What ammo is best against ARC armor in Arc Raiders?

Ammo type, not raw damage, decides how easily you penetrate ARC armor. The order runs Light at the bottom, then Shotgun, then Medium, then Heavy, then Energy Clip (which varies by gun but is never below Heavy), with Launcher ammo on top. No numeric penetration values are published anywhere, and only two weapons carry a stated rating: the Hullcracker at Very Strong and the Anvil at Strong. Unarmored machines like Ticks, Pops, Wasps and Turrets die to any ammo, while armored ones need Medium at minimum.

What is the weak point on a Bastion in Arc Raiders?

A Bastion has yellow kneecaps on its leg joints and a yellow cylinder on its rear, and both take critical damage. Destroying the rear canister or any leg joint stuns it for a short time, and destroying that canister also peels back the rear plate to expose the real weak spot underneath. The in-game Codex advises going for the legs first, since crippling its movement also helps you get clear shots at its unplated back. A Deadline mine placed near the canister can destroy one outright.

How do you kill a Rocketeer in Arc Raiders?

The Rocketeer's weak points are its thrusters, but the Codex notes they are large and take significant firepower to destroy, so a faster route is shooting off the eyebrow with a high ARC penetration weapon and then hitting the weak point beneath it. One Showstopper grenade on a thruster brings it to the ground for a few seconds, while the same grenade on the core only stuns it and it stays airborne. Destroy two thrusters and it falls, and from a high enough height its own momentum destroys it. Never fight one in the open, since missile splash damage still reaches you behind cover.

How do you beat the Vaporizer's shield in Arc Raiders?

Throwing a seeking or projectile grenade such as a Seeker or a Wolfpack triggers the Vaporizer's energy shield, the same kind the Matriarch uses. While it is up, that shield blocks all projectile damage including small arms, and only attacks made from inside the shield deal damage. It cannot raise the shield again for a short time after it drops, so the correct play is to bait it deliberately and then unload your highest damage weapons in that window. Panic-throwing grenades into a live shield does nothing at all.

How do you stop a Snitch from calling reinforcements in Arc Raiders?

Kill it quickly with Medium or Heavy Ammo. A Snitch is unarmed with 158 health and no armor, but it survives a burst that would drop a Wasp, so opening with Light Ammo is the common mistake. The wiki states reinforcements are only guaranteed once the Snitch begins the third call in its series, but it does not say whether earlier calls can produce any, so treat that as an outer limit rather than a safe deadline. Hiding in heavy foliage may also keep its scanner from spotting you in the first place.

What is the fastest way to kill a Tick in Arc Raiders?

Melee it. A Tick has no armor and 10 health, and one hit from a Raider Tool destroys it, so shooting one only wastes ammo. If it has already latched onto your head and started draining health and shield, hold the interact button to dislodge it, then kill it as it runs off. Ticks can usually be heard before they are seen, and the real danger is a horde rather than any single one.

Why do enemies in Arc Raiders not repeat the same attack patterns?

Their movement is physically simulated rather than scripted. Embark's machine learning research lead Martin Singh-Blom has said the learning is used strictly for locomotion, and that fixed patterns are impossible because of the physics, since anything unexpected such as an enemy getting pushed breaks them. That is why flying machines that lose thrusters destabilize and take collision damage rather than simply dying, why a Rocketeer that falls far enough is destroyed by its own momentum, and why a Wasp with broken thrusters becomes harder to hit rather than easier.

Arc Raiders ARC Enemies Guide: Every Machine and Weak Point

Every confirmed ARC machine in Arc Raiders by threat tier: behaviour, weak points, the ammo that actually penetrates armor, and the mistake each punishes.

Category: Arc Raiders AI & ARC Machines · Updated 2026-08-03

Ammo decides everything

With few exceptions, ammo type determines how easily a weapon penetrates ARC armor. No numeric values are published, just the order.

