The best Arc Raiders skills for Solos and Squads

Unlock these skills first for the best Arc Raiders experience

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

What are the best skills in Arc Raiders, and which should you unlock first? If you want to find repeated success in Arc Raiders , you won’t just need the best gear; you’ll need the best selection of skills on offer too. The Arc Raiders skill tree branches out into three paths: the Conditioning path, the Mobility path, and the Survival path.

Every time you earn enough XP to level up, you’ll gain a skill point to spend on one of the skills in this tree. But there’s a large number to choose from, and the branching nature of the skill tree means you should always plan ahead. Which skills should you unlock now, and which late-game skills should you work your way towards as early as possible?

This guide is designed to give you a solid understanding of the entire Arc Raiders skill tree. Below we’ll list the very best skills in the game to unlock first, to give you the greatest possible advantage early on. Further below, we’ll guide you along the ideal progression path through the entire skill tree, giving you a handy resource which you can refer back to regularly as you grow stronger throughout your raids.

In this guide:

• Best Arc Raiders skills to unlock first
• Arc Raiders skill tree: Best path for Squad players
• Arc Raiders skill tree: Best path for Solo players

There are 45 skills available in the Arc Raiders skill tree, split evenly across the three different coloured paths. The green Conditioning path on the left focuses on how you respond to danger and physical stress. The yellow Mobility path, as you might expect, contains skills which improve your movement capabilities and your Stamina reserves. And the red Survival path enhances your looting and crafting abilities.

There are outliers which don’t quite fit into this categorization, but this should give you a general idea of what to expect of each path in the skill tree. All three branches contain very important skills, and I strongly encourage you to split your attention between all three paths, rather than trying to max out any one branch alone.

Best Arc Raiders skills to unlock first

Image credit:Nexon

The very best skills in Arc Raiders to unlock early are found in the Mobility tree, because your starting Stamina is very low and needs upgrading as soon as possible. After that, you can split your attention across all three branches. Below I’ve highlighted some of the most powerful and essential skills to unlock in Arc Raiders:

Marathon Runner (Mobility)

Marathon Runner should be your go-to skill if you’re just starting out in Arc Raiders, and you should invest all 5 points into it as quickly as possible. This skill reduces the amount of stamina you expend while moving around, making it noticeably quicker and easier to run at a consistent pace along dangerous tracts of open ground.

Youthful Lungs (Mobility)

Hand-in-hand with Marathon Runner is the next node above it, Youthful Lungs . This simple skill increases your maximum Stamina, which is a no-brainer for exactly the same reasons as I laid out above. More stamina not only means you can run further for longer, but you can also make better use of Dodge Rolls to quickly enter and leave cover during dangerous firefights with ARC or other players.

Effortless Roll (Mobility)

Effortless Roll rounds off the holy trinity of movement-based skill upgrades. Found further up the Mobility branch, it specifically reduces the Stamina cost of Dodge Rolls, allowing you to make use of them much more readily.

While you’re still relatively new to Arc Raiders, it’s very easy in a tense firefight against an enemy team to use up the majority of your Stamina reserves without realising. This skill could save your life in those moments.

Crawl Before You Walk (Mobility)

Crawl Before You Walk is only really useful if you have a squadmate who can revive you, but it’s a potential game-changer if you do. This skill increases your movement speed while you’re downed, which can make all the difference if you’re one of the first to drop in a team vs team fight, and your enemies are still too busy to immediately flush you.

Used To The Weight (Conditioning)

The very first skill in the Conditioning branch of the tree is actually one of the most useful in the game, in my opinion. Each point you put into the Used To The Weight skill increases your movement speed while you’re wearing weightier shields (Medium or Heavy Shields, to be exact).

It’s not a day-one unlock because you’re unlikely to have Medium or Heavy Shields at first; but as you start to gain these higher-level shields, it’s very important to invest in this skill to stay as nimble as possible, else you’ll really feel the weight difference in your slowed movement.

Downed But Determined (Conditioning)

Like Crawl Before You Walk, the Downed But Determined skill is absolutely essential for players who like to raid in a squad, but far less so for solo players. This skill allows you to survive for longer in the downed state before bleeding out.

Obviously you can still be shot by enemies while downed, and this will kill you just as quickly as always. But you’d be surprised how many times you’re left to crawl to safety during a frantic PvP battle, and Downed But Determined gives your team a much greater chance of turning the tide.

