How Trials Work in Arc Raiders

If you have finished most of your quests in Arc Raiders and do not feel like focusing on PvP, Trials might be one of the best systems to keep you playing.

For a long time, I mostly ignored Trials. After spending almost 190 hours in Arc Raiders, I only recently started paying proper attention to them. Once I understood how they work, I realised Trials are not just random weekly challenges. They actually give players a reason to keep raiding, exploring, learning the map, and competing without forcing everything to become PvP-focused.

If you are a solo player, a beginner, or someone who has finished a lot of quests and is wondering what else there is to do, this guide will explain how Trials work in Arc Raiders and why they are worth doing.

Quick Answer

Trials in Arc Raiders are weekly objectives that unlock at Level 15. Each week, the game gives you different tasks to complete during raids. To earn Trial points, you must make progress in a single raid and successfully extract. Points do not carry over between raids, but your best score can be improved for leaderboard ranking and seasonal rewards.

Key Takeaways

• Trials unlock at Level 15.
• Trials rotate every week with different objectives.
• Some Trials are shared with your team, while others are personal.
• Trial points only count if you successfully extract.
• If you die, you lose the Trial progress from that raid.
• Star rewards are based on single-raid score milestones.
• Points do not carry over between raids.
• Improving your best score helps your leaderboard placement.
• Seasonal Trial rewards can include cosmetics and emotes.
• Trials give solo and PvE-focused players another reason to keep playing.

What Are Trials in Arc Raiders?

Trials are weekly objectives that become available once you reach Level 15.

Each week, Arc Raiders gives you a new set of tasks to complete while playing raids. These objectives can include things like damaging specific ARC enemies, downloading information, opening containers, delivering carriables, or even getting hit by lightning during certain map conditions.

From a story perspective, Trials make sense because you are helping the people back in Speranza by gathering information, fighting ARC machines, and securing resources.

From a gameplay perspective, Trials give players weekly goals to chase.

Instead of entering raids only to loot randomly or fight other players, Trials give your runs a more focused purpose.

How to Start Doing Trials

Once Trials are unlocked, you can check your weekly Trial objectives from the Trials menu.

After that, the process is simple:

• Check your weekly Trials.
• Choose which objective you want to focus on.
• Enter a raid.
• Complete as much progress as possible.
• Extract successfully to save your score.

The important part is extraction. Trial progress only counts if you make it back to Speranza alive.

If you die during the raid, you lose the Trial progress from that run.

Shared Trials vs Personal Trials

One thing Arc Raiders does not explain clearly is that not all Trials work the same way in a team.

Some Trials can be completed together. For example, objectives involving carriables may allow multiple players in a squad to benefit.

However, some Trials are personal. If the objective requires you to take specific damage, deal specific damage, or get hit by lightning, the progress may only count for the individual player who completes that action.

This is important when playing with friends.

If you assume every Trial is shared, you might finish a raid thinking everyone made progress, only to realise that only one person’s progress counted.

Before starting a Trial run, it is worth checking the objective and thinking about whether it is likely to be shared or personal.

How Trial Points Work

To earn Trial points, you need to make progress during a raid and extract successfully.

Each Trial has milestone rewards shown through stars.

The star milestones are:

Trial Score	Star Reward
1,000 points	1 star
2,500 points	2 stars
4,000 points	3 stars

Reaching these milestones gives one-time rewards. These can range from uncommon items to epic items, and sometimes you may even receive a blueprint when reaching the third star.

Important: Trial Points Do Not Carry Over

This is one of the most important things to understand about Trials.

To get 3 stars, you must reach 4,000 points in a single raid and successfully extract.

For example, if you earn 2,600 points in one raid and make it back to Speranza, you will receive the 2-star reward.

But if you want 3 stars, you cannot continue from 2,600 points in your next raid.

Your next attempt starts from 0 again, and you need to reach the full 4,000 points in one single run.

Each raid is counted separately.

Your Trial points do not carry over between raids.

Can You Improve Your Trial Score?

Yes.

Even after claiming the star rewards, you can continue improving your score on the same Trial.

If you beat your previous best score on that Trial and successfully extract, the new score replaces your old one.

That improved score is then added to your total leaderboard score.

This is useful if you want to compete on the weekly leaderboard and improve your position in your division.

How the Trials Leaderboard Works

Trials also connect to a leaderboard system.

You are ranked against other players in your division, and your performance can affect your promotion when the week ends.

