ARC Raiders Weapon Tier List – Best Guns for PvP & PvE

Choosing the best weapon in ARC Raiders is not as simple as picking the gun with the highest damage number. Every raid mixes ARC enemies, hostile Raiders, limited ammunition, crafting cost, weapon durability, extraction risk, and the possibility of losing everything you brought Topside.

This ARC Raiders weapon tier list compares all 26 live guns for PvP, PvE, armored ARC, budget runs, solo extraction, and expensive loadouts. Our overall tier is a practical recommendation, not a laboratory DPS ranking: it weighs combat performance alongside ammo, availability, gear loss, and replacement cost. The table rates ordinary weapons up to their standard upgrades; Amplified variants are considered separately because they can play very differently.

ARC Raiders Weapon Tier List: Key Takeaways

• Anvil remains one of the best mixed PvPvE guns, but it is Rare (blue) now; that changes its economy and replacement planning.
• Tempest is a strong flexible automatic primary, while Renegade rewards precision and range control.
• Dolabra is a premium close-to-midrange threat, with a much higher loss cost than an ordinary farming weapon.
• Bobcat, Vulcano, and Canto are extremely dangerous at close PvP distances. Their rankings drop when armored ARC and ammunition efficiency matter.
• Bettina remains a useful heavy-ammo PvPvE rifle, especially when fighting armored machines; it is not necessarily the best pick for dedicated Raider duels.
• Hullcracker, Equalizer, Jupiter, and Rascal deserve a separate anti-ARC evaluation, particularly after the 2.0 explosive and Jupiter armor changes.
• Stiletto is a lower-cost Light Ammo battle rifle; Bantam is a Heavy Ammo hand cannon for players who want an accessible alternative to the Rare Anvil.
• Ferro remains a strong budget choice. A cheap weapon you can comfortably replace may outperform an expensive gun over repeated extractions.
• Amplified Weapons open a fifth quality level for 15 guns. An amplified Rattler, Burletta, or Renegade may behave very differently from the same weapon at standard quality.
• Embark does not publish official letter tiers. Rankings here are editorial, activity-specific judgments supported by patch notes and current player/build testing, not developer-issued standings.

ARC Raiders Weapon Tier List – Best Guns in Update 2.2.0

The main table covers all 26 weapons available after Frozen Trail. Overall combines versatility, actual Raider and ARC encounters, affordability, and the cost of losing a kit. The PvP and PvE columns judge narrower activities; a launcher can be S in PvE without being a sensible solo primary. The ratings describe the standard weapon, not every possible Amplified upgrade branch.

Ready to equip a role-specific pair? Compare a chosen primary, backup, shield and augment with LepreStore ARC Raiders Loadouts. Pick your priority first: Raider duels, ARC hunting, or a mixed extraction.

How to read this: Anvil remains a strong mixed-role choice even though it costs more to replace after the rarity change. Bettina is excellent into armored ARC but less universally favored in PvP-only rankings. Stiletto and Bantam have useful jobs without displacing every older top-tier gun.

What Changed in the ARC Raiders Weapon Meta?

Frozen Trail 2.0 changed both combat math and what players can build. The official October 8 patch notes are the source for Anvil’s rarity, the Jupiter fix, and the new explosive-armor formula. Later updates 2.1.0 and 2.2.0 did not introduce another broad weapon-damage rebalance.

Two New Guns: Stiletto vs Bantam

Stiletto is an Uncommon Light Ammo battle rifle positioned as a cheaper early-game alternative to Renegade. It fits measured mid-range shots against Raiders. Light-ammo armor penetration is weaker than what you get from Heavy Ammo, so Stiletto should not replace your dedicated machine-killing tool.

Bantam is an Uncommon Heavy Ammo hand cannon, filling the approachable revolver role left by Anvil’s move to Rare. Its strong ammo penetration helps mixed raids; its short-range, deliberate trigger and hip-fire feel demand practice. We rate both new base weapons B overall, with activity-specific strengths, rather than labeling them automatic S-tier arrivals.

S-Tier ARC Raiders Weapons

Anvil – Best All-Round Value

Anvil continues to solve one of the most important problems in ARC Raiders: it deals meaningful damage to both Raiders and armored ARC while occupying a relatively compact loadout slot. However, Update 2.0 moved it from Uncommon to Rare, so it is no longer the same low-rarity budget recommendation as before.

