ARC Enemies

ARC Raiders has about two dozen named ARC machines, from the one-shot Tick to the Queen and Matriarch bosses. Most fall fastest to a specific weak point such as propellers, thrusters or yellow leg joints, and most drop a unique part used for crafting and upgrades.

0:01 ARC enemies in ARC Raiders are hostile machines, and nearly all of them die fastest when you shoot one specific part: propellers on drones, thrusters on the Rocketeer, yellow joints on the big walkers, and the legs and head core on the two bosses. This page lists every machine named in Embark's posts and the guides we can cite, with its weak point, best tool and drops, each dated, because this is a live game on update 2.3.0 (Oct 27, 2026). Players have destroyed over 14.8 billion ARC in the first year, GamesBeat reported from Embark's anniversary figures (Oct 30, 2026). Embark's developers introduce the machine family in the clip.

A long-legged machine straddles a sunlit road full of abandoned cars and a bus; a Raider takes cover beside a car in the foreground. — A Raider crouches behind a wrecked car as a huge four-legged ARC machine with a red eye towers over the road in an official Steam store screenshot of ARC Raiders Embark Studios

Quick facts

Newest machines	Bully, Skulker and Hydra (Frozen Trail, update 2.0, Oct 8, 2026)
Bosses	Queen and Matriarch
Destroyed in year one	Over 14.8 billion ARC (Oct 30, 2026)
Explosives since 2.0	Over 50% more damage to armor plates, around 30% less to fragile parts
Official stat table	None published as of Oct 31, 2026
Patch notes checked through	Update 2.3.0, Oct 27, 2026

Sources: GamesBeat's anniversary report, Embark's Frozen Trail post, Embark's 2.0 notes, Embark's 2.3.0 notes.

Every ARC machine

Embark publishes no tier list, so the Rarity column is Game Rant's label from Apr 4, 2026, and it is blank for machines that guide does not cover. Drops are the unique part only; the common materials are on each machine's own page. Treat weak points as guide advice, since no reliable source gives official health or damage multipliers as of Oct 31, 2026.

Machine	Rarity (Game Rant)	Weak point	Best tool	Unique drop
Tick	Common	Whole body	One bullet or one melee hit	Tick Pod
Pop	Common	Whole body	One medium or heavy shot	Pop Trigger
Fireball	Common	White interior when the panel opens	Heavy ammo	Fireball Burner
Comet	Common	Red line in its middle	Shoot as it charges	Comet Igniter
Turret	Uncommon	Body behind the barrel	Two heavy shots	None listed
Sentinel	Rare	Body behind the barrel	Range, or explosives up close	Sentinel Firing Core
Leaper	Rare	Eye and four legs (guides differ)	Heavy ammo, Blaze Grenades	Leaper Pulse Unit
ARC Surveyor	Very Rare	Beacon module when open	Showstopper, heavy ammo	Surveyor Vault
Wasp	Common	Four propellers	Any ammo, two propellers	Wasp Driver
Hornet	Common	Two rear propellers	Any ammo at the rear	Hornet Driver
Firefly	Common	Yellow fuel canister	Shoot as it deploys	Firefly Burner
Snitch	Uncommon	White propeller plates or thrusters	Heavy ammo	Snitch Scanner
Rocketeer	Uncommon	Four thrusters, above the eye	Heavy ammo, then any	Rocketeer Driver
Vaporizer	Major conditions at the time	Side rotors, belly	Long range, high damage	Vaporizer Regulator
ARC Turbine		Legs, then tanks near landing gear	Not named	Turbine parts
Bastion	Rare	Yellow leg joints, rear canister	Hullcracker	Bastion Cell
Bombardier	Rare	Yellow kneecaps, rear cylinder	Wolfpack opener	Bombardier Cell
Shredder	Stella Montis then; all maps now	Bottom thruster	Two Trigger Nades	Shredder Gyro
Spotter		Not listed	Kill first near a Bombardier	Spotter Relay
Bully		Yellow leg joints, cannon	Hullcracker	Bully Fragmenter
Skulker		Four wheels (guides differ)	Anvil, Renegade, Osprey	Skulker Targeter
Hydra		Three modules	Armor-piercing weapons	None listed
Queen	Ultra Rare	Legs under armor, head	Hullcracker, Wolfpack	Queen Reactor
Matriarch	Ultra Rare	Red core in the head, leg joints	Hullcracker, Deadline on core	Matriarch Reactor

Sources: Game Rant's weak point guide (Apr 4, 2026), TheGamer's enemy guide (Feb 27, 2026), TheGamer on Shredders (Feb 19, 2026), TheGamer on the Turbine (Apr 30, 2026), TheGamer on the Bully (Oct 9, 2026), Beebom on the Skulker (Oct 16, 2026), Embark's 1.22.0 notes (Mar 31, 2026), Destructoid's station list for the Sentinel part (Nov 2, 2025).

