Rick Flair
With a total of 5 maps in the roster, ARC Raiders manages not to feel stale from raid to raid. The key to this is how maps fluctuate and how you need to adapt to the situations. We rank the ARC Raiders maps based on the overall experience they offer. That doesn’t mean that on a PvE-oriented map, you will not have a match where it feels like a blood feud between warring clans is happening. The same is true vice versa. We’ve had plenty of matches on Stella Montis where we didn’t shoot a single shot. One warning: the PvE and PvP map separation applies only to solo queues. If you have at least one more person with you in a squad, shoot other raiders on sight. In this guide, we’re explaining why some maps are better than others for farming guns, materials, or blueprints.
Farming blueprints is a very tedious task, though. Their drop rate is usually relatively low, so finding a blueprint is really hard. It can be even more frustrating when you get the blueprint for a gun you already have (hello Bettina). Lucky for you, we have ARC Raiders Blueprints available. Get any blueprint you want lightning-fast!
Read our other ARC Raiders guides:
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ARC Raiders Maps Ranked
We start with a general ranking. While all maps are good for certain goals, some combine those goals, making them better. We will list the maps, explain what they’re good for, and what you can expect from them. We evaluate them on how well they fulfil those goals. Here are all ARC Raiders maps ranked:
| Name | Activities | Explanation |
| Stella Montis | PvP, farming, rare resources, close quarters, loot value. | Stella Montis is primarily a PvP map. Despite that, solo mode can be quite a chill experience. If you can avoid Shredders, that is. If you’re going in with squads, expect lots of PvP, especially around the Medical Research area. This map brings a lot of Epic technical and Exodus loot. It’s especially good for farming resources for weapon crafting and upgrading. The biggest pro of this map is that you can find decent loot in nearly every area of the map. |
| Spaceport | PvP, PvE, weapon farming, unique events, risky. | The most all-around map in the game. It promotes various gameplay styles, and you will have fun fighting people or ARCs. Before the winter update, it also had the best and fastest loot route. It had the Security Lockers spawn at every watchtower on the map, spread along the perimeter of the map center. Now, Security Lockers are randomised, so it’s not that good. However, you can still carry out tons of weapons if you know where to look for them. Farming ARC bosses is also super easy, thanks to the map’s layout. It’s still very risky because of other raiders, though. It also has an event, unique to this map, called Hidden Bunker. You can find unique blueprints not dropping anywhere else during it. |
| Buried City | PvP, loot variety, close quarters, safe. | If you don’t want to be seen on this map, you won’t be. Due to how many buildings there are, you can stealthily traverse the whole map while looting. South of the map, around Plaza Rosa, is a very PvP-heavy arena. It also has the most unmarked loot zones. |
| Dam Battlegrounds | PvE, loot variety, lots of visual cover, safe. | Despite being a beginner map, Dam offers a very balanced map design, where the loot is spread evenly throughout the vast land. There are only two PvP-heavy areas. Namely, the Dome Complex and the Control Tower in the center of the map. The coolest thing is you don’t have to go to them to bring out good loot. You can find decent loot even in uncolored zones. |
| Blue Gate | PvP, PvE, loot concentration, very risky. | Blue Gate is the most wide-open map in the game. It also has the most locations hidden behind the puzzles. Despite that, the most valuable loot is located in the map's underground center. Since it can take too long to open the puzzle locations, and the loot there can be bad, even during the Dynamic Events, we place it last. A new event called Locked Gate might lift the map higher in the list, though. |
Despite the ranking, no maps in the game are bad. All of them are really well made, providing a fun experience with every run. Just because we placed the Blue Gate last doesn’t mean that it’s objectively bad. We recommend trying all of them and forming your own opinion. If you prefer PvE combat, we recommend Dam and the Blue Gate. If you want some PvP, check out Stella Montis, Buried City, and Spaceport. For farming resources, there are no places better than Stella Montis and Buried City. We will rank the maps by their primary goal, explaining why each is better in this regard.
