Twenty-four weapons stand between you and a clean extraction, and picking the wrong one gets you killed by a Raider with better gear or chewed up by an ARC unit you can’t out-damage. This guide ranks every weapon for the current patch, separates the genuine consensus picks from the ones tier lists disagree on, and covers the Rascal launcher, which most guides haven’t caught up to yet.
Table of Contents
How Weapon Tiers Actually Work in Arc Raiders
Before picking a “best” weapon, it helps to know what’s actually being compared.
Every weapon uses one of six ammo types: Light, Medium, Heavy, Shotgun, Energy, and Launcher. Ammo type is the single biggest factor in how well a gun damages ARC armor. Heavy and Energy ammo generally punch through plating that Light ammo barely scratches, which is why a weak-looking pistol like the Anvil can out-damage a faster assault rifle against a robot.
Weapons also fall into nine classes (Assault Rifles, Battle Rifles, SMGs, Shotguns, Pistols, Hand Cannons, LMGs, Sniper Rifles, and Specials), according to the ARC Raiders Wiki’s full weapon breakdown, and each has a rarity from Common to Legendary. Higher rarity usually means more damage and better handling, but it also means more expensive crafting and a harder loss to stomach if you get knocked out.
The Gunsmith bench lets you permanently upgrade most weapons up to three times, reaching Tier IV. A Tier IV weapon of any rarity is meaningfully stronger than the same gun fresh out of the box, so don’t judge a weapon’s tier by its base stats alone.
Arc Raiders Best Weapons Tier List
This list reflects the weapon balance as of Patch 1.29.0, the last update to touch weapon stats directly. The most recent patch, 1.33.0, focused on the Forgotten Relics event and didn’t change weapon damage or fire rates.
S-Tier
Anvil (Hand Cannon, Heavy Ammo, Uncommon) The most consistently recommended weapon in the game, and for good reason. It’s a single-action hand cannon with 40 damage per shot and strong armor penetration, and it’s cheap enough to craft that losing one barely stings. It works as a primary or a backup to a faster gun.
Dolabra (Shotgun, Energy Clip, Legendary) The only Legendary weapon that consistently earns its rarity. It fires energy in either a wide cone or a focused medium-range blast, dealing 50 or 40 damage depending on which mode you use. It can drop a player’s shield in a couple of hits and isn’t as expensive to build as most Legendaries.
Ferro (Battle Rifle, Heavy Ammo, Common) A break-action rifle that craft costs almost nothing (5 metal, 2 rubber) yet hits for 40 damage with excellent armor penetration and solid range for a budget pick. The slow reload is the only real downside. Pair it with something faster for the follow-up.
Bettina (Assault Rifle, Heavy Ammo, Epic) Embark’s own patch notes describe the Bettina buff as bringing it “closer to its rarity,” and that’s an understatement. Patch 1.26.0 raised its damage and armor penetration, and Patch 1.29.0 sped up its fire rate on top of that. It’s now a serious pick against armored ARC enemies and one of the few heavy-ammo guns that doesn’t feel sluggish.
A-Tier
Venator (Pistol, Medium Ammo, Rare): Fires two rounds per trigger pull with a strong headshot multiplier, making it one of the better PvP sidearms once you adjust to the recoil. Worth pairing with a combat-focused build; see the augments guide for skill options.
Renegade (Battle Rifle, Medium Ammo, Rare): A lever-action rifle with real range and a big headshot multiplier. Best fired from an elevated position where you have time to cycle the action.
Vulcano (Shotgun, Shotgun Ammo, Epic): The highest burst damage of any shotgun, capable of dropping a player in three close-range hits.
Tempest (Assault Rifle, Medium Ammo, Epic): A reliable, all-purpose AR with better recoil control than the Bettina, though weaker against armor.
Jupiter (Sniper Rifle, Energy Clip, Legendary): The hardest-hitting sniper in the game with a recharging energy clip instead of standard ammo. Expensive to craft, brutal in the right hands.
