How to Play Arc Raiders for Dummies

If you are new to Arc Raiders, the game can feel overwhelming at first.

There are raids, quests, loadouts, extraction points, crafting materials, Scrappy, the Workshop, PvE enemies, other players, and a lot of systems that are not always explained clearly when you first start.

I am not making this guide as a pro player. I am explaining it from a beginner’s point of view, because that is often the best way to understand the systems that experienced players may already take for granted.

This Arc Raiders beginner guide will explain what the game is, how raids work, how quests help you progress, what Free and Custom Loadouts mean, why Scrappy matters, and how the Workshop fits into everything.

Quick Answer

Arc Raiders is an extraction shooter where you play as a Raider living in the underground city of Speranza. Your goal is to go Topside, scavenge useful items, complete quests, avoid unnecessary danger, and extract safely. As a beginner, you should focus on quests, survival, Free Loadouts, Scrappy, and gradually upgrading your Workshop.

Key Takeaways

• Arc Raiders is an extraction shooter, not a normal battle royale.
• You live in Speranza and travel Topside to scavenge.
• Quests are the main way to progress early.
• Free Loadouts are best for beginners.
• Custom Loadouts give more control but come with more risk.
• Your stash is what you own.
• Your loadout is what you risk.
• Scrappy passively gathers basic materials while you are in raids.
• The Workshop turns loot and materials into usable gear.
• Your main beginner goal is to survive, extract, and learn one system at a time.

What Is Arc Raiders?

Arc Raiders is set in a future world where players are known as Raiders.

You live in an underground city called Speranza, while the surface world is dangerous, broken, and controlled by giant machines called ARCs.

Raiders go to the surface for one main reason: to scavenge.

You search for weapons, materials, valuable items, and resources that help you improve your gear, upgrade your systems, and slowly become stronger over time.

Every time you go Topside, you are taking a risk.

The surface has hostile machines, other Raiders, limited time, and limited resources. You are not a hero trying to save the world. You are a scavenger trying to survive and return home.

As a Raider, your job is simple:

• Go Topside
• Find useful items
• Complete tasks
• Avoid unnecessary danger
• Extract back to Speranza safely

That is the core idea of Arc Raiders.

How Gameplay Works

Arc Raiders is not a traditional battle royale or open-world multiplayer game.

It is an extraction shooter with both PvE and PvP elements.

PvE means you are fighting against the environment, including ARC machines and other threats. PvP means you may also encounter other real players during raids.

The important thing to understand is that Arc Raiders is not only about fighting other players. You can avoid PvP, focus on quests, loot carefully, and play more patiently if that suits your style.

You can play solo or in a team of up to three players.

However, going solo does not always guarantee a solo-only lobby. Depending on matchmaking and player numbers, you may still encounter duos or trios.

Starting the Game

When you first start Arc Raiders, the game plays an introduction cutscene and then places you into a tutorial.

The tutorial teaches basic controls, movement, combat, looting, and the general flow of the game.

This is also a good time to adjust your settings.

For better visibility, I recommend increasing your Field of View. I also recommend turning Motion Blur off if you prefer a cleaner image during movement.

Once you finish the tutorial, the real progression begins.

Quests Explained

Quests are one of the most important systems in Arc Raiders, especially for beginners.

They give you clear objectives and help guide your progression.

Quests can reward you with:

• Raider Coins
• XP
• Weapons
• Gear
• Progression unlocks
• Useful items

More importantly, quests tell you what to do next.

If you ever feel lost in Arc Raiders, follow your quests.

They are the backbone of progression and slowly introduce you to new areas, new enemies, and more dangerous locations.

You are not expected to understand the entire map or every system immediately. The game teaches you naturally by giving you quests that push you into new situations.

Team Quest Progress

If you are playing in a team and your teammates have the same quest, some objectives can progress for everyone when one player completes them.

This can make team play a faster way to progress through certain quests.

However, you should still pay attention to the exact quest objective, because not every task works the same way.

Maps and Progression

When you press Play and prepare to go Topside, you may notice that only one map is available at first.

More maps unlock naturally as you progress through the game.