Best ARC Raiders PvE Maps
By PvE, we mostly mean farming boss ARCs. If you need to farm ARC Powercells or ARC Alloy, you can do that on any map. Ranking the maps based on this is definitely not the most straightforward task, as there are multiple places where you can do that. If you want to play the PvE content, the best places for that are Spaceport, Blue Gate, and Dam Battlegrounds. Each is good for different reasons, so let us explain the best ARC Raiders PvE maps:
| Name | Explanation |
| Spaceport | Lots of ARC bosses, including Matriarch and Queen, that occasionally spawn here. Bosses are conveniently located near the buildings, making it easy to hide from them. The Hidden Bunker event also spawns Bastions and Bombardiers in one location, so farming them there is very efficient. BLOG20 |
| Blue Gate | An open area, which makes it very easy to reach any boss that you see. If you can occupy Pilgrim’s Peak, you can safely farm Rocketeers and Leapers. It’s very safe, and most players won’t be able to reach you there. As for the underground zone, you can find just one Bombardier or Bastion there, so we do not recommend it for PvP. |
| Dam Battlegrounds | Testing Annex, Control Tower, and the Dome Complex are the typical places where you can farm the bosses. Testing Annex allows you to trigger multiple bosses, even the ones close to the Control Tower. The Control Tower is one of the best places to farm them safely. Dome Complex has access to Rocketeers, occasional Leapers, and even a Bastion that can spawn there during some events. Not to mention, you can farm both the Matriarch and the Queen there. |
| Buried City | While there are all types of boss ARCs here, fighting them in this location is mostly a deathwish. The bosses spawn in the most player-packed areas, and even if they’re not, looting them usually leaves you wide open to the fire from the surrounding buildings. Although you can occasionally kill a boss or two during the run, it’s very risky, and we don’t recommend doing it here. |
| Stella Montis | Wait, you can find bosses here? Well, yes, you can in one area only. Bottom of the Loading Bay usually has a Bastion there. Sometimes it also spawns a Rocketeer. You don’t really want to farm the bosses here, as there aren’t many of them and there are tons of players lurking around. |
While Buried City does have more ARC variety than Dam Battlegrounds, Dam has multiple areas that can be safe both from players and the ARC attacks. While farming ARCs, remember that the fewer shots you fire, the better. Take lots of grenades or a Hullbreaker. Legendary weapons deal with ARCs quite effectively, but are better reserved for world bosses. Another important thing to bear in mind is that when you are farming ARC, you need to secure the place where you do that. Take mines and place them in chokepoints so that you won’t be ambushed.
Top ARC Raiders PvP Maps
If you are a PvP enthusiast, this game gives you the satisfaction that not many shooters can. The fact that you not only outplay another human but also can take their loot can feel empowering. Honestly, anything goes in this game. However, we’re rating these maps based on the fun they bring to shootouts, not to the tactical backstabbing. If you’re into a more stealthy approach, any hot spots on the map will work. Take a look at the top ARC Raiders PvP maps:
| Name | Explanation |
| Stella Montis | What can be better for shootouts than a map based solely around the PvP? This map promotes close-quarters battles but also includes a few areas for long-range combat. Best map for using SMGs, shotguns, and a Torrente. Grenades work exceptionally well here, too. |
| Buried City | The PvP map before Stella Montis was released. The map's layout just calls for combat. ARCs here feel more like complications for player vs. player combat than a real threat. It’s also a camper’s den. While traversing the insides of the buildings, listen carefully for mines and other sounds. |
| Spaceport |
Due to the large number of zones with good loot, you’ll find plenty of players here, wherever you go. The hottest zones here are around the Departure Building and Control Tower A6. If you are into the high-risk, high-reward battles, this is your place. |
| Dam Battlegrounds | Though this map has multiple hot zones where you are certain to meet other players, the majority of them are free kit. Hydroponic Dome, Control Tower, and Water Treatment are the hottest zones on the map. Pick something that can melt light shields fast, and you’ll be able to take out a couple of players no problem. |
| Blue Gate | The main PvP activity happens underground. Overground is too packed with ARCs to have meaningful fights, since the machines often interrupt your fiery conversation. Most fights happen around the Reinforced Reception. The Village and the Ancient Fort are also places where players are active. |
While the maps here are ranked based on the frequency of player encounters, that doesn’t mean that on tamer maps you won’t fight them. It’s not that rare to go through Stella Montis without meeting a single team. Sometimes you’ll have to fight tooth and nail in the most unexpected places on Blue Gate.
