12 December 2025

This ARC Raiders loadout is virtually unbeatable (and it’s basically free)

By newsgame

ARC Raiders has been out for over a month, but it’s still dominating Steam’s charts for concurrent players and sales, proving to be one of the biggest hits of the year. With a nice blend of RPG features, sci-fi setting, incredible enemy fights, and both PvP and PvE elements, ARC Raiders casts a wide net for new players that seem to eventually stick around. Despite some issues with the way PvP works, such as exploits and campers at extraction points, players can thrive and get huge upgrades even exclusively with PvE. Regardless of how you play, though, there is one loadout that can get you through the entire game basically for free.

The concept of loadout in an extraction shooter is a bit different from regular shooter games, as it’s not always worth it to take your best gear with you if you then lose it to other players or enemies. As such, while you can play ARC Raiders solo, as a duo, or as a trio, sometimes it’s safe to get by with simpler weapons. Coincidentally, new players will not have a lot of blueprints, materials, or coins to get good gear, and some of it is also locked at higher levels. However, both new players and veterans will be able to get these items easily and very soon into the game, carrying them through all maps, night raids, and against all Arcs. These are:

Ferro 1
Looting MK 1
Light Shield
Heavy Ammo (40x or more)
Bandages
Shield Rechargers
Light Impact Grenades

Why You Should Use This Loadout in ARC Raiders Even as a Veteran

While these are more basic picks compared to higher-tier gear, these items can carry you through the entire game. More importantly, they are amazing picks if you plan on playing ARC Raiders‘ Expedition Project, which essentially wipes your progress to carry over some things and benefits and unlock new rewards. Starting from scratch means not having all the best guns in the game, and that’s where the Ferro and this loadout will shine even brighter.

All Resources in ARC Raiders (Loot Guide)

Discover every material, component, and loot in ARC Raiders. Use this comprehensive loot table to track down the resources you need.

ARC Raiders’ Ferro is Officially The Best Gun in the Game

Although some of the best weapons in ARC Raiders are found later in the game, the Ferro, even at level 1, is an incredible gun to pick up and use after the first trial run or two. It can also be crafted at the basic Workbench, rather than the Gunsmith, and it can even be bought from Tian Wen for just 1,450 coins. The Ferro deals 40 damage per shot, which is very good, and even better than the popular Renegade at 35. If you want to craft the Ferro, the cost is 5 Metal Parts and 2 Rubber Parts.

Recipe and Materials	Workshop Bench	Results and Perks
Ferro 1 + 7x Metal Parts	Gunsmith Lv. 1+	Ferro 2: 13% reduced reload time, +10 durability
Ferro 2 + 9x Metal Parts + 1x Simple Gun Parts	Gunsmith Lv. 1+	Ferro 3: 26% reduced reload time, +20 durability
Ferro 3 + 1x Mechanical Components + 1x Simple Gun Parts	Gunsmith Lv. 1+	Ferro 4: 39% reduced reload time, +30 durability

Upgrading the Ferro is not mandatory, and it works wonders at level 1. However, since it’s a single-bullet-in-the-chamber kind of gun, the faster reload speed from the upgrades helps a lot.

With its damage and ease of use, you can easily take the Ferro on all of your raids. It’s reliable to shoot down Arcs, both the small ones and the big ones, and it can be a great weapon to bring in otherwise crowded night raids, where the risk of being shot down by hostile players is relatively high. This way, if you are knocked out in the raid, you don’t lose much, and otherwise, it’s a solid weapon to carry at all times that can help you beat all ARC Raiders enemies thanks to its Heavy Ammo and high damage per bullet.

Why You Should Upgrade Your Ferro Whenever Possible

It’s also worth noting that gun parts like muzzle, underbarrel, and stock can all be applied to the Ferro. ARC Raiders‘ gun modifications are often very useful, and they can make a big difference for the Ferro, even if they are the common versions of these parts. The base ones available at the Gunsmith as soon as the bench is unlocked are:

Muzzle Brake 1: 15% Reduced Vertical Recoil, 15% Reduced Horizontal Recoil
- Cost: 6x Metal Parts, 1x Wires
Vertical Grip 1: 20% Reduced Vertical Recoil
- Cost: 6x Plastic Parts, 1x Duct Tape
Stable Stock 1: 20% Reduced Recoil Recovery Time, 20% Reduced Dispersion Recovery Time
- Cost: 7x Rubber Parts, 1x Duct Tape

The Best Alternatives to ARC Raiders’ Ferro

There are alternatives to ARC Raiders‘ Ferro, and for those who already have the blueprint or enough currency to buy it from Tian Wen, a great alternative or accompanying weapon is the Anvil. Since the Ferro is a battle rifle and the Anvil is a pistol, they have quite different stats despite both using Heavy Ammo. ARC Raiders‘ Renegade is another fantastic gun to use for all content, as it has a high fire rate and good damage per bullet, alongside very decent range, making it amazing for both PvE and PvP — even if it’s on the rarer and more expensive side. The Renegade is a Medium Ammo gun, unlike Anvil and Ferro.

