If you’re hearing a lot about Arc Raiders and wondering what exactly an extraction shooter is, you’re not alone. This genre has seen significant growth, and while it can seem daunting if you’re new, its unique blend of risk and reward is incredibly compelling. With Arc Raiders making the genre more accessible than ever, now’s the perfect time to understand what you’re getting into before you take your first trip topside.
If you’re wondering “what is an extraction shooter?” and why Arc Raiders is gaining so much attention, you’re in the right place. This beginner’s guide explains everything newcomers need to know about extraction shooter mechanics, how PvEvP works, and why Arc Raiders is considered the most accessible extraction shooter for new players.
Quick Answer: What is an Extraction Shooter?
An extraction shooter is a game where you:
- Deploy into a dangerous zone with gear you bring
- Loot resources and complete objectives
- Must reach an extraction point to keep what you found
- Lose everything if you die before extracting
Key difference from Battle Royale: You keep what you extract between matches, creating persistent progression. Success means surviving and extracting, not eliminating all opponents.
What is an Extraction Shooter?
The core loop of an extraction shooter is simple on paper but tense in practice. You start in a menu where you can prepare your gear, then deploy into a hostile zone for a limited time. While you’re out there, your job is to complete objectives, scavenge valuable loot, and most importantly, make it back to an extraction point alive. If you die before extracting, you lose most of what you brought in and everything you found.
Think of it as a high-stakes heist: the longer you brave the danger for better loot, the greater the risk of losing everything. The tension comes from deciding when to push your luck and when to play it safe. Do you make one more run to that high-value loot zone, or do you extract now with what you have? That constant risk-reward calculation is what makes extraction shooters so compelling.
Unlike battle royale games where everyone starts equal and the last person standing wins, extraction shooters let you keep what you successfully bring home. This creates a persistent progression system where your successful raids directly improve your gear for future runs. However, it also means you can lose valuable equipment if you’re not careful.
For Arc Raiders specifically, you’ll be venturing from the underground haven of Speranza to the robot-infested surface above. You have up to 30 minutes per raid to gather resources, fight enemies, and find an extraction point before time runs out.
PvPvE Explained Simply
PvEvP = Player vs Environment vs Player
You face two types of threats simultaneously:
- PvE (Environment): AI-controlled enemies (ARC machines in Arc Raiders)
- PvP (Player): Other human players competing for the same loot
This creates unpredictable encounters where you might help or fight other players depending on the situation.
PvPvE Explained: What Does It Mean in Arc Raiders?
This is where things get interesting. PvEvP, or Player versus Environment versus Player, means you’re battling both AI-controlled enemies and other human players.
The “PvE” part refers to the hostile NPCs you’ll encounter. In Arc Raiders, these are the ARC machines – robots of various sizes and capabilities that patrol the surface. Some are small surveillance drones that can spot you and alert others, while others are massive mechanical threats that can take serious firepower to bring down. These AI enemies add constant pressure and danger to every raid, forcing you to stay alert even when no other players are nearby.
The “PvP” part is where human unpredictability enters the equation. Other players – called Raiders just like you – are also on the surface looking for loot and trying to extract. They face the same choice you do: cooperate or compete.
What makes PvEvP so thrilling is how these two elements interact. You might be in the middle of a firefight with ARC machines when another raider shows up. Do they help you clear the robots? Do they wait for you to weaken yourself fighting AI before attacking? Or do they immediately open fire? The answer changes every time, and that unpredictability creates some of the most memorable moments in the genre.
What Are Other Players: Friend or Foe?
This is one of the most important questions newcomers ask, and unfortunately, there’s no simple answer. In most extraction shooters, including Arc Raiders, other players are inherently potential threats due to direct competition for limited resources. Unlike cooperative PvE games where everyone is on the same team, extraction shooters put you in direct competition with other Raiders for limited resources and extraction spots.
However, Arc Raiders implements some smart design choices to manage this. When you queue solo, the matchmaking system tries to place you with other solo players, making encounters more fair. If you’re playing with a friend as a duo, you’ll be matched primarily against other duos. This doesn’t guarantee you’ll never face a different squad size, but it makes balanced PvP much more common.
That said, temporary alliances can and do form in the field. If you and another player are both getting overwhelmed by ARC machines, you might have an unspoken agreement to focus on the robots first. Some players will use voice communication or gestures to signal they’re friendly. Others adopt a pragmatic, aggressive approach: “shoot first, ask questions never.”
If you would like to avoid fighting other players as much as possible, it’s recommended to go in solo. A lot of the time duos and squads fire at each other on sight.
The best advice is to always be cautious. If another player seems friendly, great – but don’t turn your back on them and don’t assume they won’t change their mind if you find valuable loot. Trust is a luxury in extraction shooters, and it’s one that can cost you everything you’ve gathered if you’re wrong.
One unique aspect of Arc Raiders is that you can go in with a Free Loadout – a basic kit that costs nothing if you lose it. This makes the game much more forgiving for newcomers since you can learn the ropes without risking gear you worked hard to craft or buy. More experienced players with better equipment might be more aggressive in their playstyle, but remember that skill and positioning often matter more than raw firepower.
Safe Pockets Explained: Your Insurance Policy
Now we get to one of the most important features in Arc Raiders: Safe Pockets. This is the insurance policy that makes the harsh extraction shooter formula more approachable.