Anvil is still light enough to pair with another specialist, rewards accurate peek shots, and hits hard for its size. Embark explicitly said the rarity increase was meant to adjust its place in the economy without stripping away its familiar combat power. Do not confuse the rarity change with a direct gun-damage nerf.

Why Anvil is S-Tier:

• Strong against both Raiders and ARC;
• excellent damage per successful hit;
• works well as a secondary weapon;
• good weight-to-power ratio;
• still more accessible than some premium weapons, but more expensive to replace than before 2.0;
• remains valuable in solo, duo, and trio play.

Main weakness: missed shots are expensive, and the Rare economy now demands more thought before using Anvil as a disposable sidearm. Embark also removed its Tech Mod slot; the old standalone Anvil Splitter became an Amplified Anvil upgrade path. Tian Wen no longer sells Anvil directly; stock moved to the rotating Nomadic Envoys.

Want to unlock its crafting recipe? You can order the Anvil Blueprint.

Renegade – Best Long-Range Meta Weapon

Renegade remains one of the most reliable guns for players who can control engagement distance. Medium-to-long-range Raider fights heavily reward high-impact accurate shots, and the Renegade is particularly effective when you can repeatedly expose, shoot, and return to cover.

Its weaknesses become more obvious in cramped interiors. If a Bobcat, Vulcano, Dolabra, or other close-range weapon gets directly on top of you, the Renegade can feel much less comfortable.

Best for: open maps, overwatch positions, players with strong aim, and loadouts that include a close-range secondary.

Tempest – Best Flexible Automatic Primary

Tempest remains one of the safest choices for players who simply want a conventional automatic rifle that performs well in most Raider fights.

It does not have to dominate one spreadsheet statistic to be meta. Reliable handling, useful range, automatic fire, and solid performance across many common engagements make it one of the least awkward premium weapons to bring Topside.

It is especially useful when you do not want to carry two specialized weapons.

If you want to craft Tempest yourself, you can order the Tempest Blueprint.

Dolabra – Premium Close-to-Mid Range Power

Dolabra changed the close-range weapon conversation when it arrived with Flashpoint. Its energy shotgun design gives it more flexibility than a conventional point-blank shotgun, allowing it to threaten opponents across more than one engagement pattern.

Its biggest disadvantage is not combat power — it is extraction economics.

Taking a premium Legendary weapon into a raid means every bad push, ambush, disconnect, or failed extraction carries a much larger replacement cost. Dolabra therefore makes the most sense when your objective justifies the risk.

A-Tier Weapons – Strong but More Specialized

Bettina – Strong Heavy PvPvE Rifle

Bettina is one of the biggest differences between the old ARC Raiders weapon meta and the current one.

After balance improvements, including the later fire-rate increase, Bettina is much more competitive as a general heavy rifle. Its strong ARC armor performance makes it particularly valuable in raids where you expect serious machine encounters but still need a primary weapon capable of defending you from Raiders.

Why Bettina sits in A overall: its penetration and armor damage are excellent, but Heavy Ammo consumption, movement-heavy Raider fights, and the performance of dedicated PvP weapons reduce its general-purpose edge. It remains an S-tier anti-ARC choice in this guide, not a universal S-tier PvP rifle.

Need the recipe for your next build? You can order the Bettina Blueprint.

Bobcat

Bobcat is effectively an S-Tier gun when the question is only close-range PvP. Its speed and pressure can overwhelm Raiders in confined spaces.

The reason it sits in A-Tier overall is ARC performance. Light-ammo weapons are much less comfortable when your raid unexpectedly becomes an extended fight against armored machines.

Vulcano

Vulcano is one of the most dangerous weapons when you can force enemies into shotgun range. Doorways, stairs, interiors, extraction fights, and aggressive pushes are where it becomes genuinely oppressive.

Open terrain is the obvious problem. Range control decides whether Vulcano feels S-Tier or mediocre.

Ferro – Best Budget Weapon

Ferro remains one of the clearest examples of why rarity is not the same thing as practical value.

It is cheap enough to bring into ordinary farming runs yet still hits hard enough that a poorly positioned player with premium gear cannot simply ignore you. It is also useful against ARC thanks to its heavy-ammo profile.

