Arc Raiders Trials Guide: How to Get 3 Stars Every Week

The Arc Raiders trials guide you’re reading exists because the weekly trial system is where most raiders hit a wall. You know the objectives, you run the maps, and you still end the week with two trials stuck at 2 stars. The difference between consistent triple rank and falling short comes down to map selection, the 2x modifier system, and knowing exactly where to go for each trial type. This guide covers all of it.

If you’re still getting your bearings with the game’s core loop, check out our beginner guide first. Trials unlock at Level 15 and assume you’re comfortable with extraction basics.

How Trials Work

Every Monday, you get 5 new trial challenges pulled from a rotating pool. Each challenge has a specific objective: damage a certain enemy type, collect items, complete events. You earn points by doing that objective during raids, but here’s the thing that trips people up: points only count when you extract. Die before reaching the extraction point and your score for that run is zero. It doesn’t matter if you killed 15 Leapers. No extraction, no points.

Only your personal best score on each challenge is saved. So if you score 3,200 on a trial and then run it again for 2,800, you keep the 3,200. This means you can keep pushing for a higher score without risk of losing progress.

Each challenge has three reward tiers:

Points	Stars	Reward
1,000	1 star	Random Uncommon item
2,500	2 stars	Random Rare item
4,000	3 stars	Random Epic item

Your combined best scores across all 5 challenges determine your leaderboard placement within your division (100 raiders per division). That placement determines whether you rank up, hold, or drop.

The 2x Modifier System

This is the single most important thing in this guide. Maps rotate through different conditions, and five of them are Major Map Conditions that double all trial points earned on that map:

• Night Raid
• Electromagnetic Storm
• Hidden Bunker
• Locked Gate
• Cold Snap

The math is simple. A Leaper kill is worth 1,760 points normally. On a 2x map, it’s 3,520. That means a single Leaper kill on the right map gets you close to 3 stars by itself. Without the 2x modifier, you’re grinding twice as hard for the same result.

⚡ Weekly routine: Before you start grinding trials each week, check which maps have Major Map Conditions active. Plan your runs around those maps. If none of the 2x maps suit a specific trial, wait a day or two for the rotation to change.

Other modifiers like Prospecting Probes or minor conditions don’t give double points. Ignore them for trial purposes.

Arc Raiders Trials Guide: Every Trial Type and Best Map

Trials pull from a rotating pool each week. Here’s every known trial type, the points per action, the best map to run it on, and the quick strategy.

Combat Trials

Trial	Points (base)	Best Map	Strategy
Damage Leapers	1,760 per kill	Dam Battlegrounds	4 fixed spawn areas: Water Treatment, Hydroponic, Red Lake, Testing Annex. Rotate between them.
Damage Bastions	2,250 per kill	Spaceport (Hidden Bunker)	Spawn near bunker entrance. Bring Deadline Mines and Wolfpack grenades. Target knee joints first.
Damage Rocketeers	1,320 per kill	The Blue Gates (Locked Gate)	Only 2 kills needed for 3 stars with 2x. Use Jupiter/Wolfpack combo. Shoot off thrusters to ground them.
Damage Shredders	693 per kill	Stella Montis (Night Raid)	3 kills for 3 stars with 2x. Hullcracker recommended for armor strip.
Damage Hornets	Varies	Any EM Storm map	Target center mass, not armored weak points. EM Storm increases flying enemy spawns.
Damage Snitches	Varies	Spaceport / Buried City	Solo approach works best. Loop hospital, library, parking garage.
Ground-Based ARC	0.7-0.8 per dmg	Spaceport (Hidden Bunker)	Focus Bastions/Bombardiers for best points-per-damage ratio. Bring heavy ammo (80+).
Damage Queens	~16,000 max	Any	Target legs and armor plates first, then the core. Queen is worth more than Matriarch.
Destroy Fireballs	364 per kill	Stella Montis / Buried City	6 kills needed for 3 stars with 2x. Search interior locations, they spawn indoors.
Destroy Pops	Varies	Any with 2x modifier	Small enemies, appear in groups. Area damage weapons work well.

