Best ARC Raiders Meta Guns—Tier List, Explained

ARC Raiders has a diverse arsenal of 21 weapons, making it challenging to rank them all. But certain guns are clearly more powerful and commonly used than others.

It’s typical for a game like ARC Raiders, where you collect items by going on raids, to have better gear as a major reward. Discovering a powerful weapon is always more thrilling than finding a basic one, but the game becomes interesting when different weapons are best for different situations.

Okay, so I’m getting ready for raids in ARC Raiders and always struggle with what guns to bring. This guide is a lifesaver! It breaks down the nine absolute best guns in the game, and even gives you a full tier list of everything that’s really strong right now. It’s exactly what I needed to optimize my loadout!

9 Best ARC Raiders Meta Guns You Need To Try

Before looking at the weapons, it’s good to know that ARC Raiders has a lot of different options, and some are best for specific situations. The Hullcracker, for instance, is amazing at destroying ARC enemies, but it’s a terrible choice for player-versus-player combat.

This list features guns that perform well in most scenarios – whether you’re battling other players, fighting enemies in the game world, or facing any other challenge.

Anvil

Let’s start with the Anvil – it’s easily one of the best guns in ARC Raiders. You can get it fairly early in the game, it doesn’t cost much to build and improve, and it packs a serious punch against both raiders and ARC units.

On top of everything else, this gun performs well at any distance, especially in medium-range combat. It’s excellent for starting a fight before switching to a faster-firing weapon, and it’s also highly effective for defeating enemies in the game’s PvE mode.

Stitcher

In ARC Raiders, the Stitcher is a gun you’ll get early on, and many players continue to use it throughout the game. It’s affordable to craft and doesn’t require finding a blueprint – you start with the knowledge of how to build it.

Despite its low cost, the Stitcher is surprisingly powerful. It can effectively compete with even the best-equipped enemies you’ll encounter, though adding a better magazine if you have one is always a good idea.

Tempest

If you prefer a classic assault rifle, the Tempest is an excellent choice in ARC Raiders. This dependable, Epic-level weapon is known for its reliability.

This weapon deals significant damage, holds a good amount of ammunition, and is particularly effective against armored enemies. While it performs best with medium-sized ammunition against raiders, it can still handle a tough fight even if you’re facing more heavily armored opponents.

Il Toro

Il Toro is a top-tier weapon in ARC Raiders, and it’s all thanks to being a powerful shotgun. While it doesn’t have the longest range or the fastest fire rate compared to guns like the Volcano, its sheer power at close range makes it incredibly effective – it truly dominates in those situations.

As a raider who loves player-versus-player combat, I’m telling you, if you haven’t tried one of these yet, you really should. They’re super cheap to make, and the Blueprint is pretty easy to find, so there’s no excuse not to have one!

Kettle

The Kettle rifle tends to divide players, but the reality is a bit more complex. While it’s one of the first guns you acquire in ARC Raiders, it doesn’t immediately stand out. It has relatively low damage, a slow reload speed, and isn’t particularly accurate at first glance.

What makes this gun so good in ARC Raiders? It fires incredibly quickly – almost as fast as a fully automatic weapon. This means it can even perform better than some SMGs in close-quarters combat. If you’re starting with a basic loadout and find a Kettle, consider yourself lucky – it significantly increases your chances of surviving and returning to Speranza.

Renegade

While ARC Raiders features intense close-quarters combat, staying at a distance can be a smart strategy. If you prefer to engage enemies from afar, the Renegade is the perfect weapon for the job.

The Renegade rifle is different from the Ferro – it’s a bolt-action that can hold multiple bullets at once. This lets you fire quickly in succession. While it doesn’t hit as hard as some other rifles, its faster firing speed gives it an advantage.

Bobcat

The Bobcat is likely the most popular gun on this list. This rare submachine gun is similar to the Stitcher, but it fires faster.

Let’s address the main challenge: getting the plans for this weapon. Because it’s so rare, it will take some effort to add it to your collection. However, if you want to excel in player-versus-player combat, it’s definitely worth the work.

Volcano

If you like the Il Toro, you’ll really enjoy the Volcano. It improves on everything the Il Toro struggles with. This semi-automatic shotgun has a faster firing rate and deals more damage, making it the best choice for fighting at close range.

There’s one important thing to remember: upgrade the magazine as soon as you can. The weapon fires quickly and starts with a small magazine size of just four bullets, so you’ll run out of ammo fast.

Venator

You might be surprised to see the Pistol listed as one of the best weapons in ARC Raiders, but it truly earns its place. Many players prefer the Venator, and with good reason – it’s a top-tier choice.

This pistol is surprisingly powerful, firing quickly and shooting two bullets with each trigger pull. Because of its high rate of fire, it uses ammo quickly, so make sure you carry plenty of Medium Ammo. Upgrade it to Rank 4 and you won’t regret it!

Complete ARC Raiders Guns Tier List—All Guns, Ranked

There are 21 guns in ARC Raiders right now, but only five of them make it into the S-Tier ranking.

This is a complete ranking of all the guns in ARC Raiders. Weapons in the ‘S’ tier are the best, while those in the ‘D’ tier are the worst.

Tier ARC Raiders Gun Name
S Anvil
Venator
Renegade
Bobcat
Vulcano
A Il Toro
Stitcher
Tempest
Kettle
Bettina
Ferro
B Osprey
Aphelion
Torrente
Jupiter
Burietta
Arpeggio
C Rattler
Hullcracker
Equalizer
D Hairpin

These rankings will probably shift as they’re updated, so it’s worth checking back regularly—you might even find something new you love!

What are your opinions on the recent ARC Raiders weapon rankings? Do you agree with how each gun was rated, or do you think some were unfairly ranked too high or too low? Join the discussion on the official TopMob Discord server!

Want to learn more about ARC Raiders? We’ve got guides on how to find Guitars and a breakdown of how Aggression-Based Matchmaking works.

Written by

Charlie Champion

More from Charlie Champion

MOBILE APP

Level Up Your Gaming News

Real-time news, exclusive podcasts, push alerts, and a better reading experience.
Available on iOS & Android

App Store

Google Play

Read More

2026-01-14 20:51