This is another reason quests matter. They help move you forward and slowly open up more of Arc Raiders instead of throwing everything at you at once.

Inventory and Loadout Explained

Before deploying into a raid, Arc Raiders asks you how you want to gear up.

You can choose between:

• Free Loadout
• Custom Loadout

Understanding this choice is important because it controls how much risk you are taking into a raid.

Stash

Your stash is where all your items are stored when you are back in Speranza.

This includes:

• Weapons
• Ammo
• Armor
• Materials
• Gear
• Crafting items

Think of your stash as your long-term storage.

If an item is not in your stash, you do not own it.

Loadout

Your loadout is what you bring into a raid.

Anything you place in your loadout is at risk. If you die during the raid, you can lose those items.

This is why beginners should not rush into expensive Custom Loadouts too early.

Your loadout screen also shows important numbers, such as your total weight capacity, current loadout weight, and the total value of your loadout.

This helps you understand how much you are risking before going Topside.

Augments

Your Augment affects how much you can carry and what kind of setup you can use.

In simple terms, the Augment decides the size and shape of your backpack and how many items you can bring or carry.

Different Augments have different levels, shapes, and benefits.

For example, a looting-focused Augment may give you more inventory slots, allowing you to carry more loot.

Higher-level Augments can also allow better shield options.

Weapons

Your weapon slots determine which weapons you bring into a raid.

Early on, you do not need to overcomplicate this.

Simple weapons are enough while you are still learning how the game works.

The beginner goal is not to bring the strongest gear. The goal is to survive, learn, and extract.

Backpack

Your backpack determines how much loot you can carry during a raid.

More space means more loot, but it can also tempt you to stay longer.

The longer you stay, the more risk you take.

This is one of the most important beginner lessons in Arc Raiders. Greed can get you killed.

Quick Use Slots

Quick-use slots are where you place items like healing items, grenades, or utility tools.

These items can be used quickly during gameplay.

If you bring meds or useful tools, make sure they are placed somewhere you can access easily during a raid.

Safe Pocket

The safe pocket is a special protected slot.

Items placed in the safe pocket are not lost even if you die.

Some Augments provide safe pockets, while others do not.

This makes safe pockets extremely useful for important quest items, rare materials, or anything you really do not want to lose.

Free Loadout Explained

A Free Loadout is a basic kit provided by the game at no cost.

It usually includes:

• A random low-tier weapon
• A light shield
• Ammo
• Basic healing or utility items

Free Loadouts are excellent for beginners.

They let you keep playing even if you do not have many weapons, materials, or crafting resources.

If you die with a Free Loadout, you are not losing your own valuable gear. This makes it perfect for learning maps, testing routes, completing early quests, and understanding how raids work.

Free Loadout Augment

When you use a Free Loadout, you are automatically given a Free Loadout Augment.

This usually comes with limitations.

It can limit your inventory space, weapon slots, safe pocket access, and shield options.

That is intentional.

Free Loadouts are meant to be simple, balanced, and low-risk.

They are not designed to be powerful. They are designed to help you learn.

Custom Loadout Explained

A Custom Loadout lets you choose exactly what you bring from your stash.

This gives you more control and better preparation, but also more risk.

Custom Loadouts are best used when:

• You understand the basics
• You have a clear objective
• You are comfortable losing the gear
• You know what you are trying to achieve in that raid

If you are still learning, do not feel pressured to use Custom Loadouts all the time.

Free Loadouts exist for a reason.

Beginner Loadout Mindset

As a beginner, do not worry about perfect loadouts.

You do not need the best weapon, the best Augment, or the perfect backpack setup right away.

The early goal is to learn how the game works.

A simple way to think about it is this:

Your stash is what you own.
Your loadout is what you risk.
Your backpack decides how greedy you can be.

If you remember that, the loadout system becomes much easier to understand.

Basic Raid Flow

Once you enter a raid, your goal is to loot, complete objectives, survive, and extract.

A full match is usually around 30 minutes, but you can also be placed into a raid that is already in progress.

If the timer starts at 30 minutes, it is a fresh raid.