ARC Raiders Best Farm Maps
The maps here aren’t ranked in a typical way. Each map is good for its own loot. Our opinion on this rating is based on the density and variety of the loot, and the overall ease of accessing it. It also takes into account the frequency of rare loot drops on the maps. We evaluate both the normal and the Event maps. If you want to farm some rarer materials or weapons, we recommend playing the maps with active Events. Most of them raise the quality of the loot you can find. It’s especially true for the Cold Snap modifier, as some people report significantly increased loot rarity during it. Now, let’s break down the ARC Raiders best farm maps:
- Stella Montis: If you’re looking to earn coins or find materials for upgrading the weapons, this is your place. The loot here is excellent, especially if you look in the colored areas. The Assembly Workshops has the craziest purple item spawn rate in the white and yellow stands between the rooms. You’re bound to find two or three Epic-tier recyclables in a run. Provided you’ve spawned in early. Objectively, the best map for farming in ARC Raiders.
- Spaceport: Best place to farm weapons and ARC components. You can find plenty of both here. Take Anvil or something more serious if you’re planning on farming ARCs. For weapons, you have to be ready for competition, as by now most raiders know where to find the weapon crates. Try searching the Departure Building, as it has three weapon crate spawns. One is on the roof, another is in the breachable room on the second floor, and the third is opposite the breachable room, down the elevator shaft.
- Buried City: Lots of various loot, including residential, medical, nature, and even security, though it’s unmarked. There are lots of hidden locations with loot that aren’t shown on the map, too. Loot pharmacies near Plaza Rosa and Piazza Arbusto, and the unmarked building right to the Abandoned Highway Camp.
- Blue Gate: Mostly technical and residential loot. The underground facility has a lot of weapon crates, especially if you have keys with you. There aren’t many hidden loot locations, but there are a couple of cellars that open up only if you solve a little puzzle. You can read our Blue Gate Map Guide for reference.
- Dam Battlegrounds: Pretty varied loot, although nothing too insane. You can steadily farm nature items, technological, mechanical, and residential loot here. Security loot can be found in the Control Tower. Look for the drawbridge above the dam. Another spot is on the top floor of the Control Tower, reachable through the stairway, occasionally guarded by a Sentinel turret.
If you have a hard time finding certain places, just check out the guides we’ve left at the beginning of the article. They cover every available map in rich detail.
Conclusion
Now that you know the top maps in ARC Raiders for each type of activity, you can safely choose what you enjoy more. Don’t feel restricted by our ranking. Nobody forbids you from wreaking havoc in a more PvE-friendly map and vice versa. In the end, it’s all about your playstyle, rather than anything else. See you Topside, raider, and good luck in the new season.
F.A.Q
What makes a map good in ARC Raiders?
The primary factors are the loot value and how convenient it is to farm. Everything else is secondary.
What are the best maps for PvP in ARC Raiders?
Stella Montis is the crown jewel of PvP, but you should also try Night Buried City and Spaceport.
What maps are good for PvE in ARC Raiders?
Dam Battlegrounds, Spaceport, and Blue Gate. The latter two have plenty of boss ARCs to deal with. The Dam, however, doesn’t offer a wide variety, but it is pretty safe for this activity.
ARC Raiders which maps are the best for farming?
Each map has its own primary loot you go for, but clear winners are Stella Montis, Buried City, and Dam Battlegrounds.
