ARC Raiders Weapon Stencils Guide – How to Get, Learn, and Apply Every Stencil

TL;DR

• Weapon Stencils are ARC Raiders’ new weapon skins, introduced with the Frozen Trail update on October 8, 2026. There are 14 total at launch.
• 8 Stencils can be found Topside as random drops from containers during normal raids.
• 5 Stencils are exclusive to the Frozen Trail Premium Reward Pass (1,150 Raider Tokens).
• 1 Stencil — Dragon’s Breath — is exclusive to the Frozen Trail Collector Set DLC.
• Stencils work like blueprints: find or earn one, learn it out of raid, then apply it to a compatible weapon using Stencil Parts.
• Each application costs Stencil Parts based on rarity — from 2 parts (Common/Uncommon) up to 15 (Legendary).
• Stencils are not universal — each one only works on specific weapons. Check compatibility before farming.
• If you die and someone loots your weapon, the stencil goes with it. The design stays learned, but that gun is gone.
• Stencils are purely cosmetic — they change how a gun looks, nothing else.

Weapon Stencils are ARC Raiders’ answer to gun skins, and they work quite differently from how weapon cosmetics function in most games. There’s no store tab to scroll through and buy skins outright — you’re out here finding designs in the world, learning them like blueprints, then spending a crafting material every time you want to put that look on a specific gun. It’s a system built around the extraction loop, which means losing a stenciled weapon is a real possibility every raid.

This guide breaks down all 14 Stencils confirmed at launch, where they come from, what they’re compatible with, how much they cost to apply, and everything else you need to know before you start decorating your loadout.

ARC Raiders is available on the official site, PlayStation Store, and Xbox.

What Are Weapon Stencils in ARC Raiders?

Weapon Stencils are cosmetic patterns that change the visual appearance of your guns. They don’t affect stats, damage, reload speed, or any gameplay element — they’re purely about how your weapon looks. Legendary Stencils go further than a simple repaint, adding ornamental details to the gun’s physical model.

The system is deliberately tied to the extraction loop. You have to find or earn a Stencil, learn it permanently (like a blueprint), then spend a consumable resource called Stencil Parts every time you apply it to a gun. A design that looks incredible on your Anvil only applies to that specific Anvil — your next one needs a fresh application.

The other key thing to understand: stencils travel with the weapon. If you’re downed and another Raider loots your gun, your stencil instance goes with it. The design stays in your collection, but that physical weapon — and its applied cosmetic — is theirs now. That’s just part of the game. Treat a stenciled gun with the same risk awareness you’d give any other valuable piece of gear.

Weapon Stencils are a completely separate system from Amplified Weapons, which actually change how guns perform. If you’re still working on weapon upgrades, the weapon upgrade guide covers that side of progression.

All 14 ARC Raiders Weapon Stencils – Sources and Compatibility

At launch, there are 14 Weapon Stencils split across three sources: found Topside, earned from the Premium Reward Pass, and one exclusive to the Collector Set DLC. Here’s the full breakdown of what the community has confirmed so far:

Topside Stencils (Found in Raids)

These eight designs drop from containers, lockers, and loot rooms during normal raids. They’re random drops — no fixed guaranteed spawn — so keep searching containers on every run and you’ll find them over time.

• Verdigris (Uncommon) — Compatible with: Osprey, Canto, Stitcher, Bobcat, Vulcano, Il Toro, Hairpin, Stiletto. Cost: 2 Stencil Parts.
• Milky Terracotta (Rare) — Compatible with: Canto, Hairpin, Burletta, Renegade, Ferro, Kettle. Cost: 4 Stencil Parts.
• Cerulean (Rare) — Compatible with: Osprey, Bobcat, Vulcano, Venator, Anvil, Bantam, Bettina, Arpeggio. Cost: 4 Stencil Parts. Confirmed found in the Pendola Pass Observatory key room.
• Slipstream (Epic) — Compatible with: Il Toro, Anvil, Rattler. Cost: 7 Stencil Parts. Found in raids on launch day.
• Dusty Camo — Compatible with: Il Toro, Burletta, Torrente, Stiletto, Rattler, Tempest.
• Tortoise — Compatible with: Anvil, Rattler.
• Garnet — Broad compatibility across most weapons including Osprey, Canto, Stitcher, Bobcat, Vulcano, Il Toro, Hairpin, Venator, Burletta, Torrente, Anvil, Bantam, Stiletto, Renegade, Ferro, Kettle, Rattler, Bettina, Arpeggio, Tempest.
• Ochre — Same broad compatibility as Garnet: most weapons in the game.

Cerulean appearing in the Pendola Pass Observatory key room is a good reminder that locked areas tend to hold better loot. If you’re not already running key rooms, our key location guides are worth checking — they increase the odds of finding higher-rarity drops like Stencils.

