The last update to ARC Raiders introduced new weapons and equipment for raiders, including Canto, Dolabra, and Surge Coil, exciting news for players who already own most of the existing ARC Raiders weapons.
From top-tier weapons to the most practical equipment, how do they function, in what environments are they suitable, and how do you obtain them? This guide will answer all your questions.
Legendary Shotgun - Dolabra
Dolabra is primarily used against heavily armored enemies in ARC Raiders, such as Vaporizers and Shredders. Its Aim-DDS mode fires a highly penetrating beam of energy, capable of destroying a Raider's heavy shield in just two shots, and is particularly adept at tearing through the sturdy armor of ARC units.
In the current weapon ratings, Dolabra is considered a powerful S-tier weapon. As the only energy shotgun, it boasts the longest range of its kind, making it the ultimate dream for offensive players and effectively punishing any enemy who makes a misstep. Dolabra is unique in that it features a dual-mode firing system-hip-fire and aimed-fire.
In hip-fire mode, Dolabra fires a wide-range, cone-shaped energy wave, dealing widespread damage, ideal for clearing swarms of ARC enemies at close range.
In aimed-fire mode, Dolabra concentrates its energy into a high-density laser beam, specifically designed for precise strikes against high-value targets or dealing massive damage. It's perfect for completing the recently updated Expedition Project system.
It's not suitable for long-range use and requires precise positioning in combat. Its immense power means that a mistake could be severely penalized by its slow reload speed.
Acquisition Method
Obtaining Dolabra blueprint is the only way to permanently unlock this weapon. Unlike other ARC Raiders items, it cannot be obtained from fixed locations; instead, it's tied to specific map states and powerful enemies, making it one of the hardest blueprints to acquire in the entire ARC Raiders.
Dolabra's blueprint is a random drop from ARC Assessors during Close Scrutiny map event. You need to confirm the map's status as Close Scrutiny before entering; this event rotates hourly on maps like Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, Spaceport, and Blue Gate.
Once a map enters Close Scrutiny event, three ARC Assessors will spawn, carrying the most valuable loot on the entire map. However, they will be surrounded by numerous ARC units, and many players will gather there to contest the loot, making it a very high-risk area.
If you want to obtain Dolabra or other rare ARC Raiders Blueprints here, you should bring comprehensive gear, such as a high-defense shield, a cloak of invisibility, a weapon with wide-area damage, and a safe pocket to take high-value items out of the match.
The Best Weapon for Close-Combat - Canto
Canto submachine gun is widely recognized by the player community as the most suitable high-damage weapon for close-combat PvP, also effective against AI. However, its strengths and weaknesses are both very pronounced.
Its strengths include extremely high close-range burst damage, resulting in very fast kill speeds at close to medium range, making it a powerful tool for PvP and eliminating humanoid AI.
It also features a unique heat sink system. The longer the trigger is held down, the faster the rate of fire, creating powerful suppressive fire in close-quarters combat.
Furthermore, it uses medium ammunition, which has greater power than weapons using light ammunition. This ammunition is relatively common in ARC Raiders matches, allowing for readily available supplies and strong sustained combat capability.
Its weaknesses are also obvious. Canto is a weapon that requires practice to master. Its recoil is significant, especially during sustained fire, making it difficult to control. If you don't fire close to the target, you'll waste a large portion of your ammunition. Therefore, you'll need to improve this situation by using short bursts and adding attachments.
Furthermore, you should upgrade your Canto to increase its magazine capacity, as Canto requires at least 19 rounds to break through an enemy equipped with a light shield, while the basic magazine only holds 18 rounds. Alternatively, you can use weapon attachments to expand the magazine.
Acquisition Method
In maps where Hurricane event is active, finding and opening First Wave Caches has a chance to yield a Canto.
It's recommended to choose Dam Battlegrounds or Blue Gate, focusing on heading straight to Raider Cache locations marked on the map. If you haven't found one after 5-8 minutes, it's advisable to evacuate and re-match.
Visibility is very low in Hurricane, so remember to rely on sound to track Caches. Hurricane Caches emit unique mechanical beeps or electrical hums, unlike the ticking sound of regular chests. This characteristic will help you locate Hurricane Caches more quickly.
Secondly, during Close Scrutiny event, Combat Supplies and weapon crates on the map have a chance to drop Canto blueprint, which can be used as an auxiliary route. This route is much more dangerous than the one mentioned above.
Best Strategic Deployment - Surge Coil
After deploying a Surge Coil around you, it will release an electric shock and briefly stun any unit near you, whether it's an ARC, an enemy player, or even yourself.
Surge Coil is excellent for blocking narrow passageways, stairwells, and other key areas; it can also provide temporary protection when reviving teammates, opening supply crates, or extracting; deploying a Surge Coil at the top of a zipline will stun enemy players during the slide and throw them off the zipline.
In PvP, it can also be hidden in doorways or blind spots, making it ideal as a deadly trap to deliver unexpected heavy damage to opponents.
Although it can deal damage, as a rare item among ARC Raiders, it has very low health, is easily destroyed, and attacks indiscriminately. Once deployed, it remains until it is destroyed. Therefore, be extremely careful when deploying it.
Acquisition Methods
Surge Coil blueprint only appears during Electromagnetic Storm map event. It's recommended to enter Dam Battlegrounds as soon as Electromagnetic Storm appears.
There is no fixed spawn point for Surge Coil on the map. You can go to Research and Administration area and Hydroponic Dome Complex. These areas have a high density of containers, increasing the probability of blueprint spawns, and may even randomly spawn Surge Coil blueprint.
Alternatively, you can collect more keys to open key rooms. After ARC Raiders Flashpoint update, the value of loot in key rooms has doubled, and the chance of finding high-level ARC Raiders Items and Blueprints is also higher.
ARC Raiders brings players one surprise after another. You are already familiar with the powerful weapons and equipment in Flashpoint update. Choose the appropriate weapons or equipment according to your needs to complete the final mission and prepare for the upcoming Riven Tides.