Its break-action rhythm demands discipline, but the combination of low investment and real lethality makes Ferro one of the best economy weapons in the game.

Canto

Canto gives aggressive players another serious SMG option. It works best when movement and close-range pressure allow you to compensate for recoil and keep engagements inside its preferred distance.

For general PvPvE play, Tempest or Bettina are safer. For intentional close-range fighting, Canto becomes much more attractive.

Hullcracker – Best Dedicated Anti-ARC Weapon

Hullcracker should not be ranked like a normal firearm, especially after the 2.0 explosive-damage rework.

Embark adjusted explosive damage to deal more than 50% extra damage to ARC armor plates, but roughly 30% less against fragile ARC parts. Hullcracker is better at cracking heavy outer armor, yet may require more shots against a small exposed weak point or lightly armored drone. Against hostile Raiders it still does not replace a conventional PvP firearm.

A Hullcracker loadout needs a plan for human threats. Also budget the ammunition: Launcher Ammo and Energy Clips have daily trader purchase limits after 2.0, while Hullcracker offers moved from Tian Wen to the weekly Nomadic Envoys rotation.

Rascal – The Lightweight Anti-ARC Alternative

Rascal fills a useful specialist role: anti-ARC firepower without committing to the full Hullcracker package. The 2.0 explosive-versus-armor formula matters to this launcher category too, so target armor plates and fragile components deliberately rather than assuming identical damage on every ARC part.

It is slower and less comfortable than the premium launcher, but that is not the point. Rascal is attractive because you can carry dedicated machine-killing power while keeping the rest of the loadout focused on PvP and extraction.

Jupiter

Jupiter remains a powerful long-range ARC weapon. In 2.0 Embark fixed its damage passing through to parts behind a target twice; the revised result is better damage against ARC armor but slightly less against weak spots. The weapon can still eliminate dangerous targets from a distance, but older weak-point clips are not a reliable baseline.

In PvP, missing a critical shot can create a large punishment window. That makes Jupiter considerably more skill- and positioning-dependent than automatic meta weapons.

To unlock the crafting recipe, you can order the Jupiter Blueprint.

Equalizer

Equalizer is a true PvE specialist. Strong armor performance and sustained energy damage make it excellent against demanding ARC encounters, while its weight, Energy Clip supply, and low versatility for ordinary Raider fights hold back its overall tier.

Its overall rating is limited by cost, availability, and the fact that many ordinary raids do not require this degree of specialized PvE power.

Best ARC Raiders Weapons for PvP

Raider fights favor time to kill, recoil, position, shield pressure, and how quickly a gun can follow a missed shot. The close-range PvP leaders are not automatically good against armored machines.

Best PvP Loadout Philosophy

Use two guns that cover different weaknesses, not two expensive weapons fighting for the same range. Renegade plus Bobcat covers long sightlines and interiors. Tempest plus Rascal covers ordinary Raider fights and a dedicated ARC objective. Stiletto plus a cheap close-range secondary is a lower-investment alternative, while a premium Dolabra makes sense only when the raid goal justifies losing it.

Amplified choices: a scoped Renegade and a basic Renegade do not have the same handling or slot tradeoffs. Likewise, a Full-Auto Burletta should be judged by its actual recoil and headshot changes, not simply treated as a faster version of the same pistol.

Best ARC Raiders Weapons for PvE and ARC Enemies

ARC fights reward armor penetration, weak-point targeting, and sustainable ammunition. In Frozen Trail, where the shot lands matters even more: explosive weapons are stronger against armor plates and weaker against fragile parts. Bring a dedicated anti-ARC gun only when your intended target and remaining inventory justify it.

For a big machine: strip armor and create damage windows with Hullcracker or Equalizer, but keep a second weapon for Raider pressure. For ordinary loot runs, Anvil, Bettina, or Renegade is less restrictive than carrying a launcher as your only plan. If you are using Jupiter, remember that the 2.0 fix shifted some of its effectiveness toward armor rather than weak-point overpenetration.

Against the new Bully, Skulker, and Hydra, plan for line-of-sight control and retreat routes as well as penetration. A premium gun cannot compensate for standing in the open with an empty clip.