Each group has its own page: Ground ARC, Flying ARC, Bastion, Bombardier and Shredder, Queen and Matriarch, and Bully, Skulker and Hydra. The colossal Frigate and the fallen Emperor are places as much as enemies: see Frigate and Pendola Pass.

How to fight ARC

2:30 Read the machine before you shoot. Flyers fall when you break what lifts them: Game Rant says two of a Wasp's four propellers are enough, with any ammo. Armored machines take heavy ammo first, which strips plating, and then any gun works on what is underneath. Walkers wear their weak points in yellow, so aim at the joints and the canisters. In the clip, Fallout Plays explains breaking two of a Wasp's four turbines (Feb 25, 2026).

Explosives changed on Oct 8, 2026. Embark reworked the formula so weapons like the Hullcracker deal over 50% more to armor plates and around 30% less to fragile parts, which makes them armor breakers rather than weak point killers. Guides older than that date overrate a grenade on a joint. Launcher Ammo also has a daily purchase limit since 2.0, so bring what a big fight needs.

Noise matters. Since update 1.26.0 ARC reacts to nearby breaching sounds (Apr 28, 2026), and a Snitch can call in a Rocketeer or a Firefly and Hornet duo since 1.42.0 (Aug 21, 2026), so kill scouts first. Lure Grenades pull some machines away; TheGamer names the Rocketeer and Firefly (Feb 27, 2026). Aim assist tracks leg joints and weak spots on the Bastion, Bombardier, Queen and Matriarch since 1.26.0. For which guns to carry, see Best Weapons and Best Loadouts; for fighting alone, see the Solo Guide.

Why kill ARC at all

Unique parts are the reason. Launch-era Workshop upgrades took 8 Wasp Driver, 5 Hornet Driver, 8 Tick Pod and 6 Bastion Cell among others, per Destructoid (Nov 2, 2025), and since 2.0 the Research Station takes 5 Skulker Targeter at level II and 6 Bully Fragmenter at level III, per Game Rant (Oct 14, 2026). The rest is on Crafting and the Workshop, Materials and Outpost and Research.

Quests want them too. PC Gamer's list (May 1, 2026) includes The Trifecta, Into the Fray, Out of the Shadows, Mixed Signals and Bombing Run, each asking for a machine or its part; more are on Quests. Killing also pays XP: since update 1.2.0 (Nov 13, 2025) looting a Rocketeer thruster or a Leaper leg gives 500 XP, a Bastion part 250 and a Bombardier part 300. No later notes we checked change those values.

Recent changes to all ARC

Update	Change
1.3.0, Nov 20, 2025	Explosions hit large machines such as the Bastion a bit less
1.26.0, Apr 28, 2026	Aim assist fixed on big walkers; Vaporizers added to more maps and conditions; Firefly presence on Dam Battlegrounds and Comet presence on Buried City cut
2.0, Oct 8, 2026	Explosive formula reworked; Queen and Matriarch top loot moved into the legs; hit registration improved when standing on ARC
2.2.0, Oct 20, 2026	Turbines near certain on four maps; removed from standard Dam Battlegrounds sessions; Hydra targeting fixed
2.3.0, Oct 27, 2026	ARC moves better near map borders; Firefly Burner works on impact when thrown

During the PvE Toggle test (Oct 13 to 20, 2026), ARC could re-acquire downed players after an eight-second grace period. Every patch is listed on Patch Notes and Updates.

Frequently asked questions

How many enemies are in ARC Raiders? This page lists 24 fightable ARC machines named in Embark's posts and cited guides as of Oct 31, 2026, plus the Assessor and the colossal Frigate and Emperor. Embark publishes no official count.

What is the easiest way to kill ARC in ARC Raiders? Shoot the machine's weak point: propellers on the Wasp and Hornet, thrusters on the Rocketeer, yellow leg joints on the Bastion, Bombardier and Bully. Use heavy ammo or explosives to strip armor first, then any gun on what is exposed.

What is the hardest enemy in ARC Raiders? The Queen and Matriarch are the bosses, and both are meant for groups. KeenGamer calls the Matriarch mechanically harder, though it says she has less health than the Queen (Nov 2025).

What are the newest ARC enemies in ARC Raiders? The Bully, Skulker and Hydra arrived with Frozen Trail, update 2.0, on Oct 8, 2026. Before them came the ARC Turbine with Riven Tides on Apr 28, 2026.

Do explosives work on ARC in ARC Raiders? Yes, best on armor. Since update 2.0 (Oct 8, 2026), weapons like the Hullcracker deal over 50% more to armor plates and around 30% less to fragile parts.

Does ARC in ARC Raiders drop useful loot? Yes. Most machines drop a unique part, such as a Wasp Driver or Bastion Cell, needed for Workshop upgrades, crafting and quests. Both bosses drop reactors used to craft legendary weapons.