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SoulframePvP Guide
To win PvP fights in ARC Raiders, shoot in bursts and keep moving, break line of sight when hurt, and save your dodge for grenades. To stay friendly, use proximity chat and watch whether a Raider holsters, because the Don't Shoot emote is also used as bait. Matchmaking leans toward Raiders who play as you do.
PvP in ARC Raiders is a choice each time you meet someone: KeenGamer's fighting advice is to fire a burst and move rather than stand and trade (Oct 8, 2026), and the peaceful option is to talk first and watch what the other Raider does with their gun. Your choices also feed matchmaking: Embark says playstyle is one of the strongest factors, on a scale rather than in friendly and aggressive buckets (May 20, 2026). This page covers how to fight, how to avoid a fight, the unwritten rules, and what Embark has published about how it all counts. Weapons are on Best Weapons; kits on Best Loadouts. Jiibii's clip shows the same idea with the Anvil: shoot, jiggle out, let it reset, peek again.
Quick facts
| Proximity chat | B on PC, D-pad Down on console (launch defaults) |
| Emote wheel | G on PC; press K in it to choose who hears pings and emotes |
| Choose a friendly lobby | Not possible directly (Sportskeeda, Dec 2025) |
| Playstyle record | Separate for solo, duo and trio since 1.36.0 |
| Defending yourself | Not counted, in a test begun Jul 28, 2026; final state not announced |
| PvE toggle | A test, Oct 13 to 20, 2026; ended |
| Cheating | Permanent ban (Sep 30, 2026) |
Sources: Shacknews, Oct 30, 2025; Game Rant, Nov 26, 2025; Sportskeeda, Dec 15, 2025; Embark's 1.36.0 and 1.39.0 notes; PvE test post, Oct 13, 2026; Update on Anti-Cheat, Sep 30, 2026.
How to win a fight
These tips are KeenGamer's from its Frozen Trail PvP build guide (Oct 8, 2026), the newest allowed guide:
- Burst and move. Do not stand and trade shots.
- Break line of sight at critical health so Back on Your Feet can work. Embark raised its healing from 30 to 40 in 2.0.
- Save Quick Roll for grenades and pushes.
A tip in Game Rant's Nov 2025 article is to use third-person camera rotation to check around corners before you step out. Its budget build (Dec 22, 2025) is a pattern worth copying at any price: open with the Ferro, which breaks a small shield quickly, then finish with Stitcher bursts. The press lists disagree on the best guns and predate 2.0; Embark's own note is that the Anvil was outperforming within and above its rarity (Oct 8, 2026). Dated lists are on Best Weapons, and PvP skills on Best Builds.
Since 2.0 Raiders who down you can loot your weapon with its Stencil, and the Heavy Shield got stronger in 2.3.0, base charge 80 to 90, which changes how long a fight takes (Shields and Augments). Jiibii rates the Heavy Shield for defensive play in a clip from before both changes.
How to avoid a fight
Game Rant's list (Nov 26, 2025) is the fullest in a reliable source: Legacy Gaming adds that every crate, door and sprint can be heard.
- Use your flashlight sparingly: from outside it shows where you are.
- Stay away from noisy ARC, blue scanners and flares. Flares mean a downed Raider, a Supply Drop or a Remote Flare set as a trap.
- Stop looting when you hear someone. Footsteps that stop may mean a crouched ambush.
- Skip probes unless you need them, since breaching can be heard about 1 km away.
- Leave by Raider Hatch when you can (Extraction and Raider Hatches).
Friendly Raiders, emotes and proximity chat
Proximity chat is the Push-to-Talk (Proximity Voice Chat) bind: B on PC, D-pad Down on console by launch defaults, and can be muted or disabled. Raider Voice converts your voice, and got a higher-fidelity model in 2.0, along with a mouth animation while you talk.
Players pair the "Don't Shoot" emote with a call on the mic, Game Rant reports (Nov 1, 2025). Do not trust the emote alone. Raiders use it as bait: watch whether they holster and leave, and if they linger, roll aside and shoot first (Nov 26, 2025). A Defibrillator can even revive an enemy, and the Today You, Tomorrow Me achievement rewards reviving an encountered Raider. Jiibii's clip tells of a Raider who blamed him for a grenade, then downed him.
