ARC Enemies

There are several different ARC enemy types in ARC Raiders that you can encounter on a trip to the surface. From lightweight Wasps to heavily-armored Rocketeers, you'll have to destroy quite a few of these robots to secure rare crafting materials. This page details every ARC enemy type in ARC Raiders, including weaknesses and locations for each.

ARC Raiders Enemy Types

These are all the ARC enemy types in ARC Raiders.

Wasp

The Wasp is the basic ARC drone that you'll see in every single raid. They tend to fly in groups, occasionally with an armored Hornet leading the pack.

Wasps patrol the skies of each map, and they'll zero in on your position if they hear gunfire or other loud noises. Even sprinting too close to one can draw its attention. Wasps have very little armor, and their weak spots are their four thrusters.

Drops: ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Wasp Driver

Hornet

The Hornet is the armored cousin of the Wasp. It's a very common enemy that you'll see flying across every map, but in fewer numbers than Wasps.

The Hornet is equipped with a rapid-fire machine gun that can shred your shield in seconds. Its front two thrusters are also covered in heavy armor, protecting them from gunfire unless you bring a high-power rifle like a Ferro. To bring down a Hornet, target its unarmored rear thrusters.

Drops: ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Simple Gun Parts, Hornet Driver

Sentinel

Sentinels are lightly-armored turrets that protect high-value loot locations on each ARC Raiders map. You can find one at the top of the Pilgrim's Peak tower at the Blue Gate, for example.

They can spot you from very far away, making it difficult to get close enough to line up a shot. If you do manage to get close enough to a Sentinel, target its yellow fuel tank for an easy kill.

Drops: ARC Alloy, Advanced ARC Powercell, Sentinel Firing Core

Rocketeer

The Rocketeer is the most dangerous common ARC drone that you'll see during raids. It doesn't appear as frequently as Wasps or Hornets, but gunfire and loud noises will surely draw one to your location, especially on difficult maps like Blue Gate.

Rocketeers don't have any exposed weak spots, so you'll need to bring a weapon capable of piercing ARC armor to take them down. If you have a Ferro or another high-power weapon, focus your fire on its thrusters to bring it down in explosive fashion.

Drops: ARC Alloy, Advanced ARC Powercell, Rocketeer Part

Pop

Pops are some of the most annoying ARC enemies in ARC Raiders. These round little guys roll around the interiors of large buildings with high loot ratings, such as the Control Tower and Hydroponic Dome Complex on the Dam Battlegrounds map.

Pops have very little health and can be destroyed in just a few shots. If they get too close to you, however, they'll self-destruct and take out most of your health bar. To avoid Pops, listen for their loud rolling noises and shoot them before they can reach you.

Drops: ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Crude Explosives, Pop Trigger

Tick

Ticks are another variety of small ARC enemies that can primarily be found inside high loot POIs, particularly those shrouded in darkness like the top floor of the Dam Battlegrounds Control Tower.

Ticks can be destroyed quite easily, but they can catch you by surprise since their legs stick to walls and ceilings. If you're exploring a dark building, keep your ears open for the mechanical whirring of a Tick to avoid ambushes.

Drops: ARC Alloy, ARC Thermo Lining, Tick Pod

Turret

Turrets can be found on all ARC Raiders maps, particularly at medium and high value loot POIs. Unlike Sentinels — which can detect raiders from all directions and hear noises — Turrets can only spot you if you get caught in their scanning beam.

Turrets don't have very much health, but they'll immediately start shooting at you once you take the first shot. Their aggressive machine guns can easily down you in seconds, so wait for the Turret to stop shooting before you return fire.

Drops: ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell

Fireball

The Fireball is the Pop's annoying cousin. This is another round ball-shaped ARC drone that rolls around interiors with high loot values, but it doesn't blow itself up.

Instead, Fireballs are equipped with flamethrowers that will deal damage over time until you extinguish the flames. To avoid this, listen for their loud rolling noises and shoot them before they spot you.

Drops: ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Fireball Burner

Surveyor

Surveyors are rare ARC enemies that reward you with a wide variety of valuable crafting materials and resources — if you can catch them. They roll around just like Pops and Fireballs, only much faster.

Surveyors are hard to spot, but they occasionally stop their survey patrols and fire a bright blue beam of light straight into the air. If you spot that beam, you're close to a Surveyor. Since they're so fast, make sure you bring a sniper rifle or another high-power weapon to finish them off before they can escape.

Surveyor: ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Surveyor Vault

Leaper

Leapers are dangerous four-legged ARC enemies that are surprisingly common, especially near extraction sites. Their legs allow them to cover great distances and relentlessly pursue any raiders unlucky enough to get spotted.

Taking on a Leaper solo is possible, but not recommended. If you do decide to engage a Leaper, target its leg joints to immobilize it. Then, unload on its glowing central eye. Leapers are also weak to fire damage, so Blaze Grenades and Fireball Burners can help you finish them off.

