ARC Raiders doesn’t hold your hand when it comes to fighting the ARC — these machines are fast, angry, and built to ruin your day. But every one of them, from the smallest Ticks to the massive Bastion, has weak spots you can exploit if you know where to target and how to fight smart. After too many deaths, a few blown-up backpacks, and one too many Leapers sitting on my corpse, I’ve learned where every ARC’s weak spots are and, more importantly, what actually works against them.
Wasp
Wasps are the first ARC that’ll teach you pain. They’re quick, loud, and travel in swarms, hovers low enough to harass you but just far enough to be annoying. Their twin guns fire eat your health in seconds if you get caught in the open. The best strategy is to hit the body’s center of mass with fast-firing weapons or Anvil shots before they lock on. Wasps crumble fast to any decent damage type, but the longer you let one stay airborne, the more trouble it causes.
If you have to shoot its thrusters, two destroyed wings will send Wasp spinning into the dirt. But don’t wait for that — just kill it outright. They drop ARC Powercell, ARC Alloy, and Wasp Driver, which are great for early bench upgrades.
Hornet
The Hornet is basically the Wasp’s meaner cousin. It’s slow, tough, and fires the blue electric darts that’ll stun you in place and deal heavy damage. The enemy’s dart fire becomes slow when it’s aggroed. You can dodge them by listening for the charge-up sound — the dart travels in a straight line, so strafe hard left or right the moment you hear the shot.
Its two rear thrusters are the weak points. Crouch to line up the angle on its back even when it’s facing you, destroy both thrusters, and it drops, simple as that. If you can’t get a rear angle, melt the front plating instead, as heavy ammo eats through the armor faster than you’d expect. Hornets mostly fly with Wasps, so first take down Wasps as quickly as you can and then deal with these ARCs. Drop-wise, Hornets carry ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Medium Ammo, and the Hornet Driver used for crafting and quests.
Snitch
Snitches aren’t dangerous, but they’ll ruin your raid by calling reinforcements if you let them live. The second the scanning laser turns yellow, it sounds the alarm. To attack this recon ARC, aim for its three rotating wiper blades or underside plating and destroy them before it calls backup enemy waves. Even if you manage to hit two out of three blades, that’s enough to let it fall and destroy.
If you’re short on loot or want to grind Wasp or Hornet drops, allow one Snitch to call a few enemies before you kill it because its reinforcement arrives in pairs of Wasps and Hornets. Snitch drops ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, ARC Synthetic Resin, Sensors, and the Snitch Scanner grenade, which can lure in ARC enemies wherever you throw it.
Tick
Ticks live indoors, waiting on walls and ceilings for you to walk into range. You’ll hear their squeal before you see them. If it jumps at your mouth, shoot fast or melee it off — a single hit from any weapon kills it. They’re mostly there to keep you on edge while looting interior zones, but they drop ARC Alloy and Tick Pods used for early quests and crafting.
Pop
Pops are small rolling bombs that sprint at you like they’ve got somewhere to be. One or two weapon shots will blow it up safely, but if Pop reaches you, the explosion hurts badly. They often come in groups, so be quick on the trigger and don’t let these tiny creatures ruin your day (Rocketeer is waiting for you). It doesn’t have any special weak spot; shoot it with any weapon, and it will blast. Pop drops ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Crude Explosives, ARC Thermo Lining, and Pop Trigger.
Fireball
Fireballs spew flames that melt your health bar faster than anything else indoors. Its front panel opens before it attacks, and that’s when you get a chance to attack its core. Shoot the exposed area right after it opens, and it’ll smash before the fire spreads. Heavy ammo works best against it, but even light weapons can shred Fireball when targeted at the right spot. Make sure to stand clear of burning ground, it keeps dealing damage after death. From Fireball, you can collect ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Crude Explosives, and Fireball Burner.
Bastion
Bastions are slow but terrifying things to face once they lock onto you. Its machine gun doesn’t stop firing until your cover evaporates. You’ll know you are being spotted when your shield disappears in half a second. Bastion has two weak areas: the yellow kneecaps and the canister on its back—shooting either deals direct damage through its armor. First break its one leg joint by attacking the kneecap, it will collapse briefly, which exposes its rear core, and you get a chance to unload everything your squad has to attack its canister.
Snap Blast or Blaze grenades stick well to this ARC’s armor and give a quick end to the fight. If you stay mobile, moving in and out of cover to bait its reloads, Bastion goes down without much fuss. For the loot, you collect ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Advanced ARC Powercell, Mechanical Components, Medium Gun Parts, ARC Motion Core, ARC Circuitry, Bastion Cell, and Medium Ammo.
Bombardier
Think Bastion with range and an attitude problem. Bombardiers rain guided rockets that hit even behind cover if a Spotter marks you with its yellow laser. Always kill the Spotter first to remove the Bombardier’s eyes. Once safe from the laser, focus on the same weak spots as the Bastion: the yellow kneecaps and back canister. Sticky explosives like Snap Hooks do wonders if you can get close before it notices you.