If there is less time remaining, you have joined an ongoing raid.

As a beginner, do not stress too much about knowing every item’s value immediately. Loot what you find, try to survive, and extract safely.

You will naturally learn item value over time.

Rarity and Selling Items

Items are colour-coded by rarity, but early on you do not need to memorise everything.

You can sell many items to make money, especially in the beginning.

As you progress, you will start recognising which items are useful for crafting, quests, upgrades, or selling.

This knowledge comes naturally by playing.

PvP and Other Raiders

At the beginning, you may encounter players who are friendly or neutral, but you should never assume everyone is safe.

Arc Raiders includes other real players, and some may attack you.

That does not mean you need to shoot everyone you see.

In fact, one of the best beginner tips is this:

Just because you have a gun does not mean you should use it.

Shooting reveals your position and can attract machines or other players.

Play quietly, avoid unnecessary fights, defend yourself when needed, and focus on getting out alive.

Using the Map and Extraction Points

You can open the map to see buildings, loot areas, and extraction points.

Extraction points are your way back to Speranza.

Some exits have timers, such as Cargo Elevators. Once their timer runs out, they close permanently.

Late in a raid, only one extraction may remain.

As a beginner, always keep track of your nearest extraction point and how far away you are from it.

Do not wait until the last minute unless you are confident you can make it.

Beginner Raid Tips

If you are new to Arc Raiders, follow these simple rules:

• Do not fight unless you need to.
• Loot what you can and leave early.
• Follow your quests.
• Learn one area at a time.
• Use Free Loadouts to practise.
• Watch the timer.
• Mark extraction points.
• Do not get greedy.
• Surviving is more important than looking powerful.

A successful raid is not always the raid where you get the most loot.

Sometimes, the best raid is the one where you learn something and make it back alive.

Scrappy Explained

Scrappy is the rooster in your workshop.

He may look funny, but he is actually useful.

Scrappy is a passive helper who gathers basic crafting materials while you are Topside.

You do not need to loot anything specific for him. You do not need to control him during raids.

If you are in a raid, Scrappy is working in the background.

If you are standing around in Speranza, offline, or managing menus, Scrappy does nothing.

What Scrappy Gives You

Scrappy can bring back basic crafting materials over time.

These materials are important because they are used for crafting essential items and upgrading your progression.

Early on, your goal is simple:

Play raids, survive when possible, and let Scrappy help in the background.

You do not need to fully understand every Scrappy level immediately. Just know that he becomes more useful over time.

Workshop Explained

The Workshop is where your progression comes together.

This is where you:

• Craft weapons
• Craft ammo
• Craft gear
• Craft healing items
• Use materials from raids
• Use materials gathered by Scrappy

At the beginning, you only have basic crafting options.

More options unlock naturally through progression.

As a beginner, you do not need to master every station immediately.

Just remember the core loop:

Raids give you loot.
Scrappy gives you materials.
The Workshop turns both into usable gear.

That is the foundation of Arc Raiders progression.

What Should Beginners Focus On?

If you are new to Arc Raiders, focus on three things:

• Follow your quests.
• Survive your raids.
• Gradually gather materials for Scrappy and the Workshop.

That is enough at the beginning.

Once you become more confident, upgrading your workstations becomes more important because it allows you to craft the gear, ammo, weapons, and tools you need on demand.

Final Verdict

Arc Raiders can feel overwhelming when you first start, but the game becomes much easier once you understand the core loop.

You go Topside, scavenge useful items, complete quests, avoid unnecessary danger, and extract back to Speranza.

Quests guide your progression.
Loadouts decide your risk.
Scrappy gathers materials in the background.
The Workshop turns your loot into useful gear.

You do not need to master everything at once.

Take your time, use Free Loadouts while learning, follow your quests, and focus on surviving.

Arc Raiders rewards patience. The more you play, the more the systems begin to connect naturally.

Watch the Full Video

If you want to see this beginner guide explained with gameplay, including quests, loadouts, Free Loadouts, Scrappy, the Workshop, and basic raid flow, you can watch my full Arc Raiders beginner guide below.