Scavenging and Interaction Trials

Trial	Points (base)	Best Map	Strategy
Search First Wave Husks	300 per husk	Spaceport (EM Storm)	7 husks with 2x modifier hits 3 stars. High-density clusters near main buildings.
Search Supply Drops	800 per drop	Any with 2x modifier	3 drops on a 2x map = 4,800 points. Check marked locations on the map.
Harvest Plants	250 per plant	Dam Battlegrounds	Swamp area has 60+ mushrooms and 40+ Great Mullein. Split zones with teammates.
Open ARC Probes	667 per probe	Spaceport (EM Storm)	Rooftops, fuel storage, control tower. Bring ziplines or snap hooks for access.
Deliver Carriables	500 per delivery	Dam Battlegrounds	6 field depots available. Power Generation Complex and Water Towers are closest together.
Frozen Containers	1,000 per container	Any Cold Snap map	Only available during Cold Snap condition. 2 containers with 2x = 4,000 points exactly.
Hidden Bunker Data	400 per computer	Spaceport	Activate 4-6 satellites outside, then interact with 8 computers inside. Max 6,400 points.
Prospecting Probes	Varies	Spaceport (EM Storm)	Rooftop access is key. Use ziplines and snap hooks to reach elevated positions.

Rank System and Rewards

The trials rank system has 14 tiers. Each tier except the top two has three sub-ranks (I, II, III):

Rank	Sub-ranks	Notes
Rookie	I, II, III	Starting rank for new players
Tryhard	I, II, III
Wildcard	I, II, III
Daredevil	I, II, III	Alpino Outfit unlocks at Daredevil I (Season 2)
Hotshot	None	Exclusive outfit color
Cantina Legend	None	Top 1,000 globally. Ultimate cosmetics.

When you earn at least one trial point in a week, you’re placed in a division of 100 raiders. Your placement in that division (based on total best scores) determines promotion:

• Top 30: Double promotion (skip a sub-rank)
• 31-60: Single promotion
• 61-80: Hold current rank
• 81-100: Demoted one sub-rank

Returning players start 2 ranks below their previous season placement. Divisions fill first-come first-serve each week, so getting your points in early can land you in a less competitive group.

How to Hit 4,000 Points on Every Trial

Getting 3 stars on one trial is easy. Getting 3 stars on all five consistently every week takes a system. Here’s what works.

1. Check the weekly modifiers first

Before you load into a single raid, look at which maps have Major Map Conditions. Match your trial objectives to those maps. If the Leaper trial is active and Dam Battlegrounds has Night Raid, that’s where you go. If no 2x map makes sense for a particular trial, wait for the daily rotation to change.

2. One trial per raid

This is the most common mistake. Raiders try to work on 2-3 trials in a single run, end up splitting their focus, and come out with middling scores on everything. Pick one trial, build your loadout around it, go in, hit your number, and extract. Then switch to the next trial on a fresh run.

3. Use Friendly Lobby for score pushing

If you’re pushing for a high score on a specific trial, switch to Friendly Lobby. Same trial points, fewer hostile players. You can focus entirely on the objective without worrying about getting jumped during a Bastion fight. For general tips on PvP situations, we have a separate guide.

4. Bring the right loadout

Your trial loadout should match the objective. For combat trials against large ARCs (Bastions, Rocketeers), bring:

• Hullcracker or Anvil IV (high damage output)
• Wolfpack and Trailblazer grenades
• Deadline Mines (3-5)
• 80+ Heavy Ammo
• 10 Shield Rechargers, 10-15 Bandages
• Adrenaline Shots for repositioning
• Photoelectric Cloak for mine placement

For scavenging trials (plants, husks, probes), swap combat gear for mobility: ziplines, snap hooks, and smoke grenades. Speed matters more than firepower. Check our weapons tier list for the current meta picks.

5. Learn the spawn locations

ARC enemies spawn at fixed points with 5-7 minute respawn timers after being destroyed. Once you know a map’s spawn layout, you can rotate between points instead of wandering. For example, Leapers on Dam Battlegrounds always appear at Water Treatment Control, Hydroponic, Red Lake area, and Testing Annex. Kill one group, move to the next, and the first group respawns by the time you circle back.

6. Extract clean

This sounds obvious but it’s worth repeating: don’t get greedy. If you’re sitting at 4,200 points, extract. Don’t push for 5,000 and risk dying to a player or a random ARC patrol. Your best score is saved, so you can always run it again. But if you die, that entire run is wasted. Plan your extraction route before you start the raid, and keep your extraction fundamentals tight.

Frequently Asked Questions

The trial system in Arc Raiders rewards preparation over raw skill. Know your maps, run on 2x modifiers, focus one trial per raid, and extract before you get greedy. Do that consistently and triple rank stops being something you grind for and starts being something that just happens every Monday.