The progression system in ARC Raiders shifts the focus for earning Expedition skill points directly onto your combat output. Instead of strictly focusing on extraction, your reward level is determined by the cumulative damage you deal to ARC units and other raiders.
Because you do not need to extract alive for this damage to be saved, you can adopt a highly aggressive, high-risk playstyle to maximize your damage metrics. Reaching the ultimate 100,000 damage milestone unlocks all 5 extra skill points.
Damage Progression Thresholds
The progression structure requires reaching specific cumulative damage tiers to unlock each skill point.
Skill Point
Cumulative Damage Required
1st Point
5,000 damage
2nd Point
10,000 damage
3rd Point
30,000 damage
4th Point
50,000 damage
5th Point
100,000 damage
Meta Loadouts for Max Damage
To farm tens of thousands of damage per run, you need weapons and gadgets capable of melting massive health pools quickly.
The Hullcracker: This heavy-hitting primary weapon is the top choice for safely bursting down large targets. For optimal performance, modify it with a Kinetic Converter, a horizontal grip, and an extended barrel to maximize your damage output per magazine.
The Jupiter: An excellent alternative energy rifle. It excels at dealing heavy, consistent chunk damage to major targets from a safe distance.
Deadline Mines: Crafting or purchasing Deadlines is highly effective against heavy targets like Bastions and Vaporizers. Placing a Deadline directly onto a heavy unit yields an immediate 4,000 to 5,000 explosion damage payout.
Wolfpacks & Seeker Grenades: Carry full stacks of these throwables into every match. Tossing Wolfpacks at flying targets or crowded groups guarantees passive chip damage while you focus on reloading your primary weapons.
To skip the tedious crafting grind and instantly unlock weapons like the Hullcracker or Jupiter, you can buy ARC Raiders items directly from our platform. We offer a safe and fast way to secure top-tier weapons, modifications, and Deadline mines so you can hit your 100k damage milestone with ease. Equip your raider with the best meta gear today and start melting high-HP bosses without losing your hard-earned currency.
Top Farming Strategies
1. Boss Raid Farming (Matriarch & Queen Events)
High-HP Dumping: Look for lobbies featuring Matriarch and Queen events. These bosses possess massive health pools, allowing you to load in, unload your entire ammunition stash directly into the boss, and secure 15,000 to 25,000 damage in a single round.
Farm the Adds: Matriarch raids continuously spawn waves of high-damage secondary targets, including Leapers, Rocketeers, and Bastions. Clearing these surrounding ARC adds often provides faster, safer damage accumulation than competing with other players for direct boss damage.
2. The Riven Tides Hatch Hold
Location: Deploy into the Riven Tides map and head straight toward the Stacking Yard or the hillside hatch located near the hotel.
Method: Take up a secure position on high ground or behind solid cover. These specific areas feature exceptionally fast ARC respawn cycles. By baiting constant spawns of Rocketeers, Bastions, and Vaporizers, you can cycle through multiple stacks of launcher ammo without needing to roam the map.
3. Naked Deadline Runs
Budget Setup: If you are low on funds or gear, place one or two Deadline mines into your safe pocket and deploy with low-tier, inexpensive armor.
Execution: Sprint directly to the nearest high-value target, such as a Bastion or Bombardier. Throw down a lure grenade to distract it, slide behind or hook onto its back core, and plant the Deadline. Even if the resulting blast eliminates you, the 5,000 damage is permanently locked into your progression log.