Premium Reward Pass Stencils (5 Exclusive Designs)

Five Stencils sit behind the Frozen Trail Premium Reward Pass, which costs 1,150 Raider Tokens. These can’t be found Topside — they only come from progressing the Premium track. Our full Reward Pass guide covers how the pass works and whether Premium is worth buying.

• Fortuna (Epic) — Compatible with: Anvil. Cost: 7 Stencil Parts. The Anvil-specific design from the pass, featuring gold sun etchings.
• Sacrifice (Epic) — Compatible with: Renegade. Cost: 7 Stencil Parts.
• Serac (Legendary) — Compatible with: Bobcat. Cost: 15 Stencil Parts.
• Bulwark (Legendary) — Compatible with: Hullcracker. Cost: 15 Stencil Parts. Reshapes the frame with a blue glow effect.
• Fifth Premium Stencil — Name and compatibility still being confirmed by the community post-launch.

Worth noting: Legendary Stencils like Serac and Bulwark don’t just repaint a weapon — they visually alter the gun’s model geometry and add glow effects. If you want the highest-tier cosmetic looks, the Premium Pass is the route.

Collector Set DLC Stencil (1 Exclusive Design)

• Dragon’s Breath — Exclusive to the Frozen Trail Collector Set DLC. Confirmed compatible with: Tempest. This is the only stencil that cannot be earned through gameplay or the Reward Pass — you need the DLC to get it.

The Collector Set also bundles 2,400 Raider Tokens, the Renzo outfit, the Banjo blueprint, Retro Sofa Outpost furniture recipe, and other cosmetics. If Dragon’s Breath is on your list, it’s worth evaluating the full DLC bundle value.

How to Get Stencils in ARC Raiders – All Three Sources

Finding Stencils Topside

The eight world-found Stencils drop randomly from containers, lockers, and loot rooms across all maps. Embark hasn’t published guaranteed locations for most of them — they’re distributed across the Rust Belt broadly rather than pinned to specific spots. Commercial, Residential, and Industrial POIs are where most of the loot action happens, so those areas are your best general hunting grounds.

Maps with dense Residential zones — Buried City and Blue Gate — are popular farming stops. Keep checking every container you come across during normal runs and Stencils will show up eventually. If you find one you don’t already have, treat it as priority loot and protect it through extraction.

For efficient looting routes, check our complete loot table and farming guide and best blueprint farming spots — the same high-density loot locations that produce blueprints tend to produce Stencils too.

Earning Stencils from the Reward Pass

Five Stencils are locked to the Frozen Trail Premium Reward Pass. You need to purchase Premium (1,150 Raider Tokens) and then progress the pass by completing Feats to reach the levels where each stencil sits. The Stencil Parts bundles on the pass (spotted at levels 11 and 47) also help with application costs once you have designs unlocked.

See the Reward Pass guide for the full breakdown on Feats, weekly milestones, and how to level efficiently.

Getting the Dragon’s Breath from the Collector Set DLC

If you want Dragon’s Breath, the Collector Set is your only path. There’s no alternative source for it — not Topside, not the pass. It’s tied exclusively to the DLC purchase.

How to Learn a Weapon Stencil in ARC Raiders

Once you’ve extracted with a Stencil in your inventory, you learn it the same way you’d learn a blueprint or Outpost furniture design — open it outside of a raid from your inventory. Once learned, the design is permanently unlocked in your collection. You won’t need to find it again. The next step is applying it, which is a separate process that requires Stencil Parts.

The same general system that governs blueprints and crafting applies here — if you’re new to the blueprint side of things, our blueprint farming guide gives useful context for how the learning system works overall.

How to Apply Weapon Stencils in ARC Raiders

Applying a Stencil is done directly from your inventory or stash:

1. Find the weapon you want to customize in your stash or inventory.
2. Right-click the weapon and select Inspect (or the equivalent on your platform).
3. Navigate to the Stencils tab. This shows a preview tile of each stencil you’ve learned that’s compatible with that specific weapon — incompatible designs don’t appear.
4. Select the design you want to apply.
5. Confirm the application and spend the required Stencil Parts.

The Stencils tab previews how the design looks on that weapon before you commit, which is helpful since the same stencil can look quite different on different guns — it repaints the gun’s own surfaces rather than applying a fixed texture overlay.

Important: Once you apply a Stencil to a weapon, you cannot strip it back to the default look. You can apply a different Stencil on top, but the original factory appearance is gone permanently. Make sure you actually want the design before spending your Stencil Parts.

Stencil Parts – What They Are and How to Get Them

Stencil Parts are the crafting material required every time you apply a learned Stencil to a weapon. They’re found Topside in containers — particularly in Commercial, Residential, and Industrial POIs — and also come bundled in the Reward Pass at certain levels.

