ARC Raiders: The Best Solo Methods for Farming Arks Quickly, Cheaply, and Reliably

This guide breaks down the most effective, fastest, and cheapest ways to take down Arks as a solo player, all tested repeatedly to separate what actually works from what just looks flashy once. These methods are especially useful if you're farming Ark parts for the new Ark Trophy Display Expeditions, but they're just as valuable for survival-focused solo runs.

We'll also cover how Ark HP really works, why placement matters more than damage numbers, and how to efficiently farm explosive ARC Raiders blueprints and crafting materials at the end.

Understanding Ark HP and Damage Numbers

Before talking tactics, it's important to understand how Ark health works. Whenever you damage an Ark enemy, you'll see "Damaged Ark" XP pop up on the left side of your screen. That XP is exactly double the damage dealt.

So if you see 2,600 XP, you dealt about 1,300 damage.

You can confirm this in the match log afterward, which shows the total damage you dealt to each Ark. A full-health Bastion, for example, has roughly 2,500 HP, meaning a true one-shot will show just over 4,000 XP.

This makes XP a powerful tool for testing weapons and explosives without guessing.

Bastions: The Most Efficient Solo Kills

Weak Points and Survival Basics

Bastions are dangerous because their minigun can kill you in seconds if you're caught in the open. They require line of sight to attack, which gives you control over the fight if you use cover correctly.

Key weak points include:

 Knees (yellow armor): Break them with heavy ammo to temporarily incapacitate the Bastion.

 Central top strip: Lighter armor compared to the shoulders.

 Rear yellow peg: Vulnerable when exposed.

Avoid shoulder armor-it dramatically reduces damage.

The Best Bastion Kill: Deadlines from Above

The most consistent and fastest Bastion kill is jumping on top and placing a Deadline.

You can:

 Craft Deadlines if you have the blueprint

 Buy one per day from traders for 15,000 credits

The process:

1.Bait the Bastion by shooting it and breaking line of sight.

2.Put your gun away to sprint faster.

3.Jump onto the Bastion from above.

4.Place the Deadline on the central strip.

5.Jump off the back and get into hard cover.

Placed correctly, one Deadline will one-shot a full-health Bastion. Placement is critical-attaching it to shoulder armor or the side can reduce damage by over 50%.

Photoelectric Cloaks can help with escapes, but sneaking up underneath is unreliable and often dangerous. Baiting and jumping from above is far safer and more repeatable.

Budget Bastion Kill: Light Impact Grenades

If you don't have blueprints, Light Impact Grenades are shockingly effective.

 Cost: ~800 credits each

 Takes ~25-30 grenades

 Kill time: ~30 seconds

By standing on raised cover where the Bastion can't shoot you, you can arc grenades onto the central strip repeatedly. It's cheap, safe, and perfect for early or low-risk runs.

Trailblazers and Wolf Packs: Powerful but Inconsistent

Trailblazers can do anywhere from 200 to 1,300 damage depending on positioning and Ark movement. They're fun, cheap, and effective-but unpredictable.

Wolf Packs are fast but unreliable:

 Often require three to kill a Bastion

 Explosives may chase other Arks

 Don't stack in inventory, eating safe pocket space

They're strong if you already have them, but Deadlines remain king.

Bombardiers: Easier Than They Look

Bombardiers actually have more HP than Bastions (≈2,670), but much weaker armor. Their danger comes from:

 Rocket attacks without line of sight

 Close-range AoE knockdowns

 Constant spotter drones

Best Method: Lure Grenade + Deadline

Bombardiers struggle badly with lure grenades.

Throw a lure near them and they'll:

 Focus entirely on it

 Fail to clear it quickly

 Ignore you completely

This lets you casually walk up and place a Deadline anywhere on the lower half. One clean placement will instantly kill a Bombardier.

You can sometimes skip the lure entirely by walking (not sprinting) up behind them-they often don't aggro until it's too late.

Wolf Packs and Trailblazers

Wolf Packs are excellent against Bombardiers:

 Usually two are enough

 Much more consistent than against Bastions

Trailblazers work but suffer from the same inconsistency as before. Sometimes they melt a Bombardier; sometimes they barely scratch it. Bring backups if you rely on them.

Blaze grenades are safe but slow, usually requiring six or more.

Rocketeers: Cheap, Safe, and Exploitable

Rocketeers have about 1,100 HP and several reliable weaknesses.

Best No-Blueprint Method: Stair Peeking

By standing on stairs and peeking over the edge:

 Rocketeers often fail to target you

 You can freely unload heavy ammo into them

 They frequently never fire a shot

Aim for the central eye or engines. Two engines destroyed will knock them down.

This is arguably the safest Rocketeer kill in the game.

Hornet Drivers: Shockingly Good

Hornet Drivers are incredibly effective:

 Toss one near a Rocketeer

 It often stuns and knocks them out of the air

 You can place a Deadline or finish with gunfire

They work best on non-aggroed Rocketeers, but still function mid-fight. Compared to Showstoppers, they're far more reliable.

Wolf Packs can work, but often leave Rocketeers barely alive. Pairing one Wolf Pack with a few anvil shots is efficient.

Leapers: Don't Overthink It

Leapers are the easiest Ark enemy:

 Easily killed with gunfire from cover

 Trailblazers can nearly one-shot them

 Blaze grenades and leg damage work well

Wolf Packs are usually overkill. Save explosives for bigger threats.

Dealing With Small Arks

Seeker grenades are fantastic for clearing:

 Wasps

 Hornets

 Snitches

Throw them above enemies so they strike unarmored sections. They're cheap, fast, and perfect for clearing pressure while fighting larger Arks.

Farming Explosive Blueprints

The best place to find explosive blueprints is Stella (Night Mode).

Search:

 Trash bins (very high success rate)

 Security cases

 Lockers

 Drawers and desks

 Blue containers

Wolf Pack, Deadline, Trailblazer, and Seeker blueprints all drop here.

Farming Materials Efficiently

Stella

 Synthesized Fuel (Trailblazers)

 Desk loot and containers

 Bluegate Underground

 Massive oil and chemical yields

 Breachable cars and containers

 Break down pumps, motors, filters, and coolant

One good Bluegate run can yield:

 30-40 oil

 100-200 chemicals

 Enough materials for multiple Deadlines or Wolf Packs

Electromagnetic Storms also drop Fossilized Lightning, which breaks down into explosive compound.

Final Thoughts

You don't need perfect blueprints or high-end gear to dominate Arks in ARC Raiders. With smart positioning, cheap explosives, and reliable tactics, solo players can farm efficiently and safely, get more ARC Raiders Coins and other resources.

Deadlines remain the most powerful tool in the game, but Light Impact Grenades, lure grenades, and Hornet Drivers prove that knowledge beats rarity every time.

If you're farming Ark trophies, parts, or just trying to survive longer runs-these methods will get you there.

MMOexp ARC Raiders Team