Drops: Leaper Pulse Unit, ARC Alloy, ARC Flex Rubber, ARC Performance Steel, Advanced ARC Powercell, Explosive Compound, Mechanical Components

Bastion

Bastions are incredibly dangerous ARC enemies that stomp around high value loot areas like the Checkpoint in the center of the Blue Gate map. They're heavily armored and are usually guarded by flying ARC drones as well.

To defeat a Bastion, bombard it with grenades and try to get behind it to target its weak spots. Its rear leg joints are weak spots, and destroying them will reduce the Bastion's mobility even further. For the most damage, destroy the rear canister to reveal a barrel part that serves as the Bastion's ultimate weak spot.

Drops: ARC Alloy, Advanced ARC Powercell, Bastion Cell

Snitch

The Snitch is an unarmed reconnaissance drone that flies high in the sky of certain ARC Raiders maps like the Blue Gate. It scans the ground for exposed raiders, calling in other ARC enemies for backup if it detects any threats.

You can hide from Snitches by avoiding their line of sight with buildings and bushes, or you can shoot them out of the air if you have a long-range weapon. If you do engage a Snitch, make sure you can finish it off before it calls for help.

Drops: ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Snitch Scanner

Bombardier

Bombardiers are massive tanks that launch explosive rounds at any raiders in their path. These are some of the deadliest ARC enemies in the entire game, and you really shouldn't try to fight them without a decent squad.

To destroy a Bombardier, target its yellow leg joints to immobilize it. Taking out its leg joints will reveal unarmored weak spots that you can shoot for more damage. Once the Bombardier has been slowed down, you can target its rear cylinder to finish it off. A few key shots with a Ferro or other high-power weapon will make quick work of the Bombardier's rear weak spot.

Drops: Bombardier Cell, ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, ARC Performance Steel, Advanced ARC Powercell, Mechanical Components

Spotter

Spotters are tiny unarmed drones that target raiders so Bombardiers can attack them with their explosive payloads. These are the Bombardier's eyes, and their agility and small size makes it hard to hide from them.

Spotters can't hurt you directly, but they'll pursue you into buildings and behind cover to ensure the nearby Bombardier can keep track of you at all times. To destroy a Spotter, use a Ferro or other high-power weapon capable of piercing ARC plating. A few shots to the same spot will throw the Spotter off balance, forcing it to crash to the ground.

Spotters continually respawn as long as a Bombardier is active, so fighting them isn't recommended. Either deal with the main threat or run away and try to lose them.

Drops: Spotter Relay, ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Sensors

The Queen

The Queen is a boss ARC enemy that only appears when the Harvester event is active on any given map. This massive machine guards the Harvester, so you'll have to destroy it in order to safely loot its contents.

Destroying a Queen takes a full squad of coordinated raiders, and you'll likely need to work with other random squads to bring it down. The Queen will constantly bombard you with mortars that scorch the ground on impact. It also have a direct laser attack that targets any raiders in the open, also burning the ground on impact.

When you get close to The Queen, it'll deploy an EMP pulse to wreck your shields and stun you. It can also perform a ground slam that deals massive damage, so it's a good idea to keep your distance. Focus your fire on its joints to immobilize it, and then aim for its central core when you have the chance.

Drops: Queen Reactor, Magnetic Accelerator, Complex Gun Parts, ARC Alloy, Advanced ARC Powercell, ARC Motion Core, ARC Circuitry, ARC Coolant, ARC Flex Rubber, ARC Thermo Lining, ARC Synthetic Resin, ARC Performance Steel, Advanced Mechanical Components, Advanced Electrical Components

Matriarch

The Matriarch is one of the deadliest enemies in all of ARC Raiders. Introduced with the North Line update, this hulking machine can only be found when the Matriarch event is active on any of ARC Raiders' maps.

A bug initially prevented the Matriarch from showing up, leading the community to believe there was a puzzle required to spawn the boss. Embark Studios has addressed this issue, so the Matriarch will now appear normally when the map condition is live.

Defeating the Matriarch is no easy task, and it requires a coordinated squad of fully kitted-out raiders fighting side by side. The Matriarch fires several explosive rockets and AOE gas grenades that force you out of cover. Its entire body is heavily-armored as well, so you'll need to bring weapons capable of piercing ARC plating.

The Matriarch's weakness is its central glowing core, but getting close enough to shoot it can be challenging. Try having your squad grab the Matriarch's attention so you can get an angle on it. It'll also summon other ARC enemies to defend itself, so aggro management is key.

Smaller parts of the Matriarch will fall off its body as it takes damage, and these small piles of debris can be looted just like other ARC wreckage. The real loot comes from the main chassis, however, so focus your fire on the Matriarch until it goes down to get the best rewards.

Drops: Matriarch Reactor, Magnetic Accelerator, ARC Alloy, ARC Circuitry, ARC Performance Steel, Advanced ARC Powercell, ARC Flex Rubber, ARC Synthetic Resin

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