16 November 2025

ARC Raiders Players Should Avoid This Skin Like the Plague

By newsgame

ARC Raiders is a game that requires players to be prepared for both PvE against ARC enemies, and PvP against other players. While the community is split on whether PvP is needed in a game like ARC Raiders, it’s an inherent part of the current gameplay loop that all players will have to contend with if they plan on heading topside. However, their is a way to help differentiate between a friend and a foe when encountering other raiders, and it comes down to a community stereotype that has developed around a particular ARC Raiders skin.

Cosmetics in ARC Raiders largely have little effect on gameplay, with skins obtained from the Store or Deck offering no technical advantage in-game. There are some ways players can try to use their cosmetics to their advantage, such as choosing a color palette that allows them to blend in with the environment of ARC Raiders‘ maps. A new trend has emerged that has been causing some ARC Raiders players to shoot other raiders on sight if they are wearing a particular skin, meaning players averse to PvP will want to ensure they equip a different look before queuing for a match.

ARC Raiders Players Risk Being Shot on Sight if They Wear the Ryder Skin

The cosmetic in question is the Ryder skin, specifically when players wear it with the headgear on and helmet off. This skin can be unlocked through ARC Raiders‘ Deck, which is free for players to spend their Cred earned by playing the game on. This makes it a widely accessible skin, without the need to spend premium currency in order to obtain it.

Although this is the stereotypical way to wear the skin, any variation still carry a negative connotation that players should be aware of when equipping it.

Why the Ryder Skin Has a Bad Reputation in ARC Raiders

It’s become somewhat of an unwritten rule of the ARC Raiders community that players who are wearing the Ryder skin are untrustworthy and likely to spam the “don’t shoot” voice line, only to turn around and shoot the player in the back as they walk away. While this isn’t always the case, players wearing this skin have gotten enough of a reputation for engaging in PvP that a large section of the community has determined that it’s better to shoot them on sight rather than risk letting them live only to have them get the drop later. For players who only want to engage in ARC Raiders PvE, avoiding this skin is not a guarantee of safety, but it will certainly make them more likely to be seen as friendly.

Alternative Skins that Friendly ARC Raiders Players Should Wear to Avoid PvP

ARC Raiders Fighting The First Wave of ARC Enemies

While the Ryder skin has gained an unfavorable reputation among ARC Raiders players, there are a few skins that have the opposite reputation and are generally perceived as friendly by the community:

The Voyager skin, particularly with the headgear on, is seen as the antithesis to the Ryder. It is the other skin earnable through ARC Raiders‘ Deck and is generally associated with helpful players who are looking to team up. The Driftcoat is a premium ARC Raiders skin purchasable in the Store for 1,300 Raider Tokens and is another outfit that comes with the reputation of veteran players looking to team up with newcomers and help them out against ARC enemies like Bastions or Leapers.

The Riot premium skin is one of ARC Raiders‘ most ridiculous, as it features the comical chest-high shorts held up by suspenders. It gets the reputation of being the outfit for players who want to embrace the goofiness of the game, and are generally more relaxed when it comes to ARC Raiders‘ PvP. These may only stereotypes developed by the community, but as more players embrace them, it may become easier to tell which raiders are willing to team up, and which are out for other raiders’ loot.