How to Get to Max Level Fast in ARC Raiders

2 hours ago 1

Published Feb 13, 2026, 3:23 PM EST

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Whether you're new to ARC Raiders, or a battle-hardened veteran getting ready to start fresh after the second expedition, reaching max level as fast as possible should be at the top of your to-do list.

As the earth's surface has become a constant warzone swarming with mechanized alien invaders and loot-deprived thieves, you need to be prepared for any situation.

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The best way to do this is by progressing through the skill-tree, which allows you to train your character the way you want, by allocating skill points into three different categories: conditioning, mobility, and survival.

The faster you level up, the more likely it is you'll have an advantage against any Raider or ARC who dares go against you. After all, if you're being chased down by a drone that's shooting rockets at you, your cardio needs to be on point.

In this guide, I'll show you how to reach max level in ARC Raiders in record time, and turn your sluggish rookie raider into an absolute beast.

Fight the Matriarch and Queen in Solo Vs Squads

This is the best XP farming strategy I've discovered thus far, but you'll need to be on your A-game to pull it off. The newly added solo vs squads matchmaking option, allows players (level 40 minimum) to go topside as a lone wolf to receive a 20% experience buff.

I recommend using this matchmaking option as much as possible when your focus is leveling up quickly, and it's a good idea to manipulate the aggression-based matchmaking system to have yourself placed in friendlier lobbies.

While the solo vs squads buff is incredibly useful for every action you perform, I've found the best way to use it to its full potential is by fighting the most formidable enemies in the game: the matriarch and the queen.

The more damage you do, the more XP you'll gain, and thankfully, these goliaths can soak up a lot of it. Stock your loadout with explosives and ammunition, and find a friendly group of raiders to help you take them down.

A single wolf pack used on the queen or matriarch is capable of garnering over 2,000 XP.

PvP Skills Will Pay The Bills

While PvP might not be for everyone, it's still a great way to get big chunks of experience. During PvP combat, you'll receive XP for damaging raiders, and knocking them out, but even just searching a dead raider will give you 500 XP.

For this strategy, I recommend taking a look at my ARC Raiders best guns tier list, to get a better idea of what weaponry to use for PvP. Stella Montis is the ideal map for PvP XP farming—just make sure you have some reliable teammates to back you up.

Efficient Looting

Everything you search on the surface will give you XP, whether it's a dead tick, an office drawer, or the wreckage of a bombardier, making it easily the most consistent and safest way to level up.

To set yourself up for an efficient looting raid, I recommend taking a look at the map as soon as you reach the surface, and plan out a looting route, similar to the one I took in the picture above.

I was only in this raid for 15 minutes, and as you can see, I basically just walked a straight line across the map towards the extraction point I had selected, while looting everything along the way.

Some lootable containers will reward you with more XP than others. Always make sure you loot breachable containers like probes, which give 600 XP when searched.

Big ARCs, Big Damage, Big XP

Sometimes the matriarch and queen battles can be pretty risky if you don't manage to connect with the right group of raiders, but luckily there's a slightly less-dangerous alternative.

Battling rocketeers, bastions, bombardiers, and leapers, will reward you with thousands of XP points. You'll receive experience for every bit of damage you deal to them, and 250–500 XP for every piece of their wreckage you scour.

The key to being successful when fighting these medium-sized ARCs is positioning. Find a good building you can take cover inside, bring the ARCs to you, target their weak points, and take them out using explosives.

The rotating game mode, hidden bunker, which is exclusive to the spaceport map, is a great way to level up quickly and fill your inventory with high-value loot. Check out my hidden bunker guide, to see how to unlock the bunker and where it's located.

Once you're inside, you'll discover computer terminals (seen above) scattered throughout the bunker, where you can download and retrieve data. After successfully retrieving the data, you'll receive 500 XP for exploration, and this process can be repeated multiple times on every terminal you find.

As long as you haven't been banished to the hostile PvP lobbies, the hidden bunker events tend to be full of very friendly raiders, making it a great way to farm XP.