Week 8 is one of those ARC Raiders trial rotations where smart prioritization matters more than raw grind time. A few objectives can produce excellent scores, but others are so dependent on spawn luck that they can drain an entire evening for very little return. With the season clock getting tighter, the best approach is to focus on the trials that offer the strongest point ceiling, the most repeatable routes, and the lowest wasted time.

This guide ranks all five Week 8 trials from weakest to strongest, then breaks down the maps, loadouts, and routing decisions that matter most for solo players and coordinated teams. The goal is simple: improve efficiency, protect your raid economy, and convert each run into stronger placement progress without overspending your loot and resources.

Week 8 Trial Priority Ranking

• 5. Damage Turbines – low ceiling and highly inconsistent
• 4. Destroy Multiple ARC Enemies With a Wolf Pack – easy and fast, but limited score
• 3. Search Cars – decent points, huge time cost, much better in teams
• 2. Damage Comets – very high upside, but strongly RNG dependent
• 1. Damage ARC Enemies in Old Town – the best score potential and the main priority this week

5. Damage Turbines

Damage Turbines lands at the bottom of the list because its main problem is not difficulty, but reliability. The score cap sits at roughly 12,000 points, which already puts it behind the stronger objectives. On top of that, turbine spawns often do not become relevant until later in the raid, usually around the final third of the timer. That means a large amount of setup and survival can lead to a run where the spawns simply do not cooperate.

In practical terms, this is a poor trial to force. If a raid naturally gives favorable turbine timing, it is worth taking the points. If not, it is usually better to move on rather than fishing for a perfect setup. For players trying to preserve ARC Raiders Materials and avoid wasteful resets, this is one of the weakest investments of the week.

Recommended Loadout

• A barricade for safer angles and cover control
• A high-ammo primary for sustained damage
• Close-range backup options if you expect pressure
• A long-range option like Jupiter if you want safer damage windows

How to Approach It

The exact map matters less here than spawn luck and overall raid condition. Harder map states can feel slightly better for turbine appearances, but the inconsistency remains. Use this trial as a bonus objective, not a main grind target. If you are short on progression resources, do not sink repeated attempts into it.

4. Destroy Multiple ARC Enemies With a Wolf Pack

This trial looks modest on paper, and that is true from a scoring perspective, but it has one major advantage: speed. The point ceiling is only around 12,000, yet the entire objective can be completed in well under a minute with the right setup. That makes it one of the cleanest “take the points and leave” options in the rotation.

The standard method is straightforward. Bring six snitch scanners and at least one Wolf Pack. Deploy the scanners, wait for wasp spawns, then throw the Wolf Pack to secure the multi-kill requirement. The trial is less about execution and more about preparation. If you already have the gadgets ready, this is practically free value.

Why It Is Not Higher

The reason it stays in fourth is simple: low score ceiling. It is efficient, but it will not carry your weekly placement by itself. Think of it as a quick pickup objective that supplements your high-value runs rather than replacing them.

It also highlights an important planning lesson for the season. Consumable stock matters. Having enough gadgets, explosives, and ARC Raiders crafting Materials on hand can turn certain trials from annoying to trivial. Players managing their stash well will complete this one far more comfortably than those trying to improvise midweek.

Search Cars is the first genuinely tempting trap of Week 8. Its score can range from roughly 17,000 to 20,000 points, which sounds strong enough to justify attention. The issue is that the route is sprawling, the car distribution is broad, and solo players lose a lot of time covering the map.

Blue Gate, especially with the Locked Gate event, is usually the strongest environment for this trial because of better container density and more usable raid time. Even then, the objective remains awkward. Cars are not concentrated in one easy loop. They are spread across multiple landmarks, and not every vehicle actually counts. The Tesla-like models are a common mistake and should be skipped.

Best Use Case

This trial is much better for teams than for solo play. A trio can split the map, check multiple clusters at once, and keep momentum high. A solo player has to spend too much time rotating between possible spawns, which drags down point-per-minute efficiency.

