ARC Raiders Gear Optimization Explained | The Loadouts That Actually Win Fights

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• Can ARC Raiders Flashpoint Ease the Endgame Crisis? | What's really at stake for the game's future?

  Recently, many players have noticed a decline in the number of ARC Raiders players. This isn't to say the game lacks quality - the main issue is that throughout March, ARC Raiders didn't receive a content update substantial enough to keep players engaged. As a result, many found themselves with nothing meaningful to do and moved on to other games.

  For those who only play a few hours a week, they feel like they've only scratched the surface. For players who have invested hundreds of hours, there's no doubt they've already gotten great value for $40, but they may also find themselves with nothing left to do. This also highlights just how thin the current endgame content in ARC Raiders really is.

  

  The Problems Facing ARC Raiders

  Lack of Content

  A lack of content is the most pressing issue ARC Raiders currently faces. It's not just about having too few things - it's about how quickly players consume what's available. In an extraction shooter, players learn at an incredibly fast pace.

  At first, newcomers cautiously explore, figuring out the game's mechanics. Then, they learn how to wield stronger weapons and buy IGGM ARC Raiders blueprints  to boost their efficiency. Once players have mapped out their looting routes, boredom quickly sets in.

  To be honest, recent updates have fallen short. While the game does receive small weekly updates on Tuesdays, they typically consist of minor fixes and tweaks. Major updates arrive roughly once a month, sometimes introducing new environmental conditions, fresh ARC enemy types, and scattered adjustments - but still not enough to shift the overall landscape of the game.

  Progression System

  ARC Raiders finds itself in a difficult spot with its progression system, because true progress shouldn't just be about unlocking items - it's about making players feel like their characters are growing stronger over time. Currently, that sense of growth is hard to come by.

  High-tier equipment doesn't provide a significant advantage. Affordable, or even free, loadouts remain highly competitive. For players who have taken part in expeditions, farming for resources starts to feel meaningless, as they find themselves doing the same things over and over again, leading to burnout.

  What Did Flashpoint Update Bring?

  Flashpoint update, arriving on March 31, serves as March's major content release, bringing a fair amount of new features and changes. Honestly, this update came a bit too late - if it had launched around March 20th, it might have helped maintain a healthier player base.

  Additionally, this may not be the transformative update some players were hoping for. It mainly introduces a new map condition and a new enemy type. Riven Tides update in April is what players are truly looking forward to, as it will feature the first entirely new map since last November.

  The developers are also aware that the lack of endgame content has led to a fragmented player base. What they need to consider is the future content roadmap for ARC Raiders and how they'll shape the game's endgame experience.

  Development Team's Vision for Endgame

  In a media interview, the production director of ARC Raiders discussed the future direction. He made it clear that continuously challenging players - especially those who have already exhausted existing content - is a key focus. The team feels the need to consistently provide players with even greater challenges. While expanding content, they also aim to equip all players with the right tools so that everyone can enjoy the game.

  Looking back at the early days of the game's launch, the so-called endgame content revolved around the massive ARC known as Queen. Defeating this powerful boss required players to invest significant time gearing up, then teaming up - sometimes with multiple squads - to take it down and successfully extract. Later, another giant ARC boss, Matriarch, was introduced. In April, another formidable ARC will be added as an expansion to the endgame.

  The original vision for endgame content seemed to revolve around these powerful bosses. But for a live-service game, when players defeat the ultimate boss, the journey doesn't end there. They'll return to challenge those bosses repeatedly until their interest fades.

  Where Is Endgame Content Headed?

  What would it take to bring players back in large numbers, rather than just offering a new map or a new type of boss? Any possibility is on the table, but since the developers haven't revealed their specific plans, everything remains speculative. Moreover, adjusting development direction takes time.

  If Queen, Matriarch, and so on represent the first and second phases of endgame content, then next month's Riven Tides update might introduce the third phase.

