ARC Raiders: What Gear Should Beginners Bring?

What scares new players off ARC Raiders isn't the machines, it's not knowing what to bring into a raid. My first run, I cluelessly loaded up with a bunch of good stuff, got wiped within minutes, and lost all of it. I nearly uninstalled. Later I figured out that this game's beginner gear logic runs opposite to other shooters: the cheaper and less painful-to-lose something is, the better it suits you early on. This guide covers what a beginner should actually carry.

Should Beginners Use the Free Loadout in ARC Raiders?

My answer is yes, and for your first several raids, free loadouts are usually the safest choice. Free loadouts are free to use with no cooldown in eligible raids, handing you a random gray weapon, a light shield, some ammo, and a few meds, enough to learn the map. The catch is that some special map conditions, such as Night Raid and Close Scrutiny, don't allow them.

• Free in most raids: No cooldown, no cost, dying doesn't hurt.
• You get a random basic weapon: Kettle, Rattler, Stitcher, or Ferro.
• No Safe Pocket: Death loses everything.
• Banned in some conditions: Night Raid and Close Scrutiny won't let you use one.

The biggest beginner trap is gear fear. You think the better your loadout, the safer you are, and then one death bankrupts you. The iron rule of this game is that death costs you everything you carry except your Safe Pocket item, so early on treat every piece as borrowed. The free loadout is perfect because it makes dying affordable, just remember the two map conditions that ban it.

What Weapon Should Beginners Bring in ARC Raiders?

On weapons, don't chase the expensive killers early. Build your feel first instead. Heavy ammo generally offers better ARC armor penetration than medium and light ammo, while medium ammo provides a balance between damage and penetration. However, actual penetration also depends on the weapon, so don't judge a gun by its ammo type alone.

• Rattler is the all-rounder: A medium-ammo full-auto rifle with balanced fire rate, damage, and handling.
• Stitcher is easy to use: Automatic fire, the easiest start, just lower damage.
• Ferro pierces armor: Heavy-ammo sniper that punches through ARC armor, slow reload.
• Skip Hairpin early: The silenced gun trades away too much.

My advice is to start with the Rattler to build your rhythm. It offers a good balance of fire rate, damage, and handling, making it a reliable choice against both ARC machines and other Raiders, and about eighty rounds of medium ammo is enough for a raid. Switch to the Ferro when you want to hit machines at range, but remember it's single-shot with a slow reload, so don't force a fight while alone. Treat the Stitcher as a training wheel until you're ready to fight up close.

Which Augment Should Beginners Choose in ARC Raiders?

Your Augment decides how much you can carry, what shield you can wear, and most importantly, whether you get a Safe Pocket. When picking an Augment, don't just look at inventory space, check for the Safe Pocket first. That matters more than anything.

• Looting Mk.1 offers the most storage: 18 backpack slots and 50 kg capacity, but only light shields.
• Combat Mk.1 balances protection and storage: Supports medium shields with 16 slots and 45 kg capacity.
• Tactical Mk.1 provides more quick-use space: 5 quick-use slots and medium shield support, but less storage.

All three Mk.1s have a Safe Pocket, and that's the biggest difference from the free loadout. A Safe Pocket lets you keep one item even when you die, so the moment you loot a blueprint, key, or rare material, stash it there. Pick Looting if you want to carry more loot, Combat if you prefer a balance between storage and protection, and Tactical if you need an extra quick-use slot for healing items or grenades.

What Other Consumables Should Beginners Bring?

Beyond guns and shields, consumables decide whether you extract alive. Bring bandages and shield rechargers, one slot each, and a slot holds five, heal with bandages first because when health is gone it's really gone, and shields don't regenerate on their own, they need a recharger. Bring a smoke grenade too, it saves you when you're pinned or reviving a teammate, and a lure grenade is great for pulling machines away. Binoculars barely take space, use them early to scout extraction points, which are the most likely spots to catch a bullet. Remember, anything you can craft cheaply, bandages, light shields, basic ammo, don't hoard it in your stash, restock as needed. And save about 5,000 Coins for your first Stash upgrade.

At the end of the day, beginner gear comes down to one truth: bring what you can afford to lose, not what you'd hate to lose. Start with the free loadout, learn on a Rattler, pick a Mk.1 augment with a Safe Pocket, and keep bandages and shield rechargers ready, and you'll already be playing smarter than half the new players. Once you've died enough and know the map, you'll know which pieces of gear to upgrade into. Survive a few extractions first, that matters more than anything.