Recommended Loadout

• High mobility gadgets
• One or two Snap Hooks for route compression
• Ziplines for crossing dead space faster
• A survival setup that lets you keep moving instead of taking long fights

Important Car Areas to Check

• Security checkpoint zones
• Tunnel-adjacent stretches
• Reinforced Reception surroundings
• Pilgrim's Peak approaches
• Abandoned Housing Project buildings
• South of the Maintenance Bunker
• Between Gate Control Room and Maintenance Bunker
• Ruined Homestead and Ancient Fort areas

If your goal is weekly ranking rather than casual completion, Search Cars should be treated carefully. It can still be worthwhile, but only if you are comfortable with the route or have teammates to divide the work. Otherwise, the time cost often outweighs the reward. For players still building out ARC Raiders Workbench Upgrades and conserving utility tools, this is rarely the most efficient use of a raid session.

2. Damage Comets

Damage Comets is one of the biggest point generators in Week 8, with strong runs reaching around 45,000 points. That kind of ceiling makes it impossible to ignore. At the same time, it is one of the most volatile trials in the rotation because comet spawn patterns can vary dramatically from run to run.

The best setup is generally Blue Gate during Electromagnetic Storm. A Jupiter is the standout choice because it can delete comets quickly and keep your pace high. The challenge is not damage output. The challenge is routing efficiently enough to catch spawns, trigger respawn opportunities, and avoid dead time.

Take a look at: beginner progression guide

Solo Strategy

For solo players, the Maintenance Bunker is the anchor point. Starting from the top gives strong visibility and lets you react quickly to nearby spawns. From there, a heavy zipline network becomes the core of the route. This is not a low-investment trial. Expect to commit a large number of mobility tools if you want serious scores.

A good solo setup often requires roughly 17 to 18 ziplines across the route, which translates into a meaningful rope cost. That is why this trial is excellent for leaderboard pushing but expensive for casual farming. If you are managing a thin stash, repeated resets can become painful.

Team Strategy

Trios can push this trial much harder than solos. The best approach is to split the map into dedicated coverage zones so each player controls a section. That reduces travel time and increases the chance of catching every comet cycle. Teams should also remember to check tunnel spawns, especially during Electromagnetic Storm, because missing a hidden comet can cost a surprising amount of score.

• Jupiter with ample energy ammo
• Ziplines for broad map coverage
• Stims or other mobility support
• A lean combat kit that favors movement over prolonged fights

If you are already comfortable with Blue Gate routing, this is one of the best trials to practice repeatedly. It rewards map knowledge, clean movement, and disciplined resets. It also pairs naturally with players looking to maintain a strong stash of gear upgrades and utility consumables for late-season pushes.

1. Damage ARC Enemies in Old Town

This is the trial that matters most in Week 8. Damage ARC Enemies in Old Town can reach around 60,000 points, giving it the highest value in the rotation by a comfortable margin. If placement is the priority, this is where the bulk of your attention should go.

The key detail is that this objective is not a generic damage farm. It is really an Exessor-focused route. The most valuable score comes from repeatedly cycling and clearing the high-value ARC enemies that Exessors generate, especially Vaporizers and Rocketeers. Players who spend too much time cleaning up low-value targets and not enough time manipulating these spawns will leave a huge amount of score behind.

Best Map and Event

The clear choice is Buried City during Closed Scrutiny. Old Town coverage and Exessor access line up best there, and the route gives enough enemy density to create a true high-score run.

What Counts as Old Town

For routing purposes, Old Town is effectively everything south of the highway. That means the most efficient play is to trigger enemies from nearby Exessors and pull them into that scoring zone before finishing them. This matters a lot. Kills and damage outside the proper area can cost you points even if the combat itself is clean.

Priority Targets

• Vaporizers – major score contributors and a top damage target
• Rocketeers – another high-value source of points
• Hornets, Fireflies, Wasps, and Snitches – useful filler during downtime

Normal ARC enemies should be treated as supplemental score, not the centerpiece. The run lives or dies on how efficiently you cycle Exessor waves.

