ARC Raiders: All Enemy Weaknesses

The titular ARCs truly earn their place in the game’s name. These machines are a serious threat, and getting taken out by one can be just as quick and punishing as dying to another player. Most of the time, avoiding them is the smartest option—and that’s exactly what you’ll usually do. Still, there are situations where fighting them is unavoidable. Maybe you need materials that only a specific ARC drops, or perhaps a quest forces your hand. In those moments, combat becomes your only option.

In this guide, we break down ARC Raiders’ enemy weaknesses so you can survive even the most dangerous encounters. By the end of the article, you’ll know where each enemy’s weak points are, which weapons work best against them, and how to recognize where to shoot even if you forget their specific vulnerabilities.

To fight ARCs efficiently, you’ll need access to a wide selection of weapons. Unfortunately, stronger weapons require blueprints. That’s where we come in. Check out our ARC Raiders Blueprints on Gamer Choice to unlock the blueprints for some of the game’s hardest-hitting weapons.

ARC Raiders Enemies Guide

In this ARC Raiders enemies guide, we’ll go through every enemy type currently in the game and explain the best ways to deal with them. As a general rule, flying ARCs should be targeted at their engines, while ground-based ARCs usually go down fastest when you aim for the core. That sounds simple on paper, but in practice, each ARC demands a slightly different approach.

Alongside explaining how to take down each ARC, we’ll also highlight the best weapons to use against them. If you just want the short version: Anvil is our go-to recommendation against standard ARCs. It’s the only heavy-ammo weapon with a respectable fire rate. For boss ARCs, Hullcracker remains the top choice, even after receiving significant nerfs.

Below, you’ll find a quick-reference table showing enemy weak spot locations in ARC Raiders:

ARC Name	Weaknesses	Best Weapons	Tips
Snitch	Shoot 2 of the white rotors, and it will be destroyed.	Any medium ammo weapon except for Rattler/Anvil.	Don’t panic if it starts calling the reinforcements; shoot it down fast. If you do it quickly, it will not summon them.
Wasp	Shoot its engines to make it crash, or shoot the center of the mass with any fast fire-rate weapon.	Any weapon that has a decent fire rate.	Easiest enemy to deal with. Though shooting its engines is more effective, you’d have a better time just shooting its body.
Hornet	Shoot down its rear engines. It can be really tricky, so if you can, just unload a mag on its body.	Medium ammo weapons or Anvil.	One of the tougher ARCs to deal with. Frontal engines are protected by armor. To take its rear engines faster, crouch. This way, you’ll have an easier time aiming at them.
Tick	Hit it with melee, don’t waste ammo on it.	Virtually anything goes.	Once you hear the noise they make, start beelining. They won’t grab you if they can’t identify where you’re going.
Pop	Just shoot it with any weapon.	Light ammo weapon and up.	If you manage to destroy it even when it’s close to you, you won’t take any damage from it.
Fireball	Shooting its armor in the middle opens up a white underbelly. Two accurate shots are enough.	Fast medium ammo weapon or Anvil.	Try to gain some distance before shooting them, as they cover the area in fire when they die.
Turret	They’re mostly unarmored, so just shoot them. No weak spots.	Any weapon.	Play peek a boo with them. Hide behind the corner, and when it stops firing, pop out.
Sentinel	Find a place to hide and wait for it to fire. It’ll take 3-4 shots from a heavy weapon. No weak spots.	Anvil or at least a medium ammo weapon.	Sentinel typically monitors the open areas around specific locations. Hide behind the cover, as it does severe damage.
ARC Surveyor	This ARC occasionally opens its protective layer and emits a light beam. When it does so, throw a grenade near it. Bullets don’t deal enough damage to handle it quickly.	Snap Blast or Blaze grenades.	Less of an enemy, more of a loot goblin. Good and easy XP farm.
Shredder	Shoot the thrusters in the middle of its body.	Anvil or grenades are preferable.	One of the most dangerous normal enemies. Shoot it and hide as soon as you hear its attack signal. Never fight without cover.

