Arc Raiders Skill Tree Progression Guide Key Abilities Levels

Arc Raiders demands sharp instincts and smart skill choices to stay alive and thrive. From survival perks that keep you fighting longer to tactical abilities that turn the tide in tough encounters, these upgrades can change how every scrap plays out. Here’s what you should prioritize to gain the edge out there.

In-Round Crafting and Traveling Tinkerer (Survival)

In-round Crafting and Traveling Tinkerer offers steady ways to survive harsher zones by letting players repair gear, build makeshift tools, and adapt quickly during missions. This skill supports mobility-focused playstyles, helping scavengers stay supplied without relying on fixed base stations. Resource management becomes smoother, as crafting on the go allows for quick adjustments after combat or exploration, keeping progress steady and downtime minimal.

The first skill you should absolutely aim for is In-Round Crafting, the third skill in the second Survival tree branch. You can unlock this at level three, if you invest one point apiece into Agile Croucher and Revitalizing Squat first.

It’s very self-explanatory, but it essentially allows you to craft certain items while topside, provided you have the materials. Engaged in more combat than you expected? Run out of ammo or grenades? Simply need to free up some inventory space? Craft some items and save your run to ensure you can extract.

Along very similar lines, once you’ve invested 15 points into the survival tree, you can unlock Traveling Tinkerer. This simply opens up even more field crafting options, increasing your chances of surviving and extracting.

Used To The Weight (Conditioning)

Used To The Weight (Conditioning) improves your survivor’s ability to carry more without slowing down, letting you stay mobile even with a loaded inventory. This skill reduces stamina loss from heavy gear and supports longer expeditions without constant inventory management. It’s especially useful for players who prefer gathering resources or exploring distant areas before returning to base.

The very first skill in the Conditioning tree, Used To The Weight, means you move quicker when wearing a shield. Since you’d be pretty foolish to venture topside without a shield, who can complain about moving faster at pretty much all times? Invest as many points into this as you feel comfortable, because maxing it out isn’t a bad thing, especially if you need to unlock the next tier of the Conditioning tree.

Proficient Pryer and Gentle Pressure (Conditioning)

Proficient Pryer and Gentle Pressure (Conditioning)

Mastery of pry and pressure hinges on controlled, patient application that trains your timing and grip. Focus on consistent, low-force pushes to build familiarity with arc paths, then layer in brief bursts of precision to drill feedback loops. As you condition, prioritize smooth transitions between movements and mindful breathing to sustain accuracy under pressure.

Early on, Arc Raiders teaches you that breaching storage items and doors takes time, but more importantly, it makes noise. Noise that other players – and Arc enemies – can hear. The more points you invest into Proficient Pryer and Gentle Pressure respectively, the safer you’re going to be when breaching, because they both speed it up and make it quieter.

Marathon Runner and Youthful Lungs (Mobility)

Marathon Runner and Youthful Lungs boost stamina and agility, letting players cover more ground before fatigue sets in. This upgrade helps maintain high mobility during intense firefights or long-distance engagements, keeping momentum in both offense and retreat. Pairing these abilities allows smoother movement transitions and sharper endurance, giving a clear edge during survival runs or rapid repositioning across dangerous terrain.

The Mobility tree is definitely the weakest of the three, so there aren’t too many strong options here, but both Marathon Runner and Youthful Lungs work in tandem with each other. There will be times you’ll need to flee, and with the former reducing the stamina cost of moving around and the latter increasing your max stamina altogether, you increase your chances of both getting away from enemies and hightailing it to an extraction point before it closes.

Back On Your Feet (Conditioning)

Back On Your Feet (Conditioning) helps your character recover faster after being knocked down, keeping you active during heated fights. It shortens downtime and gives you a better chance to reposition or respond before enemies can finish the job. This skill is especially useful during chaotic encounters or solo missions where every second of recovery makes a difference.

