The Best Weapons To Use For PvE In Arc Raiders

In Arc Raiders, there are a lot of dangers you will face when exploring topside, but the most prevalent are the AI enemies known as ARC. These menacing robots come in all shapes and sizes, providing a variety of challenges that players will need to overcome if they want to return to Speranza with all their loot.

To combat these mechanical monsters, you’ll have access to a variety of different weapons. However, not all firearms are created equal, and some are simply better for fighting other players than ARC. So you know what to bring in, here’s a tier list of all the weapons so you know which one is best for blasting bots.

Overall PvE Weapon Tier List

Before we get into the actual tier list, it’s important to understand what we are evaluating the different weapons on. The first thing will be, unsurprisingly, judging the firearm on how it best performs in PvE scenarios. How it performs against players is not relevant here. If you’re looking to slay some Raiders, we have a separate tier list for the best PvP guns.

Additionally, factors such as damage, flexibility, ammo efficiency, and accessibility will also be hghly considered in how each gun is judged. We will also only be evaluating the weapons in their base forms without any additional attachments or upgrades. While it’s absolutely true that some firearms become even better the more you invest in them, not everyone has the amount of materials necessary to consistently achieve this.

There are a lot of guns in Arc Raiders, and while some may be better than others, this shouldn’t completely dictate what you always run. If there’s a weapon you love and enjoy using, then there’s nothing wrong with bringing it into a raid. Just understand that some are way more efficient at killing ARC than others.

Here’s a quick look at where each weapon falls in our tier list for PvE:

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S-Tier

Hullcracker

The king of the mountain for PvE, the Hullcracker is a grenade launcher that’s specifically designed for taking down ARC of all sizes. With a base magazine of five, the Hullcracker can efficiently clear out either a swarm of Hornets or take down some larger prey such as a Bastion or Leaper. Widely used against boss enemies such as the Queen or Matriarch, the Hullcracker is superb thanks to its high armor penetration, blast radius, and damage output. You also get a guaranteed blueprint for this gun by completing a specific quest or you can buy it from the vendors, making it easily accessible and an extremely potent PvE weapon that almost anyone can get.

Bettina

There was a time when the Bettina wouldn’t be this high, but thanks to the changes to its durability, this Heavy ammo assault rifle is another fantastic option for fighting ARC. Offering a slow fire rate for high damage, the Bettina is great for targeting enemy ARC weak points and quickly killing them. It’s a solid weapon for almost every type of ARC. However, since it uses Heavy ammo, managing all that inventory space can be a bit tricky. However, if you can run a higher-tier argument, this can be offset and really makes the Bettina shine.

Anvil

My go-to choice for fighting ARC, the Anvil is a Heavy ammo revolver that boasts strong damage output, a decent fire rate, great accuracy, and is easily accessible to most players. Great for enemies such as Hornets, Wasps, Fireballs, Shredders, and even Bastions, the Anvil’s precision and range let you exploit specific weaknesses with ease. While it may not have the severe punch of the Hullcracker, for normal day-to-day raids, this is probably the best PvE weapon in the game.

Renegade

Another fantastic option for PvE, this lever-action rifle fires Medium Ammo and, while lacking the sheer stopping power of Heavy Ammo guns, makes up for it with a solid fire rate and amazing range. Letting you swiftly destroy most run-of-the-mill ARC, the Renegade is a flexible weapon that’s great for most scenarios outside of bosses. With eight in the magazine, an accurate player can swiftly take out a small swarm of Wasps or other ARC. Plus, since it uses Medium ammo, the Renegade is super ammo efficient, as you can almost always just get away with a couple stacks of ammo for an entire raid.

Ferro

The cheapest and easiest to obtain weapon in S-Tier, the Ferro is a fantastic budget gun that does a surprising amount of damage, compensating for its single-shot firing capability. While you do have to reload after each round, the Ferro is great for taking down your run-of-the-mill ARC while not blowing through all your ammo quickly. Plus, the Ferro can appear in a Free Loadout, making it ideal for those who are either struggling financially or seeking to rebuild a substantial stockpile. Its only downside is the single-fire nature of the gun means it’s not great against swarms of enemies or much tougher ARC.

Jupiter

From the cheapest to one of the most expensive, the Jupiter is the first legendary gun on our list. The strongest gun in the game when it comes down to raw damage numbers, the Jupiter will obliterate anything in front of it. While there is a brief charge-up time before you can fire, the Jupiter’s power is well worth the delay. The heavy armor puncture damage also lets you quickly strike the core of ARC, making it fantastic for big targets like Leapers, Rocketeers, or Bastions. Its only downside is the weapon’s availability, as getting the blueprint requires completion of the Harvester puzzle and finding it on someone is even rarer!

A-Tier

Venator

The Venator is a potent firearm that is highly used thanks to its flexibility for both PvE and PvP scenarios. While most people use it for the latter, the Venator is surprisingly good at the former. This is thanks to a mix of its fire rate, damage, and accuracy at medium to close engagements. While you won’t be bringing this in to take down tougher ARC, it’s a solid gun to blast Wasps, Hornets, and other nuisance enemies during a raid.

Equalizer

Another legendary gun, the Equalizer, is another high DPS weapon that can be best described as a laser mini-gun. Capable of absolutely shredding through any kind of ARC enemies, the Equalizer is extremely strong and great for any ARC you come across. Similar to the Jupiter, the Equalizer can punch through armor plating quickly, letting you directly attack the core of whatever you’re fighting. However, where it struggles is the ammo economy, as this thing absolutely blows through ammo — especially against boss foes. While most people who have this gun can afford it, there is a decent amount of inventory space you’ll need to commit to it.