Stitcher (SMG, Light Ammo, Common): A cheap, fast-firing close-range option that’s been nerfed a few times but is still a strong budget pick for player fights.
Canto (SMG, Medium Ammo, Rare): Hits harder than the Stitcher at the cost of heavier recoil, and the medium ammo gives it better staying power in longer raids.
B-Tier
Kettle (Assault Rifle, Light Ammo, Common), Bobcat (SMG, Light Ammo, Epic), Burletta (Pistol, Light Ammo, Uncommon), Il Toro (Shotgun, Shotgun Ammo, Uncommon), Arpeggio (Assault Rifle, Medium Ammo, Uncommon), Torrente (LMG, Medium Ammo, Rare), and Osprey (Sniper Rifle, Medium Ammo, Rare) all see regular use without being build-defining. Kettle and Bobcat are both solid, affordable close-range picks despite sitting in different weapon classes; Torrente eats ammunition fast but clears ARC waves well; Osprey is a good entry point into sniping before you can afford the Jupiter.
C-Tier
Rattler (Assault Rifle, Medium Ammo, Common), Aphelion (Battle Rifle, Energy Clip, Legendary), and Hairpin (Pistol, Light Ammo, Common) are outclassed by cheaper or more common alternatives in most loadouts. The Aphelion is the odd one out: it’s a Legendary that requires defeating a Matriarch to unlock, and guides genuinely disagree on it, ranking it anywhere from a strong pick to clearly outclassed depending on how much weight they give its high unlock cost.
Situational Specialists
A few weapons don’t fit neatly on a single scale because they’re built to do one job extremely well and little else.
Hullcracker (Special, Launcher Ammo, Epic): Mediocre in a fight against another Raider, but the highest raw per-shot damage of any weapon in the game, which makes it the go-to choice for heavily armored ARC targets.
Equalizer (Special, Energy Clip, Legendary): A minigun-style weapon built from Queen parts. Excellent sustained PvE damage, but too slow to track players reliably, and a real risk to lose given how hard it is to obtain.
Rascal (Special, Launcher Ammo, Uncommon): Covered in detail below.
The Rascal: Arc Raiders’ Newest Weapon
The Rascal launched in Patch 1.29.0, which is more recent than almost every other weapon tier list currently online, so don’t be surprised if you haven’t seen it covered elsewhere yet.
It’s a break-action grenade launcher dealing 75 damage, built by Tian Wen as a lighter alternative to the Hullcracker. Embark’s own description calls it slower to reload and “a bit unpredictable on the aim,” and as of this writing, it doesn’t yet deal damage to training dummies on the Practice Range, which is a known bug rather than a balance choice.
Because it’s so new, treat any “S-tier” or “D-tier” claim about the Rascal with caution; there hasn’t been enough time for a real community consensus to form. What’s already clear is its role: anti-ARC firepower for players who don’t want to commit a full backpack slot to the heavier Hullcracker.
Why Tier Lists Disagree
If you’ve checked more than one Arc Raiders weapon guide, you’ve probably noticed they don’t agree with each other, and that’s not necessarily because one of them is wrong.
Comparing two of the most current tier lists side by side, only two weapons (the Anvil and the Dolabra) appear in the top tier on both. One list puts the Ferro and Kettle alongside them; the other prefers the Venator, Renegade, and Vulcano instead. Both rankings are reasonably argued. The disagreement comes down to how much weight you give affordability versus raw numbers, and whether you’re weighing PvP or PvE performance more heavily.
The practical takeaway: treat the Anvil and Dolabra as close to universal picks, and treat everything else as “strong, with tradeoffs” rather than objectively settled.
Best Weapons for PvP
If fighting other Raiders is your priority, lean toward weapons with fast time-to-kill and forgiving handling: Anvil, Venator, Stitcher, and Dolabra all reward quick, decisive engagements over sustained fire. Armor penetration matters less here than headshot potential and how fast you can put rounds on target. For deeper loadout breakdowns, see the best PvP weapons guide.