  The developers could take inspiration from Marathon. Cryo Archive content they unveiled was impressive: an area unlocked through community-driven ARG puzzles, strict gear requirements, challenging puzzles to solve, and culminating in a dungeon- or raid-style boss fight that rewards the rarest loot in the game, along with an entire treasure room.

  This bears some resemblance to the current framework of battling massive ARC bosses for legendary gear, but it adds more exciting layers along the way - and players are often willing to invest time in higher-difficulty content.

  When Can We Expect to See Changes?

  Perhaps Riven Tides update in April will serve as a major overhaul. But judging from the interview, if discussions around endgame content are still in the early stages, it could be months before we see meaningful changes.

  Game development is a slow process, and with a relatively small team of around 120 people, ARC Raiders naturally moves at a more deliberate pace. So, the timing of any significant change remains a big unknown.

  For players who feel confused by the endgame and are considering moving on, seeing that the development team is taking this issue seriously and actively thinking about it is undoubtedly a positive sign. As for when changes will arrive, we'll just have to wait and see.

• ARC Raiders Flashpoint Teaser Trailer reveals mysterious new device and massive flying threat coming March 31st!

  With just four days remaining until the release of ARC Raiders: Flashpoint update, the game's official team has released a new teaser trailer, once again igniting excitement within the community.

  Although this teaser runs for only about half a minute, by combining it with previously released information and recent devs talk updates, you can make further predictions, suggesting that March update may hold even more surprises in store.

  Next, we will provide a detailed breakdown of this teaser trailer and recent devs talk to help you draw your own conclusions and better prepare for Flashpoint update.

  

  Flashpoint teaser trailer breakdown

  First and foremost, the text description accompanying the teaser trailer explicitly confirms that Flashpoint will go live on March 31st.

  Within the brief 27-second runtime of the trailer footage, Celeste, the protagonist, is shown intently staring at a radar display.

  The screen reveals that ARCs are being summoned and deployed in a manner never seen before, leaving Celeste looking visibly alarmed and overwhelmed.

  Additionally, several Raiders can be seen attempting to forcibly dismantle a mechanical device, an object that has yet to appear in the game.

  A faint glimpse of the object's true form can be caught at the very top of the frame; notably, it is emitting a beam of light that shoots directly upward into outer orbit.

  This mysterious, massive device will probably summon a massive wave of ARC enemies; the term "Flashpoint" itself may well refer to the hostile conflict triggered by this event.

  Consequently, this device may serve as a high-value objective in future gameplay scenarios. Once breached, and after a specific item is extracted from within, it could trigger an onslaught of enemy waves.

  New weapon

  A few days ago, news surfaced on social media confirming that a new weapon would be introduced via this update. In the teaser trailer, visual cues, such as a photo of Tian Wen's door.

  Combined with specific sound effects, as well as icons depicting a wrench, an explosion, and energy symbols, appear to serve as a preview of this new weapon.

  Based on this, one might further speculate that this weapon is somehow linked to the mysterious device mentioned earlier. Perhaps it is required to breach the device, or perhaps components yielded by the device serve as crafting materials for the weapon.

  Furthermore, another short teaser (lasting just over ten seconds) was shared on social media, appearing to be dedicated specifically to previewing this new weapon.

  The footage shows a Raider intently working to dismantle something, while in the background, other Raiders are seen constantly rushing back and forth amidst flashes of gunfire and tracer fire.

  Therefore, we speculate that this new weapon might be an energy-based gun, one that boasts a respectable fire rate and damage output, but is subject to a firing cooldown.

  New environmental enemy

  Judging by the beams radiating from the device and the shadows looming overhead, you might see the introduction of a massive flying ARC unit, tied to the newly added map conditions, specifically designed to rain down laser fire on players out in the open.

  More accurately, however, this shouldn't be classified as a traditional enemy; rather, much like the lightning strikes during Electromagnetic Storm, it serves as an integral part of the specific environmental conditions.

  

  What new content was revealed in devs talk?

  Just a day or so before the new teaser trailer dropped, the developers behind ARC Raiders sat down for an interview. Through their devs talk segment, they shared further details regarding the game's future trajectory, going beyond just the upcoming Flashpoint update.

