How To Upgrade Weapons in ARC Raiders – Complete Gunsmith Workbench Guide

Unlock Requirements

To unlock the Gunsmith:

1. Complete the Introductory Quests in ARC Raiders
2. Enter your Workshop at Speranza
3. Look for the Install option in one of the tabs (next to Scrappy)
4. Gather the required materials
5. Install the Gunsmith

Materials Needed to Install the Gunsmith

You’ll need these resources to unlock the Gunsmith:

• Metal Parts x20
• Rubber Parts x20

These are common early-game materials, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble gathering them if you’ve been looting consistently.

Where To Find Installation Materials

Metal Parts:

• Scavenge metal objects during raids
• Recycle ARC Tech and mechanical loot
• Found in Industrial-tagged locations
• Common drops from ARC machines

Rubber Parts:

• Disassemble chemical containers
• Loot abandoned gear (Ruined Parachutes, Destroyed Vests, etc.)
• Found in residential and industrial areas
• Obtained from recycling certain equipment

If you’re struggling to find these materials, use the resource tracking feature from the Workshop (covered in our Workbench upgrade guide) to highlight them during raids.

Once you’ve collected 20 of each material, head back to your Workshop and install the Gunsmith. You’re now ready to start upgrading weapons.

How To Upgrade Weapons in ARC Raiders (Step-by-Step)

Now for the main event: actually making your guns better. Here’s the complete process.

Step 1: Access the Gunsmith

Two ways to open the Gunsmith:

1. From the Workshop menu: Click the Gunsmith tab
2. Direct interaction: Walk up to the Gunsmith crafting table in your Workshop and interact with it

Once opened, you’ll see the Gunsmith interface with several tabs available.

Step 2: Navigate to the Weapon Upgrade Tab

The Gunsmith has multiple tabs:

• Crafting Tab: Create new weapons and accessories
• Weapon Upgrade Tab: Enhance existing weapons (this is what we want)
• Level Up Tab: Upgrade the Gunsmith bench itself

Click on Weapon Upgrade to begin enhancing your gear.

Step 3: Select a Weapon to Upgrade

The Weapon Upgrade screen will display all eligible weapons from:

• Your current inventory
• Your stash storage (automatically included)

Pro tip: You don’t need to manually move weapons from your stash to your inventory. The Gunsmith pulls from both automatically, which is super convenient.

Click on the weapon you want to upgrade to select it.

Step 4: Review Upgrade Requirements

Once you’ve selected a weapon, the right side of the screen shows:

• Current weapon level (starts at Level 0)
• Stats that will improve with the upgrade
• Materials required for the upgrade
• Upgrade button

Stats that improve with weapon upgrades:

• Damage: More damage per shot
• Magazine size: More bullets before reloading
• Reload speed: Faster reload times
• Durability: Weapon lasts longer before breaking
• Accuracy/recoil (depending on weapon type)

Each upgrade level requires progressively more materials, so early upgrades are cheap while later ones get expensive.

Step 5: Upgrade Your Weapon

If you have the required materials:

1. Click the Upgrade button
2. Materials are consumed
3. Your weapon levels up (0→1, 1→2, 2→3, etc.)
4. Weapon stats immediately improve

Important: Weapon upgrades are permanent and stay with that specific weapon. If you lose the weapon in a raid (and it’s not in a Safe Pocket), you lose the upgraded version.

Step 6: Repeat for Higher Levels

You can continue upgrading the same weapon multiple times, with each level providing incremental stat improvements. The material costs increase with each upgrade, so budget accordingly.

Upgrade progression example:

• Level 0→1: 10 Metal Parts, 5 Rubber Parts
• Level 1→2: 15 Metal Parts, 8 Rubber Parts, 3 Steel Spring
• Level 2→3: 20 Metal Parts, 10 Rubber Parts, 5 Steel Spring, 2 Advanced Components

(Note: Actual requirements vary by weapon type and rarity)

Understanding Weapon Quality Tiers

Not all weapons are created equal in ARC Raiders. Weapons come in different quality tiers, indicated by color.

Weapon Rarity System

Common (Gray):

• Baseline weapons
• Cheap to upgrade
• Good for early game

Uncommon (Green):

• Better base stats than gray
• Moderate upgrade costs
• Solid mid-game option

Rare (Blue):

• Strong stats
• Higher upgrade material requirements
• Worth investing in for serious raiders

Epic (Purple):

• Excellent stats
• Expensive to upgrade
• Requires rare materials
• Great for endgame content

Legendary (Yellow):

• Best possible stats
• Extremely expensive to upgrade
• Requires legendary-tier materials
• Often obtained from Harvester events or special loot

Quality-Matched Material Requirements

Here’s the critical detail: higher-quality weapons require same-quality materials to upgrade.

What this means:

• Gray weapons → Gray materials (common stuff)
• Blue weapons → Blue materials (rare components)
• Purple weapons → Purple materials (epic crafting items)
• Yellow weapons → Yellow materials (legendary resources)

This is why you need to be strategic about what you upgrade. Don’t dump legendary materials into a mediocre weapon just because you can. Save those resources for truly exceptional gear.

Strategic Weapon Upgrade Tips

Start with Common/Uncommon Weapons

Why upgrade lower-tier weapons first:

• Cheap material costs
• Immediate combat improvement
• Less painful if you lose the weapon in a raid
• Good for learning the upgrade system

Once you’re comfortable surviving raids and extracting consistently, then start investing in rare and epic weapons.