Etiquette
Nothing here is a rule Embark enforces. Game Rant reports camping extraction points is widely frowned on. PC Gamer described solo players choosing cooperation in the launch weeks (Nov 4, 2025), and Embark's own view is that heavy PvP should stay a viable way to play (1.26.0, Apr 28, 2026). You can block a player after reporting them (1.29.0). Teaming up with a stranger you meet in a raid stays allowed; pre-arranged queue teaming does not.
How matchmaking reads your fights
Embark's May 20, 2026 notes set out what counts:
| Claim | Embark's answer |
|---|---|
| One kill moves you to PvP lobbies | No |
| End-of-round feedback affects it | No |
| Loadout value or crossplay affects it | No |
| Looting knocked-out players affects it | No |
| Patches reset it | No |
| The squad leader counts for more | No |
| Spawn-and-surrender rounds count fully | No, low-activity rounds weigh less |
Source: Notes on The Matchmaking System, May 20, 2026.
Since 1.39.0, Jul 28, 2026, Embark has tested counting only the fights you start. If the other squad damages, downs or knocks out any squadmate first, your whole squad counts as defending; longer firefights weigh more, a stray hit far less, and joining a fight already underway counts as starting one. As of Oct 31, 2026 Embark has not said whether the test became permanent. A single YouTuber's two-account test reported by GamesRadar+ found friendly and aggressive accounts sorted apart; it is one unconfirmed test from Dec 2025, before these changes. Sportskeeda notes you cannot choose a friendly lobby directly. The system in full is on Matchmaking.
Statistics
Steam's achievement percentages, read Oct 31, 2026, hint at how Raiders treat each other: 80.4% have returned to Speranza together with an encountered Raider, 52.1% have been knocked out inside a return point, and 30.3% have revived an encountered Raider with a Defibrillator (Achievements). Embark's largest published number on the subject comes from the PvE test: more than 30 million PvE rounds were played during Oct 13 to 20, 2026 (PvE Toggle). No reliable source publishes a current share of friendly against aggressive players as of Oct 31, 2026. Embark's queue-teaming figures are on Anti-Cheat and Fair Play.
Frequently asked questions
How do you win fights in ARC Raiders? Fire bursts and move instead of trading shots, break line of sight when hurt, and save your dodge roll for grenades and pushes, KeenGamer advised on Oct 8, 2026.
How do you get friendly lobbies in ARC Raiders? You cannot pick one. ARC Raiders matches you more often with similar playstyles, so avoiding fights you would start moves you slowly, and solo, duo and trio are tracked separately since update 1.36.0.
Does defending yourself count against you in ARC Raiders? Since a test begun with update 1.39.0, only fights you start count, and your whole squad is defending if the other side strikes first. Embark has not said as of Oct 31, 2026 whether it is permanent.
How does proximity chat work in ARC Raiders? Nearby Raiders hear you on the proximity bind, B on PC and D-pad Down on console by launch defaults. It can be muted or disabled, and Raider Voice can convert your voice.
Can you trust the Don't Shoot emote in ARC Raiders? Not by itself. Game Rant says Raiders use it as bait, so watch whether they holster and leave.
Is there a PvE mode in ARC Raiders? Not as of Oct 31, 2026. A PvE toggle was tested Oct 13 to 20, 2026 and has ended, and Embark has not said whether it returns.