Loaded Arms (Conditioning)

Loaded Arms takes quite a lot of time to reach in the Conditioning tree, but it’s a splendid one-off skill unlock which makes your equipped weapon have less of an impact on your overall encumbrance.

You’ll know if you’ve ever absolutely stuffed your backpack with loot - being overencumbered is bad . You move at greatly reduced speed, you make lots more noise while moving around, and your all-important Stamina replenishes at a much lower rate. Weapons are among the heaviest items you carry with you, so Loaded Arms can make a very big difference.

In-Round Crafting (Survival)

In-Round Crafting can be found early on in the Survival branch of the skill tree, and spending just one skill point on it will forever unlock the ability to craft simple items such as Bandages, Shield Rechargers, Smoke Grenades, Light Impact Grenades, and other handy items. You should really pay attention to this ability, because the ability to switch over to that crafting tab of your inventory during a match gone south can be a real lifesaver.

Traveling Tinkerer (Survival)

Traveling Tinkerer is basically an upgraded version of In-Round Crafting. Found further along the Survival tree, it expands the selection of items which you can craft during a raid, provided of course you have the resources to do so. Going into a raid with a Free Loadout really isn’t such a big deal once you have the ability to craft essentials after just a few minutes of targeted looting.

Broad Shoulders (Survival)

Broad Shoulders may be boring, but it’s probably my favourite quality-of-life skill in all of Arc Raiders. Each point you invest in this skill increases the maximum weight you can carry, making it far easier to fill your backpack with the very best of the loot that you find without being struck by the horrors of overencumbrance.

Embark knew how good this skill is, which is why despite its simplicity they placed it so far along the Survival branch of the skill tree. Every player should max out Broad Shoulders at some point.

Arc Raiders skill tree: Best path for Squad players

Click here to view this image at full resolution!|Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

In Arc Raiders, you’re limited to a total of 75 skill points, which means you cannot unlock every skill in the tree. The very best path through the skill tree is one which finds a balance between the three branches, and wastes as few skill points as possible on “dump” skills which you’re only unlocking to reach further nodes along the tree.

I’ve included two ideal skill tree paths in this guide, because two skills I mentioned above - Downed But Determined, and Crawl Before You Walk - are only useful if you’re playing as part of a squad. If you’re intending to only play Arc Raiders solo, then consult the alternative skill tree below, which omits these two skills in favour of others.

Here’s our recommended progression path through the Arc Raider skill tree for squad players:

1. Nimble Climber 1/5 (Mobility).
2. Marathon Runner 5/5 (Mobility).
3. Youthful Lungs 5/5 (Mobility).
4. Agile Croucher 1/5 (Survival).
5. Revitalizing Squat 1/5 (Survival).
6. In-Round Crafting 1/1 (Survival).
7. Agile Croucher 5/5 (Survival).
8. Looter’s Instincts 5/5 (Survival).
9. Silent Scavenger 3/5 (Survival).
10. Suffer In Silence 1/1 (Survival).
11. Traveling Tinkerer 1/1 (Survival).
12. Broad Shoulders 5/5 (Survival).
13. Used To The Weight 5/5 (Conditioning).
14. Gentle Pressure 5/5 (Conditioning).
15. Proficient Pryer 5/5 (Conditioning).
16. Blast-Born 1/5 (Conditioning).
17. Fight Or Flight 1/5 (Conditioning).
18. Survivor’s Stamina 1/1 (Conditioning).
19. Downed But Determined 5/5 (Conditioning).
20. Unburdened Roll 1/1 (Conditioning).
21. A Little Extra 1/1 (Conditioning).
22. Loaded Arms 1/1 (Conditioning).
23. Revitalizing Squat 2/5 (Survival).
24. Nimble Climber 3/5 (Mobility).
25. Slip And Slide 2/5 (Mobility).
26. Sturdy Ankles 1/5 (Mobility).
27. Calming Stroll 1/1 (Mobility).
28. Carry The Momentum 1/1 (Mobility).
29. Crawl Before You Walk 3/5 (Mobility).
30. Effortless Roll 5/5 (Mobility).

The most important skills early on in Arc Raiders are those which improve your Stamina. This is why you should devote your first 11 skill points into maximising Marathon Runner and Youthful Lungs in the Mobility tree. After that, I recommend you switch focuses to the Survival skill tree, beelining towards In-Round Crafting before going back to max out Agile Croucher.