Light (Kettle, Stitcher, Bobcat): struggles to penetrate.
Shotgun (Il Toro, Vulcano): beats Light, loses to Medium.
Medium (Rattler, Renegade, Venator, Osprey): above Light, below Heavy.
Heavy (Ferro, Anvil, Bettina): beats Medium, under Launcher.
Energy Clip (Jupiter, Equalizer, Dolabra): varies by gun, never below Heavy.
Launcher (Rascal, Hullcracker): explosive, top of the ladder.

Only the Hullcracker (Very Strong) and Anvil (Strong) carry published ratings. The wiki gives the order and nothing more, so treat it as a ranking rather than a threshold. Where it does get specific, it is per machine: Light Ammo bounces off a Fireball's shell, which needs Medium or Heavy to pierce.

Why ARC do not follow scripted patterns

Embark's Machine Learning Research Lead Martin Singh-Blom says the learning is "strictly for locomotion, such as how the robot places its feet and moves," and that scripted patterns are impossible "because of the physics." Higher-level decisions about where to go stay with traditional behaviour trees.

So flying ARC that lose thrusters destabilize and take collision damage rather than dying, and a Rocketeer that falls from a high enough height is destroyed by its own momentum. The trade-off: a Wasp with broken thrusters is harder to hit, not easier.

Tier 1: the machines that kill new Raiders

Tick (no armor, 10 HP). Spawns dormant on indoor ceilings and rafters, then lunges at your head, latches on and drains health and shield. Hold interact to dislodge it, then melee it with a Raider Tool, never ammo. Mistake: treating one as the threat, they come in hordes.

Pop (no armor, 20 HP). Rolling proximity bomb that beeps faster as it closes. Kill it early with a fast-firing weapon, dodge roll over it, or climb. Mistake: backing away in a line, when running past wastes its blast.

Wasp (no armor, 110 HP). Red laser, brief hover, then a shield-shredding volley. Weak point: four unarmored thrusters, any ammo works. Mistake: staying on them after they break, its flight goes erratic. Sources split, thegamepost says hit the body.

Snitch (no armor, 158 HP). Unarmed scout that calls reinforcements from orbit, then flees. Reinforcements are only guaranteed once its third call begins, and the wiki will not say whether earlier calls produce any. Mistake: Light Ammo, it outlasts a Wasp.

Turret (no armor, 80 HP). Stationary indoor gun that keeps firing at your last known position after you break sight. A few rounds of any ammo kill it. Mistake: confusing it with a Sentinel, which sits outside.

Tier 2: the mid roster

Fireball (heavy armor). Opens a front panel to flame you, and the burn ticks on after it dies. Weak point: the core behind it, killable by anything, while the shell needs Medium or Heavy. Mistake: killing it at your feet, it sets the ground alight. Health disputed: 20 HP on the wiki, 100 elsewhere.

Hornet (light armor, 200 HP). Slow stun round that drains shields, dodgeable on timing. Wiki weak point: the rear thrusters, since only the forward pair is armored, though the Codex admits reaching them takes a steady hand. Others say break the front plating instead, which an Anvil or Ferro does instantly. Kill them either way, since the Hornet Driver is the stun answer for the Bastion, Leaper, Rocketeer and Surveyor.

Sentinel (light armor, 300 HP). Rooftop turret, always outside. An orange laser tracks you, lasers converge, then a Heavy round lands. Weak point: the yellow canister on the swivel arm, and it is slow enough to out-shoot. Mistake: thinking range is safety.

Spotter (no armor, 80 HP). Tags you for the Bombardier, including where the Bombardier cannot shoot. Break the beam with a building, or stun it. Mistake: farming them, killing both spawns a fresh pair.

Firefly (heavy armor, 200 HP). Armored flying flamethrower reinforcing Wasp and Hornet patrols. In combat it exposes an unarmored yellow fuel tank that takes increased damage. Mistake: standing where it dies, it ignites the area. The wiki calls its thrusters both armored and semi-armored.

Comet (heavy armor, 150 HP). Rolls at you fast and detonates once, positioning to catch a whole group. Weak point: charging splits the shell and exposes the innards, a hard target. Two to three Seeker Grenades strip the armor without triggering the igniter. Mistake: leaving it circling mid-fight.

