Below is a complete breakdown of every ARC type listed, including best tactics, recommended weapons, strengths/weaknesses, and notable loot drops.
Bastion
What it is
A huge, heavily armored ground ARC designed to lock down lanes and suppress players with a signature machine gun. It moves slowly and follows predictable patterns, but it’s deadly in open space and often guards valuable areas.
Key weak points: glowing yellow kneecaps and a rear cylinder.
How to beat it
- Play tight to cover to avoid sustained machine-gun exposure.
- Focus kneecaps + rear cylinder to bypass armor efficiently.
- Flank with teammates: one distracts, another hits weak points.
- Bring heavy ammo to speed up the kill.
Recommended weapons
Heavy machine guns, grenade launchers, rocket launchers.
Strengths & weaknesses
- Pros: extremely tanky, high firepower, great for Arc Alloy farming.
- Cons: slow and readable; easiest when coordinated, slower solo.
Loot drops
Bastion Parts, Arc Alloy, upgrade components.
Bombardier
What it is
A mid-sized ARC built for long-range explosive barrages. It’s dangerous against grouped players. It tends to stay still or reposition slowly, but it becomes more vulnerable right after firing.
Weak targets: upper chassis / exposed core timing window.
How to beat it
- Keep moving to avoid splash damage.
- Focus fire upper chassis / core.
- Use heavy ammo or explosives to punch through.
- Push damage immediately after it finishes a barrage.
Recommended weapons
Heavy rifles, explosives, rocket launchers.
Strengths & weaknesses
- Pros: brutal area control, solid armor, valuable crafting drops.
- Cons: slow repositioning; pattern is punishable after volleys.
Loot drops
Bombardier Components, Arc Alloy, Motion Cores.
Fireball
What it is
Small rolling ARCs with flamethrowers. They close distance fast and punish anyone who lets them in close. When they “open up” to attack, they expose their core your kill window.
How to beat it
- Wait for the core exposure and burst it down.
- Keep range flamethrower melts up close.
- A single heavy hit often deletes them.
Recommended weapons
Heavy rounds, mid-range rifles, shotguns.
Strengths & weaknesses
- Pros: low health, predictable movement.
- Cons: lethal up close; scary in groups and tight corridors.
Loot drops
Fireball Burners (crafting/upgrades).
Hornet
What it is
An agile aerial ARC with stunners and rapid-fire projectiles—basically a stronger Wasp. It can pin squads down, and it’s especially nasty in groups. Also worth noting: if you haven’t fought one yet, you likely will later there’s a quest that needs 2 Wasp Drivers, which can be obtained from these ARCs.
How to beat it
- Shoot rear/underside thrusters.
- Use medium/heavy ammo (light ammo struggles).
- Keep moving to avoid stuns and sustained suppression.
Recommended weapons
Heavy rifles, machine guns, energy weapons.
Strengths & weaknesses
- Pros: fast, oppressive at range, stacks threat in groups.
- Cons: thrusters are fragile; weaker once forced down/grounded.
Loot drops
Hornet Driver (stun grenade component), Arc Alloy.
Leaper (Bison)
What it is
A fast, spider-like ARC (formerly Bison) that leaps into melee and chunks players hard. It’s deadly in close quarters. If you learn its charge/leap rhythm, you can punish it.
How to beat it
- Focus legs to reduce mobility / control the fight.
- Use cover and teamwork to manage leap angles.
- Don’t brawl it in melee range.
Recommended weapons
Heavy rounds, grenade launchers, energy rifles.
Strengths & weaknesses
- Pros: high mobility, heavy melee threat, readable weak points.
- Cons: legs are exploitable; charges can be anticipated.
Loot drops
Leaper Driver (explosive AoE grenade), Arc Alloy.
Pop
What it is
A smaller, faster Fireball variant that rushes and self-destructs. Extremely aggressive, extremely fragile—and extremely punishing if it reaches you.
How to beat it
- Delete them on sight—don’t let them close.
- Keep distance to avoid the explosion.
- If you’re doing missions, tag/identify to avoid confusing them with Fireballs.
Recommended weapons
Shotguns, heavy rifles.
Strengths & weaknesses
- Pros: predictable rush behavior.
- Cons: paper-thin health; only dangerous if you hesitate.
Loot drops
Pop Triggers, Arc Powercells, Arc Coolant.
Queen
What it is
The top-end ARC boss that protects the high-value Harvester. She hits hard with area attacks, summons help, and can control the entire battlefield. Big hitbox, but she punishes sloppy positioning.
How to beat it
- Focus sustained damage into her core / exposed weak points.
- Clear summoned ARCs to lower pressure.
- Coordinate: stagger roles (damage, adds, support).
- Keep moving to avoid AoE wipes.
- Learn her rhythm—she often leaves brief windows after summoning.
Recommended weapons
Heavy launchers, EMP grenades, energy weapons, coordinated squad fire.
Strengths & weaknesses
- Pros: massive durability, summons reinforcements, top-tier rewards.