Roof buildings are lifesavers in the battle against Bombardier. Peek, shoot, duck, repeat, and when it reloads, rush damage on the joints to destroy the creature fast. Bombardier drops ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Advanced ARC Powercell, ARC Steel, Mechanical Components, Medium Gun Parts, Launcher Ammo ARC Motion Core, and Bombardier Cell.
Leaper
Leaper is huge and a nightmare that jumps halfway across the zone and crushes you in one hit. Once it’s chasing you down, don’t outrun it but instantly hide. Get inside a building that’s too small for it to enter, shoot one leg with a strong weapon until the armor breaks, and attack the exposed joint. Each destroyed leg slows it down until it can barely move—heavy ammo like Pharaoh or Wolfpack grenades cut through its armor fast. Leaper’s big weakness, which most players probably don’t know is the fire; burn a Leaper, and it will accept defeat in no time.
If you’re caught outdoors, dodge sideways during its jump animation. When it lands, it pauses briefly, and that’s your chance to strike its legs or face before it leaps again. Tough fight rewards good, Leaper drops many valuable items, including ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Advanced ARC Powercell, Mechanical Components, Explosive Compound, ARC Flex Rubber, ARC Performance Steel, and Leaper Pulse Unit.
Rocketeer
Rocketeers are the real deadly killers in ARC Raiders. They fire missile salvos that can level half a building, and even with cover, splash damage still hurts. Never ever fight Rocketeer if you don’t have a good piece of cover—rocks or trees won’t protect you from its devastating missiles. Get cover to dodge its attacks and then hit its thrusters in the short possible window. Use heavy ammo or explosives on Rocketeer between missile barrages. Listen for the lock-on beep; that’s a hint that the double missiles are coming at you.
Showstopper or Hornet Driver grenades can temporarily stun it, giving a 10-second time to strike the thrusters safely. If you’re well-equipped, a single Wolfpack grenade or Hullcracker shot can drop it in no time. When it crashes, expect great loot — ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Advanced ARC Powercell, ARC Circuitry, Heavy Ammo, Rocketeer Driver, and Heavy Gun Parts.
Surveyor
Surveyors roam peacefully until they deploy their scanning dish; that’s when you can shoot it. The glowing inner core is completely unarmored during the scan, so heavy rounds tear through easily. If it packs up and rolls away, you’ll waste more ammo than it’s worth chasing. Rewards for defeating Surveyor are ARC Alloy, Advanced ARC Powercell, ARC Circuitry, Sensors, ARC Motion, and Surveyor Vault.
Turret
Turrets are sneaky interior defenders that can shred through your shield the moment you step into their line of sight. It usually sticks on walls or ceilings, scans the area with a blue beam that turns red right before it fires. You then get about a second to get out of sight, or you’ll eat a full burst of heavy-caliber rounds.
The best way to deal with a Turret is to flank it or approach from behind cover. Get out between bursts and unload a magazine into its housing. Heavy ammo tears through them faster, but even light weapons work fine if you stay disciplined with your peeks. Beating Turret nets you ARC Alloy, Simple Gun Parts, and Crud Explosives.
Sentinel
Sentinel is the turret’s big, mean form, who snipes instead of suppression fire. It can be found perched high above open zones or guarding large outdoor areas. A single hit from a Sentinel’s railgun can delete your entire shield bar. To beat a Sentinel, use tall structures, rock formations, or hills to block its line of sight.
When the laser flashes red, duck immediately—once it fires, reposition or return fire in the short window you get. Its weak spot is the yellow canister near its core you should target. Heavy ammo or launcher shots destroy it fast, but even medium weapons work if you keep up pressure. Sentinel drops ARC Alloy, Advanced ARC Powercell, Heavy Ammo, ARC Coolant, ARC Thermo Lining, ARC Synthetic Resin, and Sentinel Firing Core.
Queen
The Queen is the biggest and worst ARC you’ll face in ARC Raiders appears only during Harvester events. She combines everything you hate: mortars, lasers, EMPs, and an endless ARC escort. Her legs and face are the weak points you should target, combined with many other fellows. Break the leg armor to expose the metal, then hammer away with Hullcrackers, Wolfpacks, or anything heavy.
You’ll need multiple teams coordinating hits — soloing her is possible, but only if you’re patient, stocked, and fortunate. After defeating this gigantic enemy, you earn amazing rewards such as ARC Alloy, Advanced ARC Powercell, Advanced Mechanical Components, Advanced Electrical Components, ARC Motion Core, ARC Circuitry, ARC Coolant, ARC Flex Rubber, ARC Thermo Lining, ARC Synthetic Resin, ARC Performance Steel, Magnetic Accelerator, and Queen Reactor.
