How to Take Down the Heavy Assault Mech in ARC Raiders?

The first time I ran into a heavy assault mech in ARC Raiders, I figured I could just pour fire into it and gun it down. A full magazine into its front plate later, it felt like I'd been tickling it, and it spun around and shredded me with its gatling gun. It took a while to figure out that these mechs don't reward brute force. They reward reading weak points, listening for tells, and controlling the pace. The Bastion in particular is a monster: a good player downs it in three minutes, a bad one gets dragged until they're out of ammo. Let me lay out how to deal with it in one go.

The Glowing Yellow Weak Spots Are Every Mech's Weak Point

No matter which heavy mech you're up against, before you open fire, lock onto the glowing yellow parts on its body. Those are the weak points the game marks for you, and that's where the real damage happens.

• The glowing yellow parts, leg joints, kneecaps, the canister on its back, the thrusters, are all weak points that take damage straight through the armor. The dark gray front plating has damage reduction, so regular rounds into it are basically wasted.
• Don't spray around aimlessly. Focus one weak point until it breaks; it drops the machine way faster than spreading your damage across several legs.
• If your gun's armor penetration is too low the rounds bounce off, so check your weapon's penetration before you engage, and swap to something higher-pen if you can't get through.

Once you internalize that rule, you've got a baseline for every mech in the game. The rest is just learning where each one's weak points sit and how to flank them.

The Bastion's Gatling Gun Is Deadly, but You Can Dodge It by Ear

The most common and most intimidating heavy assault mech is the Bastion, a slow but heavily armed walking tank that will basically delete you if you fight it head-on.

• Before it opens up with the gatling gun it lets out a loud screech, then sprays at the spot you were last seen for about three seconds. The instant you hear that screech, break line of sight behind cover, then peek back out when it's done.
• It has two clear yellow weak points: the kneecaps on its leg joints and the canister on its rear. Bust the knees to slow it down, and pop the rear canister to tear it open.
• Once the rear canister is destroyed, the armor plate on its back folds away to reveal a barrel-like core underneath. That's the real kill spot, so dump everything you have left into it.

One rule to remember: don't stand in front of the Bastion. Up close it also has a ground slam and melee attacks, so flank to the rear when you can, and if you can't, back off and work the knees until it exposes its canister.

To Kill It Fast, Lock It Down Before You Dump Damage

People who know how to fight the Bastion never rely on raw gunplay. They lock it down with control items first, then focus their damage on the weak points.

• Stun items work wonders on the Bastion. Hit it with a Showstopper or a Surge Coil and it sits helpless for several seconds, wide open for damage.
• While it's stunned, toss Wolfpack grenades at the legs and rear canister. One cycle hits hard and usually staggers it again for good measure.
• In a squad it's even simpler: one player kites and holds aggro while the rest rotate stun items and grenades. A three-man squad can tear it apart in under ninety seconds. Solo, lean on cover and play it slow, three or four minutes is enough.

EMP grenades can also temporarily disable most mechs, so save a couple for the nastiest one you meet. They buy you a window to either escape or unload. And if you genuinely can't win, don't force it. Taking the long way around isn't a defeat, resources are worth more than pride in this game.

Heavy assault mechs really just test whether you're fighting them on their terms. Read the yellow weak spots, dodge when you hear the screech, lock it down, then unload, and it's nowhere near as hard as it looks. A lot of people die not because their aim is bad, but because they're too impatient, charging in head-on and spraying wildly while burning ammo and time on its toughest armor. Get these habits down and the next Bastion you meet turns into a loot piñata you can calmly strip for materials.