ARC Raiders The Blue Gate Boost

In addition to various firearms and grenades, ARC Raiders features a selection of specialized gear items. Rather than dealing damage, these tools primarily serve to provide you with added utility and convenience, and Snap Hook is a prime example.

Consequently, even as new gear items have been introduced to the game over recent months, Snap Hook has consistently maintained a high level of demand and popularity.

However, if you wish to utilize this item most effectively, it is essential to master the relevant techniques; otherwise, you risk squandering its true value. Below, we will walk you through everything you need to know.

What does Snap Hook do?

Simply put, Snap Hook is a climbing device. It fires a grappling hook that latches onto a specific point on tall structures or elevated terrain, allowing you to then ascend the attached rope to reach your destination much faster.

As such, Snap Hook is an indispensable tool when navigating maps with complex terrain or when undertaking missions that require you to enter specific buildings.

How to obtain Snap Hook?

There are three primary ways to acquire this item: scavenging, crafting, and completing missions. Scavenging yields are somewhat random, and mission rewards can typically only be claimed once; therefore, crafting remains the most common and reliable method.

To craft this item at the workshop, you must first upgrade your Utility Station to Level 3. You will then need to farm ARC Raiders Snap Hook Blueprint, along with the following materials (per craft):

• 2x Power Rods
• 3x Ropes
• 1x Exodus Module

Of these three components, only Exodus Module is relatively difficult to obtain. Fortunately, however, you can also acquire one by trading 55 seeds with Celeste.

Additionally, if you have not yet completed Transmission quest, doing so will reward you with a Snap Hook.

How to use Snap Hook?

At first glance, using Snap Hook appears to be a simple three-step process: fire the hook, climb, and then retract it. However, this seemingly simple sequence actually involves a number of specific actions and inputs.

Firstly, to avoid errors and effectively handle any unexpected situations that may arise, you must familiarize yourself with the relevant keybinds and their functions.

Keybinds

Using the standard PC configuration as an example, in addition to the familiar directional keys (WASD), you will typically need to utilize the following keys: Shift for sprinting, C for jumping, and Spacebar for crouching.

Of course, your personal keybind settings may differ; therefore, for the sake of clarity, we will subsequently explain specific Snap Hook techniques based directly on the actions themselves rather than specific keys.

Finally, Left Mouse Button typically serves as the fire input; when using Snap Hook, this action triggers the grappling and latching mechanism. The right-click button, typically used for aiming down sights, can also be utilized to disengage a grappling hook connection.

How to disengage from a ledge?

For standard grappling maneuvers, where you latch onto an object, Snap Hook will pull you toward the edge and automatically execute a vaulting motion over it.

If you wish to jump higher than the ledge your hook has latched onto, you must first initiate the grapple, then immediately press the jump key before your character reaches the edge, while simultaneously holding down the crouch key.

Performing this sequence allows you to launch yourself into the air, clearing the ledge entirely; holding crouch prevents your character's body from sticking to the edge during the ascent, a common issue that otherwise prevents you from jumping to a greater height.

During this aerial trajectory, click the right mouse button to release the grapple. Immediately following this, press the forward key to ensure you land as far away from the ledge as possible.

However, if you continue to hold down the forward key, your momentum will cause you to fall backward, potentially resulting in a hard landing back on the ground.

Therefore, you must quickly switch and hold down the forward key immediately afterward to use your momentum to dash forward.

How to slide after a snap?

The crucial prerequisite for performing this maneuver is that you must disengage the snap first. Otherwise, you will find that your character gets locked onto the target location and comes to a complete halt, making it impossible to transition into a slide.

Consequently, this technique requires you to press multiple keys simultaneously. Specifically, whenever you initiate a grapple, you must also hold down the jump key to launch yourself to a height greater than your initial grapple point.

If you do not jump, and instead simply move forward, you will find yourself merely being dragged along, unable to execute a slide. Prioritizing the jump allows you to gain altitude and build up sufficient potential energy.

Additionally, you should hold down the backward movement key. While not strictly mandatory compared to the jump, doing so generates extra thrust that gives your flight trajectory a more pronounced arc than usual.

Once you release the grapple and have accumulated sufficient momentum, you will immediately enter a sprinting state, at which point you can successfully execute a slide.

A word of caution: if you jump too high, if you attempt this entire sequence from an excessive altitude, you may fail to execute the slide successfully and instead suffer a hard fall back to the ground.

However, should you inadvertently find yourself in such a predicament, you can mitigate the impact by performing a combat roll.

How to perform a drop snap?

At different altitudes, your momentum will vary; the greater the height, the faster your descent speed.

Therefore, when performing a drop snap, grabbing onto a ledge while falling, if you are dropping from a relatively low edge, you can afford to select a snap point that is slightly higher up.

However, if you are leaping from the top of a tall building, you must initiate the grab much earlier.

Otherwise, the inertia of your fall will carry you downward; if your timing is too late, you risk slamming head first into the ground, potentially sustaining fall damage.

Mastering the precise timing for a drop snap at various heights requires some practice. Just remember this: whenever you jump down and attempt to grab a ledge, the timing of your grab must be fine-tuned based on your current altitude.

How to determine your snap point while using a zipline?

If you are traversing via zipline and wish to use Snap Hook to quickly latch onto a building, you should aim your crosshair slightly ahead of your intended target; aiming directly at the target will actually result in an inaccurate grab.

This occurs because if you aim directly at the target while gliding with momentum, the actual snap point will be dragged slightly backward by your forward inertia. Consequently, you will end up latching onto a position that falls behind your intended target point.

