ARC Raiders Skill Tree Guide

Popular battle-tested 76p skill tree by Taxi2g

In ARC Raiders, the traditional RPG "power fantasy" is non-existent. The game is balanced to ensure that a low level raider with a common weapon can still compete with a veteran. This flat-ish power curve makes the skill tree feel counterintuitive: many end-of-branch perks are worse than early-game perks. Because of the skill tree's design, the best players are all running the same core build with minor variations.

This guide is mainly focused on PvPvE. If you're just a casual gamer looking for an optimized Security Breach build, then one is included in the end of the guide.

Skill Tree Mechanics

By default, you'll have 76 points at max level. You can earn more points by doing Expedition Project which happens every 60 days.

One of the misconceptions for new players is that skill choices are permanent or high-stakes. They aren't. Respeccing costs a flat 2,000 space dollars per point (respeccing 76 points costs 152k). Since a typical successful extraction can net ~50-150k, resetting the skill tree is cheap. Do not paralyze yourself over "wrong" choices early on. The picking order however can really affect your experience.

Early-game Picking Order

While new players get distracted by flashy end-of-branch perks, the "pro" meta is built on various skills across the tree.

• The Mobility Foundation: Marathon Runner, Youthful Lungs are non-negotiable and should be acquired first. No rare weapon or high-tier gear can compensate for a lack of movement efficiency.
• PvP Essential: Fight or Flight perk in the Conditioning branch is one that good players often rush. In a game where stamina is your lifeblood, receiving a stamina burst when taking damage is one of the most effective combat buffs available. It turns a potential death trap into an escape opportunity.
• Endgame movement: Effortless Roll, Vigorous Vaulter make your movement a lot more fluid and allow you to keep up with high level teammates. After picking those, it becomes more of a matter of taste on what to focus on.

Myths vs. Reality

There is a significant gap between what people are talking on Reddit and reality. Two specific nodes often trap players into inefficient builds:

• In-Round Crafting: You will often see this recommended to new players. However, experienced raiders almost never pick it (unless they're targeting Three Deep Breaths). A prepared Raider enters the map with the gear they need. Spending precious skill points to craft mid-match is an admission that your loadout management failed before the raid even started.

• Security Breach: As of December, 2025 nerfs, Security Breach is no longer the "must-have" it was at launch. While it remains a viable choice for players in strictly "friendly" or PvE-focused lobbies, it is currently a waste of points for anyone engaging in PvP. The sacrifice required to reach it simply isn't worth the nerfed loot table.

Best of the inferior builds

A lot of PvE players really love to have Security Breach. Even though it is not recommended, here's a build that has Security Breach and is as good as it could possibly be.

Taxi2g's build featuring Security Breach

For those looking for a mobility-oriented build, there really aren't many content creators running it. One exception is lyric and here's his 76p skill tree.

lyric's 76p mobility build

Conclusion: It's Not That Deep

Optimizing your skill tree in ARC won't give you a magical advantage over other players, but a bad build will slow you down. The game is won through positioning, aim, and stamina management.

If you want to see exactly how the top 1% are allocated, check out our featured skill trees. You'll notice they all look remarkably similar, and for good reason: odd design, lack of points, and perks that don't do much.