  Balance adjustments

  Even at this stage, it is evident that the balance within ARC Raiders has not yet reached its ideal state. While certain weapons are indeed overdue for adjustments, such changes will never be implemented solely on the basis of feedback from individual players or the community at large.

  Optimizing a weapon invariably requires a combined approach, weighing subjective player opinions against objective metrics such as system data and statistical charts.

  The current challenge, however, lies in finding the right balance between addressing specific individual cases and maintaining overall game health based on aggregate data.

  In fact, not long ago, the game saw nerfs applied to both Hullcracker and Il Toro. While the outcome didn't satisfy every player, such adjustments are an unavoidable and essential part of fostering the game's healthy, long-term evolution.

  Will a vehicle system be added?

  If you've been following ARC Raiders since before its launch, you'll likely recall that it was originally pitched as a massive, open-world PvE looter-shooter.

  This meant that in its initial design phase, the entire game world was envisioned as a single, seamless, and sprawling environment, rather than the collection of smaller, distinct maps we have today.

  Consequently, to facilitate player exploration across such a vast landscape, the game's original design did indeed feature high-speed vehicles that players could customize and drive.

  During the devs talk, the developers were asked whether this feature might eventually make a return to the game following further refinement.

  Their response was that if ARC Raiders enjoys a sufficiently long operational lifespan, then the introduction of any feature, including a vehicle system, remains a distinct possibility for the future.

  However, given the current scale of the individual maps, even if vehicles are eventually introduced, it is highly unlikely that they would be the massive, high-speed variety, unless, of course, the game's core meta undergoes a fundamental transformation.

  Further player expectations

  While recent developments suggest that ARC Raiders will offer a highly engaging experience, at least for the next few months, the community still hopes the development team will implement more fundamental optimizations, particularly regarding the coin system.

  Currently, ARC Raiders lacks a player trading market, and most tradable items are subject to cooldown periods. Consequently, the utility of coins is severely limited, ultimately rendering them virtually worthless.

  Although various forms of loot lie at the very core of the game, coins serve as the fundamental medium that facilitates their circulation. If the economic system remains flawed, it is only a matter of time before those issues inevitably impact the items themselves.

  That wraps up everything we have to share with you today. With the launch of Flashpoint drawing ever closer, it's time to get ready, so gear up, dear Raiders!

• ARC Raiders Dam Surveillance Room now leads to High-Tier Blueprints | Secret Loot Buffs hidden in stealth update!

  In ARC Raiders, if you occasionally notice new changes that aren't explained in any official patches or hotfixes, don't second-guess yourself, these are very likely hidden changes implemented by the development team!

  While these adjustments may not always be significant enough to warrant a standalone entry in the patch notes, missing out on them, especially changes that boost loot drop rates, would be a real shame.

  For instance, players recently discovered that the probability of finding rare items seems to have increased within one of the locked loot rooms on Dam Battleground map, specifically, a room that requires Dam Surveillance Key to open.

  Based on this discovery, we've conducted some testing to verify this claim. In this guide, we'll show you how to obtain the necessary key and provide other useful information to help you successfully raid this room.

  

  Locked rooms in Dam Battleground

  The core gameplay loop of ARC Raiders revolves around conducting repeated raids, engaging in PvEvP combat while scavenging as much loot as possible from your immediate surroundings.

  To add variety and challenge, the buildings within each map feature several locked rooms. You must invest extra time to locate the corresponding keys to open them; in return, the items found inside are of significantly higher value.

  This mechanic is most prominent on Blue Gate map, where Locked Gate event allows you to use keys to access a greater number of locked rooms while the event is active.

  As for Dam Battleground map, here are the locked rooms and their corresponding keys:

  • Dam Control Tower Key: Door to Control Tower
  • Dam Staff Room Key: Door in Research and Administration Building
  • Dam Surveillance Key: Door in Water Treatment Control Building
  • Dam Testing Annex Key: Door in Testing Annex
  • Dam Controlled Access Zone Key: Door in Controlled Access Zone

  The last entry on this list, Controlled Access Zone, was added during Shrouded Sky update in February. To enter the corresponding room, you must first solve a puzzle to unlock the entire zone. Dam Surveillance Key and its associated room are the specific focus of this guide.

