Augments and Shield Loadouts#
In ARC Raiders, weapons decide whether you can kill, while Augments and shields decide how long you live and how fast you loot. This page breaks down the choice logic behind these two equipment systems and lays out per-map loadout plans compiled by the community.
The Augment System#
Augments come in two series, and this is the first decision in any loadout:
| Series | Known tiers | Lean |
|---|---|---|
| Looting series | Mk.1 to Mk.3 | Improves looting efficiency and resource gain |
| Combat series | — | Strengthens combat performance |
The choice in one sentence: is this run for looting or for fighting? Take the Looting series for material farming, blueprint runs and economy runs; take the Combat series for elite enemies, holding extraction points and PvP runs. Higher tiers hit harder, so start with Mk.1 early on and upgrade once materials allow.
The Shield System: Light, Medium and Heavy Trade-offs#
Shields come in light, medium and heavy tiers, and there is no absolute winner among them — only trade-offs:
| Tier | Strength | Cost | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light | Best mobility | Low damage absorption | Flanking picks, fast extraction runs |
| Medium | Balanced offense and defense | No obvious weakness | The vast majority of regular runs |
| Heavy | Highest damage absorption | Sacrifices mobility | Frontal assaults, holding a point |
One practical principle: the longer your extraction route and the more rotations you make, the lighter your shield should be. Hauling a heavy shield across an open map hands your mobility advantage straight to the enemy; conversely, when you plan to assault a fixed area, a heavy shield gives far more room for error.
Tier Upgrade Path#
Upgrading Augment tiers (Looting series Mk.1 to Mk.3) needs a gradual plan:
| Stage | Tier target | Upgrade signal |
|---|---|---|
| Beginner | Mk.1 | Get the loop running first, no rush to invest |
| Growth | Mk.2 | When looting efficiency starts to bottleneck |
| Settled | Mk.3 | Once your playstyle is set and materials are plentiful |
Upgrading tiers draws on the same stockpile as everyday consumables, so check your consumable safety line before upgrading — draining healing supplies to gain a tier trades sustain for efficiency.
Shield Habits Worth Building#
A shield is not just “a health bar you wear”; several usage details are worth turning into habits:
- Swap when damaged: check shield status after a firefight, because a broken shield in the next engagement is the same as being naked;
- Carry a spare: on high-conflict routes, keep a spare shield in the backpack — it costs few slots and doubles your margin for error;
- Match the tier to the map: confirm your tier against the per-map table here before dropping; don’t play the next map on the previous map’s habits;
- Keep the squad consistent: try to align the whole squad’s shield tier style — a heavy-shield teammate cannot keep up with a light-shield rotation pace, and the reverse is just as bad.
Current State of the Skill Tree#
A skill tree exists in the game, but as of this guide’s compilation the official full list of node names and effects has not been released, and the community is still validating the best allocation. Here are only two principles that don’t depend on specific nodes:
- Prioritize the survival branches: in an extraction shooter, coming home alive matters more than damage numbers;
- Follow your playstyle: if you focus on looting, invest in looting; if you focus on PvP, invest in combat — don’t spread evenly.
For exact node values and combinations, rely on the actual in-game content and the latest community testing.
Community Per-Map Loadouts#
The loadout plans below circulate widely in community guides and are offered for reference:
| Map | Goal | Augment | Weapon | Shield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dam Battlegrounds | Material farming | Looting series | Ferro / Anvil | Light or medium |
| Buried City | Indoor close-quarters and PvP | Combat series | Close to mid-range guns | Medium or heavy |
| Spaceport | Long-range fights and searching | Set by the goal | Mid to long-range guns | Medium |
| Blue Gate | High-quality underground loot | Combat series | Standard plus anti-ARC weapon | Medium or heavy |
| Stella Montis | Fast medical supplies and blueprints | Looting series | Efficient close-range firepower | Light |
The common thread in these plans is telling: Looting series with a light shield, Combat series with a heavy shield. It unifies the mobility-versus-survival trade-off with the objective — fast in-and-out runs want speed, frontal-conflict runs want margin for error.
Four Common Loadout Mistakes#
- Most expensive equals strongest: a heavy shield plus the Combat series on a material run is less efficient than the Looting series with a light shield;
- Ignoring map traits: Buried City’s street fighting and Spaceport’s open ground need almost two different setups;
- Using one shield forever: the flip side of medium being a universal pick is that it is mediocre everywhere, and learning to swap shields per run is the watershed of advanced play;
- Treating Augments as a bonus: the looting efficiency difference Augments provide compounds, and its mid-game payoff far exceeds that of one better gun.
Loadout Decision Flow#
Run through this two minutes before you head out:
- What is this run’s goal? (Materials / blueprints / PvP / elite enemies)
- Which Augment series matches that goal?
- Is the map open or tight? How long is the extraction route? Pick the shield tier from that;
- Do the weapon and shield deposits match the expected return?
Related Pages#
- Backpack and Equipment Management — deposits and cutting losses
- Weapons and Attachments — weapon systems and gun choice
- Advanced Tactics and Build Guide — the complete build approach
- Map Guide Index — quick reference for each map’s traits