Surveyor (heavy armor, 257 HP). Unarmed armored sphere, found firing a blue laser skyward with its core exposed, and it outruns your sprint once threatened. Stun it with a Hornet Driver or Showstopper, then use heavy explosives. Mistake: shooting with no stun ready, it just leaves.

Tier 3: heavies

Shredder (heavy armor, 385 HP). Floats off the ground firing shrapnel in all directions, pausing to charge a bigger blast. Weak point: the thruster units, the blue jets. Explosives land best just after the charge, and a Jolt Mine in a doorway stuns it. Mistake: fighting it in a corridor.

Rocketeer (heavy armor, 1,100 HP). Four yellow lasers line up and turn red just before missiles launch, each able to down a Raider in as few as two hits. Weak point: thrusters, which the Codex calls large and says take significant firepower to destroy, so shoot the eyebrow off with a high-penetration weapon first. A Showstopper on a thruster grounds it, on the core it only stuns. Mistake: fighting in the open.

Leaper (heavy armor, 1,100 HP). Four-legged per the wiki, with a shockwave pulse and a leap accurate enough to crush Raiders sprinting away. Weak points: the eye and the leg joints. The cheap confirmed method is fire: Blaze Grenade, wait out the burn, another, then Heavy Ammo. Mistake: trying to outrun it.

Bastion (heavy armor, 2,050 HP). A fortress on legs: loud screech, then three seconds of gatling fire at your last seen position. Yellow kneecaps and a yellow rear cylinder stun it when destroyed, and killing that canister peels back the rear plate to expose the real weak spot. Legs first, per the Codex, and a Deadline near the canister can kill outright. Mistake: reading slow as safe. The wiki never states a leg count, community sources say six.

Bombardier (light armor, 2,670 HP). More health than a Bastion on the wiki's own numbers, and the Codex says its front armor is not as impenetrable as the Bastion's. Long-range mortar built to flush you out of cover, escorted by two Spotters. Weak points: the same yellow kneecaps, and the rear cylinder, which one Deadline destroys. It is vulnerable right after firing. Heavy Ammo or the Hullcracker are the picks. Mistake: holding one piece of cover.

Vaporizer (light armor, 1,500 HP). Line-of-sight laser that leaves pools of burning fire. Its Matriarch-style energy shield decides the fight: a thrown Seeker or Wolfpack triggers it, and once up it blocks all projectile damage including small arms. Bait the shield, then unload when it drops. Mistake: throwing grenades into a live shield. Weak point naming varies between thrusters and an underside panel over the core.

Tier 4: bosses

ARC Turbine (heavy armor). Usually falls from the sky once a match has 16 to 12 minutes left on the timer, then drifts quietly until provoked, firing cluster missiles that trigger a lightning strike. Weak point: the spinning yellow tanks, visible only through the gaps in the landing gear while grounded, since the heavy armor shrugs off hits. Mistake: trying to ride it. The wiki's counter is a Jupiter fired from beyond the lightning's reach.

Queen (heavy armor). Spawns only guarding Harvesters on that map condition, and the Codex calls her six-legged. Mortars explode into fire two seconds after impact, and she uses an EMP pulse or ground slam up close. Weak points: shoot the armor plates off, then the red glowing core, plus the yellow leg points, since breaking a leg brings the head core into view. Mistake: looting a Harvester in her line of sight. Health is unverified, the wiki calls its own figure an estimate.

Matriarch (heavy armor). Spawns on her own map condition. Tracking missiles, knockdown legs, gas and flashbang capsules that break cover and vision, and summoned Bastions, Bombardiers, Leapers and Rocketeers. Her energy shield absorbs all projectiles and throwables including Wolfpack, so hold fire or step inside and shoot the core. Per the wiki only the rocket barrage really hurts, and "if its children are unable to protect it, the fight becomes trivial." Mistake: fighting in the open. Her weak point is contradicted on one page: the infobox lists core and leg joints, the combat tips say faceplates. Health is unverified here too.

