Arc Raiders ARC Kill Guide: Best Strategies (March 2026) Full Guide

Updated by Sunny Kaushik
February 4, 2026
Gaming

If you’ve been spending your nights in Arc Raiders getting shredded by mechanical monstrosities, you aren’t alone. The ARCs (Autonomous Robotic Combatants) aren’t just cannon fodder; they are relentless, adaptive, and heavily armored. But here is the truth: every single one of these machines has a fatal flaw, and exploiting it is the difference between a ten-minute firefight and a takedown in seconds.

I have spent countless hours analyzing the top strategies, including the deep-dive mechanics from Deltias Gaming, and cross-referencing data from the official community to bring you the absolute fastest methods to dismantle every ARC in the game. This isn’t just about shooting them until they fall over; it’s about surgical strikes and efficiency.

In this comprehensive guide for March 2026, we are going to break down exactly how to handle every class of ARC, from the skittering pests to the massive fortress-class walkers. Whether you are playing solo or with a squad, these are the pro strategies that will turn the tide of the robotic war.

ARC Enemies Overview: Quick Reference

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of each machine, let’s get a lay of the land. Knowing what to shoot before you even pull the trigger is half the battle. This table summarizes the most efficient ways to handle the major ARC classifications you will encounter in the current build.

ARC Class	Primary Weak Point	Recommended Damage Type	Fastest Takedown Strategy
Scout / Drone	Central Eye/Processor	Kinetic (Rapid Fire)	Full-auto spray while tracking movement.
Stalker	Exposed Spine/Back	Explosive / Shotgun	Bait the lunge, then backstab.
Strider	Knee Joints / Rear Battery	Armor-Piercing	Sever legs to ground them, then execute.
Bulwark	Shoulder Vents / Face Shield	Laser / Thermal	Shoot vents when it overheats; tether shields.
Cradle	Underside / Cooling Unit	Heavy Railgun / Rockets	Use the Puck to flip it, hit the belly.
Harvester	Extraction Arms / Core	High-Explosive / Coordinated	Focus fire on one arm to stagger instantly.

Core Combat Mechanics for Speed

To defeat ARCs quickly, you need to master the game’s unique physics-based combat. The fastest kills in Arc Raiders rarely come from just holding down the trigger. They come from interaction.

1. The “Puck” is Your Best Friend
I cannot stress this enough: the ARC Launcher (often called the “Puck” by the community) is the single most important tool in your arsenal for speed-running kills.

Tethering: You can fire the puck at an ARC and anchor it to the ground or a building. This stops them from moving, setting them up for a headshot.
Tripping: Larger ARCs like the Strider or Cradle can be literally tripped by tethering their legs while they are moving. This causes a massive physics-based stagger, exposing their weak points instantly. This is often faster than trying to chip away at their health bars.

2. Environmental Kills
Why waste ammo when the game world wants to help? If you see a car, a fuel tank, or a rusty bridge near an ARC, that’s a trap waiting to happen.

Strategy: Lure the ARC (they are aggressive) into the environmental hazard.
Execution: Shoot the hazard, not the robot. A collapsing bridge kills a Cradle instantly. This is the “fastest” way possible—0 ammo used.

3. Component Destruction
Shooting the main body is for amateurs. The fastest way to kill is to target specific components to disable the machine first.

Guns: Destroy weapon arms to neuter their damage output.
Legs: Destroy leg motors to stop them from flanking you.
Sensors: Destroying head sensors often makes the ARC go haywire, shooting wildly or missing completely.

The Small Fry: Eliminating Scouts and Drones

These are the most common enemies you will face. Individually they are weak, but in a swarm, they can down you in seconds.

The Scout (Basic Drone)

The Threat: They zipped around, harassing you and calling in reinforcements.
Fastest Kill:Full-Auto Tracking. Don’t use single-fire weapons. Use an SMG or an Assault Rifle. Your goal isn’t precision; it’s putting enough lead in the air that one of them hits their central processor.
- Pro Tip: Wait for them to pause to emit a scanning laser. That 0.5-second pause is your window to delete them.

The Stalker (Stealth Unit)

The Threat: These units cloak and try to melee you from behind. They are terrifying if you are solo.
Fastest Kill:The “Backstab” Bait. When you see the shimmer of a cloak, don’t run away. Stand your ground and ready a shotgun or heavy pistol. As soon as they de-cloak to lunge, side-step and fire into their exposed spine/back battery.
- Deltias Gaming Insight: As noted in expert playthroughs, shotguns are inconsistent at range but devastating here. If you can predict the lunge, you can one-shot a Stalker by destroying their power core located on their back.

