If you’re new to Arc Raiders or extraction shooters in general, starting a new game when it feels like everyone else is already a veteran can feel daunting. If you’re just getting started with the game or are still considering taking the plunge, keep in mind that new players are joining all the time, so don’t feel like you’re alone.
Regardless, it helps to know what you’re getting into and how to deal with the major challenges new players face. To help new Raiders get acquainted with the world topside and refresh the skills of those veterans returning after an expedition, here are our 10 Tips for Getting Started in Arc Raiders.
1. ALWAYS Watch Your Back Topside
Whether you’re searching for loot in a contested zone, harvesting plants out in the wilds, or hunting dangerous Arc machines, it’s vital to remember that you’re never alone out here. Swarms of deadly arc machines are always on the move, and can fall in from orbit right on top of you with little notice, so stay on your toes.
In addition to hostile drones, there’s always the chance of running into another Raider, and there’s no telling how they might react. Move your camera around frequently to scan the environment for movement, especially when performing noisy actions like breaching or moving out in the open.
2. Repair, Reuse, Recycle!
It’s never fun to have everything you need to complete a crafting recipe…except that ONE additional component. The best Raiders only got to where they are by learning to recycle. It’s not just good for the environment, it can turn useless junk like cushions and charging cables into valuable materials like wires and springs! Nearly every item can be recycled. Those wires you just pulled out of that toaster? You can strip them down even further for rubber parts!
But just because your old shield is busted doesn’t mean it’s useless now. Sure, you could scrap it for some plastic and make another one, or you could spend a bit of plastic to fix it back up into working order! The best part is, you don’t need to know how to make an item to repair it, so as long as you have the materials and don’t lose it, you can keep an item functional forever.
3. Break it Down
Raiders will always struggle with managing inventory space, especially on the surface. But you may have noticed a nifty little trick to salvage items during a raid to save space. This is a useful trick that can be great for stacking basic resources and freeing up slots for more important loot. But heed our warning, there is a cost to this decision.
While recycling an item from your Stash in Speranza will recover the full extent of its components, salvaging an item on the surface will only yield about half of that, and only one kind of component. For example, a Fireball Burner usually recycles into Arc Alloy and Crude Explosives. But when salvaging the item, the Raiders will only recover the explosives.
4. But What If I Need It?
Arc Raiders is a hoarder’s dream and their worst nightmare. Most players fall into one of two fields when they first start the game: either tossing out anything without an obvious use or holding onto absolutely everything until their stash is full. Players are granted a limited amount of space to store their loot in Arc Raiders, and while this can be upgraded up to a point, it won’t allow you to keep everything you find.
On the other hand, there are numerous upgrades that require parts the game does not inform you about until later. For example, if you sold the toaster you found, you’ll probably be upset to learn you need it to upgrade your Refiner. Don’t feel bad about looking up an item to see if you may need it later, as it’s more fun to uncover your loot has hidden value BEFORE you scrap it for parts.
5. Do Your Quests, Do Your Trials
It can be hard to get your hands on rare blueprints and certain components early on, and you may be wondering if there might be a way to earn some useful goodies without grinding long hours in-game. The answer, somewhat unfortunately, is Quests and Trials. Though both of these activities can be tedious, they both offer important rewards, some of which you can only earn through quests.
Quests can be boring and a little frustrating, but completing these tasks, especially early on, can earn you weapons, rare components, and unique blueprints not found anywhere else in the game. Trials are more difficult, but reset every week, offering a new set of score-based challenges that let players compete for special rewards. If you don’t feel like hardcore grinding, you can still earn the prerequisite number of points for a trial and earn randomized rewards of different rarities based on your score.
6. Learn What You Need and Where to Get It
There are lots of different materials in Arc Raiders, and many of them are used in multiple recipes, such as basic resources, wires, weapon parts, and springs. Hoarding these items whenever you find them is a good practice, as you know you’ll need them at some point. But there are also lots of items used in only a single recipe, just taking up stash space.
