ARC Raiders: Skill Tree Progression Guide

Skill points in ARC Raiders are limited but crucial. Out of a total 135 points, only 75 are directly spendable on your raider, meaning every choice impacts your efficiency in PvE. Unlike games that rely on passive or temporary perks, ARC Raiders offers a long-term skill tree requiring careful planning. This guide merges early, mid, and late-game strategies with a clear progression path for stealth, mobility, and looting.

Skill Trees

Levels 1-20

Your initial goal is survivability and stamina. Begin with In-Round Crafting in the Survival tree, unlocked after investing in Agile Croucher and Revitalizing Squad. Crafting items like Bandages, Shield Rechargers, and Grenades early reduces overstocking and saves inventory space.

Next, prioritize Mobility skills like Marathon Runner and Youthful Lungs. Stamina management is critical for moving between cover, dodging enemies, and maintaining momentum. Then invest in Looter’s Instincts, which sets the stage for efficient looting and Survival tree advancement.

Other useful early skills:

• Slip and Slide: smooth evasion from dangerous encounters.
• Nimble Climber: access hard-to-reach loot and shortcuts.

Levels 20-45

Now your focus shifts to refining stealth, mobility, and utility. Max out Looter’s Instincts, then upgrade Revitalizing Squad and Silent Scavenger to move unnoticed and gather resources efficiently.

Enhance crafting further with Traveling Tinkerer, allowing you to make advanced gadgets mid-raid. Choose between Suffer in Silence (stealth while critically damaged) or Good as New (stamina regen under healing), then take the remaining option.

Next, increase carrying efficiency with Broad Shoulders, and add utility points in One Raider’s Scraps and Agile Croucher. By now, your raider is stealthy, mobile, and capable of sustaining longer expeditions while maximizing loot.

Levels 45-75

The ultimate goal in PvE is Security Breach, allowing access to high-value Security Lockers. Allocate the final six Survival points carefully to unlock it.

Conditioning remains important:

• Used to the Weight reduces load penalties.
• Gentle Pressure minimizes noise during breaches.
• Proficient Pryer speeds up container access.
• Unburdened Roll, A Little Extra, and Loading Arms further enhance survivability and looting efficiency.

Some Mobility skills, like Effortless Roll or Calming Stroll, are less impactful in practice, so prioritize functional upgrades such as Crawl Before You Walk for tactical movement in firefights or solo extractions.

Skill Tree Management and Resets

ARC Raiders doesn’t offer traditional respecs, but the Expedition system, unlocked after level 20, serves as a periodic reset. Every eight weeks, Expeditions wipe raider progress, stash items, blueprints, and quests while keeping cosmetics, map unlocks, and seasonal buffs. This allows players to refine builds, experiment with skills, and catch up quickly.

This progression balances stealth, mobility, and looting from early to late game. Crafting and stamina skills early increase survival and movement efficiency. Mid-game stealth and utility upgrades allow safer resource gathering, while end-game skills maximize carrying capacity and access to high-value loot. Following this path ensures your raider is agile, quiet, and consistently profitable on every expedition.

Visual Flowchart Progression

Tier 1 (Levels 1–20): Agile Croucher → Revitalizing Squad → In-Round Crafting → Marathon Runner → Youthful Lungs → Looter’s Instincts

Tier 2 (Levels 20–45): Revitalizing Squad → Silent Scavenger → Traveling Tinkerer → Suffer in Silence / Good as New → Broad Shoulders → One Raider’s Scraps → Agile Croucher

Tier 3 (Levels 45–75): Security Breach → Used to the Weight → Gentle Pressure → Proficient Pryer → Unburdened Roll → A Little Extra → Loading Arms → Crawl Before You Walk

All the early game micro and macro investment choices have consequences. Be it stamina, utility, stealth upgrades, or the end game advanced Conditioning skills and Security Breach, choices build towards the effectiveness of the raider in the heat of battle. The more methodical the build, and the more added value to the Expedition system, the more the raider unit outlives, outmaneuvers, and outgains the opposition.