The cost per application scales with the Stencil’s rarity:

• Common / Uncommon: 2 Stencil Parts (e.g., Verdigris)
• Rare: 4 Stencil Parts (e.g., Milky Terracotta, Cerulean)
• Epic: 7 Stencil Parts (e.g., Fortuna, Sacrifice, Slipstream)
• Legendary: 15 Stencil Parts (e.g., Serac, Bulwark)

Since Stencil Parts are described as hard to find — each application costs them, and each weapon needs its own application — it’s worth farming them whenever you’re running loot-dense areas. Maps like Buried City and Blue Gate with heavy Residential zones are the community’s early picks for Stencil Parts drops alongside Stencil designs.

Don’t casually dump Legendary Stencils on weapons you might lose in a risky run. Save those 15-part applications for guns you’re confident bringing into lower-stakes raids or situations where you have good extraction options.

ARC Raiders Weapon Stencil Compatibility – Which Stencils Fit Which Guns

Not every Stencil works on every weapon. Each design has a fixed list of compatible guns, and the Stencils tab in-game only shows you designs you’ve learned that actually fit the weapon you’re inspecting. Here’s a quick summary of compatibility patterns from what’s been confirmed:

• Verdigris: Mid-range spread — Osprey, Canto, Stitcher, Bobcat, Vulcano, Il Toro, Hairpin, Stiletto
• Cerulean: Covers popular weapons — Osprey, Bobcat, Vulcano, Venator, Anvil, Bantam, Bettina, Arpeggio
• Milky Terracotta: Pistol and SMG leaning — Canto, Hairpin, Burletta, Renegade, Ferro, Kettle
• Slipstream: Narrow — Il Toro, Anvil, Rattler only
• Tortoise: Very narrow — Anvil and Rattler
• Fortuna: Anvil only
• Sacrifice: Renegade only
• Serac: Bobcat only
• Bulwark: Hullcracker only
• Garnet and Ochre: Broad — compatible with almost every weapon in the game including Stiletto, Bettina, Bantam, Renegade, Rattler, Tempest, and more
• Dragon’s Breath: Tempest only

If you’re running a Bantam or Bettina as your primary, Cerulean and the broad designs like Garnet and Ochre give you the most options. If you’re a dedicated Hullcracker player, Bulwark from the Premium Pass is the only weapon-specific skin made for it. Narrow-compatibility stencils like Slipstream and Tortoise are best valued on players who are already committed to those weapons.

For guides on specific weapons and what suits them best, see our Stiletto guide and Bantam guide.

Can You Lose Your Weapon Stencil in ARC Raiders?

Sort of — and it’s an important distinction to understand. The learned design stays in your collection permanently. Nobody can take your unlocked Stencil. What you can lose is the specific gun that has the Stencil applied to it.

If you’re downed in a raid and another Raider loots your weapon, they get the gun with its stencil application intact. The design you used is gone with that gun. Your collection still shows the Stencil as learned, and you can apply it again to another compatible weapon — but you’ll need to spend Stencil Parts again to do so.

This is particularly worth thinking about with Legendary designs. Losing a weapon with a 15-part Serac or Bulwark application hurts more than losing a 2-part Verdigris. Weigh how much you want to show off your best skins against the risk level of the raid you’re dropping into.

For strategies on keeping your gear safe and minimizing losses, our safe pockets and item loss prevention guide is worth reading — and our extraction guide covers getting out alive with your loot.

Are Weapon Stencils Worth It in ARC Raiders?

That depends entirely on how much you care about your guns looking good. As pure cosmetics, they don’t change your performance in any raid — the Topside Stencils are free to find through normal play, and the system’s learning mechanic means each design only needs to be found once. That’s a reasonable ask for weapon customization.

The trickier question is whether to spend Stencil Parts, especially on Legendary designs that cost 15 per application. If you’re someone who runs a consistent favorite weapon and extracts safely, applying a Legendary Stencil to that gun is a reasonable flex. If you’re the type who takes risks or swaps weapons frequently, cheaper designs like Verdigris (2 parts) are more sustainable.

Premium Pass Stencils are effectively bundled into the pass’s overall value — since the Premium track pays for itself through Raider Token returns if completed, the exclusive designs are essentially a bonus for playing through the season. For new players still finding their footing, the free Topside designs are plenty to start experimenting with the system.

If you’re trying to efficiently build up your loadout and resources before spending time on cosmetics, check our best tips and tricks, early game skills guide, and coin farming guide first. Also see our ARC Frigate guide for the endgame content where your best weapons — and their stencils — are most likely to see action.

ARC Raiders Weapon Stencils FAQ