Best Budget Weapons in ARC Raiders

Budget guns deserve their own ranking because extraction-shooter economics change what “best” actually means. Anvil is Rare after 2.0, so it is a value pick once affordable rather than the cheapest starting hand cannon.

A weapon that delivers 90% of the practical combat value at a fraction of the replacement risk can be more useful over twenty raids than an expensive weapon that spends most of its life sitting safely in your stash.

Ferro

Our preferred low-risk weapon for players who still want serious damage. Cheap gear does not feel harmless when the player holding it can punish a bad peek with a Ferro.

Stiletto and Bantam

Both new Uncommon weapons offer sensible progression steps. Stiletto gives new players a Light Ammo battle rifle for ranged Raider fights; Bantam offers a Heavy Ammo revolver with useful penetration and a more deliberate trigger rhythm. Neither needs to replace a carefully upgraded high-end gun to be worthwhile.

Anvil

Anvil offers strong long-term value after you acquire its blueprint, but the move to Rare and the loss of Tian Wen’s direct Anvil offers mean you should not assume it is as disposable as it was in September. Check your crafting materials and the rotating Nomadic Envoys before planning repeated Anvil runs.

Stitcher

Stitcher is no longer the monster it once was. Its headshot multiplier, damage, and dispersion were all addressed by balance changes.

That does not make it useless. It remains a practical cheap weapon for defending yourself inside close-range spaces.

Burletta

Burletta remains useful as a lightweight secondary or budget PvP weapon. Do not expect it to solve serious ARC armor problems.

Rattler

Rattler is still useful while progressing through the weapon ecosystem because it gives newer players accessible automatic fire without requiring a premium craft.

Its ceiling is simply lower than the current high-tier rifles.

Why Weapon Rarity Does Not Decide the Tier List

One of the most persistent mistakes in ARC Raiders weapon rankings is treating rarity as a direct power ranking.

That ignores how extraction games actually work.

The practical value of a weapon depends on:

• how reliably it wins the fights you actually take;
• how expensive it is to craft and replace;
• how much ammunition the raid requires;
• how heavy the weapon and ammo package becomes;
• whether it can fight Raiders, ARC, or both;
• how much an upgrade changes its performance;
• how painful losing the entire kit will be.

This is why Anvil and Ferro can remain extremely relevant beside Epic and Legendary gear, while a specialized Legendary weapon can be a poor choice for an ordinary loot run.

How Upgrades and Attachments Change Weapon Tiers

The weapon shown in a crafting menu is not necessarily the weapon you experience after upgrades and attachments.

Improved magazines, recoil control, handling, effective range, reload behavior, and other modifications can remove the exact weakness that keeps a gun out of a higher tier.

This matters especially for weapons such as:

• Renegade — better handling makes an already powerful ranged weapon far more comfortable;
• Anvil — improvements reduce the punishment of its limited capacity and deliberate firing rhythm;
• Tempest — attachments strengthen an already flexible rifle;
• Bobcat and Canto — control and magazine improvements matter heavily during close-range pressure;
• Rattler and other early weapons — upgrades can keep them relevant longer, while Amplified variants can change the entire role;
• Stiletto and Bantam — judge their upgraded normal versions against comparably affordable weapons, not against an ultra-rare tier V gun.

Do not compare a stock weapon against a fully upgraded or Amplified weapon and conclude that base tiers are wrong. Standard tiers I–IV improve the original weapon; an Amplified quality V can add a new fire mode, ammunition property, or range profile, sometimes with substantial drawbacks.

The Risk-Adjusted Weapon Meta

The strongest weapon on paper is not always the strongest weapon to repeatedly bring Topside.

Consider two questions before equipping an expensive gun:

1. Does this weapon materially improve my chance of completing the raid objective?
2. Can I replace it comfortably if this raid ends badly?

If the answer to the second question is no, a slightly weaker but replaceable weapon may produce better long-term progression.

This is particularly important for solo players. A solo Raider cannot rely on teammates to recover gear, cover a long reload, or protect a body after a trade.

Best Weapons for Solo Players

Solo loadouts benefit from flexibility because you cannot delegate weapon roles to teammates.

