ARC Raiders Explosives: Grenades and Area Control

What explosives are actually for

A grenade is not a damage tool in this game. It is a way of moving an enemy without shooting them: out of cover, out of a doorway, or out of the fight entirely. That makes it a positioning weapon, and positioning is what decides most engagements.

Against machines

Explosives break clusters. A group of small ARC units that would cost a magazine can be cleared in one throw. They also reach weak points on larger machines that are awkward to hit with small arms, which makes a couple of grenades a legitimate anti-armour answer.

Against players

Grenades flush players out of cover, which is the hardest problem in the game to solve with a rifle. A player behind good cover is nearly unkillable until they are forced to move. The second use is denial: a grenade on a doorway stops a push without you having to hold the angle.

The noise cost

Explosions are the loudest thing in the game. Using one tells every raider in the area exactly where you are, which is why the correct time to throw is when the fight is already happening. Throwing a grenade to start a fight is trading surprise for a gamble.

Cooking and timing

Timing matters more than accuracy. A grenade that lands after the enemy has moved is wasted, and one that lands during their reposition is decisive. Learn the fuse, and throw at the space the target is about to occupy rather than the space they are in.

Carrying them

Grenades occupy valuable quick slots and inventory weight. Two or three is a working loadout; a stack of six is weight you could spend on ammunition or loot.

Tell the squad before you throw

A grenade into a room a teammate is about to enter is a team wipe avoided only by luck. Call the throw, and call it before the animation starts. The half-second of warning is worth more than the element of surprise the enemy never had anyway.

Related guides

• ARC Raiders Loadout Guide
• ARC Raiders Combat Guide
• ARC Raiders Large ARC Guide