  It is also worth noting that keys, like other in-game items, possess their own rarity tiers; the higher the rarity level of the key, the more valuable the loot found within the corresponding room tends to be.

  Dam Surveillance Room and Key

  This locked room is located within Water Treatment Control Building, situated near the southern entrance of Dam Battleground map. To find the exact location of the room, simply follow these steps:

  1. Enter the building and locate a desk.
  2. Find and enter the doorway situated to the right of the desk.
  3. Proceed until you spot the next doorway, then turn right to find your target room.

  The loot found in this room primarily consists of Red Lockers, Raider Containers, and Electrical Components; opening these allows you to unlock even more items.

  We highly recommend farming this room specifically during high-tier map events, such as Night Raids or Hurricanes, as this significantly increases your chances of finding the specific ARC Raiders blueprints you are looking for.

  Secret improvements

  Since the farming value of Dam Surveillance Room during standard raids is typically quite low, we decided to enter this area during Hurricane events and test whether the developers had quietly boosted the loot quality.

  To ensure the reliability of our findings, we conducted four test runs. The key loot items obtained during each run are listed below:

  • 1st Run: Burletta, Snap Hook, Wolfpack, Magnetic Accelerator, Seeker Grenade, and various medical supplies.
  • 2nd Run: Toaster, Deadline, Volcano, Torrente, Il Toro, Snap Hook x2, Advanced Electrical Components, a Medium Shield, and various ammo and grenades.
  • 3rd Run: Wolfpack, Burletta, Deadline, Snap Hook, Showstopper x1 (weapon) and its blueprint x1, and Tempest.
  • 4th Run: Wolfpack, Il Toro, Snap Hook, Kettle, Bobcat, Tempest, and various ammo and weapon parts.

  While luck may certainly have played a role, the fact that we found a Snap Hook in every single run is truly remarkable! Even if you don't need that many for yourself, selling the duplicates can net you a substantial amount of coins.

  Furthermore, every time you loot this room, you are bound to acquire weapons that boast both high combat effectiveness and popularity, making them valuable assets whether you choose to keep them for yourself or sell them off.

  Overall, while the total quantity of loot didn't see a drastic increase, the quality of the items obtained was undeniably much higher than in the past. For a room that requires only a green Uncommon rarity key to access, Dam Surveillance Room is now absolutely worth farming.

  How to get Dam Surveillance Keys?

  Now that you've established the value of Dam Surveillance Room, your next step is to find the key required to unlock its door. Since this key is not particularly rare, the difficulty involved in farming for it is relatively low.

  

  Almost no keys are exclusive to a single specific map; they can typically be found across multiple locations. Currently, the most common drop locations for Dam Surveillance Keys include:

  • Dam Battlegrounds: Pattern House, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments.
  • Buried City: Grandioso Apartments and the cluster of houses located east of Abandoned Highway Camp.
  • Stella Montis: The Lobby, Security Checkpoint, and Business Center areas.

  Additionally, there is a guaranteed method to obtain this key in ARC Raiders: completing Greasing Her Palms mission assigned by NPC Celeste, as the mission explicitly requires you to enter this specific room.

  Incidentally, the primary objective of this mission involves entering designated locations across three different maps to scavenge for supplies. These locations offer excellent opportunities for extra loot; the other two locations are:

  • Spaceport: Rocket Assembly Rocket Thrusters area
  • Buried City: Space Travel Building

  That wraps up everything we have to share with you in this guide! We hope this walkthrough helps you enrich your loot inventory, and we look forward to seeing even more such hidden secrets and optimizations added to the game in the future!

• ARC Raiders Patch 1.21.0 and New Wasp Hunter Set of Flashpoint Update | Don't miss more cosmetics available for your collection!