Blueprints are easier to find in night raids, so you can bring a Ferro there to take care of Arcs or hostile raiders, and extract as soon as you find valuable loot — possibly the Anvil or Renegade blueprint.

The Anvil in ARC Riders is still an upgrade over the Ferro, even if not a massive one, but it’s very easy to acquire because it costs 15,000 coins from Tian Wen. 15,000 coins can be made in a run or two when looting residential areas, as they are filled with items that sell for quite a lot of money. The same can be done to purchase the Renegade, which is only 21,000 coins, but requires level 12 to unlock.

The Best Augment, Shield, and Utility Items to Use in ARC Raiders Are Already Clear

Why You Should Use the Looting MK 1 and Light Shield in ARC Raiders

The Looting MK 1 is arguably the best augment in ARC Raiders because it’s extremely cheap to craft or buy, and it packs a safe pocket as well as 18 backpack slots and 4 quick slots for a weight limit of 50. This can be crafted for 6x Rubber Parts and 6x Plastic Parts, which are essentially guaranteed to be in your Workshop after a run if you trained Scrappy in ARC Raiders at least once. What this means is that you can either craft the Looting MK 1 or buy it for just 1,920 coins from Lance after every run, even if you end up losing it.

A great alternative is the free augment in ARC Raiders, which doesn’t have a safe pocket, but it’s perfect for quick extractions or for some high-risk, high-reward raids, like night raids, electromagnetic storms, and similar events.

The same goes for the Light Shield in ARC Raiders, which is the only one you can use with the Looting MK 1. However, much like the Looting MK 1, it’s very cheap to buy or craft, and it’s great to pack on your raids because it’s expendable but still efficient. It costs either 2x ARC Alloy and 4x Plastic Parts to craft, or 1,920 coins to buy from Lance.

You Shouldn’t Sleep on ARC Raiders’ Light Impact Grenades

A huge piece of utility gear is grenades in ARC Raiders, and while you can use plenty of powerful ones when you get the blueprints or if you buy them from Apollo, the base Light Impact Grenades are amazing picks. This is because:

Light Impact Grenades deal 30 damage on impact, meaning you can throw them at an Arc and immediately deal damage to it.
Other common grenade or mine options are not as effective in the cost/crafting department or in terms of use:
- Heavy Fuze Grenades deal 80 damage, but explode after a delay
- Seeker Grenades deal damage to a nearby Arc, but they deal 20 damage instead of 30
- Snap Blast Grenades deal 70 and stick to surfaces, but explode after a delay
Light Impact Grenades are easy to craft, as they cost 2x Plastic Parts and 3x Chemicals to make, meaning you can probably make a few per run just from your upgraded Scrappy in ARC Raiders.
Throwing multiple Light Impact Grenades at bigger Arcs is quite effective due to how fast they deal damage, meaning you can expose their core faster and then unleash your guns into it without needing to reload.

The one scenario where a different grenade is always better is the Blaze Grenade against ARC Raider’s Leapers, as they are much easier to take down when they are engulfed by flames.

Bandages and Shield Recharges Round Up Your Free Loadout in ARC Raiders

Bandages are extremely cheap to make or buy, and they are found with ease in the game. You could theoretically pack no Bandages in ARC Raiders and still find them aplenty during your runs. However, packing three or more is great for emergencies. There are many better options, but they are more costly to make in terms of materials, and if you need heavy healing, there’s a chance the run is going south anyway.

Finally, the Shield Rechargers in ARC Raiders are some of the best utility items in the game, as they completely refill your Light Shield even if it’s all out of power. The annoying part is that they need ARC Powercells to make, and if you want to do quick, efficient runs, going about the map to find them is not ideal. Luckily, they can be bought for 1,560 coins from Lance, which is great. And you typically only need two or three maximum on a given run, unless you’re actively hunting big targets or trying to take out other raiders in PvP.