How to get three stars in ARC Raiders Week 16 Trials (Feb. 9)

The Week 16 Trials are now live in ARC Raiders and feature five different tasks to complete for various rewards.

This week heavily involves taking down some of the strongest ARC enemies, especially if you’re looking to get three stars across all the activities. Let’s look at what needs to be done and how you can complete the tasks easily.

ARC Raiders Week 16 Trials walkthrough

Here are the five tasks we need to complete.

• Deal damage to Shredders
• Search First Wave Husks
• Damage Rocketeers
• Damage Leapers
• Destroy Fireballs

Deal damage to Shredders

I am not a fan of Shredders, and they’re not the easiest ARCs to take down. You’ll have to head to Stella Montis, which is a pretty difficult map to begin with. I have marked some of the possible locations where you can encounter a Shredder. They typically reside behind locked doors and within high-tier loot areas.

When you find a Shredder, it’s best not to attack directly. The Shredder makes an AoE attack after a specific interval. For starters, you’ll want to have a barrier/cover in front of you. This will shield you from the blast that does incredible damage. Once its attack is on cooldown, you’ll want to attack the thrusters near the bottom.

Explosives definitely work well against a Shredder, but you can also use a shotgun like the Il Toro from close range. The Hullcracker is also a good choice, as a few grenades are enough to take it down.

First Wave Husks

First Wave Husks are the remains of gigantic ARCs that took part in the old battle. Their remains are littered all around the battlefields. You can find them on any map, but my favorite is Dam Battlegrounds, followed by Spaceport. The image below has all the locations where you’ll be able to find the First Wave Husks.

Once you reach the location, search every nook and cranny. Repeat the process, and you’ll have enough XP to get the task up to three stars.’

Damage Rocketeers

The third task involves taking down the Rocketeer. This is the most dangerous flying ARC you can encounter. While they’re found on all maps, an easy way to locate them is to take part in a Matriarch raid. They will always roam around the Matriarch. You can also shoot at one from a distance to gain event XP.

So how do we destroy a Rocketeer? One tricky but inexpensive way is to use long-range weapons and destroy its thrusters. Ideally, you’ll want to be in an area with good cover (like indoors) to save yourself from the rockets. You’ll also want to conserve your energy since dodge rolls will be essential.

An easier but more expensive way is to use Wolfpack. Two Wolfpacks are required to bring down a Rocketeer if you want to destroy them completely. Shoot and wait for the Rocketeer to come close. Then, throw a couple of Wolfpacks, and you will completely destroy the Rocketeer.

Damage Leapers

If you dislike Shredders, you’re going to hate Leapers. Thankfully, we don’t have to destroy a Leaper. However, they don’t take kindly when you hit them with bullets and explosives. Leapers are found in random locations, but there’s an easier alternative.

The easiest way to find a Leaper is to take part in Matriarch events. These events occur in scheduled intervals, and you’ll want to stick close to the Matriarch. A Leaper is guaranteed to spawn once the Matriarch takes a bit of damage.

Once the Leaper spawns, target its eye. A Leaper has two attacks: a close-range explosion and a jump. You can nullify the latter by staying in enclosed areas (or, you can stay close to the Leaper, and it won’t be able to jump). Make sure to keep a bit of distance as it’s about to explode, and keep hitting the eye. Weapons like the Equalizer, Hullcracker, and Il Toro work pretty well, but you can also try your luck with explosives. The Leaper is extremely weak against all types of fire damage.

Destroy Fireballs

Fireballs are patroling units that are typically found in indoor areas. They’re extremely common, and Buried City is a great map to find plenty of them if you don’t like Stella Montis. The Fireball attempts to roll close to you and then start spewing fire.

They’re at their weakest when trying to fire at you as you’re exposed. One shot to the core is enough to take them down. Alternatively, a single shot from any weapon that uses heavy ammo (barring the starter Ferro) will also get the job done. Just keep your distance so that you don’t end up getting lit on fire.

The post How to get three stars in ARC Raiders Week 16 Trials (Feb. 9) appeared first on Destructoid.

ARC Raiders could be answering the calls for one of the most-requested additions to the game since launch, and even before it, in a new limited time mode this week.

Embark Studios announced the new event today, called Shared Watch, although details are scant so far. The video the company used to tease it, though, sure sounds like players will be teaming up together, and not against each other, in the fight against ARC.

“You watch my back, I’ll watch yours – that’s how Speranza keeps ticking,” the company said. “Join your fellow Raiders in celebrating the Shared Watch; team up with strangers, turn your barrels on the machines, and earn rewards in the process.”

And that’s all there is to go on, for now, other than some potential new baseball helmet-themed gear teased in the key art. If it truly is a PvE-only experience, then many players will be thrilled to try it out. ARC Raiders players have been asking for something like this for a while, and if it’s here, it should be a big hit.

The game’s usage of an “aggression-based matchmaking” system means a PvE experience is entirely possible to foster, but this being a true co-op experience where players can team up with others to fight against the AI ARC enemies may be a fun addition to the game’s existing style.

Shared Watch is scheduled to run from Feb. 10 to 24, so it’s for a limited time for now. But, anything can change, and if the mode proves as popular as it has the potential to, then Embark may have no choice but to consider a more permanent solution.

For now, though, players can queue up when the event goes live and see what it has to offer in the early morning hours tomorrow.

The post Is ARC Raiders finally adding a PvE-only mode? It sure sounds like it, and it arrives very soon appeared first on Destructoid.