Two machines that are not fights

ARC Orbiter. An orbital platform whose exact appearance is unknown and which cannot be fought. At the end of every round it devastates the surface and any Raiders remaining on the map, signalled by explosions at the five-minute and two-minute marks.

ARC Assessor. The wiki files it as loot, not a combat unit. Unarmed, it collects samples and shows no aggression. Breaching it calls a deadly squadron of ARC down, and it relaunches with the loot if you are slow. Vaporizers patrol them, two to three by source.

This is a fan-made companion site, not affiliated with Embark Studios. Everything above comes from the community wiki, in-game Codex text, official update posts and developer interviews, and every point where sources disagree is flagged.

Frequently asked questions

What ammo is best against ARC armor in Arc Raiders?: Ammo type, not raw damage, decides how easily you penetrate ARC armor. The order runs Light at the bottom, then Shotgun, then Medium, then Heavy, then Energy Clip (which varies by gun but is never below Heavy), with Launcher ammo on top. No numeric penetration values are published anywhere, and only two weapons carry a stated rating: the Hullcracker at Very Strong and the Anvil at Strong. Unarmored machines like Ticks, Pops, Wasps and Turrets die to any ammo, while armored ones need Medium at minimum.
What is the weak point on a Bastion in Arc Raiders?: A Bastion has yellow kneecaps on its leg joints and a yellow cylinder on its rear, and both take critical damage. Destroying the rear canister or any leg joint stuns it for a short time, and destroying that canister also peels back the rear plate to expose the real weak spot underneath. The in-game Codex advises going for the legs first, since crippling its movement also helps you get clear shots at its unplated back. A Deadline mine placed near the canister can destroy one outright.
How do you kill a Rocketeer in Arc Raiders?: The Rocketeer's weak points are its thrusters, but the Codex notes they are large and take significant firepower to destroy, so a faster route is shooting off the eyebrow with a high ARC penetration weapon and then hitting the weak point beneath it. One Showstopper grenade on a thruster brings it to the ground for a few seconds, while the same grenade on the core only stuns it and it stays airborne. Destroy two thrusters and it falls, and from a high enough height its own momentum destroys it. Never fight one in the open, since missile splash damage still reaches you behind cover.
How do you beat the Vaporizer's shield in Arc Raiders?: Throwing a seeking or projectile grenade such as a Seeker or a Wolfpack triggers the Vaporizer's energy shield, the same kind the Matriarch uses. While it is up, that shield blocks all projectile damage including small arms, and only attacks made from inside the shield deal damage. It cannot raise the shield again for a short time after it drops, so the correct play is to bait it deliberately and then unload your highest damage weapons in that window. Panic-throwing grenades into a live shield does nothing at all.
How do you stop a Snitch from calling reinforcements in Arc Raiders?: Kill it quickly with Medium or Heavy Ammo. A Snitch is unarmed with 158 health and no armor, but it survives a burst that would drop a Wasp, so opening with Light Ammo is the common mistake. The wiki states reinforcements are only guaranteed once the Snitch begins the third call in its series, but it does not say whether earlier calls can produce any, so treat that as an outer limit rather than a safe deadline. Hiding in heavy foliage may also keep its scanner from spotting you in the first place.
What is the fastest way to kill a Tick in Arc Raiders?: Melee it. A Tick has no armor and 10 health, and one hit from a Raider Tool destroys it, so shooting one only wastes ammo. If it has already latched onto your head and started draining health and shield, hold the interact button to dislodge it, then kill it as it runs off. Ticks can usually be heard before they are seen, and the real danger is a horde rather than any single one.
Why do enemies in Arc Raiders not repeat the same attack patterns?: Their movement is physically simulated rather than scripted. Embark's machine learning research lead Martin Singh-Blom has said the learning is used strictly for locomotion, and that fixed patterns are impossible because of the physics, since anything unexpected such as an enemy getting pushed breaks them. That is why flying machines that lose thrusters destabilize and take collision damage rather than simply dying, why a Rocketeer that falls far enough is destroyed by its own momentum, and why a Wasp with broken thrusters becomes harder to hit rather than easier.