Sources
- Global Achievements, Steam, read Oct 31, 2026
- Riven Tides - Patch Notes Update 1.26.0, Embark (Steam news), Apr 28, 2026
- Patch Notes 1.29.0, Embark (Steam news), May 19, 2026
- Notes on The Matchmaking System, Embark (Steam news), May 20, 2026
- Live Update 1.36.0, Embark (Steam news), Jul 7, 2026
- Live Update 1.39.0, Embark (Steam news), Jul 28, 2026
- An Update on Anti-Cheat, Embark (Steam news), Sep 30, 2026
- Frozen Trail - 2.0 Update, full notes, Embark, Oct 8, 2026
- PvE Toggle Beta Test: October 13-20, Embark (Steam news), Oct 13, 2026
- PvE Matchmaking Toggle Test: Thanks for taking part!, Embark, Oct 20, 2026
- Live Update 2.3.0, Embark (Steam news), Oct 27, 2026
- ARC Raiders Frozen Trail: Best PvP Skill Tree Build, KeenGamer, Oct 8, 2026
- Best Tips and Tricks To Avoid PvP In ARC Raiders, Game Rant, Nov 26, 2025
- The Unwritten Rules of ARC Raiders Explained, Game Rant, Nov 1, 2025
- ARC Raiders: Does It Have Campaign, Crossplay, Is It Free-to-Play?, Game Rant, Oct 29, 2025
- Best Cheap Arc Raiders Loadout, Game Rant, Dec 22, 2025
- ARC Raiders PC keybindings and controls, Shacknews, Oct 30, 2025
- How to get friendly lobbies in ARC Raiders, Sportskeeda, Dec 15, 2025
- 'One of the chillest communities I've ever encountered', PC Gamer, Nov 4, 2025
- Arc Raiders reviving dead players and enemies, GamesRadar+, Nov 6, 2025
- Arc Raiders tester found that PvE players get put in friendlier lobbies, GamesRadar+, Dec 21, 2025
- Become a PvP GOD in Arc Raiders, Jiibii, Nov 25, 2025 (video)
- Arc Raiders- Ultimate Beginner’s Guide (Top Gameplay Tips You Need to Know!), Legacy Gaming, Oct 29, 2025 (video)
Moments
Become a PvP GOD in Arc Raiders
Jiibii
- PvP in ARC Raiders is a choice each time you meet someone: KeenGamer's fighting advice is to fire a burst and move…
- Since 2.0 Raiders who down you can loot your weapon with its Stencil, and the Heavy Shield got stronger in 2.3.0, base…
- Players pair the "Don't Shoot" emote with a call on the mic, Game Rant reports (Nov 1, 2025). Do not trust the emote…
Arc Raiders- Ultimate Beginner’s Guide (Top Gameplay Tips You Need to Know!)
Legacy Gaming
Photos
Related
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How a Raid WorksIn ARC Raiders you choose a loadout in Speranza, deploy Topside on a timer of about 30 minutes, loot, and leave by elevator, Raider Hatch or Ballistic Gondola. If you are knocked out you lose everything except your Safe Pocket; a Free Loadout risks nothing but has no Safe Pocket.
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Bastion, Bombardier and ShredderTo kill a Bastion or Bombardier in ARC Raiders, hit the yellow leg joints to slow it, then the yellow canister or cylinder at the back. A Bombardier also relies on Spotters, so kill those first. A Shredder dies to its bottom thruster, with two Trigger Nades enough to finish one.
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Ground ARCSmall ground ARC in ARC Raiders die quickly once you know the spot. One hit kills a Tick, one medium shot pops a Pop, a Fireball falls when its panel opens, and two heavy shots behind the barrel kill a Turret. The Leaper is the dangerous one, best hit with heavy ammo on the eye and Blaze Grenades.
See also
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Best WeaponsThe Anvil is the one ARC Raiders gun placed in S tier on all five press lists read here, and Renegade, Tempest and Venator also rank high. Every list predates update 2.0, and none ranks the Bantam, Stiletto or amplified weapons as of Oct 31, 2026.
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Best LoadoutsThe cheapest ARC Raiders loadout is the Free Loadout, which costs nothing. The best-known budget kit is Game Rant's Ferro and Stitcher on Looting Mk.1, about 13,000 Coins in Dec 2025. No allowed press loadout has been republished for update 2.0 or later, so every kit here carries its date.
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Best BuildsThe two dated ARC Raiders builds from press after the Frozen Trail skill tree rework both put 41 of 76 points in Mobility: KeenGamer's PvP build runs 41 Mobility, 24 Conditioning and 11 Survival, and Beebom's all-round build runs 41, 26 and 9. They differ on the choice nodes, and solo players should drop the downed skills.
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Shields and AugmentsARC Raiders has three shields (Light, Medium, Heavy) and an Augment decides which of them you may wear, along with your backpack slots, weight limit and safe pockets. Mk.1 and Mk.2 Augments craft at the Gear Bench or sell at Lance; Mk.3 Augments need Gear Bench 3. Heavy Shield charge rose to 90 in update 2.3.0.
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Extraction and Raider HatchesTo extract in ARC Raiders, reach a map's exit, use the console and get inside before the round ends; it sets off an alarm and leaves by itself after 2 minutes. A Raider Hatch is a silent, instant exit that uses up a Raider Hatch Key. Pendola Pass uses a Ballistic Gondola instead.
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MatchmakingARC Raiders matches you partly by playstyle, one of the strongest factors, on a scale rather than friendly and aggressive buckets, as Embark explained on May 20, 2026. Similar players are more likely, never guaranteed, and since Jul 2026 Solo, Duo and Trio playstyles are tracked separately.