastically reduces bush and vegetation density
- Makes players hiding in foliage clearly visible
- Prevents you from being ambushed by “hidden” enemies
- Levels the playing field against other players using this setting
Why This Matters
Until the developers address this imbalance, players using Low foliage have a massive competitive advantage. You’ll spot enemies who think they’re concealed, avoid ambushes near extraction points, and never fall for bush-camping tactics.
This setting change is so impactful that it should be your first adjustment after installing ARC Raiders. For complete graphics optimization, check our full PC settings guide.
Additional Pro Tips for Success
Map Knowledge Is Power
Learn high-value loot spawns: Knowing where epic items consistently appear lets you plan efficient routes
Memorize extraction locations: Never wander aimlessly looking for extraction while carrying valuable loot
Identify chokepoints: Understand where ambushes commonly occur and avoid or carefully approach these areas
ARC machine patrol patterns: Recognizing patrol routes lets you avoid unnecessary combat
Combat Fundamentals
Shield management: Always maintain charged shields before engaging enemies
Use cover effectively: Don’t stand in the open trading shots—use terrain and structures
Third-party awareness: If you hear distant gunfire, expect weakened survivors you can eliminate
Retreat when necessary: A lost fight costs everything you’ve looted. Sometimes running is the smart play.
Economic Optimization
Prioritize epic recyclables: Diamond-marked items are worth more than inventory space they occupy
Know vendor values: Some items are worth more sold than recycled and vice versa
Craft strategically: Use In-Round Crafting to convert low-value materials into high-value consumables
Manage stash efficiently: Regular organization prevents inventory bottlenecks
Team Play Advantages
Solo viable but harder: ARC Raiders can be played solo, but squads have significant advantages
Communication wins fights: Coordinated teams dominate unorganized players
Resource sharing: Teammates can trade consumables, share loot, and cover each other
Revival potential: Squadmates can revive you, giving second chances
If you haven’t teamed up yet, learn how to play with friends across platforms to maximize your success rate.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Over-looting: Staying in dangerous areas too long because you want “just one more container” gets you killed
Ignoring audio cues: Footsteps, breaching sounds, and gunfire tell you exactly where threats are—listen actively
Poor loadout planning: Entering raids without adequate shields, ammo, or medical supplies handicaps you unnecessarily
Extraction camping without position: If you’re going to camp extractions (controversial tactic), do it from advantageous positions, not obvious spots
Neglecting skill investments: Your skill tree dramatically impacts performance—prioritize essential unlocks
Fighting every enemy: Not every ARC machine or player needs to be engaged. Sometimes avoidance is optimal.
Progression Mindset
Early game focus: Prioritize survival and learning over maximum loot. Successful extractions with moderate loot beat dying with full inventories.
Mid game efficiency: Once comfortable with mechanics, optimize farming routes and coin generation to fund upgrades.
Late game specialization: Develop your preferred playstyle—aggressive PvP, efficient farming, or hybrid approaches—and spec accordingly.
Consistent improvement: Each death is a learning opportunity. Analyze what went wrong and adapt your tactics.
Putting It All Together
Success in ARC Raiders comes from mastering multiple interconnected systems:
- Movement: Holster weapons while traveling, draw when looting
- Stamina: Manage carefully, carry Adrenalite emergency shots
- Stealth: Minimize noise, use suppressors, unlock stealth skills
- Combat: Conserve ammo with pickaxe, maintain shields, use cover
- Awareness: Low foliage setting, audio cues, map knowledge
- Economy: Prioritize valuable loot, manage encumbrance, craft efficiently
None of these tips exist in isolation—they work together to create a comprehensive survival strategy. The player who holsters weapons between locations while managing stamina, using Low foliage to spot ambushes, and conserving ammo with pickaxe kills will consistently outperform the player who ignores these fundamentals.
Final Thoughts
ARC Raiders doesn’t hold your hand or explain its deeper mechanics clearly. The game expects you to discover these systems through experience—often painful experience involving lost loot and failed extractions. This guide compresses that learning curve, giving you the knowledge competitive players have accumulated through dozens of hours of trial and error.
Implement these tips gradually. Focus on weapon holstering and the foliage setting first, as these provide immediate benefits with minimal effort. Then layer in stamina management, stealth skills, and advanced tactics as you become comfortable with the basics.
The surface is merciless, but armed with this knowledge, you’ll thrive where others merely survive.
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Stay sharp, extract smart, and dominate the wasteland!