That wraps up the list of regular enemies. As mentioned earlier, Anvil performs extremely well against ARCs, but it has one major downside—it’s not very effective against other raiders. The projectile speed is slow, making it unreliable at longer ranges. Because of this, we strongly recommend pairing it with a secondary weapon to stay versatile.

Now, let’s shift our focus to boss ARCs. Below are some of the most effective strategies for taking down the toughest enemies in the game:

ARC Name	Weaknesses	Best Weapons	Tips
Leaper	The legs and the eye are its weak points. It is faster to kill it by damaging its legs.	Anvil, Hullcracker, or fire grenades.	One of the easier bosses to take down. Just try not to fight it in the open if you can’t deal with it fast.
Rocketeer	The engines and the white plating above the “eye”. Hitting the white plating is almost impossible as it’s always above you, hiding the weak spot.	Anvil, Wolfpack grenades, Jupiter.	A very dangerous boss. It moves a lot and shoots fast. Hiding behind a thin cover doesn’t help, since the rockets do AoE damage. Fight it from inside the buildings. Two Wolfpacks kill it instantly. Hullcracker used to be great against it, but after the nerfs, you have to hit the weak spots for it to be effective.
Bastion	The leg joints and the rear canister. Damage to the rear causes it to fail faster.	Anvil, Medium ammo weapon, Hullcracker, mines (esp. Deadline).	Bastion can seem dangerous, but in a group, he poses no threat. Just stand on the opposite sides and start aggroing it in turns. Shooting the rear destroys it fast. Another strategy is to jump on top of it and set a mine. Deadline kills it almost instantly.
Bombardier	Same as Bastion	Anvil, Medium ammo weapon, Hullcracker, mines.	Bombardier is the most dangerous boss ARC. It launches missiles that deal massive damage, and it has Spotter drones that track you to the ends of the earth. Shoot them down first and then deal with the Bombardier. Same weak points as Bastion, so the strategy is the same. Always clear the Spotter drones when they respawn.
Queen	Leg joints, head core.	Hullcracker, Equalizer, Jupiter.	The head core is a much weaker point than its legs. If you have an Equalizer, you can crack the protective shell really fast and then go to town. If not, try to find higher ground and shoot the head center with a Hullcracker. Jupiter works fine, but it takes longer than just using Hullcracker grenades to its face.
Matriarch	Leg joints, head core, face plates.	Hullcracker, Equalizer, Jupiter, Wolfpack grenades.	Matriarch is smaller than the Queen, but it constantly summons other boss ARCs to compensate for it. Its weak points are practically the same, with one significant difference. If you break the “face” plates, you can reliably target its weak spots. There are two of them, closer to the center of its “face”. Use Equalizer to break them, and then you can damage it even with a medium ammo weapon pretty reliably. Keep the Wolfpacks to clear the boss ARCs it summons.

That concludes our overview of all enemies in ARC Raiders and their weak points. Nearly every ARC has a vulnerability, but not every weapon can exploit it. If you plan on farming ARCs, always bring two weapons and plenty of grenades. These enemies are dangerous, but inquisitive Raiders are even more so.

We also don’t recommend attempting Hullbreaker solo unless you already own its blueprint and have enough materials to support the fight. With that said, let’s move on to how you can reliably identify ARC weak points, even if you can’t remember them mid-raid.

ARC Armor Types Explained

ARCs in ARC Raiders use a color-coded armor system that makes identifying weak points much easier once you understand it. By paying attention to plating colors, you can quickly determine where to focus your fire. Here’s a breakdown of ARC armor types explained:

• Unarmored Plating: White in color. Any weapon can damage unarmored plating, but weapons with higher ARC armor penetration will be more effective. Medium ammo weapons are usually enough to break it quickly.
• Armored Plating: Gunmetal-colored sections indicate armored plating. These parts require at least medium ARC armor penetration to take damage. Light ammo weapons won’t damage them at all. In most cases, armored plating covers unarmored areas, and breaking it exposes the ARC’s true weak points.
• Weak Points: Highlighted in yellow. Games have trained us well—if it’s glowing yellow, that’s where you should shoot. ARC Raiders follows the same logic. Leg joints, engine thrusters, and components like the ARC Surveyor’s beacon all feature yellow elements. Hitting these spots deals significantly more damage.