  ARC Raiders March Flashpoint update is expected to launch next Tuesday, the very last day of March, so this week's regular update, Patch 1.21.0 (released on March 24th), features relatively streamlined content.

  Nevertheless, you shouldn't overlook it; given that this patch immediately precedes Flashpoint, even a seemingly minor tweak could impact your ARC Raiders experience in April.

  With this in mind, we will provide a detailed breakdown of all the content in Patch 1.21.0 and, drawing upon recent Devs Talk discussions, offer predictions regarding further developments for Flashpoint update.

  

  New Raider Tool

  In addition to essential bug fixes and mechanical optimizations, standard ARC Raiders patches typically introduce new cosmetic items for character customization, such as new hairstyles or variations in attire.

  Building on this tradition, Patch 1.21.0 introduces a new Raider Tool: Spyglass Set, available for 700 coins. Aesthetically, it appears to be little more than a monocular haphazardly fused to a metal rod, giving the impression of a design born of sheer creative exhaustion.

  In the game, Raider Tool functions primarily as a melee weapon capable of inflicting damage upon enemies; however, its combat efficacy pales in comparison to firearms. Consequently, it is more commonly utilized for breaching containers and doors, or for deploying zip lines.

  All newly released tools are merely cosmetic skins for the base Raider Tool and confer no additional statistical bonuses. Therefore, if you are operating on a limited budget, skip this one without missing out on any gameplay advantages.

  It is worth noting that ARC Raiders features two specific achievements that require the use of Raider Tool to unlock:

  • Blindsided: Destroy a Sentinel using Raider Tool.
  • Up Close and Personal: Down a player using Raider Tool.

  Furthermore, you can unlock specific skills within Conditioning skill tree to enhance Raider Tool's efficiency across various functions:

  • Gentle Pressure: Reduces the noise generated when breaching doors (helping to avoid attracting additional enemies).
  • Proficient Pryer: Decreases the time required to breach doors and containers.
  • Effortless Swing: Consumes less stamina when performing melee attacks.
  • Sky-Clearing Swing: Inflicts increased melee damage against drones.
  • Flyswatter: Allows you to destroy a Wasp or Turret with a single melee attack.

  New backpack set

  This set is named Cartographer, and like others, it requires consuming 700 coins to acquire. The backpack serves as a cosmetic element of your character's appearance and allows for the addition of extra attachments and charms; essentially, this new backpack set functions as a new skin.

  Since the game's launch, over 20 different backpack skins have been released, some of which even feature multiple color variations. Most sets can be obtained directly from the in-game store, while others are available through alternative sources:

  • Archeologist: Raider Deck AR/RD 001, Trials
  • Bruiser: Raider Deck AR/RD 002
  • Paramedic: Raider Deck AR/RD 003
  • Pathfinder: Deluxe Edition
  • Salvager: Deluxe Edition Pre-Order Bonus

  DirectX 11 bug fixed

  DirectX is an API primarily used for handling game programming and video processing. Recently, instances of the game crashing occasionally occurred when utilizing DirectX 11 in ARC Raiders; Patch 1.21.0 has now resolved this issue.

  Model stuck bug fixed

  Harvester is a limited-time map event in ARC Raiders where a Harvester structure, guarded by a massive ARC Queen, spawns at a fixed location on the map.

  Your objective is to either defeat or bypass Queen to gain entry into the structure, locate three fusion cores, and insert them into the receptacle at the base of the structure's center.

  After doing so, 12 flashing yellow targets will appear around the exterior of the structure. Destroying these targets will open up the central area, granting you access to high-tier loot, typically rare ARC Raiders blueprints or other valuable ARC items.

  Recently, a bug emerged within the game that could cause players to become stuck inside Harvester structure or trapped within the wreckage of defeated ARC enemies; fortunately, this issue has now been fixed.

  Wall-glitching bug fixed

  Wall-glitching has long been a recurring issue in ARC Raiders. Late last year, this vulnerability even led to a severe surge in cheating, sparking widespread frustration and outcry within the player community until robust countermeasures were implemented to address the problem.

