Raider FAQ

ARC Raiders is a third-person cooperative extraction shooter developed by Embark Studios. Players take on the role of Raiders fighting against ARC machines in a post-apocalyptic world centered around a settlement called Speranza. The game launched in Early Access on Steam in late 2025 and has become one of the standout extraction shooters on the platform.

No. ARC Raiders launched as a paid Early Access title. Embark Studios moved away from their original free-to-play model before launch. The game is available for purchase on Steam.

Yes. Update 1.13.0 (January 2026) added Solo vs Squads matchmaking. Solo players can enter squad lobbies alone and earn extra XP for doing so. The game is viable solo, but squad play is recommended for harder content like Queens, Matriarchs, and Stella Montis encounters. Check our guides section for optimized solo loadouts.

ARC Raiders is currently available on PC via Steam Early Access. The game is also listed for Xbox Series X|S and PS5, though the console release timeline has not been confirmed. Check the official Embark Studios channels for the latest platform news.

Arceology is an independent ARC Raiders content creator and fan project. This site features raider logs (story-driven field journals), gameplay footage, guides with real game data, and ARC Raiders-inspired gear. Arceology is not affiliated with Embark Studios — it is a fan-driven creative project.

Expedition is the seasonal character reset system. When you depart, your level, stash, inventory, loadouts, and skill tree reset. In return, you earn permanent rewards: up to 5 Skill Points (based on stash value), 12-24 extra stash slots, cosmetics, and stacking buffs for consecutive departures. It requires building a caravan through six stages by committing specific materials. See our progression guide for full details.

Extraction is how you keep loot from Topside. You need to reach an extraction point and successfully call for extraction. This alerts nearby players and ARC machines, so timing matters. If you die before extracting, you lose everything you carried in. Raider Hatch Keys (purchased from Shani) provide a quick, discreet alternative extraction method. Our maps guide covers every extraction point.

Merits are earned by destroying, assisting, and damaging ARC machines. During events like Shared Watch (introduced in Update 1.15.0), Merits are the primary progression currency. Merit thresholds unlock tiered event rewards including exclusive cosmetics and event-specific loot. No PvP Merits are awarded during these events — progression comes entirely from fighting ARC.

Map conditions are environmental modifiers that change how maps play. Examples include Bird City, Night Raid (which activates Trials at 2x), Electromagnetic Storm (also 2x Trials), Cold Snap, Harvester (which spawns a Queen boss), and Matriarch (which spawns a Matriarch boss). Some conditions are map-specific, like Hidden Bunker on Spaceport and Locked Gate on Blue Gate. Each condition changes loot availability and enemy behavior.

There are five main maps plus the Practice Range. Dam Battlegrounds is the starter map. Buried City unlocks after 8 rounds. Spaceport unlocks after 12 rounds and features the Hidden Bunker condition. Blue Gate unlocks after 18 rounds with the Locked Gate condition. Stella Montis unlocks after 24 rounds and is the hardest map with exclusive enemies like the Shredder. The Practice Range (4 rounds) lets you test weapons and mods. See our maps guide for details.

ARC machines use scanner-based detection with three modes indicated by color. Blue means passive patrol. Yellow means alerted and investigating. Red means combat mode — the machine has found a target and will attack. Unsuppressed weapons attract attention from farther away, and running is louder than walking. If you attack an ARC in Blue mode, it can skip Yellow and go straight to Red. See our enemies guide for full details.

There are five traders: Celeste Seed (basic and Topside materials, uses Seed currency), Shani (augments, weapon mods, medical items, Raider Hatch Keys, uses Security Cred), Tian Wen's Gun Shop (weapons, ammo, weapon mods, uses Coin), Apollo (gadgets and grenades, uses Coin), and Lance's Clinic (augments, shields, medical items, uses Coin and provides a free Loadout Augment). See our progression guide for full trader details.

Weapons can be upgraded at the Gunsmith through four levels (I-IV). Each upgrade permanently improves handling stats. Weapon Mods are separate — they are attachments that fit into designated slots and can be freely swapped. Legendary weapons (Jupiter, Aphelion, Equalizer) cannot be upgraded or modded. The Anvil hand cannon has a unique Tech Mod slot not available on any other weapon. See our weapons guide for the full breakdown.

The Escalation season is the current content season running January through April 2026. It includes regular updates adding new features, map conditions, enemies, and quality-of-life improvements. Recent updates have added Solo vs Squads matchmaking, the Trophy Display project, Bird City map condition, and the Shared Watch live event. Check our intel feed for the latest news.

The Raider Deck is a progression track where you spend Cred to unlock cosmetic rewards. Each Deck has multiple pages of rewards that must be unlocked in order. New Raider Decks are released with major updates during the Escalation season.

The Trophy Display is a player project introduced in Update 1.13.0 for hunting and mounting ARC trophies in your Raider Den. It gives you an incentive to fight specific ARC types and display your accomplishments.