A Safe Pocket is a special inventory slot that guarantees items inside will extract, even if you die. Think of it as a guaranteed “get out of jail free” card for your most valuable finds. While everything else in your inventory is lost when you’re killed, anything in your Safe Pocket comes back with you to Speranza.
Here’s how Safe Pockets work in Arc Raiders. When you’re running a proper loadout with an Augment equipped (not a Free Loadout), you’ll have access to at least one Safe Pocket slot. You can drag and drop items into this protected space, or on controller, select an item and choose “Move to Safe Pocket.” Whatever you place there is safe, no matter what happens during the raid.
The question becomes: what should you put in your Safe Pocket? Since you typically only have one slot to start, choosing what to secure requires careful consideration. The best items to secure are:
Blueprints: These unlock new crafting recipes permanently, making them extremely valuable for long-term progression. Finding a blueprint for a powerful weapon or piece of gear is a huge deal, so always prioritize putting these in your Safe Pocket immediately.
Quest Items: If you’re working on a specific quest that requires you to find and return an item, put it in your Safe Pocket. There’s nothing worse than completing a difficult objective only to lose the required item before extracting.
High-Value Resources: Some crafting materials are rare and essential for upgrading your workshop or crafting better gear. If you find something particularly valuable, it’s worth protecting.
Items Needed for Progression: Arc Raiders requires certain items to upgrade your workshop stations. Things like Olives, Laboratory Reagents, or Rusted Shut Medical Kits become crucial when you’re trying to improve your base capabilities.
You can increase your Safe Pocket capacity by obtaining and equipping better Augments. The Looting MK. 2 Augment gives you a second Safe Pocket slot, and the Epic version of this Augment can provide up to three protected slots. You can purchase these from Trader Lance at the Clinic in Speranza once you reach Level 7, though they cost 6,000 Coins and are often in limited supply.
The beauty of the Safe Pocket system is that it significantly reduces the penalty of death by safeguarding your most valuable items. Yes, you’ll lose your equipped gear and most of your loot, but you can guarantee that your best finds make it back home.
One important note: if you use a Free Loadout, you don’t get access to Safe Pockets at all. This is the trade-off for having zero-risk gear. You can’t lose anything, but you also can’t protect anything either.
Getting Started with Confidence
Extraction shooters have a reputation for being unforgiving, and while that’s partly true, Arc Raiders does a lot to smooth out the rough edges for newcomers. The Free Loadout system means you can learn the maps, understand the flow of combat, and figure out where extraction points are located without risking anything. The Safe Pocket system ensures that even failed raids can result in some progression if you’re smart about what you protect.
The key to success in your early raids is managing expectations. You’re not aiming to hoard every piece of loot on day one. Instead, focus on learning one map at a time. Figure out where the AI enemies tend to patrol. Learn the sound design so you can identify threats before they see you. Most importantly, get comfortable with the extraction process itself – knowing where the elevators, metro stations, and raider hatches are located can mean the difference between success and failure.
As you get more comfortable, you’ll start to develop your own playstyle. Some players prefer to avoid conflict entirely, sneaking around to gather resources and extract quickly. Others enjoy the combat and actively hunt both ARC machines and other Raiders. The crafting and progression systems reward both approaches, so don’t feel pressured to play a certain way.
Remember that every raid is a learning experience. If you die, think about what went wrong. Did you make too much noise? Did you push your luck staying out too long? Did you walk into an ambush? Each death is a lesson that directly contributes to making your next raid more successful.
Arc Raiders represents a great entry point into extraction shooters because it respects your time and doesn’t require hundreds of hours to see meaningful progression. With the information in this guide, you should be ready to take on your first topside mission with confidence. Get in, grab what you can, secure your best finds in that Safe Pocket, and get out alive to conquer your next mission!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an extraction shooter in simple terms?
An extraction shooter is a game where you enter a dangerous area, collect loot, and must safely escape to an extraction point to keep what you found. If you die before extracting, you lose most items.
Is Arc Raiders beginner-friendly?
Yes, Arc Raiders is considered the most accessible extraction shooter. It offers Free Loadouts (zero-risk gear), Safe Pockets (protected loot slots), and passive resource generation through Scrappy, making it more forgiving than Tarkov or Hunt: Showdown.
What happens if I die in Arc Raiders?
You lose all equipped gear and collected loot EXCEPT items stored in your Safe Pocket. Safe Pockets guarantee those items return to Speranza even if you die.
Can I play Arc Raiders solo?
Yes. Solo players are matchmade primarily with other solo players, making encounters more fair. You can also team up in duos or three-player squads.
What’s the difference between extraction shooters and battle royale?
Battle royales: Everyone starts equal, last player/team standing wins, match ends completely.
Extraction shooters: You bring your own gear, goal is to loot and extract (not eliminate everyone), gear persists between matches.
How long does a raid last in Arc Raiders?
Up to 30 minutes per raid. You can extract any time before that.
Do I lose my gear permanently if I die?
Yes, except for items in your Safe Pocket. This risk-reward system is core to extraction shooters.
What should I put in my Safe Pocket first?
Priority order: 1) Blueprints, 2) Quest items, 3) Rare crafting materials, 4) High-value items. Blueprints unlock permanent crafting recipes.