  However, somewhat embarrassingly, new instances of wall-glitching have continued to surface periodically. For instance, a recent bug allowed players to clip through walls while attempting to pick up a fuel cell or field crate.

  The danger of this particular bug lies in the fact that opportunistic players, often referred to as rats, can exploit it to glitch through walls ahead of time and lie in ambush in areas where you would never expect anyone to be present, leaving you completely unprepared to defend yourself!

  Fortunately, including with the recent Patch 1.21.0, the developers have become increasingly prompt in their response to and fixing of such bugs, aiming to minimize any negative impact as much as possible.

  News regarding Flashpoint

  In addition to the release date, it has now been confirmed that Flashpoint update will introduce a host of new content, including new lightning-themed map conditions, two new ARC enemies, Rollerbot and the Hammer, and optimizations for Scrappy.

  Just a few days ago, the development team also released Wasp Hunter Set ahead of schedule! It allows you to dress up as a humanoid Wasp!

  The set is available in four color variations; furthermore, the complete bundle includes the following items:

  • New Raider Tool: Thruster Hammer
  • New Backpack: Diver (available in two colors)
  • Reusable Wasp Hunter Helmet
  • 2,400 Raider Tokens

  While you can currently preview the set on its dedicated page, you must own the base game and wait for Flashpoint update to go live before you can acquire and equip it! The good news is there are only 5 days left!

  That wraps up everything we have to share with you in this update. To ensure you are well-prepared to battle in the new environments introduced by Flashpoint, be sure to start stockpiling more coins and Blueprints right now! Good luck!

• ARC Raiders Week 21 Trials to complete before the next major patch drops | Three-Star Rating is the best!

  It's a new week! However, March Flashpoint update isn't expected to go live via a new patch until next Tuesday. Your top priority this week remains completing the trials and using the rewards you earn to advance through Expedition 3 and further develop your character.

  This week, specifically March 23rd through March 29th, marks the 21st week of weekly trials since the game's launch.

  As always, there are five distinct trials waiting for you to complete. You can take your time and chip away at them over the first few days, or you can save them all to complete in a concentrated push during the final days of the week.

  Below, we provide detailed breakdowns for all five trials, ensuring you have the information you need to jump in and get started whenever you're ready.

  

  Harvest plants

  This trial is quite straightforward: you simply need to gather a sufficient quantity of specific plants on any map and submit them to accumulate points. Once you reach 4,000 points, you will complete the trial with a perfect three-star rating.

  While there are many types of plants in ARC Raiders, only the following count toward the point requirements for this specific trial: Agave, Great Mullein, Moss, and Mushrooms.

  You are free to harvest other plants if you have personal needs for them, but doing so will not contribute to completing this trial.

  Each individual plant you gather yields 150 points; however, if you harvest them during any major map event, you will earn double points.

  Furthermore, we highly recommend that you focus your farming efforts while Lush Bloom event is active. This event doubles the spawn rate of all natural resources, which can significantly boost your gathering efficiency.

  It is worth noting that while this trial itself does not involve combat, plants harvested during a single scavenging run do not respawn. Consequently, gathering these resources will inevitably lead to PvP encounters with other players, so please remain combat-ready at all times.

  Destroy Ticks, Fireballs, and Pops

  This mission requires you to defeat sufficient Ticks, Fireballs, and Pops. Individually, the combat capabilities of these three types of small ARC units are quite limited; however, they can become extremely troublesome when they appear in swarms.

  Ticks resemble small mechanical spiders. Their primary method of attack involves pouncing on you and latching onto your body; if you do not shake them off and kill them immediately, both your health and shield will be depleted.

  Both the appearance and attacks of Ticks generate a significant amount of noise, making them relatively easy to detect. Typically, a single Tick will die after taking just one hit.

  The most effective way to quickly clear out a large swarm of Ticks is to unleash rapid-fire bursts at close range or to toss a grenade.

