Arc Raiders: All enemies and how to defeat them

For a PvP game, Arc Raiders has a surprisingly chill community, especially when playing solo. However, that doesn’t mean you won’t face threats. The extraction shooter has a robust lineup of robotic enemies that can shred you in the blink of an eye. 

If you don’t want to return to Speranza empty-handed, you need to play smart. Rushing either human enemies or robotic ones can spell an end to your run. So make sure you properly scout and spot enemies before engaging. Learn about all Arc Raiders enemies and the best ways to take them down to consistently exfil with your loot. 

Wasp is a drone-type enemy that’s going to sting you the most in Arc Raiders. While it doesn’t pose much of a threat, its fast-firing gun can shred you if you aren’t careful. It is easy to take down, but deadly in a group. Thankfully, the wasp is not tanky, so that any weapon can take it down easily. Shoot at its thrusters, and it is as good as dead. 

The Hornet is a buffed Wasp with extra firepower and electrical shocks. The shocks can reduce movement, making you a slow-moving duck, ripe for third-party bullet showers. It’s one of the annoying Arc Raiders gameplay elements, but only when it happens to you. So stick to cover and try to take out its twin thrusters on the back. Unlike the Wasp, Hornet’s front thrusters are protected. 

The Tick is like the Crab enemy from Half-Life and is usually found inside buildings. The Tick is nimble and agile, capable of covering distances quickly. It jumps on you and continuously does damage until you throw it off. Its biggest weapon is its speed; it can be challenging to shoot, especially when playing the Arc Raiders PlayStation or Xbox version. A good swing from your melee weapon is enough to break it. 

Pod is more of a fast mine than anything else. It can come after you and explode in your face, doing plenty of damage to your shield and health. A single Pod is easy to take down, but these exploding boys like to roam in a gang most of the time. Thankfully, the Arc Raiders game keeps things fair. A couple of shots from any gun is more than enough to take it down. Make sure you don’t miss, though. 

The Fireball is a fast-moving ground enemy that can engulf you in flames. Fire damage can burn through your health rapidly, so make sure you bring heavy weapons to take it down. If you don’t have a heavy weapon, it’s better to wait for the Fireball to expose its weak spot (its core) and dump light ammo on it. 

The Turret is found across rooms on the Arc Raiders map. The Turret is easy to spot thanks to its massive blue torchlight. Once the turret spots you, the light turns red, and it rains bullets on you. Stay out of its line of sight and shoot it down quickly. Light ammo works, but Heavy ammo can explode the Turret faster. 

The Snitch, as the name suggests, reveals your location to backup from the sky. While it can’t physically hurt you, it can call two Wasps and a Hornet to do the heavy lifting. The laser scan, while a significant inconvenience, looks stunning at night, making the Snitch easy to spot. Shoot the plating under the Snitch to take it down fast. 

You get the Sentinel by taking the Turret and giving it a longer range. The Sentinel is rarely seen inside large interior locations but is usually found outside. The Arc Raiders’ enemy shoots a precise sniper-like shot that does a ton of damage. The best way to take it down is to approach it from behind and shoot the yellow canister. 

As the name implies, the Leaper leaps on you like you are Goomba from Super Mario. It is a terrifying sight to see a leaper jump at you from across the map, especially if your adventurous friend shoots at it. You need heavy ammo shots to take it down. Aim for the legs first, which will reduce its mobility. If you have a team, focus on the same leg to take it down fast. If possible, shoot its face as well. Grenades will also help damage the scary leg monster. 

The giant robotic crab moves around outside and uses its machine guns to take you down. Only engage with this monstrosity when you have enough cover around you. Aim for the yellow weak spots on the legs. Destroy one leg, and the Bastion drops down for a little while, giving you time to deal some real damage. Once down, get behind the enemy and shoot the yellow canister on the back. 

The Bombardier is a Bastion in different clothing and with 100% more explosive power. The mortar fire from this big robot is hard to avoid; a direct hit is devastating. Soulslike players may have the reflexes to dodge out of explosions, but for the less adventurous raiders, I recommend sticking to covers. That’s a general tip in Arc Raiders: cover is your best friend. The spotters on it call the shots, so avoid being spotted at all costs. Take shots at the leg joints, bring it down, and rain firepower at the yellow canister on its back. 

Evolve a Wasp to get a Hornet, and evolve a Hornet to get this nightmare. The flying Arc Raiders enemy can wipe you off the map in seconds. If spotted, your best bet is to hide inside a building; even then, you aren’t safe from its wrath. No, rolls won’t help with this enemy either; it’s rockets that do a decent splash damage. 

To take it out, you need to remove its armour plating from the thruster. Use grenades and heavy ammo to shoot the inner metallic parts. Use a Wolfpack grenade, but make sure the Rocketeer is alone before doing so. 

The Queen is the Metal Gear of Arc Raiders —a huge ARC that requires multiple teams to take down. The Queen only appears during the Harvester map condition, so you won’t have to fight it in all games. It has lasers and mortars to wipe out entire squads, so come prepared. Target the legs and its face to strip armour. 

Once the inards are exposed, give it all you’ve got to take it down. Bring heavy weapons, ideally grenades and Hullcracker if you want to fight the Queen. Even then, it’s going to be a long fight.

Arc Raiders multiplayer is fun, not because of PvP but because the PvE elements are also unforgiving. There’s always room for cooperation between random players. Unlike humans, who can betray you, the robots are consistent in their mission to wipe you off the map. Learning which weapons do the most damage to which robotic part makes it easy to take the ARCs down. Make sure you go prepared for the fight, and you’ll most likely come out unscathed.