14 minutes and 650 bullets later, one determined Arc Raiders player somehow killed a Matriarch with the worst gun in the game
Is that a compliment or a killing blow?
Most people would agree that the Hairpin, a suppressed single-action pistol, is far from being one of the best guns in Arc Raiders. In fact, it's the worst at basically anything other than being remarkably cheap and pretty quiet. I'd bet that most players have either never used it or just once and never again.
So, never in a million years did I imagine some brave soul would take on not just a Queen, but the top-of-the-food-chain Matriarch. These new machines are the biggest and baddest yet, with massive cannons, gas mortars, and a shield. Oh, and they can summon waves of all the other annoying robots like Rocketeers, Bastions, and Leapers.
In short, it's a tough fight that I wouldn't recommend you take on without the best gear in the game and other players to back you up. Well, unless you're content creator The Gaming Merchant, of course.
Taking in nothing but three Level 4 Hairpins, 1,200 bullets, and a handful of medical supplies and lure grenades, they defiantly sought out the Matriarch. After finding a good spot, they started to plink away at the Matriarch's weak knee joints, one shot at a time.
It turns out that this loadout was somehow overkill, too, as 14 minutes and 650 bullets later, and not even one of the three Hairpins broken, the Matriarch was eventually felled.
It's not an entirely fair test since other players did end up joining the fight and quite a bit of the damage came from using lure grenades against the Matriarch, but The Gaming Merchant finished the round with just under 9,000 damage dealt to it. Considering they were using a very slow suppressed pistol with no armour penetration, I'd say that's pretty good going.
Nevertheless, the lesson is that you don't need legendary or epic weapons to kill Arc Raiders' toughest enemies so long as you've got enough determination and patience. Plus, I've a newfound appreciation for the Hairpin—it's surprisingly efficient.
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.
Since it does more damage per bullet (1,000 damage per magazine) than other common weapons like the Stitcher, The Gaming Merchant was in the fight for way longer than the other raiders that came to help and inevitably ran out of ammo. You can see a few players awkwardly standing around waiting for the Hairpin hero to carry them to victory at around the 12-minute mark.
Despite this insight, I still don't think I'll ever attempt to kill a Matriarch with the Hairpin. Anvils are only slightly harder to come by, pack more of a punch, and don't require you to focus exclusively on unarmoured weak points to deal damage.
Arc Raiders Field Depots: Where to find 'em
Arc Raiders Field Crates: How to use 'em
Arc Raiders Greasing Her Palms: Cartographer
Arc Raiders A Reveal in Ruins: Buried City pharmacies
Arc Raiders The Root of the Matter: Room with a view
Arc Raiders Armored Transports: Loot patrol cars
Arc Raiders best skills: Survive the surface
Arc Raiders best weapons: Just don't lose them
Arc Raiders Expeditions: Retire your Raider

Rory has made the fatal error of playing way too many live service games at once, and somehow still finding time for everything in between. Sure, he’s an expert at Destiny 2, Call of Duty, and more, but at what cost? He’s even sunk 1,000 hours into The Elder Scrolls Online over the years. At least he put all those hours spent grinding challenges to good use over the years as a freelancer and guides editor. In his spare time, he’s also an avid video creator, often breaking down the environmental design of his favourite games. If you can’t track him down, he’s probably lost in a cave with a bunch of dwarves shouting “rock and stone” to no end.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.


