Your Complete Arc Raiders Beginner’s guide
Welcome to the wastes, Raider. The game is finally here, and for brand-new players who missed the testing phases, knowing these core mechanics is going to make all the difference between life and death. For that, this Arc Raiders guide will take you through the critical details you need to optimize your settings, master core movement, and navigate the high-stakes extraction loop.
Our goal here is to equip you with the expert knowledge that veteran players depend upon, ensuring that you won't get punished by simple beginner mistakes.
The Raider's Blueprint
Master the mechanics and optimize your arsenal with our comprehensive guides:
Arc Raiders Guide: Pre-Raid Optimization
Before you deploy into your first match in Arc Raiders, a few essential adjustments to your settings will dramatically improve your combat readiness and stealth capabilities.
Critical Keybinds for Survival
While default bindings might suffice for some, there are three major inputs you should bind to keys you can hit instantly and comfortably:
Shoulder Swap (Major): This is arguably the most important keybind. Hitting this button instantly changes your over-the-shoulder camera position. When taking cover, swapping the camera to the side advantageous to your angle is crucial for peeking and shooting other players without exposing your entire body. Do not overlook this feature.
Dodge Roll: A forward tumble is so valuable to close the distance over mid-firefight. Make sure this is on an easy-to-reach key for emergency repositioning.
Crouch: Besides allowing for silent movement, hitting this button while you're sprinting downhill initiates a long, stamina-efficient slide.
PTT Only: Immediately enter your audio settings and put your microphone on Push-to-Talk. If you use Open Mic, players of enemy teams will very easily hear your voice via proximity chat. If they hear you, they'll find you—and they most certainly will try to kill you to take your loot. PTT is a must if you want to be stealthy.
The Core Gameplay Loop: Looting, Engaging, and Extracting
A standard match has a certain flow to it that players need to learn very quickly to master. The core of any Arc Raiders guide is to teach you when to loot, when to fight, and most importantly, when to leave.
Deciding Your Deployment Strategy
When a match starts, you spawn into one of the random spawn locations. Immediately open your map to get an idea of where you are:
Yellow Zones: Indicate areas with moderately decent loot. Lower risk, and perfect for early-game runs, or when using a free loadout.
Red Zones: Indicate positions that have a higher possibility of containing highly valued loot. These zones are highly hazardous because:
They're probably crawling with ARC robots.
Other teams will surely also take the route to this area, raising the chances of PvP encounters.
The Yellow/Red zone choice should be made by all as a group and based on your loadouts currently, especially running a free loadout, in which you don't really have anything to lose, along with your confidence level.
Arc Raiders Guide: Engaging Enemy Players
Soon, either you'll hear the near-by sound of gunfire or you'll see a Signal Flare launching into the sky (flares are shot upwards from a downed player's body). Combat is happening around you. Your team will have to make a quick decision: Neglect the situation and keep on looting OR Move towards the gunfire to execute a high-risk takedown.
Veteran advice suggests that wiping another team offers a much higher chance of obtaining valuable, ready-made loot than simply scouring the environment. Unless you're critically low on healing supplies or full already from high-tier gear, moving toward the fight (Option B) often makes more financial sense.
Extraction Mechanics
Extraction's the final and often the most dangerous step. You need to start monitoring the Extraction Timers on your map immediately after dropping in.
As the match continues, the extraction points start to close once the timer hits zero. Translation: The longer you wait, the fewer exit points will be available.
Extraction is Noisy: Calling the extraction elevator—so the one on the Dam Battlegrounds map—is a very distinctive and loud noise. There will be players nearby that would hear this and may converge to try and ambush you.
Stay Alert and Covered: Extraction takes time. Don't stand in the open. Stick to cover and be prepared for ambushing teams.
ARC Robot Threat: Extraction areas are patrolled by ARC robots fairly frequently. Engage these only if it's absolutely necessary, such as when they're actively shooting you. Wasting ammo and time on robots at this critical stage can be considered one of the common beginner mistakes.
Crucially, you can extract even when downed, providing you're not absolutely eliminated. You crawl to the elevator and refuse to give up. It's all about persistence for the survival of your first raids - which is one major principle behind this Arc Raiders guide.
Advanced Tips: What to Avoid and Economy
Mastering the economy and avoiding critical mistakes are what separate the successful Raiders from the broke ones.
Key Mistakes to Immediately Correct
Unnecessary ARC Engagement: ARC robots are resilient and will burn up valuable ammunition and healing resources. Unless you desperately need parts they drop for crafting, avoid engaging them openly if possible. Security cameras can be broken in silence with your melee weapon; no shooting involved.
Separating While Looting: While fanning out slightly is necessary to gather supplies, never wander too far from your teammates. Getting caught in a 1v3 scenario means almost certain death and loss of all gear.
The Free Loadout and Safe Pocket
Free Loadouts: If you've just died and lost gear, or are still learning the map flow, use the Free Loadout option. You spawn in with random, non-upgraded gear and have nothing to lose.
The Safe Pocket: When running a regular loadout—not free—you unlock the use of a Safe Pocket. Any high-value item shoved into this pocket is guaranteed to return to the hub with you, even if you die. The safe pocket is your best friend when you find a rare, valuable component.
Smart play over pure gun skill is emphasized in this expert Arc Raiders guide. Prioritize stealth, wise engagement choices, and safe extraction to build your economy.
Are you looking for a breakdown of the best early-game weapons, or should we discuss the workshop and crafting upgrades next?
