ARC Raiders Best Weapons Tier List (2026)

The “best weapon” question in ARC Raiders has two answers, and picking the wrong one is the most common early mistake. ARC Raiders is a PvPvE extraction shooter, so your gun must solve two different problems at once: punch through armored ARC machines, and win fast fights against other Raiders. A weapon that dominates one can be a liability in the other.

The S-tier picks, and what each is actually for

Anvil (Heavy hand cannon) — the consensus best all-rounder. High single-shot damage, strong armor penetration, and reliable against both ARC plating and players. If you only invest in one weapon, make it the Anvil. It is the safest floor gun in the current meta because it never asks you to choose between PvE and PvP.

Venator (Medium marksman) — the PvP king. Highest headshot multiplier and long range that punishes Raiders caught in the open. The trade-off is a slow follow-up shot in close quarters, so it is the pick when your goal is winning player fights, not clearing bots.

Dolabra (Heavy shotgun) — the CQB monster. One-shots in tight spaces and tears through ARC units up close. It rose to S-tier after Riven Tides and dominates indoor corridors, but it is niche on open maps.

Renegade (Medium assault rifle) — the most consistent. Not the peak PvP output of the Venator or the PvE punch of the Anvil, but it never lets you down in mixed fights against both humans and machines.

Bettina (Heavy assault rifle) — the easiest S-tier to craft. It received the largest single buff in the Riven Tides update and is more accessible to craft than the Venator or Anvil, which makes it the budget path to a top-tier gun.

The supporting cast

• Vulcano (shotgun) — PvE wave clearer; melts ARC hordes in squad play but takes a moment to spin up.
• Scorpion (secondary) — the go-to close-quarters secondary; pair it with the Anvil so you can switch when enemies close the distance.
• Stitcher / Kettle — the free starter weapons. Reliable enough to learn the game, nothing more; keep them as your zero-investment loadout while you grind.
• Hullcracker (Heavy) — the pure anti-ARC specialist. Highest single-shot damage against machines, but it eats your primary slot and is useless against players. Pure PvE only.

What to avoid

The D-tier guns — Burletta, Rattler and Hairpin — have low damage, poor penetration and small magazines. Run them only as a self-imposed challenge.

The judgment that matters

Do not chase the highest DPS number. If you mostly fight ARC machines, build around the Anvil or Bettina plus a Hullcracker. If you mostly fight Raiders, the Venator or Dolabra wins more gunfights. For a balanced kit that survives both, the Anvil with a Scorpion secondary is the default. Pair this with the ARC Raiders beginner guide for your first loadout, and see how to get the materials to craft the guns you want. Map knowledge from the ARC Raiders maps guide decides whether your loadout ever gets used.