ARC Raiders Update 1.31.0 Advanced Tips: Skill Trees, Weapon Attachments, Coins & Barricade Tips for Fast Progression

ARC Raiders has seen a significant resurgence in popularity after Update 1.31.0. Numerous updates and balance adjustments have not only altered the current meta but also attracted a large influx of new players to this extraction shooter.

For new players, the biggest challenge in ARC Raiders is often not gun skill, but the information gap. After multiple updates and extensive community testing, many common beliefs about ARC Raiders have proven inaccurate.

If you want to accumulate wealth, acquire blueprints, improve survivability, and reduce unnecessary resource waste in the current Riven Tides version, the following experience summaries from long-time players may help you avoid many pitfalls.

Skill Tree

In most games, Skills at the very end of the skill tree usually represent the most powerful abilities, making them the primary focus for many players. However, in ARC Raiders, the opposite is true.

Currently, many ultimate Skills in ARC Raiders' skill tree do not yield ideal results. Some effects have demanding trigger conditions, while others are not well-suited to the game mechanics, resulting in practical value far below expectations. In contrast, many truly useful core Skills can often be unlocked midway through the skill tree.

Vaults on Vaults on Vaults and Security Breach are two mid-game skills that are well worth prioritizing. The former allows you to vault and climb without consuming stamina, greatly improving your mobility; the latter provides high-value ARC Raiders Items in Security Breach, and although recently nerfed, it is still far more useful than most ultimate Skills.

Instead of spending a lot of time and resources forcing their way to ultimate skills, it's better to prioritize mid-game ARC Raiders skill tree nodes that directly improve survivability, movement efficiency, and looting efficiency, which often yields more significant growth benefits.

Weapon Attachments

Many ARC Raiders players habitually believe that Tier 3 attachments are always better than Tier 2 attachments, but this is not actually the case. Different weapons have vastly different requirements for attachment attributes. While some ARC Raiders weapons, when equipped with advanced attachments, gain a certain attribute boost, their overall handling suffers because of additional negative effects.

Take the popular Tempest and Kettle models from ARC Raiders Riven Tides as examples. Many players instinctively choose Muzzle Brake III after obtaining a level 3 attachment, believing that a level 3 muzzle is always superior to a level 2 attachment.

However, while Muzzle Brake III reduces both vertical and horizontal recoil by 25%, it also increases durability loss by 20%. For players who frequently engage in long runs or PvE exploration, Muzzle Brake II can actually reduce resource pressure while maintaining stable handling.

Furthermore, many players prioritize stacking vertical recoil control, but for fully automatic weapons like Tempest and Stitcher, horizontal recoil is often the real factor affecting continuous spray accuracy. Many players in the community have also tested and found that reducing horizontal recoil makes the weapon's bullet trajectory significantly easier to control when holding down the fire button, with benefits even exceeding those of simply reducing vertical recoil.

For example, with the currently popular Kettle weapon, many long-time players tend to choose Compensator with a grip that prioritizes horizontal stability, rather than blindly pursuing the high-level recoil attachments.

This is because for mid-range automatic weapons like this, controlling lateral spread is usually more important than simply lowering the muzzle. The best approach is still to test it out in the training range and choose the weapon that best suits you, rather than blindly copying online build recommendations.

Coins

Many beginners will use all their ARC Raiders Items to craft ammo, healing items, and shield supplies, hoping to save money. However, the longer you play, the more you'll realize that Coins are actually one of the easiest resources to obtain in ARC Raiders.

Some ARC Raiders map areas have extremely high Coin yield efficiency, especially the new Riven Tides, where simple looting can yield many sellable items. Players familiar with the map can even complete a map run in minutes and consistently earn tens of thousands of coins.

Therefore, many consumables that can be obtained directly with coins don't need to be crafted using precious materials. It's usually more cost-effective to save rare materials for high-level equipment, crafting table upgrades, and critical blueprint production.

Barricade

When discussing the most powerful utility item in ARC Raiders, many players immediately think of Snap Hook. However, in the eyes of many experienced players, the truly underrated item is Barricade, a cheap, easy-to-craft deployable cover with extremely high tactical value.

Whether it's withstanding high-damage enemy attacks, blocking passages, creating safe looting spaces, or providing temporary cover in PvP combat, it plays a crucial role. More importantly, it's applicable to almost all scenarios in ARC Raiders, offering far greater value than many advanced tools.

Therefore, many high-level players habitually carry at least one Barricade as a safety net when engaging in high-risk combat.

Matchmaking Mechanism

ARC Raiders' aggressive matchmaking system is one of the game's most distinctive features. The system assesses a player's matchmaking tendencies based on recent behavior. Players who frequently attack others are more likely to be placed in high-intensity PvP rooms, while those who prefer a peaceful looting style will encounter more opponents with similar playstyles.

Experienced players have noticed that if you enter the map empty-handed for several consecutive matches, avoid initiating combat, and even if killed by other players, do not retaliate, the system will gradually lower your aggression rating, thus returning you to a more peaceful matchmaking environment. This is a very useful tip for players who simply want to farm resources and find blueprints.

ARC Raiders is not a game based on numerical superiority, but a survival shooter that heavily relies on knowledge and experience. For new players, avoiding pitfalls is often more valuable than frantically grinding for resources. Mastering these skills will allow you to progress in ARC Raiders much faster than most average players.