Arc Raiders might be the most welcoming extraction shooter I've played, but it's still far from easy. With terrifying Arc robots and potentially even other players gunning for you, you've got to have the tools to defend yourself. That's why you want one of the best weapons.
By nature of it being an extraction shooter, however, it's not a matter of simply equipping the best gun in your loadout and venturing out topside. No, you'll have to find, craft, or buy higher-quality weapons. That takes time, and you can always lose them in a matter of seconds.
Best Arc Raiders early-game weapons
These are the kinds of weapons that you either get heaps of in free loadouts or are so dirt cheap to craft or buy that you won't shed a tear when you lose them. That's not to say they're not powerful in their own right, but there's room for improvement.
Ferro
- Common battle rifle that shoots heavy ammo
- Cheap
- High damage per-shot
- Strong against Arcs and players
- Must be reloaded between every shot
Despite being a common-quality rifle, the Ferro is actually one of the best guns in the entire game, thanks to its high power and incredibly low price. In fact, you can craft one for just five metal parts and two rubber parts at the Gunsmith.
Early on and even into the later stages, it's easily your best option against all Arc enemies due to its high armour penetration. Likewise, it's a great icebreaker against enemy players, often breaking their shield or outright killing them in a single shot, letting you quickly finish them off with another weapon.
The only downsides to the Ferro are that it's relatively heavy early on (8kg) and requires reloading between every shot—though upgrades do significantly reduce reload time. Combined, it's somewhat hard to use in close range, especially if you don't have a secondary weapon.
Kettle
- Common assault rifle that shoots light ammo
- Cheap and included in free loadouts
- Larger magazine but relatively slow reload
- Good against other players
It might sound counterintuitive, but the semi-automatic Kettle is my preferred pick over the full-auto Rattler. Its low armour penetration makes it almost useless against Arc robots (that's why I often pair it with the Ferro), but it burns through enemy players.
Despite being semi-auto, it's easy to spam bullets down range, especially when it comes with 20 bullets in a magazine compared to the Rattler's default 10. Paired with higher damage than the Rattler, and you can't go wrong with this cheap-as-chips rifle.
Stitcher
- Common SMG that shoots light ammo
- Cheap and included in free loadouts
- Very effective against enemy players in close range
The Stitcher is a fully-automatic SMG with a rapid rate of fire, at least compared to the other basic weapons. As you'd expect, this comes with some hefty recoil, but when you're up close and personal, that's not really going to stop you from ripping your enemy apart. It's even better once you slap an upgraded magazine and recoil-reducing muzzle attachment on it.
Like the Kettle, the Stitcher can also be found in free loadouts, so it's incredibly easy to get your hands on. Otherwise, you can craft it for a handful of metal and rubber parts, or buy it from Tian Wen for 800 coins.
Anvil
- Uncommon pistol that shoots heavy ammo
- Incredibly high damage
- Relatively cheap
- Strong against Arcs and players
Most of the green (uncommon) and blue (rare) quality guns are depressingly ok when you compare them to how strong some of the common ones are. The one exception to that is the Anvil, which is, quite frankly, the only gun you'll ever need.
Firing heavy ammo like the Ferro, the Anvil is similarly powerful against both Arcs and players. It's seriously strong. The key difference is that the Anvil is a hand cannon, so it's much better suited to close-range fights, not least because it has six bullets in the cylinder.
Osprey
- Rare sniper rifle that shoots medium ammo
- The only weapon with a scope
- Reliable long-range damage
While I'd generally still prefer the Ferro for its increased penetration against Arcs, the Osprey is the only actual sniper in Arc Raiders. It's a scoped, bolt-action rifle that deals high damage per shot over long range, so it's perfect for picking off enemies in the distance. Plus, the Osprey is also surprisingly light, weighing in at just 7kg.
Best Arc Raiders late-game weapons
These are rare finds that are expensive to maintain but incredibly powerful in the right situations. Take note that these higher-end weapons generally don't deal massively increased damage over even common ones, but offer other advantages like improved handling, accuracy, or other unique benefit.
Vulcano
- Epic shotgun that shoots shotgun ammo
- Close-range powerhouse
- Relatively lightweight
- Good spread but sharp range-falloff
- Rare to find and expensive to maintain
Shotguns aren't very versatile weapons in Arc Raiders, where you'll often be fighting over medium range, but once you get up close to your enemy, there's nothing that will kill them faster than the Vulcano. This semi-automatic shotgun has a tight spread and high damage, letting it kill players and even Arcs in no time, so long as you're close enough.
As strong as the Vulcano is, I only recommend bringing it into a run if you've also got a long-range backup like a Ferro, Renegade, or Bettina.
Tempest
- Epic assault rifle that shoots medium ammo
- Good accuracy and rate of fire
- Very strong against other players
- Rare to find and expensive to maintain
The Tempest is basically a souped-up Rattler, and it's an absolute beast when it comes to PvP (though firing medium ammo means it's relatively strong against Arcs too). It's more accurate than most standard weapons, making it feel consistent in a way that the Rattler and even the Kettle and Stitcher aren't. That's backed up by a solid fire rate for high damage at close and medium range.
If you want a strong all-round weapon, you can't do better than the Tempest. Just remember that it'll wear out quickly and need frequent repairing, and that's costly for an epic weapon.
Bettina
- Epic assault rifle that shoots heavy ammo
- High damage but slow rate of fire
- Strong against other players but even better for Arc
- Rare to find and expensive to maintain
The Bettina is one of only two weapons right now that use heavy ammo, alongside the Ferro and the Anvil. The difference is that the Bettina is a fully automatic assault rifle, making it a comfortable, versatile choice topside.
It deals very high damage for an assault rifle, but its slow rate of fire holds it back somewhat in close range. Where it really shines is mid-range firefights with players, and it's a powerhouse against Arc machines too. If you know you'll be taking on an Arc like a Queen, Bastion, or Bombardier, then you'll want the Bettina by your side.
Hullcracker
- Epic cannon that shoots launcher ammo
- Incredibly effective against Arc machines but useless against players
- Rare to find and expensive to maintain
The Hullcracker is the most unique weapon in Arc Raiders, in that it's a grenade launcher that's quite literally useless against other players. Its explosive projectiles only detonate when hitting Arc machines, so it's got a very clear use. As the name implies, it's designed to break through Arc armour to deal massive damage, and that's exactly what it does.
Because it's useless against other players, you need to bring another weapon along with you to deal with enemy raiders, or you'll be left flailing around with your axe.
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