- Cons: realistically a squad fight; unprepared teams get erased.
Loot drops
Queen Cores, Motion Cores, Thermo Linings.
Rocketeer
What it is
A tough aerial ARC that fires guided missiles and destroys anyone caught in open ground. Audio cues (lock-on sounds) matter a lot here.
Priority targets: red glowing core underneath and thrusters.
How to beat it
- Live in cover; avoid open terrain.
- Burn thrusters/core with heavy fire.
- Use heavy ammo for efficient DPS.
- Dodge missiles by timing movement off audio cues.
- EMP can disable briefly (but it’s expensive).
Recommended weapons
Heavy machine guns, rocket launchers, energy weapons.
Strengths & weaknesses
- Pros: huge ranged damage, oppressive pressure.
- Cons: tracking can be played around; thrusters are a clear weakness; rough solo.
Loot drops
Rocket Components, Arc Alloy, high-tier crafting parts.
Sentinel
What it is
A stationary guard ARC that uses shields and long-range fire to lock down areas. If you try to trade into it without solving shields first, you’ll waste ammo and time.
How to beat it
- Destroy shield generators first.
- Use medium/heavy rounds to cut through.
- Once shields drop, flank from cover and finish quickly.
Recommended weapons
Energy rifles, heavy rifles, explosives.
Strengths & weaknesses
- Pros: strong defensive setup, dangerous at range with shields.
- Cons: immobile; collapses fast once shields are removed.
Loot drops
Sentinel Cores, Arc Alloy, Circuitry.
Snitch
What it is
A small recon drone that alerts nearby ARCs if it isn’t destroyed quickly. It’s fragile, but letting it live can snowball the entire encounter.
How to beat it
- Kill it before it signals.
- 3–5 heavy rounds usually does it.
- Aim at wings/sensors for faster takedowns.
Recommended weapons
Medium/heavy rifles, SMGs up close.
Strengths & weaknesses
- Pros: acts like an early-warning unit for ARC patrols.
- Cons: very low durability; ignoring it escalates fights.
Loot drops
Snitch Scanners (crafting / throwable lures).
Surveyor (Rollbot)
What it is
A spherical recon ARC (formerly Rollbot) that scans and relays your position. Not a big direct damage threat, but it escalates combat quickly if you let it do its job.
Weak points: exposed core, plus detachable components (extra loot).
How to beat it
- Hit it while scanning—most vulnerable then.
- Use heavy ammo for clean kills.
- Shoot off dropped/detaching components for extra value.
Recommended weapons
Heavy rifles, explosives, energy weapons.
Strengths & weaknesses
- Pros: fast detection, mobile, low direct offense.
- Cons: low health; easy if prioritized early.
Loot drops
Blueprints, Arc Alloy, Surveyor Cores.
Tick
What it is
Small spider ARCs that leap and attach, dealing damage over time. If they latch on, you can remove them by pressing the action key multiple times. Usually appear in small groups.
How to beat it
- Melee is an easy, quiet solution.
- You can shoot them before they reach you—just remember gunfire noise.
- If one latches, remove it quickly (or have teammates shoot it off).
Recommended weapons
Anything works; autos/shotguns are comfy.
Strengths & weaknesses
- Pros: low health, manageable if you stay aware.
- Cons: annoying in groups, easy to miss until they’re on you.
Loot drops
Tick Pods (crafting/upgrades).
Turret
What it is
Static defense ARC found across ARC zones (machine gun or sniper variants). It’s the classic corridor watcher: strong if you fight it head-on, but often better avoided.
How to beat it
- Avoid line of sight whenever possible (save ammo + stay stealthy).
- If you must fight it, use energy/heavy ammo.
- Target power cores to shut it down expect it to be tanky.
Recommended weapons
Energy weapons, rifles, explosives.
Strengths & weaknesses
- Pros: strong ranged control; good component farming if you can afford ammo.
- Cons: fixed position; costly to brute-force.
Loot drops
Light Ammo, Arc Alloy, Flex Rubber
Wasp
What it is
Fast-flying ARCs with machine guns (the “junior” Hornet). Annoying suppression units that become easy once you focus the right spot.
Key weak point: thrusters.
How to beat it
- Shoot thrusters to ground it.
- Medium/heavy ammo performs best.
- Don’t fight in open ground—Wasps punish exposed movement.
Recommended weapons
Heavy rifles, energy weapons, precision fire.
Strengths & weaknesses
- Pros: mobility, mid-air coverage, useful crafting drops.
- Cons: weak armor; collapses after thrusters go.
Loot drops
Wasp Driver (explosive grenade component), Arc Alloy.
Final Notes
If you want to track ARC spawns, loot routes, and event timings more efficiently, make sure to use your maps:
- ARC Raiders Dam Battlegrounds map
- ARC Raiders Spaceport map
- ARC Raiders Buried City map
- ARC Raiders Blue Gate map
Once you understand each ARC’s behavior, weak points, and threat pattern, you gain a massive advantage whether you’re farming crafting parts, hunting rare components, or just trying to survive your next run.