It turns out that I've been carrying heavy items wrong in Arc Raiders for over 50 hours, though the best method is far from intuitive
I don't see how this makes any sense.
Swapping weapons, reloading, healing, and climbing, most things in Arc Raiders take a hell of a lot of time to do. Nowhere is this clearer than when you're carrying the crates required to open and loot Field Depots, which you'll have to slowly lug across the map with no access to your guns. This annoying mechanic has only become more frequent with the various locked doors in Stella Montis that require you to haul a power cell around in the most dangerous map of all.
Even if you're using stamina to move faster, it's so slow and I feel so incredibly vulnerable when carrying a heavy item that, quite frankly, I try to avoid it as much as possible. In fact, I rarely do Field Depots at all, even though they can contain some good loot; it would take a lot of convincing to get me to haul those crates around.
Well, after over 50 hours with the game, I've just learned that there's a method to carrying these boxes faster; I didn't think it was even possible to carry them 'wrong'. It turns out that, against all laws of physics, you're actually faster carrying items backwards. Yes, turn around and run backwards while carrying a heavy object like a field crate or battery, and you'll somehow move faster than you would running forward. You can see a comparison of it below in a video by Fallout Plays:
It's important to clarify that, yes, you can actually sprint backwards by holding the run key, just as you would if you were moving forwards. As such, you'll still benefit from maxing out your stamina with the best skills, which I'd recommend you do anyhow.
Of course, if you're walking backwards…you're not going to be able to see where you're going. It's not exactly optimal in most situations, truth be told, but if it's a straight shot to where you need to drop off the object or you've got a friend to cover you, run backwards instead to pick up the pace. The less time spent holding a heavy box instead of a gun, the better.
Arc Raiders Field Depots: Where to find '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
Keep up to date with the most important stories and the best deals, as picked by the PC Gamer team.

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.