The strongest solo options are therefore weapons that can solve more than one problem:

• Anvil — excellent combination of weight, ARC penetration and PvP pressure when the Rare replacement cost fits your budget;
• Tempest — useful if you want one automatic primary for most engagements;
• Bettina — excellent for mixed ARC and Raider pressure if you can sustain the heavy ammo demand;
• Renegade — extremely strong if your movement and positioning allow you to preserve range;
• Ferro — a low-risk option when farming or rebuilding after an Expedition;
• Stiletto or Bantam — cheap progression choices if you understand their preferred range and armor performance.

Pure specialist weapons become more dangerous in solo play because the moment another threat appears, nobody else is carrying the tool you left behind.

Weapons That Are Better Than Their Overall Tier Suggests

Hullcracker and Rascal

Both are dramatically better when evaluated specifically for ARC hunting rather than general combat.

Bobcat

Overall A-Tier, but easily one of the strongest weapons in the game when the fight is already inside its preferred range.

Osprey

Players who consistently control long sightlines can extract far more value from Osprey than its general-purpose rating implies.

Il Toro

Its overall limitations disappear quickly when fighting around corners, doors, staircases, and other positions where opponents have to enter shotgun range.

Weapons That Old Tier Lists Overrate

Stitcher

Older guides often rank Stitcher according to its pre-nerf performance. Its damage, headshot multiplier, and full-spray behavior have since been reduced.

Kettle

Kettle can still reward accurate players, but its old close-range damage profile was specifically targeted by balance changes. It should no longer automatically be treated as an elite do-everything budget rifle.

Venator

Venator remains a useful weapon, especially as a lightweight PvP option, but historical rankings were influenced by a version whose PvP performance was strong enough to receive repeated nerfs.

If Venator still suits your playstyle, you can order the Venator Blueprint to unlock its recipe.

Amplified Weapons in Frozen Trail: Why the Base Tiers Are Not Enough

Weapon Amplification is live. Frozen Trail added a fifth quality level for 15 existing guns. It is not just a fifth bar of damage: selected branches can change how you fire, reload, aim, or specialize against Raiders and ARC. That is why our 26-weapon table rates the standard guns first and treats amplified builds as separate endgame choices.

How to Unlock Weapon Amplification

Unlock the Outpost and progress its Research Workstation and your Gunsmith. Advanced amplification uses the Research Station and Gunsmith upgrades, a compatible weapon, an Amplification Module matching its rarity, research, and rare materials. Standard guns generally need their tier IV upgrade first; legendary weapons have their own upgrade rules.

Some branches exclude others, and amplification choices cannot simply be undone like ordinary detachable mods. Check the exact live node, tradeoff, and repair cost before committing, especially if you plan to risk the weapon in PvP.

Which Guns Have Amplified Versions?

Stiletto and Bantam are new weapons, but they are not part of the original 15-gun amplification roster. Nor should you assume the base Tempest, Bobcat, or Dolabra has the same upgrade tree as an amplified weapon.

Amplified Upgrades Worth Evaluating

• Renegade — Scoped: a longer-range specialization that changes aiming and may trade away flexibility elsewhere.
• Burletta — Full-Auto: more automatic close-range pressure, but a faster trigger does not erase recoil and headshot penalties.
• Rattler — Drum Mag / Incendiary: a much larger magazine and burning pressure can give an accessible gun a new sustained-fire role.
• Anvil — Splitter: the former detachable Splitter is now an upgrade route for Amplified Anvil, not a mod you should seek for a normal Anvil.
• Hullcracker — explosive and reload variants: specialized options for armored ARC, where the 2.0 explosive formula and ammunition limits matter.

A fully upgraded amplified build can move up relative to the base table, but scarce modules, Research Points, wear, and repair materials are part of that decision. Current player reports are not unanimous about which paths repay the grind; no single tier V upgrade makes every gun best for all activities.

For the wider progression route, see our Frozen Trail Update 2.0 guide. If your bottleneck is unlocking the station itself rather than choosing a weapon, LepreStore Outpost progression covers station-leveling options; finished Amplified weapons are not included in that station service.

ARC Raiders Weapon Tier List FAQ

What is the best weapon in ARC Raiders right now?

For flexible mixed raids, Anvil, Tempest, Renegade, and Dolabra remain our S-tier base picks, but each has a different ideal range and price. A dedicated boss run calls for a separate ARC-focused weapon. These are our October 2026 editorial tiers, not official Embark rankings.