With this system in mind, you’ll be able to fight ARCs effectively even if you forget their exact weak zones. Blindly unloading ammo into them rarely works. Trust us—we’ve had more than enough run-ins with Fireballs while holding nothing but a Stitcher. If you don’t target ARCs properly, you’ll burn through your ammo long before the fight is over, often before finishing what you came into the raid to do.

ARC Enemy Tips

To help you perform even better against ARCs, we’ve put together a short list of general ARC enemy tips. These aren’t tied to any specific enemy type; instead, they apply universally. Here are some of the best tips for fighting enemies in ARC Raiders:

• Avoid Unnecessary Encounters: It might sound obvious, but it’s worth repeating. Don’t engage ARCs unless you absolutely have to. They respawn constantly, and you’ll never have enough ammo to deal with all of them. On top of that, shooting draws attention you may not want.
• Fight Flying ARCs Near Walls: Sometimes, destroying just one thruster is enough. Flying ARCs take massive damage from crashing, and if they slam into a wall after losing an engine, they can die instantly.
• Use ARCs as a Distraction: Stuck in a bad position or looking to distract other players? Shoot an ARC near them, throw a Lure grenade, or activate a Snitch Scanner. This can buy you valuable time—or even win a fight. Pro tip: triggering boss ARCs can reveal enemy positions. If you shoot one and hide, you may see it re-aggro onto another player.
• Observe the ARCs: ARCs aren’t just threats; they’re also information tools. From elevated positions, watch their behavior closely. A blue scanner means they’re calm. Yellow indicates they’ve been alerted by a player. Red means they’re fully aggressive and actively engaging someone.
• Listen for Audio Cues: While ARCs hit hard, they’re fair enemies. They always signal their attacks with distinct audio cues. Learning these sounds and timings can help you dodge attacks even if you’re not directly looking at the ARC.
• Loot Previously Destroyed ARCs: Looting ARC parts is an excellent source of experience. Each part can grant anywhere from 200 up to 1000 XP, making it well worth the risk when it’s safe.

Following these tips will help you stay out of danger—or at least avoid creating new problems for yourself. You don’t need perfect aim to survive; you need smart decision-making. That’s how you last long enough to extract with pockets full of goop.

F.A.Q.

What are the weaknesses of each enemy in ARC Raiders?

Most ARCs expose vulnerable sections through lighter-colored plating. White areas indicate unarmored parts that take damage from most weapons, while yellow elements usually mark true weak points that amplify damage when hit.

How do I defeat boss enemies in ARC Raiders?

The strategy varies depending on the boss, but aiming at mobility and core components is key. Most bosses take heavy damage from leg shots, Rocketeers are best disabled by destroying their engines, and Queen-type enemies go down fastest when you target the head core.

What’s the best weapon to use against armored enemies in ARC Raiders?

Anvil is generally the most reliable option when fighting armored ARCs. Its heavy ammo penetration allows it to break through plating efficiently, and it remains viable even against boss-level enemies if necessary.

How do I counter flying enemies in ARC Raiders?

Focus your fire on their engines or thrusters. Destroying these components often causes flying ARCs to crash into terrain, dealing massive damage or killing them outright.

Do ARC Raiders bosses have unique weak points?

Yes, boss ARCs feature specific vulnerabilities. The Queen and Matriarch both have a Head Core that takes increased damage, and the Matriarch also exposes additional weak spots on its faceplate once damaged.

Conclusion

With this guide, you’re now equipped to deal with every enemy in ARC Raiders. Just remember: being able to destroy an ARC doesn’t mean you always should. Stay alert while navigating Topside and handle ARCs efficiently, whether you’re fighting them directly or using them as a source of information.

See you in the other guides, Raider. More are coming soon.