PvP Combat Tips
Engagement rules, positioning, and combat tactics for PvP encounters.
The first rule of Arc Raiders PvP is to never assume another player is friendly. Even after friendly comms, betrayal is common. Engage when enemies are distracted by AI, reloading, or rotating -- never initiate a fight from a disadvantaged position if you can avoid it. The goal of every engagement is to create a numbers advantage by focusing fire on one target at a time.
Third-party immediately on hearing gunfire. When two players fight nearby, the smart play is to push the winner mid-recovery. Post-fight, apply the 20-second rule: spend at least 20 seconds healing and scanning before looting. Rushing loot after a kill is the most common way to throw away a successful fight.
Tips
- +If you shoot first and miss, reposition immediately -- the enemy now knows exactly where you are
- +Disengage by rolling away when outnumbered -- fighting from a retreat is better than dying in place
- +Heal and reload before looting, not after -- secure the area first every single time
Shoulder swaps (X key) are the cornerstone of position control in Arc Raiders. Peek out just far enough to take a shot or two, then reset behind cover before the enemy can return fire. This technique controls angles without full exposure, and when combined with pre-aiming common hiding spots, it dramatically increases your win rate in duels.
Hold high ground wherever possible. Elevated positions like towers at Spaceport, rooftops on Dam Battlegrounds, and overlooks at Stella Montis give you initiative in every engagement. At chokepoints, deploy jolt mines to protect your flanks from sneaky pushes. Heal only behind hard cover -- never in exposed positions where a single enemy shot ends the fight.
Tips
- +Use third-person camera for first-shot advantage when peeking corners
- +Pre-aim 'rat spots' -- common hiding positions -- before entering any room or corridor
- +Spread out in teams to avoid clustering, which makes you a grenade magnet
The Toro Slide is the signature Arc Raiders movement combo: sprint, slide into combat while firing (especially effective with Anvil or Il Toro), then roll in any direction to dodge counterfire. Release sprint mid-slide, shoot, then roll to chain shots faster without losing momentum. This works diagonally for corner peeks and is the foundation of aggressive close-quarters play.
Roll canceling is equally critical for defense. Combat rolls cancel slide inertia instantly, letting you change direction mid-movement for unpredictable evasions. Time rolls off 10-meter ledges to shoot immediately upon landing with no fall damage. The 'Ready to Roll' skill widens the timing window significantly. Spam directional rolls while sprinting for maximum unpredictability against tracking aim.
Tips
- +Cancel animations (slides, jumps) into rolls for instant direction changes -- this is faster than committing to any single movement
- +Equip double Lightweight Stocks on both weapons for faster ADS and equip times, enabling faster peek-shoot-reset cycles
- +Fall trick off ziplines (jump plus E) to negate fall damage entirely when dismounting elevated positions
The Renegade battle rifle dominates mid-to-long range PvP, dropping Light Shield players in 4 headshots with an interruptible reload that maintains pressure. The Tempest is the best all-around automatic for medium-range encounters, delivering high DPS in the 10-20 meter sweet spot. For close quarters, the Stitcher SMG is cheap, low-recoil, and lethal in tight spaces, while the Il Toro shotgun was the premier CQC weapon before patch 1.20.0 nerfed it significantly (reduced fire rate, pellet damage, reload speed, and increased damage falloff). Consider the Tempest or Renegade for close-quarters in the current meta.
The Anvil heavy pistol is the highest-skill, highest-reward option -- top raw DPS in the game and capable of shredding shields extremely fast when upgraded. The Venator and Stitcher fill the S-tier slots for consistent competitive play. Avoid long-range weapons in Stella Montis (the primary PvP map) where engagements happen in corridors and stairwells.
Tips
- +Bring a secondary SMG or shotgun even if running a primary rifle -- most PvP happens closer than you expect
- +Swap weapons mid-roll after a slide shot -- draw your secondary instantly upon recovery for follow-up damage
- +Anvil with the Tactical Mk. 3 defensive augment is the strongest all-around PvP loadout for skilled players
Stella Montis is the de facto PvP arena -- a large two-level indoor research facility with claustrophobic corridors and no real open areas. Shotguns and SMGs dominate here. The Medical Research zone has the highest PvP density due to multiple attack angles and Epic loot spawns. The Assembly Workshops are slightly safer but still contain Fireballs and Pops hazards alongside yellow cart Epic loot.
For extraction, the Sandbox B Hatch is the safest option -- southern outskirts, no ARC spawns, rarely camped. The Loading Bay Metro Station extraction paradoxically benefits from the Bastion patrols below -- most players avoid it, making it reliable. The Lobby Metro Station is the worst extraction due to completely open exposure from above, sides, and the elevator shaft simultaneously.
Tips
- +Bring grenades to every Stella Montis raid -- the tight corridors make them devastating for pushes and area denial
- +The Raider Hatch Key unlocks three convenient hatches near the best looting locations, saving significant transit time
- +Corner-checking is critical in Stella Montis -- enemies routinely hide in dark tunnels and shadow pockets