On October 30, ARC Raiders planted its flag in the “extraction shooter” genre—a game about humanity’s struggle to reclaim the surface from the ARC that drove us underground.

In a perfect world, people would unite and rebuild together. But, as with most apocalyptic settings, even in a crisis, suspicion and competition between survivors never really stop.

The surface has turned hostile and cold—danger comes both from the ARC and from other people. What mindset do you need to survive in Speranza and topside? Here are ten commandments worth keeping in your pocket.

1. Strengthen your loadout through missions and vendors

ARC Raiders follows the basic rhythms of an extraction shooter. You take missions from each vendor and complete them for rewards—everything from weapons and ammo to backpacks, meds, and shield chargers. Early on, this is invaluable for shoring up shortages and learning the lay of the maps. Vendors also sell survival essentials—weapons, gear, tools—so you can flip loot for credits and make a big upgrade to your loadout.

2. Make full use of the Free Loadout

Unlike many hardcore extraction shooters, ARC Raiders offers a Free Loadout. In other games, when you’re out of gear you’re stuck doing a “naked run” or “hatchet run.” Here, you can take the Free Loadout, restock your stash, and bounce back. It’s perfect if you’re still learning the ropes and don’t want to risk a custom loadout, or if you’re trying to rebuild in the early zones.

3. Put your adorable Scrappy to work

Another way ARC Raiders stands apart is your cute resource-retrieval pet—the rooster Scrappy. After some time passes, Scrappy will bring you useful items you need in-game. His haul adds up, so check on him regularly. You can also level Scrappy up with items you find in the field. When you spot things like dog collars, lemons, or apricots, tuck them safely in your pocket.

4. Use movement tools at the right moments

In ARC Raiders, pressing H holsters your weapon and enables full sprint, which is faster than running with a gun out—perfect for breaking contact in a bad spot. You can also slide with Shift + Ctrl or dive with Shift + Alt. You can rebind these in Settings, so tweak your keymap and go into fights with controls that suit you.

5. Practice parkour and create your own routes

Following the obvious routes is safe—but if everyone uses them, you’ll collide with enemy paths and end up in trouble. Drill your parkour so you can flip the script, both on offense and when you’re on the run. If you search “ARC Raiders parkour” on YouTube, you’ll find all kinds of lines and tricks. Study those references and make your movements reliable; it’ll boost both your survival and extraction odds.

▲ With early-game gear, picking a 1v1 with a Bastion is a good way to get punished.

6. Know your enemy—learn the ARC

It’s a cliché, but in an extraction shooter where a single hit can be fatal, understanding enemy behavior is everything. The ARC forced humanity into the underground city of Speranza and now roam topside with overwhelming firepower. Learn them, and counter them.

◎ ARC countermeasures

• As a rule of thumb, heavy rounds will punch through ARC armor better, stripping plating faster and letting real damage land.

• Tick: Charges your face to blind and strike. Can be one-shot with any weapon.

• Pop: Kamikaze ARC. Rushes and detonates—fight it at range. Low durability; about two hits to kill.

• Wasp: Flying ARC that fires light rounds. Hit the thrusters on either wing to bring it down.

• Hornet: Fires electric darts. Getting hit means shock and heavy damage. Aim for the rear thruster to disable.

• Snitch: Recon ARC. If it tags you, it calls in Wasps/Hornets. Pop two of its three rotors to crash it.

• Fireball: Uses a flamethrower. Its weak point is exposed while venting flames—shoot to stagger and finish. Keep your distance; its death explosion scatters fire.

• Sentinel: Sniper ARC. You’ll see a red laser when it lines you up. Break line of sight behind cover to clear the beam, then engage.

• Rocketeer: Delivers a big single hit. If you’re outgunned, sprint and take cover first—survival over trades.

• Reaper: Large quadruped ARC. It can leap in and chunk your health; fight from inside buildings to block its approach, or use stairs/ramps. Once armor is off, its core takes damage. Break all legs to down it.

• Bastion: Heavily armored with a built-in autocannon. During reloads, its yellow knee guards or rear cylinders are exposed—hit those to disable it, which exposes the core for extra damage.

7. “Silence is golden.” Cut your noise

As in most FPS titles—especially extraction shooters—unnecessary sound gets you killed. ARC Raiders has excellent spatial audio, so gunfights, footsteps, and car alarms carry far and give away your position. If a vehicle has lights on, bumping it will set off a loud alarm; quickly smash the attached device to shut it up. There are also nodes on the skill tree that reduce noise—grab them to get a sound-play edge.

8. Use equipment like the Zipline

ARC Raiders gives you gear that lets you smash past human limits. A Zipline can put you on a rooftop or sling you dozens of meters in a blink. Smoke grenades and other items can also break ARC line of sight and buy time. Mix these tools in to change the shape of a stale fight and swing momentum back your way.

9. Do everything you can to extract

As the genre name says, the most important thing is extraction. ARC Raiders is a bit more forgiving than some peers: you can extract even while downed, and you can still call elevators or close doors. Extracted items go straight into your inventory intact. In other words, it’s not over until you’re truly dead. If you get downed near an extraction point, don’t despair—keep playing for the out until the very end.

▲ I’ve even had runs where we waved at another team mid-game and then went our separate ways.

10. Negotiation is a survival skill, too

This game lets you communicate with other players through emotes, and you can even form a team(!). The devs clearly leaned into it—open the emote wheel and you’ll find both “Don’t shoot” and “Wanna team up?” You may start solo, but good negotiation can turn you into a duo, or a trio that clicks into a full squad. If you’re down near extraction, you might even tug on an enemy’s heartstrings and extract together. Of course, sleeping with the enemy always carries the risk of a knife in the back—stay alert.

Those are ten commandments for staying alive in the harsh “topside” and in Speranza. Settle in well and lend a hand to humanity’s comeback. With that, we’ll wrap this up—now rally and resist for Earth’s future, and for survival.