You've got 75 skill points to spend in Arc Raiders, and every single one matters. The difference between surviving your first raid and becoming someone else's loot? It's all in how you build your raider. Let me walk you through the skill trees that'll keep you alive and thriving topside.
Why Your Skill Tree Choices Define Your Success
Here's the thing about Arc Raiders: you can't just throw points randomly and expect results. The game features three distinct skill trees (Mobility, Conditioning, and Survival), each with 45 unique skills offering five upgrade tiers. That's a lot of choices, and some are game-changing while others barely move the needle.
Your first 20 points are absolutely critical. They set the foundation for everything that comes after, whether you're playing solo or running with a squad. Get these wrong, and you'll struggle with basic stamina management. Get them right, and you'll outmaneuver both ARC machines and rival raiders.
The Mobility Tree: Your First Priority
Start here. Seriously, don't even think about the other trees until you've grabbed these essentials.
Core Mobility Skills You Need
Marathon Runner sits at the top of your priority list. Moving around costs less stamina, which means more time sprinting between loot spots and less time catching your breath while enemies close in. Max this out early (it scales beautifully with each point invested).
Youthful Lungs increases your maximum stamina pool. Think of it as your endurance gas tank. A bigger tank means longer chases, extended firefights, and better positioning options. Two points minimum here.
Slip and Slide transforms your movement game completely. Sliding further and faster without extra stamina cost opens up aggressive plays and quick escapes. One point gives you immediate value.
Advanced Mobility Options
Once you've secured the basics, Vaults on Vaults on Vaults becomes your late-game powerhouse. Zero stamina cost for vaulting? That's pure gold in maps with verticality. You'll navigate buildings and terrain like you're weightless.
Heroic Leap extends your Sprint Dodge Roll distance. It's the difference between eating bullets and successfully breaking line of sight. Even one point here pays dividends during PvP encounters.
Carry the Momentum offers situational power. After a Sprint Dodge Roll, you sprint without consuming stamina briefly. The internal cooldown limits its consistency, but when it procs during a heated chase, you'll understand its value.
Tip
Invest at least 28 points into Mobility before branching out. The movement advantages compound with each skill, creating a raider who simply moves better than the competition.
Conditioning: Surviving Critical Moments
The Conditioning tree shines when things go sideways. These skills activate during your worst moments, turning potential deaths into miraculous escapes.
Essential Conditioning Skills
Used to the Weight should be your first Conditioning pick. Shields are mandatory equipment, and they slow you down. This skill reduces that penalty significantly. Max it out completely (the percentage reduction scales well).
Survivor's Stamina pairs perfectly with your Mobility investments. When you're critically hurt, your stamina regenerates faster. That burst of energy when you need it most has saved countless raiders.
Fight or Flight triggers automatic stamina regeneration when your health hits critical levels. Combined with Survivor's Stamina, you become incredibly difficult to finish off.
Situational Conditioning Picks
Loaded Arms reduces how much your equipped weapon impacts encumbrance. Heavy weapons become viable without destroying your carry capacity. One point here goes a long way.
Downed but Determined extends your bleed-out timer, giving teammates more time to secure the area before attempting a revive. Team players should prioritize this.
Turtle Crawl makes you harder to finish while downed. Enemies think twice about wasting ammo on a moving target behind cover.
Warning
Don't invest heavily in Conditioning before securing your Mobility foundation. These skills only help if you're alive long enough to use them.
Survival: Looting and Crafting Mastery
The Survival tree separates efficient raiders from amateurs. These skills directly impact your loot quality and quantity.
Must-Have Survival Skills
In-Round Crafting ranks as arguably the best skill in the entire game. Field-crafting items extends your raid duration massively. You'll craft bandages, ammo, and equipment without returning to base. This single skill changes everything.
Looter's Instincts speeds up item identification when you breach containers. Less looting time means less vulnerability. Max this completely for optimal efficiency.
Proficient Pryer accelerates breaching locked doors and containers. The best loot hides behind these obstacles, and you want access FAST. Two points minimum.