Therefore, when executing this maneuver, you may sometimes need to lead your shot, aim your crosshair slightly ahead of your target. This strategy also applies when using Snap Hook to close the distance on ARC enemies.

Conclusion

Although Snap Hook appears to have a singular function, its practical application involves a wide variety of scenarios and button inputs, giving rise to a multitude of nuanced techniques.

The examples outlined above represent just a few of the more common situations you might encounter.

If you encounter other variations while playing ARC Raiders, be sure to adapt your approach based on your accumulated experience and become a true master of Snap Hook!

Raiders, surprisingly, Bettina has been buffed again in ARC Raiders update, receiving significant improvements in both damage and rate of fire. It seems Bettina might be poised to become one of the strongest PvE weapons in the game.

So how will this fully automatic Assault Rifle perform in combat?

Specific Changes from the Two Buffs

In the major Riven Tides update, Bettina's base damage increased from 14 to 16. While the rate of fire reverted from 285 to 235, single-shot dispression was reduced by 40%, recoil recovery was increased by 30%, and damage against ARC armor was increased by an additional 33%.

This means that despite a slight decrease in rate of fire, the accuracy and armor penetration of each bullet are significantly improved.

And the most recent update further increased its rate of fire from 235 to 250. More importantly, upgrading this weapon to level four grants an additional 15% rate of fire bonus, bringing the final rate of fire to over 280.

This almost returns it to the original level of Bettina, while retaining higher single-shot damage and armor penetration.

Furthermore, Bettina's durability has also received a subtle boost. A level one Bettina can fire approximately 759 rounds continuously before breaking; upgrading to level four increases durability by 130%, allowing it to fire nearly 900 rounds, significantly reducing repair frequency and making it ideal for extended combat.

If you're lucky enough to equip Kinetic Converter mod, the rate of fire can be increased by another 15%. At this point, Bettina's burst damage approaches or even surpasses some Legendary weapons.

In summary, this weapon has transformed from a mediocre rifle into an absolute mainstay in ARC Raiders PvE environment.

Kill Efficiency Against Different ARCs

Small ARCs

When dealing with small ARCs, Bettina's clearing ability is key.

• Wasp: Only 2 bullets are needed to destroy its thruster, and about 8 to the body. Using an angled shot from below, even 4 bullets can take down the entire Wasp.
• Fireball: Requires 2 bullets to penetrate its armor on the front, but if you wait for its weak point to open, one shot is enough for an instant kill, extremely efficient.
• Pop: A shot to the top weak point will take it down in one shot, while hitting the side armor requires 2 bullets.

Medium ARCs

• Surveyor: If every bullet hits the core area, it only takes about 20 rounds to kill it, almost an entire magazine. Even with a few misses, one magazine is generally enough.
• Shredder: It takes about one magazine plus a few more bullets to kill it; the reload speed is very comfortable.

Large ARCs

• Bastion: Bettina's sustained damage output is most evident when killing a Bastion. Under ideal conditions without interference, approximately 120 rounds are needed to kill a Bastion. With the presence of smaller ARCs, ammo consumption rises to around 140 rounds.
• Rocketeer: Directly shooting Rocketeer's center requires approximately 100 rounds because of its thick frontal armor. However, if you focus on the side thrusters, each thruster only requires one magazine, and two magazines are enough to take it down.
• Vaporizer: The thrusters of these large flying ARCs are very fragile; a single thruster can be destroyed with just 20 rounds. If your aim is accurate and uninterrupted, two magazines are sufficient to take down a Vaporizer.

Ammo Consumption and Sustain

Bettina's biggest weakness remains its excessive ammo consumption during combat. In ARC Raiders, only killing Rocketeers drops a small amount of heavy ammo; other ARC enemies provide almost none.

This means that if you bring Bettina into a match, you must prepare sufficient ammo beforehand, otherwise you can easily run out of ammo in the mid-to-late game.

If you consecutively kill a Bastion (consuming 120 rounds), then a Rocketeer (consuming 100 rounds), plus several small ARC enemies, your total ammo consumption will easily exceed 300 rounds.

Therefore, it is recommended that players carry at least 400 to 500 rounds of spare ammo before starting, and prioritize killing Rocketeers to replenish ammo. Even though the drops are small each time, they add up to a lot.

You can also equip it with a secondary weapon that uses light ammo to clear out small ARC enemies, saving heavy ammo.

Fortunately, with the increased durability of Bettina, you don't have to worry about the weapon breaking halfway through a match. A lifespan of 900 rounds is enough to support several high-intensity battles.

Attachment Selection

Bettina's base recoil is already better than most rifles, but it can be further improved with attachments.

• Silencer III: Great for stealthy clearing, but controlling recoil is a bit stressful in continuous combat.
• Muzzle Brake III: Highly recommended. It significantly reduces vertical recoil, making recoil control easier, especially advantageous when engaging flying enemies at mid-to-long range.
• Kinetic Converter: Provides an additional 15% rate of fire, maximizing Bettina's burst damage. This also significantly increases the speed at which Bettina hits Bastion's knee.

In actual combat, it's recommended that players develop a cycle of hitting the knee first, then flanking behind the enemy, continuously applying damage, and reloading while moving to hit the other knee.

Bettina's reload speed is above average, allowing you to reload while flanking the enemy, seamlessly transitioning into sustained damage.

After two buffs, Bettina has now transformed from a mediocre transitional weapon into a reliable Assault Rifle. If you haven't seriously tried this weapon yet, you can easily buy ARC Raiders Bettina blueprint from IGGM.com to get started right away!