Prioritize Your Main Weapon

Don’t spread your materials thin trying to upgrade every gun you own. Pick one or two primary weapons you use consistently and focus your upgrades there.

Good candidates for upgrade investment:

• Your favorite weapon type (rifle, SMG, shotgun, etc.)
• Weapons with blueprints you’ve unlocked
• Weapons that match your playstyle
• Guns you’re comfortable using in PvP

Save Legendary Materials for Legendary Weapons

If you get your hands on legendary crafting materials, do NOT waste them on random upgrades. Save them for legendary weapon blueprints from the Harvester or other endgame sources.

Legendary materials are incredibly rare. Using them wisely is the difference between having a god-tier loadout and regretting your choices.

Upgrade Before Risky Raids

If you’re about to attempt something dangerous—like the Harvester event or a high-value contested area—upgrade your primary weapon beforehand. The stat boost could be the difference between survival and death.

Consider Durability When Upgrading

Weapon durability matters. Upgraded durability means your weapon lasts longer across multiple raids before breaking. If you’re running frequent raids, durability upgrades save you replacement costs in the long run.

Use Safe Pockets for Upgraded Weapons

If you’ve invested significant materials into upgrading a weapon, always extract with it in a Safe Pocket when carrying it into raids. Losing a fully upgraded purple weapon because you forgot to protect it is absolutely crushing.

Leveling Up the Gunsmith Bench

Beyond upgrading individual weapons, you also need to level up the Gunsmith itself to unlock better crafting recipes.

Why Level Up the Gunsmith?

Benefits of higher Gunsmith levels:

• Unlock crafting recipes for better weapons
• Access to weapon accessories (scopes, suppressors, extended mags)
• Ability to craft higher-tier gear
• Required to use certain blueprints

Even if you find a legendary weapon blueprint, you can’t craft it unless your Gunsmith is at the required level. This is covered in detail in our Workbench upgrade guide.

How To Level Up the Gunsmith

1. Click the Level Up tab in the Gunsmith interface
2. Review the materials required for the next level
3. Track the resources you need (eye icon feature)
4. Farm materials during raids
5. Return to Speranza and upgrade the bench

Gunsmith priority: Among all crafting benches, the Gunsmith should be one of your top 2-3 priorities. Better weapons directly translate to better survival and loot acquisition.

Farming Materials for Weapon Upgrades

Best Locations for Weapon Upgrade Materials

Metal Parts (most common weapon material):

• Industrial zones
• ARC machine wreckage
• Power facilities
• Any location with “Industrial” tag

Rubber Parts:

• Residential areas
• Abandoned camps
• Chemical storage sites
• Recycled from damaged gear

Advanced Components (for higher-tier upgrades):

• Security lockers
• ARC Couriers and Probes
• High-risk areas
• Elite ARC machine drops

Efficient Farming Strategy

Multi-purpose raids:

• Combine weapon material farming with coin farming
• Grab resource items while you’re at it
• Complete quests simultaneously
• Always have a plan for extraction

Track everything you need: Use the resource tracking feature to highlight weapon upgrade materials during your raids. This makes farming 10x faster.

Additional Gunsmith Tips

Recycle Unwanted Weapons

Don’t hoard every weapon you find. Recycle weapons you don’t use to get crafting materials back. This gives you resources for upgrading the weapons you actually care about.

Unlock Combat Skills

Certain skills in the skill tree may boost weapon performance or reduce upgrade costs. Check for synergies between your skill build and Gunsmith investments.

Test Weapons Before Heavy Investment

Before dumping rare materials into a weapon, take it into a few raids to see if you actually like how it handles. Don’t upgrade a weapon you hate using just because it has good stats on paper.

Keep a Backup Weapon

Always have at least one upgraded backup weapon in your stash. If you lose your main weapon in a raid, you’re not stuck going in completely unprepared next time.

Optimize Your Loadout

For consistent performance in raids, check our best tips and tricks guide and make sure your PC settings are optimized for smooth gunfights.

Final Thoughts

Upgrading weapons through the Gunsmith is one of the most impactful progression systems in ARC Raiders. Better weapons = better raids = more loot = even better weapons. It’s a positive feedback loop that directly rewards smart resource management and strategic thinking.

The key is starting small with common weapons, learning the system, and gradually working your way up to rare and legendary gear as you become more skilled at surviving and extracting. Don’t rush to upgrade everything—focus on what you use, protect your investments with Safe Pockets, and always prioritize leveling up the Gunsmith bench itself to unlock better crafting options.

Master the Gunsmith, and you’ll dominate Topside. For more progression guides and survival tips, check out our complete beginner’s guide or learn how to efficiently extract with your upgraded loot.

You can download ARC Raiders on PlayStation, Xbox, or through the official website. Now get out there and build the perfect arsenal!

Quick Reference:

• Unlock cost: 20 Metal Parts + 20 Rubber Parts
• Upgrade location: Weapon Upgrade tab in Gunsmith
• Improves: Damage, magazine size, reload speed, durability
• Quality tiers: Gray → Green → Blue → Purple → Yellow
• Key tip: Higher quality weapons require same-quality materials to upgrade