From there, the next priority is putting enough points into the Survival branch of the skill tree that you can unlock Broad Shoulders for increased carry weight - an essential skill for any Arc Raiders player - and Traveling Tinkerer, to increase your field crafting capabilities. Don’t sniff at the ability to craft during a raid - it can save your life.

Once this is done, it’s time to turn to the Conditioning brand of the skill tree, where your goal is really just to max out Used To The Weight, and then beeline all the way up to Downed But Determined and Loaded Arms. Then you can put your final few skill points into Mobility, unlocking both the larger mid-level nodes and then maxing out Effortless Roll for even more manoeuvrability in the late stages of your meta-progression.

Arc Raiders skill tree: Best path for Solo players

Click here to view this image at full resolution!|Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

If you intend only to play Arc Raiders as a solo raider, then skills related to being downed are far less important. They’re not completely useless, because you can call elevators and extract while downed; but if you’re a primarily solo player then you’ll be better served placing those skill points elsewhere in the skill tree.

This difference may sound small, but it makes a big difference to the order in which you should unlock your skills. If you’re playing solo, then mobility is even more essential than it already was as part of a squad; and there’s less impetus to work your way through the Conditioning branch of the tree. So as a solo player, you should make your way to unlocking Effortless Roll in the Mobility tree before moving over to Conditioning.

Here’s our recommended path through the skill tree for solo players:

1. Nimble Climber 1/5 (Mobility).
2. Marathon Runner 5/5 (Mobility).
3. Youthful Lungs 5/5 (Mobility).
4. Agile Croucher 1/5 (Survival).
5. Revitalizing Squat 1/5 (Survival).
6. In-Round Crafting 1/1 (Survival).
7. Agile Croucher 5/5 (Survival).
8. Looter’s Instincts 5/5 (Survival).
9. Silent Scavenger 3/5 (Survival).
10. Suffer In Silence 1/1 (Survival).
11. Traveling Tinkerer 1/1 (Survival).
12. Broad Shoulders 5/5 (Survival).
13. Silent Scavenger 5/5 (Survival).
14. Used To The Weight 5/5 (Conditioning).
15. Nimble Climber 5/5 (Mobility).
16. Carry The Momentum 1/1 (Mobility).
17. Effortless Roll 5/5 (Mobility).
18. Slip And Slide 2/5 (Mobility).
19. Sturdy Ankles 1/5 (Mobility).
20. Calming Stroll 1/1 (Mobility).
21. Revitalizing Squat 2/5 (Survival).
22. Gentle Pressure 5/5 (Conditioning).
23. Proficient Pryer 5/5 (Conditioning).
24. Unburdened Roll 1/1 (Conditioning).
25. A Little Extra 1/1 (Conditioning).
26. Loaded Arms 1/1 (Conditioning).
27. Blast-Born 1/5 (Conditioning).
28. Fight Or Flight 1/5 (Conditioning).
29. Survivor’s Stamina 1/1 (Conditioning).
30. Fight Or Flight 5/5 (Conditioning).

The differences are subtle, but there’s no point in wasting skills on being downed if there’s no one to rescue you. The points are instead spent further buffing Silent Scavenger, Nimble Climber, and Fight Or Flight. Quite pleasingly, this results in a skill tree path progression which splits your 75 points evenly between all three branches. A well-rounded raider you’ll be, that much is certain.

You may be asking yourself whether it’s better to commit more points to a particular branch so you can unlock the very final skills in the tree. This is a compelling prospect, but to unlock any of those final skills you need a whopping 36 points in that branch of the tree. This means you need to spend over half of all your points in just one of the branches, which forces you to leave behind a lot of very useful skills in the other two. None of the final skills are game-changing enough to be worth it, in my opinion. It’s far better to split your skill points more evenly across the entire skill tree.

Hopefully this has all helped you to get a firmer grip on the skill tree in Arc Raiders, and where you should be spending your first few skill points in the early-game. You should also check out our guide on all the Arc Raiders Blueprints and all the Arc Raiders Field Depot locations if you want to gain a further edge early on during raids. We’ve also got item guides on where to get Rusted Gears for upgrading your Gunsmith, and how to get Scrappy to max level fast.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

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