Arc Raiders Upgrade System

The upgrade system in Arc Raiders is extremely important for in-game progress. Weapons, gadgets, and gear you equip can be enhanced through the upgrade mechanics. In this guide, we will take a look at everything you need to know about the upgrade system in Arc Raiders. You will learn how crafting ties into progression, how to upgrade your base of operations, and more.

Key takeaways:

• Crafting and upgrading are the main ways to progress. Everything you bring back from raids is used to make or improve gear.
• Each bench has its own role — weapons, gear, healing, explosives, and utility. Higher levels unlock new items to craft.
• Scrappy helps by gathering materials over time. Upgrading him keeps your crafting flow steady without needing to farm as much.
• Upgrading benches gives access to more blueprints, not direct stat boosts. You’ll unlock new weapons, tools, and supplies instead.

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How Arc Raiders Upgrades Work

Arc Raiders upgrade system covers not only your weapons, but even your base. The gameplay loop is built around fighting, collecting, and crafting. You head out into the field, take down enemies or complete objectives, collect materials and schematics, and bring them back to your base to upgrade or craft your gear.

To really understand the upgrade systems, it helps to see the full loop:

1. Go on raids (“topside” / surface missions). Loot materials, blueprints, parts, components, rare drops, etc.
2. Extract successfully. If you die or fail extraction, you may lose loot/blueprints.
3. Back in the Raider Den (base / hideout), you take all your materials and blueprints to your Workshop / crafting stations.
4. Unlock / Learn new blueprints you recovered.
5. Upgrade your crafting stations / benches, consuming materials to unlock higher tiers of recipes and better performance.
6. Craft weapons, gear, consumables, utilities, etc. as needed for future raids.
7. Upgrade your stash / inventory, Scrappy (passive loot gatherer).
8. Return to raids with stronger gear, loot more, repeat.

So upgrading gear is not a side system, it’s a core part of the game, which you will have to interact with to increase your power.

Arc Raiders Weapon Upgrades

Upgrading weapons in Arc Raiders is extremely important, and the process is very simple at its core. Once you have gathered materials, you will move on to workbenches. Workbenches can be used to upgrade and craft new weapons. Upgrading these benches unlocks new blueprints and improves the quality of the gear you can produce.

For example, early bench levels might only let you make simple weapons or upgrades, while higher tiers open access to more advanced ones. Upgrading weapons works differently from crafting new ones. Upgrades usually don’t boost damage but instead improve stats like reload speed, recoil control, handling, or magazine size.

Arc Raiders How to Upgrade Workbenches

Your workshop in Arc Raiders is made up of several benches, each serving a specific purpose. Upgrading these benches unlocks new crafting options and improves the overall efficiency of your base.  Upgrading benches costs materials and generally can be pretty time-consuming. This is why you can simply Upgrade Crafting Stations with the help of our services here at Overgear! If you decide to upgrade them yourself, we have prepared information on what each one does and what materials you will need to upgrade them:

Gunsmith Upgrades

Upgrading the Weapon Bench, known as Gunsmith, unlocks access to better weapon modifications and crafting options, letting you steadily improve your firepower as you progress.

Gear Bench Upgrades

Equipment Bench is a bench for shields and raider augments. Upgrading it allows you to craft more advanced gear and components, supporting your overall progression and survivability in raids.

Medical Lab Upgrades

Upgrading the Med Station improves your ability to craft better healing items and medical supplies, ensuring you stay prepared for longer and tougher encounters.

Explosives Bench Upgrades

Upgrading the Explosives Bench allows you to craft stronger grenades, traps, and other explosive tools to handle tougher enemies and large groups more effectively.

Utility Station Upgrades

Upgrading the Utility Bench expands your ability to craft useful gadgets and support items, improving your efficiency and versatility during missions.

Refiner

Refiner allows you to craft better quality materials from lower quality ones. Here are the materials that you will need to upgrade your Refiner to its maximum potential:

Arc Raiders Crafting

Crafting in Arc Raiders is helpful when preparing for the next mission. You can craft with various workbenches, and the better your workshop setup, the more options for crafting you have. The crafting process mostly happens at your base; however, if you level up enough of your Survival skill tree, you will be able to craft some items during the raid.

You can use materials and blueprints obtained during raids to make new equipment. Higher-level benches unlock better recipes, letting you build stronger and more specialized gear.

Arc Raiders Scrappy

Scrappy is an important part of the crafting system in Arc Raiders. He is a way for you to obtain crafting materials without having to scavenge for yourself. Scrappy periodically brings back materials found and drops them off in your collection box for you to use in crafting. Over time, you can even train him to improve how often or how efficiently he gathers resources. If you want to save time, you can let us handle Scrappy Upgrades for you.

Here we have prepared a list of materials you will need to fully upgrade Scrappy to his maximum potential:

Arc Raiders Crafting Recipes

As you upgrade your benches and collect new blueprints, more crafting recipes become available. Each recipe requires specific materials found during raids or gathered by Scrappy. These recipes cover everything from basic ammo and medkits to advanced tools like shields, explosives, and cloaking devices, giving you more options to prepare for any mission. Here we have prepared a list of currently available blueprints in Arc Raiders.

Arc Raiders Weapon Blueprints

Weapon blueprints let you craft new guns at the bench. You’ll find them during raids, unlocking more options as you progress.

Arc Raiders Weapon Attachment Blueprints

Weapon attachment blueprints let you craft mods that improve your guns. These include things like sights, grips, and barrels.

Arc Raiders Explosives Blueprints

Explosives blueprints let you craft grenades, traps, and other powerful tools for crowd control or breaking through tougher enemies.

Arc Raiders Gadget Blueprints

Gadget blueprints let you craft tools that support your playstyle, like deployable shields, ziplines, or binoculars. They add extra utility to your loadout and can make a big difference in tougher raids.

Arc Raiders Upgrading Tips

Upgrading in Arc Raiders can get expensive fast, so it’s best to plan ahead and focus on what gives the biggest impact early on. Here are a few simple tips to keep your progression steady:

• Upgrade Scrappy early: The faster he brings in materials, the less time you’ll spend farming.
• Prioritize your Gunsmith: Stronger and more efficient weapons make raids much smoother.
• Don’t rush every bench: Focus on the ones tied to your playstyle. If you rely on gadgets or explosives, level those first.
• Complete raids that suit your needs: For example, Spaceport will be perfect for players who need Electrical or Tech loot, while Dam Battlegrounds is for players who need Industrial or Mechanical items.

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The upgrade system in Arc Raiders ties everything together. Combat, exploration, and crafting all feed into one continuous loop. The more you invest in your benches and Scrappy, the smoother your progression becomes. Every upgrade directly impacts how efficiently you prepare for raids and how long you can survive topside.