ARC Raiders isn’t only about gun fights and extraction runs. If you want to survive for longer and progress fast, you will have to manage your workbenches really well. These stations will help you craft, upgrade, and grow your power for a long time. If you ignore them, you will quickly feel undercooled. Understanding workbenches also helps you access other progress systems like blueprints, crafting, and economy choices.
Several players, for instance, are even searching for ARC Raiders blueprints for sale to unblock early bottlenecks and get better equipment faster. Smart trading or crafting everything for yourself gains you advantage if you know how efficient workbenches are. In this guide, we will try to explain all of the workbenches, what each one does, and how to upgrade them the best without spending rare materials.
What Are Workbenches In ARC Raiders?
While journeying with ARC Raiders, you will notice permanent stations in your base. Each learns a different crafting or upgrading skill. They will not go on a raid with you, rather, after an extraction run, you will return and use the materials to upgrade your weapons, armor, tools, and base.
All workbenches can be upgraded. Each level unlocks better gear, modifications, and options for more efficient crafting. Upgrading workbenches as soon as possible is a must.
Workbenches in ARC Raiders
Here’s a breakdown of each workbench and what they do!
Weapon Workbench
Most players spend the bulk of their time here. You can make basic guns and level their damage. You can also unlock and attach weapon customizations.
When this workbench is maxed, you can modify the recoil, and adjust the reload speed and durability. This is super important to do for mid to late game. The enemy ARC units do more damage, and the fights take longer.
Armor Workbench
This Workbench focuses on survivability. You make the helmet and chest piece and leg pieces, along with the different resistances to damage.
This bench unlocks better durability, a reduced weight, and better stamina. It also unlocks lightweight armor builds.
Gadget Workbench
This bench is for the utility items like grenades, scanners, dynamo, and other mobility gadgets. Many players don’t think they are very useful in the beginning, but gadgets change raids.
More advanced gadgets are unlocked at higher levels that have shorter cooldowns and better effects, making it much safer to play solo and in squads.
Utility And Tool Bench
This bench has upgrades for repair kits, backpacks, ammo packs, and crafting efficiency. It may not look fancy, but it saves a lot of resources over time.
Upgrades to this bench reduce repair costs and crafting level requirements, which improves your progression.
Requirements for Workshop Upgrades
Upgrading workbenches requires a combination of basic resources, rare materials, and certain ARC parts which are collected during raids. The costs of upgrading scale immensely, so planning is required.
This is an overview:
| Workbench | Early Materials | Mid-Game Materials | Late-Game Materials |
| Weapon | Scrap Metal, Electronics | ARC Cores, Weapon Parts | High-Tier ARC Components |
| Armor | Fabric, Polymer | Reinforced Plates | Advanced Alloy Frames |
| Gadget | Wires, Batteries | Sensor Modules | Experimental Tech |
| Utility | Scrap, Tools | Mechanical Parts | Optimized Systems |
Always prioritize upgrades that add new crafting options over small upgrades to stats.
Upgrading Workbenches in A Smart Way
Concentrate On One Bench at A Time
If you divide your resources among all the benches, it will slow your progress. Choose one bench that suits your playstyle and upgrade it first. Upgrading weapons is generally the safest first option.
Extract With A Plan
Loot with a goal. Before going into raids, plan which specific resources you need. This helps to avoid inventory clogging and unnecessary upgrades.
Recycle Unused Gear
Weapons, and armor pieces can be broken down into parts that can be reused, so instead of letting them take up space in your storage, recycle them.
Use Blueprints Smartly
Blueprints let you craft more items. Some players want the higher-tier gear early, so they trade for or buy ARC Raiders Blueprints, but these earned blueprints can also be critically valuable for your gear progression, so use them wisely.
Blueprint System and Workbenches
You can only craft items you have blueprints for, and you can only progress your workbenches if you have the blueprints for them.
The three most popular ways to acquire blueprints are as rewards for missions, looting from raids, and via player trading.
Upgrading workbenches usually requires advanced blueprints. Upgrading the Weapon Workbench may also require you to upgrade the Utility Bench at the same time.
That is also why experienced players try to map out their blueprints in advance and market trade ARC Raiders blueprints for sale to avoid the hassle of drop grinding.
Common Upgrade Mistakes to Avoid
One of the most frequent mistakes players make when upgrading their gear is to upgrade their armor when they have no weapons. There is no point in having armor if you can’t shoot at the enemy.
Not paying attention to utility upgrades is another mistake. Things like repair speed, inventory size, ammo, and how efficient the inventory system are the things that impact your odds of survival.
Don’t craft a bunch of low-tier items either. When you can, hold onto your materials and it will pay off as you can save them for upgrades that will give you a permanent benefit.
Endgame Workbench Strategy
Workbenches in the late game become less about survival and more about optimization. You will begin to bring your focus to min-maxing certain attributes, decreasing your crafting costs, and creating tailored loadouts for specific mission types.
At this point, having access to certain blueprints is more valuable than having raw materials. Players who are able to better plan and obtain valuable blueprints earlier will find that the endgame is easier to navigate. Using advanced trading or selective Arc Raider blueprints for sale can save you a lot of time.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Which workbench should I upgrade first?
Most players would say the Weapon Workbench is the first one to upgrade. It makes your damage output better so raids are safer and quicker to complete.
2. Are workbench upgrades permanent?
Yes. Once a workbench is upgraded, it will stay that way and apply to all future crafting.
3. Do I need all workbenches fully upgraded?
Not really. It really depends on how you play. Players who focus on combat may not need to gadget upgrades, while players who are more support may invest more in utility.
4. Can players trade blueprints?
This is really up to the game’s economy system. Some players trade or seek ARC Raiders blueprints sold through verified marketplaces or community sites.
5. What is the biggest mistake beginners make when upgrading?
Not upgrading everything all at once. It is more efficient to do focused progression.
Final thoughts
Workbenches are the most crucial aspect of progression. They define what your gear is able to do, the rate at which you can utilize your resources, and how well you are equipped for the more difficult fights. Look at upgrades as if they are investments for the future, rather than for instant gratification.
If you avoid reckless crafting, make the right selection of blueprints, and do the upgrades of your benches with great consideration, you’ll be able to avoid the difficult spike of the game. No matter if you simply grind for everything or find better and smarter ways to do it, the ability to master the workbenches is what divides the confident survivors from the overstruggling raiders.
