I'm dying way less in Arc Raiders now that I know how healing actually works

So I'm minding your own business in Arc Raiders when suddenly, 'crack, pszzt!' Another player decided to use my body for target practice, and now my shield's busted and HP is low. How do I react? Immediately pop a shield recharger of course. Then I take one more shot to the body and die.

Turns out I've been healing all wrong in Arc Raiders, and in case you have to, let's talk about it.

If you play other shooters with a shield/health system, especially battle royales like Fortnite or Apex Legends, you might assume shields are basically a second health bar, but they work differently in Arc Raiders: shields only mitigate damage, and not very much of it. You can see how much damage they mitigate when you hover over them.

A basic Light Shield blocks 40% damage until it's broken. For Medium Shields, it's 42.5%, and for Heavy Shields it's 52.5%—so at best, you're only ever cutting damage in half. That's why HP is really where it's at. If it drops to zero, you're donezo no matter what. And since you're always losing some HP no matter the damage source, a full shield won't help much when your HP is low.

Not realizing this in the heat of the moment and going straight for a shield recharge instead of a bandage has gotten me killed several times. That said, it does make sense to prioritize your shield if your HP is still high enough—there's a threshold where the damage mitigation will keep you alive longer than raw HP, you just need enough HP for it to matter.

What does it all mean? The optimal way to heal is to prioritize your shield if your HP is around 50% or higher. If your HP is lower, use a bandage first, and then a shield recharger.

The only rub is that the most basic HP healing item, the bandage, sucks. It heals just 20 HP over 10 seconds, so if you want to get back in the fight quicker, it's important to start crafting better ones as soon as possible. Herbal Bandages heal for 35 HP over the same period, and Sterilized Bandages are even better at 50 HP. You can start buying the better bandages from the Clinic once you reach account level 12, but it's always better to craft them at your Medical Station if possible.

There are other items that let you recover even quicker, like a quick-heal injector and the Surge Shield Recharger, but as expensive as they are to both craft and buy, they're not a reliable resource for the average player. I hope this helps get you through your first forays into PvP (or PvE for that matter, the Arc are ruthless).

Arc Raiders Field Depots: Where to find 'em
Arc Raiders Field Crates: How to use 'em
Arc Raiders dog collar: Train Scrappy
Arc Raiders best skills: Survive the surface
Arc Raiders Expeditions: Retire your Raider