Recommended Loadout

• Wolf Packs in high quantity
• Jupiter with a moderate amount of energy ammo
• Seeker grenades for shield popping and clearing smaller threats
• Hatch keys if your route can benefit from them

There is no need to overload on energy ammo if you are comfortable looting from dead Vaporizers during the run. That keeps your inventory lighter and your risk lower. Gadget efficiency matters more than raw ammo volume here.

How to Maximize Score

Pull enemies from the Exessors near the Grand Oso Apartments side and nearby positions, then kill them inside the Old Town scoring area south of the highway. Between major waves, use smaller ARC enemies to keep score ticking upward. Snitches deserve special attention because they can be looted for scanners, which can create extra value during the run.

If a turbine appears later in the raid, treat it as a bonus rather than the main objective. The backbone of the run remains Exessor wave control. This is the trial where good gadget stock, practiced movement, and a stable combat rhythm pay off the most. Players who want smoother progression often discover that maintaining enough ammo, explosives, and support tools is just as important as mechanical aim.

Take a look at: hidden gadget mechanics guide

For Solo Players

• Prioritize Old Town first and Comets second
• Use Wolf Pack as a quick side objective when prepared
• Avoid overcommitting to Search Cars unless you know the route extremely well
• Do not chase Turbine resets unless you have time to spare

Solo efficiency is all about minimizing dead movement and avoiding objectives that scale better with map coverage. Old Town gives the best return because the route is more controllable than Search Cars and less luck-gated than perfect Comet runs.

For Teams

• Search Cars becomes much more attractive with split routing
• Comets can reach much higher consistency with zone assignments
• Old Town remains the top priority because coordinated wave handling boosts score even further

Teams should use role separation aggressively. One player handling mobility setup, one controlling pressure angles, and one focusing on cleanup can make high-value trials far more stable. If your group is still refining movement and utility usage, check out our hidden gadget mechanics guide for smarter mobility and defense tricks.

Resource Planning for Week 8

Week 8 puts real pressure on consumables. Comet attempts burn through ziplines and rope. Old Town rewards players who stocked Wolf Packs and smart utility. Even the easier objectives become smoother when your stash is organized around the week’s demands.

That is why efficient players think beyond the trial itself. Keeping enough in-game items, mobility gadgets, and ammo reserves available lets you focus on score instead of scrambling between raids. For newer players, this is also where broader progression systems matter, since stronger stash management, better crafting flow, and cleaner route planning all support better weekly results. If you are still building those fundamentals, our beginner progression guide is a useful companion read.

Final Week 8 Priority Summary

If the objective is climbing before the season ends, the Week 8 order is clear. Damage ARC Enemies in Old Town is the best trial and deserves most of your attention. Damage Comets is the high-risk, high-reward secondary option. Search Cars is viable but inefficient for most solo players. Wolf Pack is fast and easy if you prepared for it. Damage Turbines is too inconsistent to justify serious grinding.

The biggest mistake this week is treating all trials as equal. They are not. Focus on score ceiling, route repeatability, and the real cost of resets. That approach will protect your stash, improve your point-per-minute, and give you a much better chance of finishing the season strong.

FAQ

Which Week 8 trial should solo players farm first?

Old Town is the best first choice because it has the highest ceiling and a more controllable route than Search Cars or Turbines.

Yes, but only if you accept the RNG. It has excellent score potential, though it can consume a lot of mobility tools and reset time.

Does Search Cars work better in teams?

Absolutely. A trio can split the map and cover more spawn locations, which makes the trial much more efficient than solo play.

What is the easiest trial to finish quickly?

Destroy Multiple ARC Enemies With a Wolf Pack is the fastest objective if you already have scanners and the gadget prepared.

How important are consumables this week?

Very important. Ziplines, rope, ammo, and explosive tools all have a major impact on your ability to run top trials efficiently.