Advanced Survival Options
Security Breach unlocks access to Security Lockers at 36 points invested. These contain premium loot, but you need map knowledge to maximize this skill's value.
Traveling Tinkerer expands your field-crafting options. Pair it with In-Round Crafting for maximum versatility.
Broad Shoulders increases maximum carry weight. More loot per raid means faster progression. Two points provides solid value without over-investing.
Optimal Skill Point Distribution
Here's a proven 75-point build that works for both solo and team play:
This distribution prioritizes movement first (keeping you alive), survival second (extending raid duration), and conditioning third (emergency situations).
Skills to Avoid Early
Not every skill deserves your precious points, especially early on.
Carry the Momentum sounds great but the cooldown makes it unreliable. Save this for post-level 50.
Unburdened Roll only triggers after shield break. Too situational when better options exist.
Looter's Luck depends entirely on RNG. Consistency beats chance every time.
Vigorous Vaulter becomes completely redundant once you unlock Vaults on Vaults on Vaults.
Important
Resist the temptation to spread points thin across all trees. Focused builds outperform jack-of-all-trades approaches consistently.
Solo Player Modifications
Solo raiders need specific adjustments to the base build:
- Max Gentle Pressure early (masks sound while looting)
- Invest in Calming Stroll for constant stamina recovery
- Prioritize Back on Your Feet for automatic health regeneration
- Skip team-focused skills like Downed but Determined
Solo play demands self-sufficiency. Your skills should minimize risk and maximize independence.
Team Player Priorities
Squad-focused raiders should emphasize:
- Downed but Determined (extended bleed-out timer)
- Turtle Crawl (harder to finish while downed)
- A Little Extra (bonus loot benefits entire team)
- Flyswatter (instant Wasp/Turret destruction saves team ammo)
Team builds sacrifice some personal efficiency for group utility. Your squad will appreciate the support.
Progression Timeline
Your skill point journey follows this path:
Levels 1-15: Pure Mobility focus. Get Marathon Runner and Youthful Lungs operational.
Levels 16-30: Add Conditioning basics. Used to the Weight and Survivor's Stamina become available.
Levels 31-50: Round out Survival skills. In-Round Crafting unlocks around level 36.
Levels 51-75: Optimize and specialize. Add advanced skills based on your preferred playstyle.
Common Skill Tree Mistakes
Mistake #1: Investing in Survival before Mobility. You can't loot effectively if you can't move efficiently.
Mistake #2: Spreading points across all three trees equally. Specialization beats generalization.
Mistake #3: Ignoring skill synergies. Fight or Flight plus Survivor's Stamina creates powerful combinations.
Mistake #4: Taking skills for theoretical situations instead of practical gameplay. Build for what happens most often, not what might happen once.
Respeccing Strategy
Arc Raiders doesn't currently offer skill resets, making your choices permanent. Plan carefully:
- Research skills before committing points
- Use the arcraiders.build tool to theory-craft builds
- Watch experienced players to see skills in action
- Start conservative with point distribution
Once you commit to a path, you're locked in for that character's progression.
How Skills Interact With Equipment
Your skill choices should complement your gear preferences:
Heavy Weapon Users: Prioritize Loaded Arms and Broad Shoulders
Shield Specialists: Max Used to the Weight immediately
Stealth Players: Invest in Gentle Pressure and Agile Croucher
Aggressive Raiders: Focus on Heroic Leap and Slip and Slide
Match your skills to your playstyle for maximum effectiveness.
The 50-Point Checkpoint
Many players report hitting level 50 around launch. Here's an optimal 50-point distribution:
- Mobility: 25 points (Marathon Runner max, Youthful Lungs max, Slip and Slide)
- Conditioning: 15 points (Used to the Weight max, Survivor's Stamina)
- Survival: 10 points (In-Round Crafting, Looter's Instincts partial)
This build provides solid fundamentals while leaving room for specialization as you earn the final 25 points.
Your skill tree defines your raider's capabilities more than any weapon or equipment piece. Invest wisely, prioritize mobility and survival, and you'll outlast the competition. See you topside, raider.
For more Arc Raiders, check out our Custom Loadouts guide.