ARC Raiders have been out for quite some time now, but that doesn't mean those pesky arcs are any less deadly. Many players still find themselves fighting even basic enemies like Wasps, as their damage can actually be quite surprising, and even a few seconds in the line of fire can be enough to take down even veteran attackers. However, there are certain behaviors that can be very easily exploited, giving players the opportunity to shoot down these flying enemies or take advantage of a small window on a larger one.
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Some tricks are fairly obvious and only require a slight change in playstyle, while others are a bit more obscure and require some extensive gaming knowledge to fully exploit them. Either way, it's important to use every trick in the book, as not only can taking out an Arc net player be valuable resources, but knowing how to approach each fight can be the difference between death and a successful extraction.
Flyers fight indoors
Collides with walls and anything else nearby
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Can be easily killed by kicking them through doors and small openings
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Flyswatter allows a single melee to kill hornets and wasps
Wasps and wasps can be some of the more annoying wasps players encounter during a raid. They are incredibly fast, hard to hit and can pack a punch if underestimated. In general, they can be pretty easy to take out with a few well-placed shots to the propellers, but there's actually a way easier way to deal with them that doesn't require firing a single bullet.
The Flyswatter skill allows players to take them out with a single melee hit, and while this is easier said than done due to the enemies flying around, it can be a good way to lure them into a building before it gets too boring. The flyers also have a tendency to collide with doorways or other structures, as in many cases they will struggle to find a clear path to the player without bumping into an object or two. Players can easily use this behavior to both dodge and attack, as Arcen, despite being quite intelligent, still can't figure out how to stay steady at times.
Wind-up attacks
Time to target the Thrusters
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Long stationary period under winding up
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Cooldown to enable repositioning
Something that many Arcs have in common is a similar wind-up pattern, where they first search for a target, aim and prepare to fire. Hornets, Wasps, Sentinels and more all follow the same approach, but the actual time it takes for the first shot to be fired can actually be quite long in many situations, especially if the enemy is far away, giving players the chance to lay down some fire well before the bow has begun its attack.
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More importantly, when enemies like Hornets prepare this attack, they are almost always completely still, making it even easier to take out these thrusters. A good habit to get into is to aggravate an enemy and watch as they prepare their weapon, strategically placed close cover in case the player needs to dodge, and just before they start the takedown, shoot their weak points and watch the bot explode into a cloud of smoke.
Aggro Swapping
Uses teammates well
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Use teammates to target weak points from behind
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Forces Arc to miss shots by constantly switching
One specific enemy behavior specific to combating larger ground-based bows is the speed at which the enemies can target players. Once a bow is fired, it will turn its attention to whatever direction the bullets are coming from, but it won't start firing immediately because it has to lock onto a target first before any damage can actually be dealt.
This small window is a great chance for players to work together and target weak points from behind, as Arc will only focus his attention on the first damage and then rotate to the next one afterwards. One player can stick his head out and make it rotate, while the other unloads in the hoop. Repeating this a couple of times can remove almost all of the challenge, while helping players save their grenades and bullets for the next one.
Rotations
Abuse The Slow Turns
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Turret rotation can be heavily abused
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Aim bows from behind at close range without danger
Many enemies in ARC Raiders works much like a gun on a swivel. Bastions will turn their heads to face players, Sentinels will rotate to target those behind them, and in general, basically every other Arc will turn its attention to whichever direction it's pointed from. However, the turret enemies themselves are even more exploitable, as since they cannot physically move their vision is severely limited and they can only turn to face enemies at a certain rate.
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Some Sentinel locations that are placed on the ground can actually be taken out with melee weapons alone, as long as the player keeps spinning it around over and over until it's dead. Other larger ones, such as the Bastions, can also be pulled around in 360-degree movements, allowing players to dish out damage while avoiding the lubricating robot's line of fire, only because the bow simply cannot keep up with the player's movements.
Weak points between attacks
Patience is a virtue
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Weak points are often hidden when shooting
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Downtime gives players the opportunity to take serious damage
Weak points are one of the most important pieces of information that players need to know in the game. Each arc has a specific spot that can be targeted for bonus damage, regardless of whether the player is using heavy penetrating weapons or not, and these spots can often be quite difficult to target, especially on fast-moving or flying enemies.
However, some bows actually give players a chance to target these locations after attacking, such as the Hornets, where their propellers become more exposed after firing a stun, and even the Queen, where players can take advantage of their slower recovery time to target the joints on their legs or body. In general, the bow almost always pauses between moves and attacks, and they'll even position themselves in a way that reveals the weaker segments of their body, so players should study how they move up close to take advantage of these small windows.
