Before You Launch
Pick one main objective. Empty junk from your inventory, repair what matters, carry enough healing and ammo for the plan, and leave space for loot. A run with no purpose usually becomes an expensive walk.
Field Manual
Survival, combat and extraction fundamentals for every run.
FIELD NOTE
Noise is information. After a loud ARC fight, assume another Raider may already be moving toward you.
EXTRACT RULE
Once the objective is done, the run is already a win. You do not need one more container.
Inventory Priorities
Quest items, Workshop bottlenecks and rare components should beat low-value filler. Learn what your next upgrades need so you can make decisions quickly.
Protected Space
Use protected inventory slots for the item that would hurt most to lose. If you finish an important quest step or find a rare bottleneck, consider extracting early.
Weather & Map Conditions
Conditions can radically change visibility, ARC presence and loot opportunity. Check the current condition before launching and adjust your route rather than playing every map the same way.
Noise Is Information
Gunfire, ARC alerts, explosions, ziplines and extraction activity tell other Raiders where something is happening. After a loud fight, assume somebody else may be moving toward you.
Fight From Cover
ARC machines punish long exposed peeks. Use hard cover, break line of sight, watch attack tells, then re-peek from another angle instead of standing still and trading damage.
Read ARC Scanner Colors
Blue means patrol, yellow means alerted/investigating, and red means the machine has acquired a target. That lets you judge whether you can slip past or whether the fight has already started.
Know ARC Armor
Bright yellow parts are weak points. Dark armored plating needs meaningful ARC armor penetration. White plating is less protected. Shooting the right part saves ammo and shortens fights.
Third Parties
The squad that starts a fight does not have to be the squad that finishes it. If two groups are already engaged, decide whether joining actually helps your objective or only adds risk.
Movement & Stamina
Keep enough stamina to escape a bad position. Burning your entire bar to reach loot leaves nothing for the fight or retreat that follows.
Extraction Timing
Main extracts attract attention and available exits become more limited as the round develops. Plan your route before the last few minutes instead of sprinting across the map with no backup.
Raider Hatches
A Raider Hatch can offer another way out when you have the required key. Treat hatch access as part of route planning, not an emergency idea you remember at the last second.
When to Leave
If the important item is already in your bag, the quest is done or your resources are running low, the run may already be a win. Greed kills more good runs than mediocre loot does.
Solo Play
Move quietly, avoid unnecessary fights and use your small footprint. Solos usually get more value from information and disengagement than from trying to win every gunfight.
Squad Play
Call targets, share healing/ammo, avoid stacking the exact same angle and decide who is looting while someone watches. Three players staring into one crate are three easy targets.
Do Not Loot Too Early
A dead machine or Raider is bait until the area is quiet. Heal, reload, listen, clear likely angles, then loot.