Now we’re looking at some late-game skills, Back On Your Feet requires a total of 36 points in the Conditioning tree, so you need to seriously invest to grab it. It can often be the difference between life and death though, as it auto-regenerates health when you’re critically injured. Not all the way, so you’ll still need some healing items, but if you’re being shot by Arc enemies and need to take cover from them, you can re-engage without having to use up your own resources.

Broad Shoulders (Survival)

Broad Shoulders bolsters your carrying capacity in Arc Raiders, letting you haul more resources from risky scavenging runs without constant trips back to base. This skill keeps you in the fight longer during intense survival sessions, where every scrap of metal or food counts toward crafting defenses or weapons. Pair it with stamina boosts to push further into hostile zones and stockpile gear against robot swarms.

If you play Arc Raiders by heading topside, looting as much as possible, then escaping without engaging in much combat, chances are you don’t suffer from overencumbrance too often. If you’re a PvPer though and you’re often plucking shields, augments, and weapons from the corpses of other players, you’ll quickly find yourself needing to shed some weight due to the sheer quantity of items you’ve picked up.

Broad Shoulders, very simply, increases the maximum weight you can carry while topside. A godsend for the hoarders amongst us.

Security Breach (Survival)

A Security Breach skill build focuses on staying alive under pressure, using quick thinking and resource management to outlast enemy assaults. Prioritize abilities that enhance awareness, speed, and shield recovery while maintaining control during chaotic firefights. Combining stealth tools with recovery perks gives players a better chance to escape ambushes and rebuild their defenses before re-engaging.

Ever stumbled upon a locked container that you can’t breach because it says you require Security Breach? These have some seriously high-tier loot behind them, but you need to invest 36 points into Survival before you can unlock this skill. It’s worth it though, arguably more so than Back On Your Feet if you’re set on having the best equipment in the game.

Which skills best suit solo versus squad play in Arc Raiders

Solo play in Arc Raiders favors stealth and self-sufficiency skills, while squad play emphasizes team sustain and carrying capacity. Survival and Mobility trees dominate solo builds for crafting and evasion without backup. Squads leverage Conditioning for endurance in group fights.​

Solo Play Skills

Prioritize Survival tree: In-Round Crafting and Traveling Tinkerer for self-resupplying ammo and meds mid-raid, Silent Scavenger to loot quietly, and Agile Croucher for faster stealth movement. Mobility adds Slip and Slide for quick escapes and Marathon Runner paired with Youthful Lungs for sustained sprinting across maps. These let solos avoid fights, extend raids, and extract loot solo.​

Squad Play Skills

Focus Conditioning and Survival: Broad Shoulders boosts carry weight for hauling team loot, Used to the Weight negates shield slowdowns, and Back On Your Feet aids revives. Revitalizing Squat regenerates stamina in defensive holds, while Proficient Pryer speeds group breaching. Designate roles like a “mule” for capacity to maximize squad hauls.​

Key Differences

Solo avoids combat; squads trade hits with backup. Both start Mobility basics like Marathon Runner universally.​

Best first skills to unlock for new solo players

New solo players in Arc Raiders should unlock core Survival and Mobility skills first for self-reliance and evasion. These enable crafting, quiet looting, and escapes without squad support. Prioritize a focused path to survive early raids.

First Survival Picks

Start with Agile Croucher (first in Survival tree) for faster stealth crouch speed, then Revitalizing Squat to recover stamina quickly while crouched. Rush In-Round Crafting next (third node) to make ammo, meds, and tools mid-raid from scavenged parts. This trio costs minimal points and keeps you supplied solo.​

Essential Mobility Boosts

Unlock Marathon Runner early (Mobility tree opener) for longer sprints across open maps, pairing with Youthful Lungs to reduce stamina drain. Slip and Slide follows for dodging attacks and quick repositions. These prevent early deaths from ARC patrols or rival players.​

Progression Order

1. Agile Croucher + Revitalizing Squat (immediate stealth edge).

2. In-Round Crafting (core self-sufficiency).

3. Marathon Runner + Youthful Lungs (mobility baseline).
   Avoid Conditioning until Survival basics; it suits squads more. Test in low-risk raids to adapt.​