Don't fall into the loot hoarding trap in ARC Raiders

As I play ARC Raiders, the hot new extraction shooter from The Finals developer Embark Studios, two quotes from the business world come to mind. They contradict each other; the former is an innate part of preferring JRPGs as my favorite video game genre, and the latter is something I have to force myself to do in the name of progress.

But I can't have it both ways and neither can you. So I'm here to offer some friendly advice to those who may be similarly inclined as they head for Topside.

“Greed is Good”

As many other RPG fans will relate, sticking to absolutely everything is pretty much the default behavior when I play. When games like Final Fantasy 7 or Octopath Traveler are finished, my inventory is filled with consumables and old gear that hasn't been used since the first days of my journey. It serves no purpose at all other than feeding the prey goblin that lives in my head and really should have been sold or turned into something useful.

ARC Raiders is a genre designed specifically for these goblins; come out brave souls and bring back all the loot. The tension of avoiding the game's many dangers, both NPC and human, makes me feel even more protective of the things I'm bringing back, and I hate to let that go. Space is at a premium though, so I'm constantly agonizing over which items to drop. That's not good for my brain. i want- need – all of that.

Here I have to train myself out of habit for life. Extraction shooters are about gradual progress, each run chipping away at a specific target. It can't all be done at once. Sometimes you'll need to farm waste loot for basic resources like metal parts or wires. Other times you'll be looking for specific upgrades like Lemons for Scrappy the Rooster or Rusted Tools to improve your Gunsmith skills.

It is important to note that runs are fast. You can have a full inventory within minutes of getting the top side, so you absolutely can't get too attached to the loot. You will get there, slowly but surely.

“You have to speculate to accumulate”

The queen, a giant mechanical spider, overlooks two characters in ARC Raiders.

A key part of any ARC Raiders run, especially as you progress and gain access to better recipes, is your loadout. With the threat of runs where death means you lose everything that isn't in a safe pocket, it's tempting to go freeload every run and protect your loot. After all, you've worked hard on what's in your stash.

Free loadout is good for smash-and-grab runs where you're in and out to complete a quest or find a relatively basic item. However, items of real value are in much higher risk areas, behind locked doors and guarded by more formidable enemies. To get to them, you'll need better shields, more devastating weapons, and enough consumables to keep you alive and thriving.

This means you have to use what you have, and often. That high level pistol isn't worth sitting in your stash, but it could be the difference between making it back to Speranza alive with a new plan or purple, and losing everything you've gained in those risky areas.

This naturally extends to the materials you collect as well. Don't be afraid to use up resources to craft better gear before the run. After all, that's the whole point of the genre – profits are marginal, not every run has to be perfect, and quantity over quality is often the best strategy.

Head up with a destination or two in mind, plan your route once you land and stick to it. Don't be tempted to open every container you find until time runs out and you'll be on a mad dash with desperate players for extraction.

In ARC Raiders, overstretching is the enemy of progress. It's the opposite of the cumulative methodical thinking that leads you to glory in so many RPGs, but I wouldn't have it any other way.