ARC Raiders: Every Beginner Weapon, Ranked

This article is part of a directory: ARC Raiders: Complete Guide & Walkthrough

If you're looking for polished military-grade weapons, you won't find them here. Built from scavenged parts, the rusted guns in ARC Raiders aren't much to look at, but they get the job done, and they're all that's stopping you from being another casualty to the ARCs.

ARC Raiders: 10 Essential Beginner Tips

A detailed guide on how to survive in a dystopian future-Earth.

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By Miller Reynolds

There's an extensive arsenal of weapons, attachments, throwables, and upgrade options in ARC Raiders, but it will take quite a bit of work to unlock the most powerful end-game guns.

In order to achieve those goals and become the greatest Raider you can be, you'll need to play smart, stockpile resources, and build new workbenches, but first, and most importantly, you need to know your weapons.

5 Hairpin

Dystopian James Bond

If stealth is your jam, the hairpin will be your best friend. This silenced pistol has a very low fire rate and mediocre damage, but its utility is its saving grace. Upgrading the hairpin to level two will go a long way, as it will increase your fire rate by 10% and decrease your reload time by 13%.

In those tricky situations where other players are nearby, and you don't want to give away your location, you can use the hairpin to take out ARCs in your path, as well as cameras or alarms. It's tricky to use in PvP, but if you're patient enough and prefer a stealthy approach, it's a solid choice.

4 Stitcher

Spray And Pray

Resembling a staple gun of sorts, the Stitcher is a fully-automatic SMG, perfect for close-quarter combat, but it's weak against armored ARCs and only comes with a 20-round mag.

It's a solid choice for players who gravitate towards rapid-fire guns, and you can attach compensators, mags, grips, or stocks to it and upgrade them via the gunsmith station.

It's also good to note that the stitcher has high agility, which means it won't slow you down as much as the bigger guns, making it a very viable dystopian SMG.

3 Kettle

Satisfying Semi-Auto

Pour me a cup of tea—the kettle is hot. This semi-automatic assault rifle is great for close to mid-range battles and is probably the most well-rounded early-game weapon of the bunch.

The kettle has great accuracy and fire-rate, but it does take quite a bit of time to reload. Damage isn't overly high, but if you can manage to upgrade it to level 2 and attach a larger mag, it's a formidable AR.

2 Rattler

Obnoxiously Loud, Very Effective

The Rattler assault rifle has been one of my go-to primary weapons for most of my time in ARC Raiders thus far, and it's a solid choice if you like the sounds of a loud, aggressive, dependable AR.

The downside of this dusty dystopian assault rifle is that the base gun only has a 10-round magazine, and the reload time is fairly long, so I recommend upgrading it to level two, which will give you an additional four rounds to work with.

1 Ferro

Devastating Damage, Painful Reload Time

Give a raider a few pieces of metal and some rubber—they'll make you a gun. The Ferro is the early-game sniper, which has been an extension of my body since the game came out.

In my opinion, the Ferro is the best early-game gun in ARC Raiders, especially when you pair it with something with a higher fire-rate.

The downside is that reloading takes a very long time, but landing one headshot on an enemy player to start off a battle will give you an immense advantage, so it's definitely worth it.

My favorite early-game primary/secondary combo is rattler/ferro, but occasionally I switch out the rattler for an upgraded kettle.

Light impact grenades are another valuable early-game tool that can be crafted in your workbench. Fill your kits with plenty of ammo and meds, watch your six, and do what you have to do to make it back to Speranza in one piece.

Stay safe out there, Raider.