Armor crafting is a cornerstone of progression in ARC Raiders, allowing you to create and upgrade protective gear that enhances your survivability and offers specialized bonuses. Mastering the crafting system is essential for facing increasingly dangerous ARC threats and tailoring your Raider to your preferred playstyle.
The Importance of Armor Crafting
Crafting armor allows you to:
- Increase Survivability: Higher-tier armor provides greater defense against enemy attacks.
- Gain Resistances: Craft armor that offers protection against specific damage types (e.g., energy, explosive, elemental).
- Acquire Special Perks: Many armor pieces come with unique bonuses that can enhance movement speed, ability recharge, stealth, or weapon handling.
- Customize Your Build: Tailor your gear to complement your Raider archetype and combat strategy.
Crafting Stations and Requirements
Armor crafting typically takes place at dedicated crafting stations within your base or in specific locations:
- Workbench: The primary station for crafting and upgrading most armor pieces.
- Research Lab: May be required to unlock new armor schematics or upgrade existing ones.
- Resources: Crafting requires specific materials, such as Metal Scraps, Polymers, Advanced Alloys, and sometimes rare components found through exploration and combat.
- Schematics: You'll need to acquire or research armor schematics to craft new pieces.
The Crafting Process
The general process involves:
- Acquiring Schematics: Find blueprints through mission rewards, exploration, or research.
- Gathering Resources: Collect the necessary crafting materials from the game world.
- Using the Crafting Station: Interact with the appropriate station, select the desired armor piece, and consume the required resources.
- Upgrading Armor: Once crafted, armor can often be upgraded further using more resources to improve its stats and potentially unlock additional perks.
Types of Armor Pieces
Armor is typically divided into several slots:
- Helmet: Protects the head and may offer bonuses to perception or resistance.
- Chest Piece: Provides the most significant armor rating and can offer substantial defensive or offensive perks.
- Gauntlets/Gloves: Protect the arms and may enhance weapon handling or melee capabilities.
- Leggings/Boots: Protect the legs and often influence mobility, stealth, or environmental resistance.
Example Crafting Scenario: The 'Guardian' Chest Piece
You need a more defensive chest piece to survive intense firefights. You find the schematic for the "Guardian Chest Piece," which offers high armor and a "Damage Reduction Aura" perk. To craft it, you need 50 Metal Scraps, 20 Polymers, and 5 Advanced Alloys. You gather these resources by completing a scavenging mission in the industrial zone and defeating some ARC Brutes. Returning to your base, you use the Workbench to craft the chest piece. Later, you can upgrade it using more resources to increase its armor rating and the effectiveness of its aura.
Tips for Efficient Armor Crafting
- Prioritize Key Pieces: Focus on crafting or upgrading armor that directly benefits your playstyle or addresses current threats.
- Resource Management: Keep track of your resource stockpiles and plan your crafting around what you have or can easily acquire.
- Research Unlocks: Invest in research to unlock higher-tier armor schematics and crafting capabilities.