Tempest

The second-best assault rifle in the game form PVE, the Tempest has moderate armor penetration, a good, controllable fire rate, and solid damage. With a base magazine of 25, the Tempest is similar to the Renegade or Anvil in that it’s great for normal raids where you need to engage a lot of low to mid-tier ARC. Being an assault rifle, it’s easy to move from target to target, allowing it to defeat a group of foes quickly. However, it does struggle a bit at range, and the lack of heavy armor penetration can make it not as effective against some of the tougher, bulkier bots.

Aphelion

The Aphelion is similar to the Jupiter as it sacrifices a high fire rate for a slow, but devastating shot. Firing two rounds per shot, the Aphelion has a bit of a learning curve when it comes to controlling the weapon’s recoil and consistently landing that second round. However, for those willing to take the time and learn the gun, this legendary rifle can easily punch through most ARC in seconds. It’s also the most accessible legendary blueprint to obtain, as it can drop in Stella Montis, making it something most players can acquire by just grinding the map.

B-Tier

Torrente

There’s something very satisfying about killing something with the Torrente. One of two light machine guns in the game, the Torrente sacrifices accuracy and range for fire rate and damage at close range. This weapon completely spews out bullets and, within ten meters, will evaporate most normal ARC in a short burst. While this makes it great for when you’re in an enclosed space or your target is close, the Torrente is not anywhere near as consistent when fighting at medium to close range. Plus, the need to carry a lot of ammo and low mobility of the weapon can make it tricky to use on more open maps like Spaceport.

Kettle

The current scourge of PvP, the Kettle is a semi-automatic rifle that boasts good range, accuracy, and decent damage for using Light Ammo. While the Kettle isn’t my first choice for PvE, it’s not a bad weapon when you’re in a pinch. The tap-fire nature of the gun makes it easy to target specific weak points on normal ARC, such as the Fireball’s core or the fans on a Hornet. However, its low damage output means it will take quite a few shots, even if you are accurate, to take down most of the flying ARC. It’s fine in a pinch or on a Free Loadout, but not something I would lean on specifically for PvE.

Burletta

Similar to the Kettle, the Burletta is a flexible weapon that can, when needed, quickly take down normal ARC. However, many of the same issues that the Kettle suffers from, so does the Burletta. It uses Light Ammo means minimum armor penetration, so it’s pretty useless against tougher ARC. Even though I do love this gun, it’s largely just good for taking down Wasps, Fireballs, Pops, and Ticks. I wouldn’t rely on it much for swiftly dispatching any other robots.

Arpeggio

Look, I know a lot of people clown on the Arpeggio, but the weapon is a very middle-of-the-road weapon when dealing with ARC. The burst fire nature makes it easier to control and accurately target weak points on key ARC like Snitches or Hornets. However, the gun doesn’t do a tremendous amount of damage. This makes it a tough sell if you’re going up against stronger enemies like Leapers or Shredders. Its armor penetration isn’t great when compared to other guns on this tier list, so you’ll largely just want to use it against your basic ARC.

Osprey

The Osprey is a unique weapon in Arc Radiers, as it’s the only gun you can actually aim down the sights on. This alone makes it extremely strong for targeting smaller weak points like the joints on a Bastions, but this comes at the cost of mobility and speed. Being a bolt-action sniper rifle, you’ll need to chamber after each round fired, which isn’t always time you have. That being said, the Osprey is amazing for dealing death at a distance, allowing you to clear out any ARC in your path. Of course, this is a double-edged sword, since the Osprey is terrible at close range and can be more of a liability if you have a ton of Wasps quickly flying around you.

C-Tier

Rattler

The Rattler is one of those guns that, if we include upgraded versions, might be a high B or even A-tier weapon. However, the base version of The Rattler is just okay. Yes, it can output some decent damage and a controllable recoil pattern, but the very low magazine size and even slower reload speed can make it difficult to engage multiple ARC at once. There’s a good chance that one clip might not even kill something like a Hornet, which is a pretty dangerous scenario to be in. Look, if you have a Rattler IV, then you’re not going to run into this issue; however, the base version is seldom worth running outside a Free Loadout.

Vulcano and Il Toro

I’m cheating a bit and combining these two into one entry. Shotguns, in general, are a bit tricky to use against most of the ARC in the game. While both of these deal a lot of damage, their limited range makes dealing with anything that flies (or anything you want to keep your distance from) quite difficult. Plus, the spread shot nature makes targeting specific weak points tricky, and you’ll struggle to dismember them. Both of these scatterguns are good on maps like Stella Montis, but there are so many other guns you should use over these when specifically fighting ARC.

Bobcat

The Bobcat is another weapon that suffers in its base form due to its extreme fire rate and low magazine size. Unless you are within five meters of the target, this submachine gun is going to miss quite a bit and more than likely not kill what you’re shooting at. This can make the Bobcat a bit unwieldy to use, as you will need to burst fire it against more mobile enemies like Wasps. Similar to the shotguns, the Bobcat is fine when you’re at point-blank range with something, but at any other distance, you should use basically any other weapon to fight the ARC.

D-Tier

Stitcher

This might be a hot take, but I find the Stitcher to just be deeply underwhelming in PvE. Yes, it’s fantastic against Raiders or just dealing with smaller enemies like Ticks, Pops, or Fireballs, but this gun isn’t good against anything substantial. Anything that flies can be difficult to deal with unless it’s hovering low. While some of these issues can be alleviated by upgrading or attaching a magazine to the Stitcher, it’s ultimately a gun much better suited to fighting Raiders than robots.

Hairpin

It’s the Hairpin. You’re either using it as a joke, are extremely broke, or trying to kill people for some clips. Literally use anything else, I’m begging you.

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