  Fireballs primarily deal damage by spewing flames at you. The best way to defeat this enemy is to shoot them quickly after they open their front panel, exposing their core, which serves as their weak point, during an attack animation.

  If you miss this window of opportunity, you can still inflict damage by using medium or heavy caliber rounds to pierce through the armor protecting their core.

  Pops typically appear indoors alongside Fireballs; they will approach you and, after a brief delay, detonate to inflict damage. Your objective is simply to utilize that short delay window to destroy them immediately.

  These three enemy types spawn across most maps and are relatively easy to deal with. However, if you happen to be particularly unlucky and encounter an overwhelming number of them, it is prudent to retreat at an appropriate moment to ensure your safety.

  

  Damage ground-based ARC enemies

  Although this trial requires you to engage in combat, the range of eligible enemies is quite broad, offering you a relatively high degree of freedom. You can choose to focus on farming the ground-based ARC units you are most familiar with.

  It is worth noting that Ticks, Fireballs, and Pops featured in the second trial mission all qualify as ground-based ARC units; if you wish to keep things simple, you can certainly continue to target them.

  However, if you are a top-tier player unafraid of facing massive ARC units, you could instead opt to take on ultimate PvE enemies such as Matriarch or Queen.

  Other ground-based ARC bots include:

  • Turret
  • Surveyor
  • Sentinel
  • Leaper
  • Bastion
  • Grenadier

  Search containers in Medical Research

  The procedure for this mission is straightforward: travel to Stella Montis, enter Medical Research facility located on the western side of the map, and then search every container you can find.

  If you wish to complete this task more quickly, you can wait for a major event, such as Night Raid, to trigger on the map before you begin farming, as the container spawn rate increases significantly while these events are active.

  However, much like harvesting plants, you are bound to encounter other players who are also working on missions; this may lead to conflicts as you compete for access to containers. Therefore, be sure to bring a secure pocket and equip yourself with high-quality gear.

  Disable mines

  This trial mission requires you to complete it after Locked Gate event has triggered on Blue Gate map. The objective of the event itself is to locate four security keys at specific points and use them to unlock an underground bunker to claim a reward.

  However, if your sole intention is to complete the trial mission, you can disregard those objectives. Instead, your task is to search the ground area for hidden mines and disarm them.

  You need only disarm a maximum of 14 mines to earn a three-star rating for this trial. However, it is crucial to exercise caution: to avoid accidentally detonating a landmine and inflicting unnecessary harm upon yourself, you must approach the area slowly.

  Ensure that the mine can be safely disarmed without triggering an explosion before you begin the operation.

  Summary

  Even in the absence of specific requirements, we recommend that you always complete your Trials whenever a major map event is active, as this allows you to earn double points.

  Of course, if you find these events too challenging in the short term, that is perfectly fine; you can simply start accumulating points gradually from the beginning of the week, and you will still be able to complete the objectives in the end.

  The above covers all the trials for Week 21, along with the recommended strategies for tackling them. Please plan your time wisely and set out to complete them!

• ARC Raiders weird Rocketeer Flipper Loadout is breaking the deadliest bot Rocketeer | Anvil Splitter is essential

  With more updates, the types of PvE enemies encountered in ARC Raiders are increasing, but some classic bots remain a formidable threat, such as Rocketeer.

  Flying ARCs are already difficult to deal with, but Rocketeer is one of the larger ones, and it received another buff after the release of Update 1.17.0.

  You may have already found ways to defeat Rocketeer, but recently a popular strategy in the community is to use Anvil to knock it over and crash it.

  To do this, you need Anvil, the weapon mod Anvil Splitter, and an Extended Barrel. This setup is also known as Rocketeer Flipper.

  So, does this method really work? How do you play it? We'll show you.

  

  Anvil, Anvil Splitter, and Extended Barrel

  Anvil is a relatively cost-effective weapon among ARC Raiders Uncommon weapons. It can effectively kill enemies at mid-range using heavy ammunition, its only drawback being its slow rate of fire.

