ARC Enemy Types Guide for Arc Raiders

Weak points and counters for the ARC machines this site covers, from the Tick to the Matriarch, each linked to its full guide.

Published 28 March 2026. Updated 21 October 2026.

Understanding Your Enemies

The ARC are the machines that hunt Raiders Topside, from small Ticks and Wasps to the Queen and the Matriarch. Each machine has its own weak point and counter, so the sections below take them a few at a time with the tips the community wiki records, and every name links to its full guide. The ARC enemies guide adds armor and health figures.

Snitch, Wasp, Hornet and Firefly

These fly on thrusters, and destroyed thrusters destabilize them. Kill a Snitch fast: it loudly alerts nearby ARC and can summon reinforcements. A Wasp goes down the same way. The Hornet has unarmored rear thrusters and sounds its attack before it fires, which is your cue to dodge roll. A Firefly carries a yellow canister on its body worth shooting.

Tick, Pop, Fireball and Comet

These ambush you up close. You often hear a Tick before you see it, so dodge roll the moment it latches on; any weapon destroys a Tick or a Pop. When a Pop, a Fireball or a Comet ambushes you, climb out of reach. A Fireball exposes its weak point when it opens to attack and leaves fire behind when it dies, so move away. Dodge to the side before a Comet explodes.

Turret, Sentinel and Spotter

Bait a Turret or a Sentinel into firing, then hide behind cover. The Sentinel is a long range sniper turret: a solid beam (red on the wiki's ARC page, orange on its Sentinel page) means it has seen you, and four converging yellow beams mean it is about to fire. Shoot the yellow canister on its arm. Destroy a Spotter before it locks on; Seeker Grenades work best against it.

Bastion, Bombardier and Leaper

These walk, and their weak points sit at the leg joints, plus a rear canister on the Bastion and the Bombardier. A Bastion or a Leaper is helpless while stunned by a Hornet Driver or a Showstopper. Destroying a Spotter cuts a Bombardier's vision; avoid its close-range shockwave. A Wolfpack grenade works on all three.

Surveyor, Shredder, Rocketeer and Vaporizer

A Surveyor exposes its weak point while it fires its laser and flees at high speed, so stun it with a Hornet Driver or a Showstopper and use explosives. Hit a Shredder in the thrusters and never engage it without cover: hide when it signals its attack. It is no longer found only on Stella Montis. The Rocketeer and the Vaporizer share weak points at the thrusters and above the scanner, and the Vaporizer's energy shield blocks all projectile damage, small arms included, then needs a cooldown before it can come up again.

ARC Turbine, Queen and Matriarch

The ARC Turbine lays a minefield before it lands and fires cluster missiles at Raiders nearby; its spinning weak point is open while it is landed. On the Queen, shoot off the armor plates, then aim for the red glowing core, and hit the yellow weak points on its legs. The Matriarch is different: her own wiki page says skip the legs and break the faceplates until the red glowing core is exposed, and her energy shield absorbs every projectile and throwable fired from outside it.

General Anti ARC Tactics

Shoot the thrusters on a Snitch, a Wasp, a Hornet, a Firefly or a Rocketeer, since destroyed thrusters destabilize them. A Hornet sounds its attack, a Sentinel shows converging yellow beams and a Shredder signals before it strikes: dodge roll or take cover when you see or hear it. Climb out of reach when a Pop, a Fireball or a Comet ambushes you.