In ARC Raiders, XP (experience points) are essential for leveling up and improving your character's abilities. Efficient XP farming is key to progressing faster, and the best strategies focus on looting, scavenging, and destroying large ARC machines. Whether you're playing solo or with a team, there are specific areas and methods that will maximize your XP gains. Here's a breakdown of the top XP farming strategies to help you level up quickly.
1. Hidden Bunker Event (Spaceport)
The Hidden Bunker event, located in the Spaceport, is considered the best spot for farming XP. This event has multiple Bastions and Bombardiers guarding entrances that constantly respawn, making it a high-yield location.
How It Works:
Kill & Loot Everything: Each machine you destroy gives you a huge chunk of XP. But the real trick lies in looting the body parts of the destroyed machines. Each part you search grants around 500 XP. Since each machine has 10+ parts, this method can net you over 5,000 XP per machine.
Repeat: These machines respawn, which means you can keep farming them continuously.
Typical XP Yield:
150k+ XP per hour (depending on how efficiently you farm)
2. Scavenge Spamming (Animation Cancel)
Animation canceling is a trick that allows you to farm XP faster by canceling the scavenging animation. This method is especially useful when you're looting containers, as it lets you collect more items in less time.
The Trick:
As soon as you hear the sound of a container opening, move backward or press a movement key to cancel the animation. This will immediately close the scavenging menu, allowing you to quickly move on to the next container or loot.
Benefits:
You can speed up looting, resulting in more XP per minute, especially when you're looting high-density areas like the Seed Vault or Hospital.
Typical XP Yield:
Increased XP/min as you move faster through high-loot areas.
3. Solo Power Leveling
Solo play is often the most efficient method for XP farming, especially for players who are looking to quickly level up. The key advantage is that you get to keep 100% of the damage XP when you destroy ARC machines, rather than sharing it with other squad members.
Benefits of Solo Power Leveling:
You don't have to share XP with a team, so all the points from killing ARC machines are yours.
No waiting around for others to finish tasks – you can farm at your own pace.
Typical XP Yield:
Varies depending on location and how quickly you can destroy machines, but solo play generally yields high XP per minute.
4. Recommended High-XP Locations
Here are some of the best locations in ARC Raiders for farming XP. These places are packed with loot and high-value targets that you can farm for big XP gains.
Location
Strategy
Typical XP Yield
Spaceport
Farm respawning Bastions at the Hidden Bunker.
150k+ per hour
Buried City
Hit the Santa Maria security lockers for grenades, then farm the local Bastion.
50k+ quick run
Stella Montis
Rapid-loot the Seed Vault and exit via the nearby fan exit.
High XP/min
Spaceport:
Bastions keep respawning, allowing you to farm them for large amounts of XP.
Combine this with scavenging parts and looting for the highest returns.
Buried City:
The Santa Maria security lockers are a good source of grenades and other loot, which helps you quickly farm Bastions in the area.
Stella Montis:
This area features the Seed Vault, which has plenty of lootable containers. By quickly looting the vault and using the fan exit, you can maximize your XP per minute.
5. Core XP Mechanics to Exploit
While looting and killing ARC machines are essential, there are some core game mechanics that can help you further increase your XP gains. Here are a few key tactics to exploit:
Time on Surface:
You earn about 180 XP per minute simply by staying alive on the surface. The longer you last in a round (up to 40 minutes), the more passive XP you accumulate.
Tip: Stay on the surface for as long as possible to maximize this passive gain.
The "Safe Return" Bonus:
It's important to prioritize a safe extraction when you complete an objective or raid. If you fail to safely extract, you lose a significant multiplier that scales with the time you spent on the surface.
Tip: Always plan your exit and ensure you safely return to avoid missing out on extra XP.
Quest Cadence:
Early-game quests from NPCs like Shani provide huge XP rewards. These quests not only help you level up faster but also unlock important skills for stamina and survival, which are crucial for long-term farming.