What is the best PvP weapon in ARC Raiders?

Bobcat, Vulcano, and Canto excel when you can force close-range fights. Tempest is a safer general automatic rifle, while Renegade and Anvil reward accurate shots and cover discipline. A PvP-only loadout does not automatically solve armored ARC encounters.

What is the best weapon against ARC enemies after 2.0?

Hullcracker, Equalizer, and Jupiter remain strong specialist choices. Explosive weapons now hit armor plates much harder but are weaker against exposed fragile parts. Bettina, Anvil, and Rascal provide different cost, range, and weight tradeoffs.

Did Anvil get nerfed in Frozen Trail?

Not through a direct damage reduction in the published 2.0 notes. Embark raised Anvil from Uncommon to Rare, removed its Tech Mod slot, and shifted its old Splitter mod into the Amplified Anvil upgrade path. The economic change makes replacement more expensive; its basic combat identity remains strong.

Are Stiletto and Bantam worth using?

Yes as affordable, role-specific Uncommon weapons. Stiletto is a Light Ammo battle rifle best suited to careful ranged Raider fights. Bantam is a Heavy Ammo hand cannon with useful penetration but a more deliberate trigger feel. Neither has to be S-tier to be a good starter or backup choice.

Can you amplify Stiletto or Bantam?

No. The launch roster for Amplified Weapons covers 15 other guns. It includes Anvil, Renegade, Burletta, Rattler, and several more; confirm future changes in the live Research Station.

Which Amplified weapon is best?

It depends on the branch and activity. Scoped Renegade can be attractive for range, while specialized Hullcracker paths fit ARC hunting. A Drum Mag or Incendiary Rattler changes a cheap gun’s role, but extra cost and durability remain important. Do not compare an amplified variant directly with a stock gun.

Is Anvil still a budget weapon?

It is a good value weapon, but Rare status means it is no longer the same cheap early-game hand cannon. Ferro, Stiletto, and Bantam make more sense if replacing an Anvil after each failed extraction would hurt your materials.

Is Bettina still good?

Yes, especially against armored ARC. Heavy Ammo and sustained fire give Bettina a strong mixed PvPvE role, but dedicated Raider-duel specialists may be preferable in purely PvP-oriented runs.

Is Rascal worth using?

Yes, as a lighter launcher for ARC objectives. It should not replace a weapon capable of dealing with hostile Raiders, and explosive damage behaves differently against armor plates and exposed parts in Update 2.0.

Are Legendary weapons always the best?

No. Crafting and repair costs, ammunition availability, weight, range, and extraction risk matter alongside damage. An inexpensive, reliably replaced gun can be the smarter choice for repeated raids.

What changed after Frozen Trail 2.0?

Update 2.1.0 fixed an unintended Hairpin Semi-Auto amplified headshot interaction. Update 2.2.0 included further usability and bug fixes, including clearer wording on the weapon Amplify action. The main new weapons, rarity adjustments, and explosive-versus-armor changes came in 2.0 itself.

Final Verdict

The current ARC Raiders weapon meta is healthier when viewed as a collection of roles rather than one universal list of strongest guns.

Anvil, Renegade, Tempest, and Dolabra are our S-tier base recommendations for different PvP and mixed-raid strengths. Bettina stays an important A-tier overall choice that can reach S-tier value when armored ARC is the main target. The new Stiletto and Bantam are useful accessible weapons, not automatic replacements for every established meta gun.

Bobcat, Vulcano, and Canto become top-tier in close PvP, while Hullcracker, Rascal, Jupiter, and Equalizer offer powerful ARC-specialist options. Ferro remains a sensible budget answer. Amplified variants can change that comparison, but they also introduce additional research, materials and replacement risk.

The best loadout is therefore not simply the rarest weapon in your stash. Pick the gun that covers the range you expect to fight at, gives you a realistic answer to both Raiders and ARC, and matches the amount of gear you are willing to risk before extraction.

Meta status: October 24, 2026; Frozen Trail Update 2.0 with subsequent official Update 2.1.0 (October 13) and 2.2.0 (October 20) fixes included. Re-evaluate build-specific ranks when Embark releases another weapon or amplification balance patch.