The Medium Threats: Striders and Breachers

These are the backbone of ARC patrols. They have armor, they have guns, and they take coordination to kill fast.

The Strider (Quad-Legged Walker)

The Threat: A mechanical dog-like creature that moves fast and bites hard.
Fastest Kill:Leg Severance. Do not shoot the Strider in the face; its front armor is thick.
1. Aim for the “knees” (the rear joints of the legs).
2. Use an Armor-Piercing (AP) rifle or LMG.
3. Destroying one leg causes the Strider to crash to the ground.
4. While it is struggling to stand, unload into the glowing red engine on its rear.
- Why this works: Grounding the AI removes its evasion protocols, turning it into a sitting duck.

The Breacher (Shielded Assault Unit)

The Threat: These units carry riot shields and advance on your position while suppressing you.
Fastest Kill:The Flank and Tether. Shooting the shield is a waste of time—it absorbs infinite damage.
1. Throw your Puck (ARC Launcher) at their feet or a wall behind them.
2. The magnetic pull will yank them sideways or backward, exposing their unshielded flank.
3. Alternatively, simply sprint past them (slide if you can). Their turn speed is slow. Once you are behind them, their shield is useless, and you can shred their exposed internals.

The Heavy Hitters: Cradles and Tanks

These enemies change the flow of the fight. You cannot run and gun; you must use cover and heavy weaponry.

The Cradle (Heavy Walker)

The Threat: A massive, tank-like unit with mortars and machine guns. It is a damage sponge.
Fastest Kill:The Belly Flop Strategy. This is the most satisfying kill in the game, but it requires perfect timing.
1. Aggro: Get the Cradle’s attention so it advances on you.
2. The Puck: Fire the ARC Launcher at the Cradle’s legs as it is preparing to stomp or step over an obstacle.
3. The Trip: If timed right, the tether will yank the leg out, causing the Cradle to flip over completely.
4. The Execute: Once flipped, the Cradle exposes its soft underbelly. This area takes triple damage. Empty your Heavy Machine Gun or Rockets into it. It will die in seconds.
- Alternative: If you can’t flip it, aim for the cooling vents on its rear. They open up every time it fires a mortar. That is your damage window.

The Bulwark (Mini-Boss)

The Threat: Heavily armored front, massive health pool, usually protects an objective.
Fastest Kill:Overheat Exploitation. The Bulwark relies on active cooling. When it fires its main cannon, vents on its shoulders glow bright orange.
1. Use cover. Only peek when it fires.
2. Snipe the glowing vents.
3. Destroying a vent causes a “stunlock” animation where the Bulwark malfunctions.
4. Call this out to your team: “Vent is open!” Everyone dumps ammo into that single vent. Focusing fire on one destroyed vent deals massive internal damage and can kill the Bulwark faster than spreading damage across its whole body.

The Apex: The Harvester

The Harvester is the ultimate challenge. It isn’t just a robot; it’s a mobile factory that deploys smaller bots.

Fastest Kill Strategy: Phased Destruction

You cannot kill a Harvester by just shooting its main body. You must dismantle it piece by piece.

Phase 1: The Extraction Arms
The Harvester has two giant arms used to grab resources and players.

Target: The shoulder joints of the arms.
Weapon: High-caliber Sniper Rifle or Rockets.
Why: Destroying an arm reduces its grab range and causes it to stagger. Destroying both arms forces the Harvester into a “Rage Mode” where it charges you—but it loses its ability to deploy smaller bots.

Phase 2: The Rage Mode Stagger
Once the arms are gone, the Harvester will charge. This seems dangerous, but it’s a trap.

Action: Lay mines or throw C4 (proximity explosives) in its path.
Result: The explosion will cause the Harvester to faceplant, exposing its core.

Phase 3: The Core
With the Harvester on its knees, a massive glowing core will be visible in its chest/chassis.

Action: All remaining team members (or you, if solo) must fire specifically at this core.
Damage: Core damage ignores armor. If you have a railgun, this is the time to use it. A fully charged railgun shot to the core during this stagger can remove 30-40% of its health instantly.