Best Weapons for PvE (Fighting ARC)
Against ARC enemies, armor penetration and sustained damage matter more than speed: Anvil, Ferro, Bettina, and Renegade all punch through plating reliably. For the toughest armored ARC targets, the Hullcracker is still the specialist pick thanks to its top-of-the-game per-shot damage. See the ARC enemies guide for matchup-specific picks.
Best Budget and Early-Game Loadout
You don’t need rare blueprints to run a strong budget loadout. The Ferro craft recipe (5 metal, 2 rubber) is available almost immediately and handles ARC encounters better than weapons three rarities above it. Pair it with the Stitcher or Kettle as a faster secondary for close-range player fights, and you’ve got a loadout that costs almost nothing to replace if you don’t make it out.
Durability is worth watching here too. Patch 1.26.0 made weapon durability scale with rarity, so Common and Uncommon weapons like the Ferro and Stitcher wear out faster than Legendaries. Embark walked part of that back in Patch 1.29.0 after player feedback, increasing the lifetime of the weapons that were breaking too quickly. The durability guide breaks down exact numbers by rarity.
Key Takeaways
- The Anvil and Dolabra are the closest things to universal S-tier picks; almost everything else depends on playstyle.
- The Ferro remains the best value weapon in the game and a strong PvE option even fully upgraded.
- The Bettina improved across two consecutive patches and now competes with the Anvil for armored ARC targets.
- The Rascal is brand new (Patch 1.29.0) and still too early to fully rank, but fills a lighter anti-ARC role next to the Hullcracker.
- Durability now scales by rarity, so factor weapon lifespan into which guns you risk on a raid.
Picking a weapon is only part of a loadout. For pairing a secondary, augments, and consumables into a full kit, see the complete loadout guide.
FAQ
What is the best weapon overall in Arc Raiders?
The Anvil is the closest thing to a consensus best weapon. It’s cheap to craft, deals high single-shot damage, and penetrates ARC armor well, which makes it effective in both PvP and PvE.
What is the best budget weapon in Arc Raiders?
The Ferro. It only costs 5 metal and 2 rubber to craft, has no blueprint requirement, and still outperforms much pricier weapons against ARC armor.
What is the best weapon for PvP?
The Anvil and Venator are the strongest dedicated PvP picks, with the Stitcher and Dolabra as fast, aggressive alternatives for close-range fights.
What is the best weapon for fighting ARC enemies?
The Anvil, Ferro, and Bettina handle general ARC combat well, while the Hullcracker is the specialist choice for the toughest armored ARC targets.
Is the Anvil a pistol or a hand cannon?
Officially, the Anvil is classified as a Hand Cannon, a separate category from standard Pistols like the Venator and Burletta. Some guides use the terms loosely, but Embark lists it as its own weapon class.
What does the Rascal do?
The Rascal is a break-action grenade launcher added in Patch 1.29.0. It deals 75 damage and is designed as a lighter, more portable alternative to the Hullcracker for dealing with armored ARC threats.
How many weapons are in Arc Raiders?
There are 24 weapons across nine classes as of Patch 1.29.0, including the recently added Rascal launcher.
What’s the difference between Light, Medium, and Heavy ammo?
Ammo type determines how well a weapon penetrates ARC armor. Light ammo is weakest against armor, Medium is moderate, and Heavy is among the strongest, alongside Energy and Launcher ammo.
Is the Bettina good after the recent buffs?
Yes. Patches 1.26.0 and 1.29.0 both improved the Bettina’s damage, armor penetration, and fire rate, moving it from an overlooked Epic into a genuine S-tier contender for fighting armored ARC enemies.
Is the Hullcracker worth using in PvP?
Not usually. It deals the most raw damage per shot of any weapon in the game, but its slow handling and poor accuracy make it a weak PvP pick. It’s built for armored ARC targets, not other Raiders.
Do weapon tier lists change with every patch?
Yes, and that’s why this guide notes which patch it reflects. Weapon balance changes are common, so always check whether a tier list has been updated since the most recent patch before treating it as current.