It’s important to make a sort of mental list or use the game’s recipe tracking feature to mark which items you need to grab while you’re topside. This not only marks the resource itself, but also tags any item that can be broken down into that component, so you don’t have to learn which resources come from what items (though doing so will help you out drastically in the long run). This will help you prioritize the items you always need while managing your stash space by avoiding unnecessary clutter. Keep in mind that certain items can only be found in certain locations, so don’t go searching for household goods inside an abandoned factory.
7. Mind the Noise
Sound is a massive part of gameplay in Arc Raiders. The level of immersion that comes from the impressive soundscape is one of our favorite parts of the game. But those sounds aren’t just for your enjoyment, and each one means something different. Crashed Arc Probes will beep, Drones will chirp when looking for a player, and any noise you make could signal another Raider to your location. Learning what each noise means can help you locate loot and pinpoint the position of other Raiders before you can even see them.
Not only is it vital that you pay close attention to your surroundings and the noises going on around you, but it’s extremely important that you focus on managing the noise you make as well. This is especially important when committing to loud actions like firing an unsilenced weapon or breaching an object or door, but it’s just as important to choose when it’s worth stomping around at high speed on loud metal floors.
8. Choose Your Battles
While it might be fun to swat every Wasp you encounter, making that much noise can be hazardous, as we just discussed. Additionally, while focusing your attention on pestering a lumbering Bastion, you may fail to notice a hostile Raider lining up a shot on you. Before committing to the fight with any arc or attacking another player, make sure it lines up with your current objectives.
If you take nothing else away from this tip, know that fleeing or repositioning is never a bad plan if things are going poorly. Attacked by a player out in the open? Right then isn’t the time to look for them. Find cover first, and then plan your counterattack. Setting up to fight a large arc? Make sure you have a good vantage point that other players can’t easily access so you can protect yourself.
9. Trust Your Gut
When encountering other Raiders on the surface, you can never be entirely sure what’s going on in their head. Maybe they’re busy with a quest and will hide if attacked. Maybe they’re specifically hunting for other players and will shoot on sight. Maybe they aren’t looking for a fight, but might change their mind if they see that fancy weapon on your back.
Ultimately, you can’t predict the outcome of every scenario, but you can prepare and react based on your gut feelings. That raider who has been following you with their weapon out probably isn’t looking for a friendly chat. The player standing out in the open with no weapon in hand probably isn’t looking for a fight. Using voice chat and the emote wheel can help you communicate and defuse hostile situations, but just because they said “Don’t Shoot!” doesn’t mean they’ll follow their own advice. If it looks fishy, it probably is. Better safe than sorry.
10. Play Your Way
Arc Raiders is a largely freeform sandbox experience with TONS of different ways to play. While you may feel pressured to unlock every blueprint or complete the expedition as fast as possible, we find that focusing too hard on any one objective can turn the game into a daunting grind rather than a fun way to unwind or an exciting escape from reality.
There are strong communities of both PvP and PvE-focused players, so don’t feel bad if you want to be a little evil one day. Everyone playing should be entering with the understanding that all loot is impermanent on the surface, so play the way you want to. If you want to focus on chasing flares and rescuing fallen comrades, go for it! If you want to play the villain and set traps all over the extraction point, that’s valid too. What’s important at the end of the day is to have fun with the game and not lock yourself into any one way of playing or burn yourself out by grinding for one objective constantly.
We’ll See You Topside, Raider
Embark Studios has created a remarkable world to explore, and a wealth of different ways to explore it. Whether you’re looking to test your skills against rival raiders, complete every quest and unlock every blueprint, or just love wandering the map and taking pictures, it’s vital that you never let your guard down and remember that anything can happen on the surface.
With some veteran-level skills at your disposal, it’s time to head topside and reclaim the world alongside your fellow Raiders. We’ll see you there!