Recommended Loadouts for Speed

To execute these strategies, you need the right tools. Here is the “Meta” loadout for efficiency in 2026.

Primary Weapon: The Arc-7 Carbine.

Why: It offers a perfect balance of fire rate and mobility. It allows you to shred Scouts and still put damage into Strider legs without stopping.

Secondary Weapon: The Punisher Shotgun or Hornet SMG.

Why: You need a close-range “panic button” for Stalkers. The Punisher wins if you can aim, but the Hornet is more forgiving.

Heavy/Gadget: ARC Launcher (The Puck) and Proximity Mines.

Why: The Puck is non-negotiable for this guide. It creates the openings you need to kill fast. Mines are the best way to deal with charging Harvester phases or to trap doorways against swarms.

Equipment: Health Stim Pack (Large) and Grappling Hook.

Why: Mobility is life. The Grappling Hook allows you to reach the high ground where you can shoot down onto the weak points of Cradles and Bulwarks.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

After analyzing hundreds of failed attempts (including my own), here are the things that slow you down the most:

Shooting the Shield: We covered this, but people still do it. If you see a blue energy shield, stop shooting. Flank it.
Ignoring the Adds (Small Bots): When fighting a Harvester, don’t ignore the Scouts it spawns. They won’t kill you instantly, but they will stagger you, ruining your aim on the Harvester’s weak points. Clear the trash, then hit the boss.
Hording Ammo: In Arc Raiders, ammo is plentiful if you loot. Do not save your rockets for a “rainy day.” Use them to stagger a heavy ARC immediately. Speed kills save you more health than hoarding resources ever will.
Standing Still: The AI in this game aims where you are, not where you will be. Constant movement, even if it’s just strafing back and forth behind a tree, significantly reduces the damage you take.

Advanced Tips for Seasoned Raiders

If you have mastered the basics, here are some advanced techniques to shave seconds off your clear times.

The “Mag-Dump” Sync: If playing in a team, sync your reloads. There is no point in one player shooting a Bulwark’s shield while the other is reloading. Call out “Reloading!” and wait. A synchronized mag-dump of 4 guns into a weak point is often enough to bypass a phase entirely.
Verticality: Most ARCs have poor vertical aiming. Climbing onto a shipping container or a rooftop gives you a massive advantage. You can easily hit the top-mounted sensors of Cradles and Tanks from above without taking return fire.
Lure Stacking: Want to clear an area fast? Fire a shot into the air to lure every enemy in the vicinity to one spot, then throw a single Proximity Mine or trigger an environmental explosion to damage them all at once. This groups them up for easy Area of Effect (AoE) damage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the strongest ARC in Arc Raiders?

Right now, the Harvester is widely considered the apex ARC. It has extremely high health and armor and can spawn smaller enemies, making it function like a raid-boss encounter in many missions.

Can you defeat ARCs stealthily?

Yes, but mainly against smaller ARC types like Stalkers and Scouts. Using silenced weapons lets you eliminate outer guards without alerting larger patrols. Once a loud weapon is fired or a trap is triggered, stealth usually ends and the fight turns into open combat.

What happens if you destroy an ARC’s legs?

Breaking the legs of bipedal or quadrupedal ARCs knocks them to the ground. While downed, they take increased damage and cannot use movement-based attacks. Some ARCs can still rotate their upper body to fire, so staying mobile is important.

Do elemental weapons work better against specific ARCs?

Yes. Thermal or Incendiary weapons are strong against exposed or organic components and can cause overheat effects on machines. Electric or EMP weapons are excellent for disabling shields and temporarily locking robotic movement, creating openings to hit weak points.

Is it better to play solo or with a team for speed?

A coordinated team is generally faster for combat-heavy missions, since players can split roles like tethering and targeting weak points. Solo play, however, allows for quieter and more stealth-focused routes that can sometimes complete objectives faster by avoiding fights altogether.

Conclusion

Mastering the “Fastest Ways to Defeat Every ARC” in Arc Raiders isn’t about having the biggest gun; it’s about battlefield awareness. It’s about knowing that a Strider is weak in the knees, a Cradle is weak on its belly, and a Bulwark is weak right after it fires.

Use the environment. Use your Puck. And most importantly, aim for the weak points. The machines may be relentless, but they are predictable. Once you know their patterns, you will dismantle them like scrap metal.

Good luck out there, Raider. The resistance is counting on you.