A better position can help you move up the ranks, with stronger placements giving better promotion progress.

This gives Trials a competitive side without forcing players into PvP. You are still competing, but you are competing through weekly objectives, efficiency, and successful extractions.

Seasonal Trial Rewards

Trials also have seasonal rewards.

At the end of a season, players can receive cosmetics and emotes based on their final ranked placement. Finishing at a higher rank can also unlock rewards from lower ranks.

For example, at the time of making this guide, Season 3 is set to end on April 29, 2026. Maintaining Rookie II at the end of the season unlocks the exclusive Trials Season 3 outfit, The Torque.

Pushing beyond that into higher ranks such as Daredevil and Hotshot can unlock additional colourways and outfit variants.

If you care about cosmetics, Trials are absolutely worth paying attention to.

Why Trials Exist in Arc Raiders

Trials exist to give players weekly goals and a reason to keep playing.

Not every player wants to focus on PvP. Some players enjoy exploration, PvE encounters, objectives, loot routes, map learning, and gradual progression.

Trials support that playstyle.

Instead of entering raids with no clear purpose, Trials give you a reason to target specific enemies, visit specific locations, and interact with different systems in the game.

They make each raid feel more focused.

Trials Are Great for Beginners

Trials are also useful for beginners because they naturally push players toward different enemies, locations, mechanics, and map conditions.

Instead of trying to learn everything in Arc Raiders at once, Trials encourage you to explore the game piece by piece.

One week, you may need to fight Wasps or Bombardiers.

Another week, you may need to download information inside bunkers.

Another week, you may need to experience a specific weather condition like electromagnetic storms.

This slowly teaches players how the world works.

Trials Encourage Exploration

One of the biggest reasons I started appreciating Trials is that they pushed me into areas I had ignored.

During my 190-hour journey in Arc Raiders, I never really explored the Locked Gate highway tunnel area on Blue Gate. But one of the weekly Trials required opening containers inside that tunnel.

When I finally went there, I realised the area actually had some good loot and gave me a new place to explore.

That is why I think Trials are one of the smartest systems in Arc Raiders.

They quietly guide players toward different parts of the map without forcing them.

Trials Can Help Balance PvE Encounters

Trials can also create interesting moments between experienced players and beginners.

For example, an experienced player might enter a raid only to complete a Trial that requires dealing damage to a Bombardier. That player might not care about the loot at all.

But once that Bombardier is taken down, newer players nearby can benefit from the encounter.

Items like Bombardier Cells can be important for workstation upgrades, and for beginners, taking down a Bombardier alone can feel overwhelming.

In this way, Trials can indirectly help create a more balanced PvE experience.

Different players may have different goals, but their actions can still benefit others in the same raid.

Trials Teach Game Mechanics

Trials are also a smart way for the developers to make players experience different mechanics.

For example, one weekly Trial required players to get hit by lightning. To complete it, you need to play during an electromagnetic map condition.

Before doing that Trial, I had never been struck by lightning in Arc Raiders. But because of the objective, I experienced that mechanic properly and learned how much damage it does.

That made the Trial more than just a challenge. It became a learning experience.

This is one of the reasons I think Trials are valuable. They encourage you to interact with systems you might otherwise avoid.

Are Trials Worth Doing?

Yes, Trials are worth doing, especially if you have finished most of your quests or feel like raids are becoming repetitive.

Trials give you:

• Weekly goals
• One-time milestone rewards
• Leaderboard competition
• Seasonal cosmetic rewards
• A reason to explore new areas
• A reason to fight different ARC enemies
• A way to keep playing without focusing only on PvP

If you are bored or unsure what to do next, Trials are one of the best systems to focus on.

Final Verdict

Trials in Arc Raiders are much more important than they first appear.

They give players weekly goals, encourage exploration, teach mechanics, support PvE-focused playstyles, and add a competitive leaderboard system without forcing everyone into PvP.

If you have ignored Trials so far, I recommend giving them a proper chance.

They can make raids feel more focused, help you discover areas you might have missed, and give you something meaningful to work toward each week.

For solo players, beginners, and players who have finished most of their quests, Trials are one of the best ways to keep Arc Raiders fresh.

Watch the Full Video

If you want to see how Trials work in action, including weekly objectives, scoring, star rewards, leaderboard ranking, and why I think Trials are one of the smartest systems in Arc Raiders, you can watch my full video below.