New Player Guide for Arc Raiders

Everything a new player needs to know about Arc Raiders. First steps, essential mechanics, early game strategy, and tips to avoid common beginner mistakes.

Welcome to Arc Raiders

Arc Raiders is a cooperative extraction shooter where you raid hostile zones controlled by ARC machines, collect valuable loot, and extract before the danger overwhelms you. The game rewards preparation, knowledge, and smart decision making over raw reflexes alone. This guide covers everything you need to know to start your raiding career on the right foot.

Your First Hour

Spend your first hour exploring the base and understanding the menus. Check your crafting stations, storage, and quest board. Take a few low stakes raids into white zones to learn the basic mechanics of movement, combat, and extraction. Do not worry about collecting the best loot yet. Focus on surviving and extracting successfully.

Essential Mechanics to Learn

The core mechanics you need to understand immediately are: weight and inventory management, extraction points and timing, basic combat and healing, and the recycling system. Once you grasp these four systems, everything else builds on top of them. Use the <a href="/learn/survival-basics">survival basics guide</a> for detailed combat instruction.

Early Game Priorities

Your first priorities should be completing initial main quests, upgrading your Weapon Workbench to level two, and building a stockpile of basic healing items. These three goals give you better gear, more recipe options, and the supplies to survive longer raids. See the <a href="/best/beginners">beginner loadout guide</a> for specific gear recommendations.

Mistakes Every New Player Makes

The most common beginner mistakes are: carrying too much weight into raids, ignoring extraction timing, recycling quest items, and fighting every enemy they see. Experienced raiders are selective about fights, disciplined about weight, and always thinking about extraction. Learn these habits early and your progression will accelerate dramatically.

Resources for New Raiders

The Arc Raiders AI platform provides tools to help new players learn faster. The <a href="/items">item database</a> shows every item and its uses. The <a href="/recycling">recycling calculator</a> helps with material decisions. The <a href="/keep-or-sell">keep or sell advisor</a> gives instant recommendations on any item. The <a href="/quests">quest tracker</a> shows quest chains and prerequisites. Use these tools to make informed decisions from day one.