  Anvil Splitter is an Anvil-specific mod that replaces the weapon's standard single-shot bullet with four weaker bullets: single-shot damage is reduced by 70%.

  Extended Barrel is a general weapon mod that appropriately increases the bullet rate of fire.

  Anvil can be obtained through scavenging or trading with vendors, but if you have already collected other crafting materials, you can also directly buy ARC Raiders blueprints and complete the crafting in the workshop.

  Extended Barrel can also be obtained through scavenging and crafting, but Anvil Splitter can only be obtained randomly as a scavenger.

  What is a Rocketeer?

  This is an extremely deadly ARC enemy; more specifically, it works similarly to an anti-tank rocket launcher. After detecting a target, it fires four yellow lasers, which turn red after aligning and then launch missiles.

  Even a single missile deals significant damage; if you don't find cover in time, being hit twice in succession will kill you.

  Generally, the best way to deal with Rocketeer is to dodge while using weapons, especially grenades, aiming for its weak point - the thrusters.

  However, the problem is that after recent updates, not only has Rocketeer become stronger, but Wolfpack, its best grenade against it, has also become much less effective.

  Therefore, you might be more accustomed to using Hornet Driver, a replacement for Wolfpack, but Rocketeer Flipper strategy seems to be quietly changing this.

  How to use Rocketeer Flipper strategy?

  First, you must acquire Anvil and equip the two mods. Then, here's the key point: Rocketeer Flipper strategy only works when Rocketeer is in combat mode.

  If it's just in normal cruising mode, with a blue search beam above its head, this tactic is completely ineffective.

  This is primarily because Rocketeer's movement speed increases dramatically upon entering combat mode, and its thrusters generate a surge of power. This thrust, combined with the impact of Anvil, ultimately flips Rocketeer over.

  Another crucial factor is positioning yourself directly beneath Rocketeer's thrusters and shooting upwards. This significantly increases the force on the thrusters, making it easier to flip them over.

  If your shooting angle is too far to the side, the effect is minimal. This makes sense physically, as shooting from below forces all the force upwards.

  In other words, the closer you are to Rocketeer's bottom thrusters and the closer your shooting angle is to vertical, the greater your chances of successfully flipping it over.

  However, if the enemy is flying too high, even if you successfully flip it over, it will have enough time and space to adjust its posture, regain balance, and continue flying.

  Therefore, the ideal scenario for using Rocketeer Flipper is to ensure the enemy is close enough to the ground, then shoot the thruster at a vertical angle to knock them over, causing them to land on their backs and resulting in an explosion that eliminates them.

  Achieving all these prerequisites largely depends on the specific map environment and Rocketeer's spawn location.

  While this tactic may be impossible in some areas due to terrain limitations, you can find suitable battlefields on most maps. Alternatively, you can use skillful movement to lure enemies into areas where the tactic is effective.

  Anvil Splitter is likely the core of the loadout

  After mastering the mechanics and strategies, you might wonder if there are alternatives to the three components of Rocketeer Flipper loadout.

  In terms of weapons, any higher-speed option is good for dealing with flying ARCs, so Aphelion and Osprey are also viable, as are Extended Barrel.

  However, the key is that only Anvil Splitter allows you to generate more projectiles, thus increasing the chance of knocking Rocketeer back; it's difficult to achieve this using Extended Barrel alone.

  This is because Anvil Splitter increases the number of projectiles, essentially amplifying the knockback effect, and it's an Anvil-specific mod. Therefore, all Rocketeer Flipper components are irreplaceable unless a generic mod with similar effects to Anvil Splitter is released later.

  Furthermore, you might wonder which is better: Hornet Driver or Rocketeer Flipper. If you've mastered the technique, Hornet Driver remains a good choice, but Anvil Splitter paired with Extended Barrel can speed up kills.

  Even if you can't successfully flip every time, the overall success rate is relatively high, and you might inflict extra damage or even kill the enemy instantly upon flipping.

  That concludes our introduction. If you're struggling to find an effective way to deal with Rocketeer, try our guide!