When you start ARC Raiders, the goal is not to fill your bag as quickly as possible. It is to return alive with a few useful items. Each raid should have a clear objective, an extraction route and a limit beyond which you stop taking risks.
ARC Raiders is available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, with cross-platform play. The Steam page confirms its extraction structure, PvE and PvP elements, crafting and three skill branches. You can check the platforms on the official ARC Raiders website or consult the official Steam page.
Build safe habits from your first raid
- Take inexpensive gear until you know your extraction route.
- Check the map condition before starting and avoid nighttime or high-value modes at first.
- Do not shoot another Raider without a reason: the noise attracts ARC and nearby teams.
- Keep healing items, ammunition and enough time to reach extraction.
- Recycle or sell duplicates before crafting an item simply because the materials are available.
Prepare a light kit without risking your inventory
Before matchmaking, ask yourself three questions: what is my objective, how far do I need to travel and what am I willing to lose? For a first run, choose an easy-to-control weapon, some healing items, enough ammunition for a short fight and a mobility or cover tool if your loadout allows it.
Do not fill every slot with rare items. A light kit lets you test a map, learn movement sounds and locate extraction points without turning every mistake into a major loss. Weapons and gadgets have different roles: a versatile rifle can defend a position, while a mobility tool may save the raid when ARC or another team blocks your path.
| Situation | Recommended gear | Priority |
|---|---|---|
| First matches | Familiar weapon, healing items, measured ammunition | Learn the map and extract |
| Material gathering | Light kit and free space | Return with useful components |
| Risky objective | Reliable weapon, cover, healing reserve | Prepare the exit before the fight |
Update 1.36.0 separately tracks the habits of solo, duo and trio players. Choose your format according to how you actually play: solo is useful for learning routes, duos make quick decisions easier and trios are more forgiving when someone mispositions.
Read the map condition before leaving
The map is more than scenery. Map Conditions change the weather, visibility, enemies or the value of different areas. Check the official ARC Raiders Map Conditions page before starting a match, then choose an area whose risk level you understand.
A condition such as an electromagnetic storm can make the environment more dangerous and change how you cross the surface. To learn, choose an easy-to-read map and condition, memorize two landmark buildings, then identify a nearby extraction. The first objective is not to visit the entire area, but to complete a short loop.
Avoid locations advertised as highly profitable until you know how to recognize ARC sounds and the movements of an opposing team. Areas such as the Hidden Bunker or night raids naturally attract players looking for a higher reward. They become interesting later, but can quickly punish an unprepared inventory.
- Identify your landing point and the first area of cover.
- Search two or three nearby buildings instead of crossing the entire map.
- Open the map and check the route to extraction before your bag is full.
- Leave secondary items behind if you need to cross a dangerous area.
- Reach extraction with enough ammunition to repel an ambush.
Fight ARC without alerting the surface
Fighting an ARC machine is worthwhile only if you know how to finish the encounter. Machines have weak points and distinct behaviors: aim for exposed parts instead of emptying a magazine into an armored plate. If the enemy forces you to stay in the open, fall back toward a building or change your angle.
Noise is your first invisible resource. A prolonged exchange can attract another team, which may wait for you to finish the fight before taking the remains. Use cover, focus your fire and abandon the fight if the target is protecting neither a quest nor important loot.
PvP requires the same discipline. Update 1.39.0, published on July 28, 2026, is testing a system in which fights you initiate affect your playstyle profile, while defending yourself against a team that attacks first does not. The surface is not peaceful, but this test reinforces the value of avoiding fights without an advantage.
Sort loot before crafting or selling
When you return, do not automatically sell everything that seems common. First sort the materials needed for a nearby upgrade, healing items and ammunition. Only then recycle duplicates or sell anything that does not match your next outing.
Embark added an Acquire Resources button to the crafting screen. When a material is missing, the game can indicate whether it is available through recycling, a purchase from Celeste or another accessible source. Use this feature to complete a specific craft, not to craft repeatedly because a recipe appears in the menu.
Projects and quests give your first matches a useful direction. Take an objective you can complete along your route, then save tasks that require a dangerous area for a dedicated run. Update 1.39.0 also states that projects unlock after five matches and that their interface now displays the steps and rewards more clearly.
First improve what increases your consistency: storage space, healing, basic crafting and a weapon you actually use. Skills are divided between Survival, Mobility and Conditioning. For a beginner, Mobility helps you leave a bad position, Survival makes recovery easier and Conditioning improves your margin for error. These choices can serve as guidelines, but no setup automatically suits every beginner: use one direction for a few matches so you can measure its effect.
Give your first five matches a clear objective
Progression becomes easier to understand when every outing has a theme. Change only one variable at a time—map, weapon, condition or objective—so you can identify why a match works or fails.
- Match 1: learn the sounds, cover positions and extraction route.
- Match 2: gather materials without engaging in unnecessary fights.
- Match 3: test a weapon and check its comfortable range.
- Match 4: complete a short quest on a familiar route.
- Match 5: attempt a riskier condition with a prepared kit.
If you play as a team, announce before leaving who carries healing items, who watches the exit and which fights you will refuse. If a teammate goes down, do not automatically rush toward them: secure the angle, listen for footsteps and decide whether the rescue is worth the risk. A partial extraction with loot is still a success; a heroic attempt that destroys all your gear simply slows your progress.
To keep up with changes to maps, matchmaking and crafting, keep the official notes close at hand and also check the latest jeu.vidéo news. The features available in our gaming articles and our esports guides can round out your preparation when you later look for more specialized optimization.
Frequently asked questions
What gear should you take for your first extraction?
A weapon you know how to use, healing items, measured ammunition and enough free space. Save rare items for raids where you already know the route.
Should you attack other Raiders as soon as they appear?
No. The noise can attract ARC and a third team. Start a fight only if you have the advantage, solid cover or an objective that justifies the risk.
Which map condition should beginners avoid?
Start by avoiding Night Raid, Hidden Bunker and high-value conditions if you do not yet know the extraction points. Some conditions also limit free loadouts.
Can the game be played between PC and consoles?
Yes, ARC Raiders supports cross-platform social play between PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. Check that your platform accounts and Embark ID are properly linked.
Where can you follow matchmaking and map changes?
Check the official Update 1.39.0 notes and the official Map Conditions schedule before an important session.
To keep following the subject, also read our article on PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS: the right habits for surviving and our article on [Guide] Fallout 4: the right habits for succeeding.
Verified sources
These links can be used to verify the key information used in this article.
- store.epicgames.com: Official Epic Games Store source, published on 2026-04-29: confirms that ARC Raiders is available and presents the Riven Tides update.
- arcraiders.com: Official ARC Raiders website, consulted on 2026-08-02: confirms availability, the PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S platforms, and cross-platform social play.
- store.steampowered.com: Official Steam page: confirms the 2025-10-30 release, the extraction structure, PvE/PvP, crafting, the three skill branches and cross-platform play.
- arcraiders.com: Live Update 1.39.0, published on 2026-07-28: confirms the defensive matchmaking test, separate solo/duo/trio tracking and changes to the project interface.
