ARC Raiders introduced Bully and Skulker with Frozen Trail 2.0 on October 8, 2026. The update brings the snowy Pendola Pass region and new equipment, including Tether Launcher.
Its two new ground threats demand different responses: Bully charges into your position, while Skulker circles the fight and attacks when your attention shifts.
Against a Bully, choose between disabling its weapon and damaging its legs according to the pressure you face. Against Skulkers, track their retreat and punish pauses in their movement. Together, they can force you out of cover while firing from the sides.
Frozen Trail also changes explosive damage and trader stock. Those adjustments affect which weapons you bring, where you aim, and how much ammunition you can replace after a fight.
Secure Cover before Engaging Bully
When a Bully sounds its alert and approaches, move toward a wall, building corner, or large obstacle. Watch for splitting projectiles at range and sustained fire from its mounted weapon up close. Running backward leaves you exposed; breaking its firing line gives you time to return fire.
Peek out for a few shots, then pull back to reload or heal. If it moves around your position, turn along the obstacle to keep cover between you. Identify another usable barrier before engaging so an injury does not force you into open ground.
Choose cover that hides your body while still leaving an angle on the parts you intend to damage. A position that blocks every useful shot may keep you safe briefly, but forces another move before you can disable anything.
Stock ammunition and healing supplies before adding control equipment. Allocate your ARC Raiders Coins to complete that basic loadout first, rather than carrying several explosives with too little healing to recover from a mistake.
Focus Fire on Critical Components
Bully in ARC Raiders has no universal component priority. When its mounted weapon prevents you from returning fire, attack it from a side angle to reduce suppression. With a stable firing position, concentrate on exposed leg joints to damage its mobility and ease the chase.
Choose one joint and have teammates attack the same component instead of spreading damage across separate armor plates. Its head opens while firing, revealing a weak point; damaged armor can also expose yellow internal components. Use those windows to attack the exposed parts rather than continuing to shoot the armored casing.
Tether Launcher introduced in Frozen Trail can slow Bully while teammates aim at joints or prepare explosives. Assign one player to control its movement and the others to the chosen component. A tethered Bully can still fire, so use the opening without assuming it is harmless.
Choosing Weapons and Explosives
Hullcracker works well for sustained armor damage. Frozen Trail's explosive rebalance improves damage against ARC armor plates while reducing effectiveness against fragile parts. Once armor breaks, consider switching to a firearm that lets you hit the exposed components consistently and conserve launcher ammunition.
Check Nomadic Envoys' weekly rotation before planning a Hullcracker loadout. Tian Wen no longer sells Hullcracker or Anvil, and launcher ammunition has a daily purchase limit. Account for the weapon and its ammunition when spending ARC Raiders Coins; a stocked weapon slot is little use if you cannot supply it for the encounter.
Deadline detonates six seconds after placement. Judge where Bully will be when that timer ends, using a tether or its likely path to improve blast coverage. Photoelectric Cloak helps you approach ARC, but restricts you to a slow walk. Use it to find a deployment opportunity, not as a plan for a fast escape.
Once deployed, Deadline cannot be recovered or triggered early. Commit only after choosing the placement, then move clear of the blast while the timer runs.
A Bully has survived three Wolfpacks in an encounter, while two Deadlines have secured a kill in another. Treat these as consumption estimates, not guaranteed thresholds. Previous damage and the components caught in each explosion affect the result. Keep checking the target after detonation instead of stopping at a preset number.
Tracking Skulker Movements
When facing a lone Skulker in ARC Raiders, remember its retreat direction and wait behind cover for it to reappear. It repositions after ranged bursts, so chasing immediately can put you in another enemy's firing line.
Use ordinary firearms to hit exposed areas when it pauses to shoot. Damaging its spherical leg components can slow its movement, making follow-up shots easier and reducing its ability to flank quickly. Hullcracker provides strong burst damage, but a single shot is not a reliable kill guarantee.
Against several Skulkers, mark one and concentrate fire before switching targets. Teammates chasing separate enemies leave multiple firing angles active; removing one shooter reduces incoming fire sooner.
If a Bully is present, keep someone watching its approach rather than letting the whole squad follow the smaller machines.
If the marked Skulker disappears, call out its last direction. Another teammate may already have a better angle, letting the squad continue attacking without everyone leaving their cover.
Using Loot
After extracting, reserve equipment and materials for the next run, then sell surplus loot to replenish your ARC Raiders Coins. Keep or recycle special drops according to their use, without assuming every rare item should immediately become spending money.
Bully Fragmenter is an Epic item that fragments into exploding clusters when thrown. Save it for area attacks or recycle it into crafting materials. Uncommon Skulker Targeter can be deployed to attack nearby ARC and Raiders, and can also be recycled.
Targeter attacks its deployer too. Place it where it covers enemy approaches without firing across scavenging spots or your squad's exit route. Warn teammates before deploying it so they can avoid its line of fire.
In ARC Raiders, stop committing resources when Bully's critical parts remain intact, Skulkers still control several angles, and supplies are running low. Preserve your equipment rather than extending a fight you cannot sustain.
After a kill, check for repositioning enemies and approaching players, then take turns looting while teammates watch the area. Clear the immediate firing angles before settling beside the wreckage.
