This ARC Raiders update centers on a busy mid-August stretch: the current trials running from August 10 through August 16, Mal's limited-time offers, and early preparation for the next Phantom Targets step expected on August 18. For players trying to keep progression smooth, this is a useful week to combine objective hunting with efficient loot runs, especially if you still need ARC Raiders Blueprints, upgrade parts, and extra crafting stock.

Below is a practical breakdown of each trial, the best maps and conditions to target, which enemies are worth prioritizing, and how to line up your route so one expedition can advance multiple goals at once. There is also a short section on the leaked Phantom Targets follow-up and what it likely means for your inventory planning.

August 10-16 Trials Overview

This week's objectives are a mix of simple interaction tasks and weapon-specific combat challenges. The easiest completions come from treating them as route problems rather than isolated chores. In other words, go in with one clear purpose, choose the right map condition, and bring the exact tools needed for that objective instead of trying to force a generalist loadout.

Several tasks also overlap with useful farming targets. That matters because this is a good time to build up ARC Raiders Materials and other progression resources while still pushing stars on the trial board.

1) Open Containers on the Beach

This is the most straightforward objective on paper, but it has one limitation: beach container spawns are finite, so wasted time hurts more here than on enemy-based tasks. The best approach is to enter with speed in mind and hit the beach immediately before other players or prior looting reduces your options.

For safer completion, PvE-focused lobbies are the better call. The beach is exposed, and in PvP-heavy runs you can lose time to sightlines, third parties, or simply arriving late to already-open containers. If a container is already opened, it is still worth checking whether it counts for your interaction or at least confirms the spawn, but the real advantage comes from getting there first.

• Prioritize direct beach access over broad looting.
• Avoid long fights unless they block the route.
• Reset quickly if the area has clearly been picked clean.
• Use lightweight gear so you can rotate faster.

If you are still short on early progression supplies, this kind of focused run can also double as an ARC Raiders farming route Items session, since beach-side containers often let newer players stack small but useful loot without committing to a long raid.

2) Search ARC Probes, Couriers, and Assessors

This is one of the easiest stars to farm this week if you queue into the right map condition. Electromagnetic storm variants appear to flood the map with searchable ARC units, making probes and related targets much more common than usual.

The main goal is not to overcomplicate it. Once an electromagnetic storm is active, keep moving between known machine paths and open sightlines rather than diving into dense combat pockets. Search speed matters more than kill speed for this task.

• Queue around storm conditions whenever possible.
• Scan wide areas for machine silhouettes before committing.
• Favor routes with multiple machine spawn lanes.
• Extract once your star threshold is secured.

Because these enemies often carry useful components, this objective is also a decent source of ARC Raiders extraction loot and general ARC Raiders progression resources. If your stash has been bottlenecked by crafting or upgrade requirements, this is one of the cleaner ways to progress without forcing difficult boss-style encounters.

This is the first genuinely awkward trial of the set. The challenge is not finding flying ARC, but landing enough meaningful damage with a tool that can be inconsistent unless you control the angle and timing.

The highest-value target is the Rocketeer. It has enough health to absorb a solid hit, which means good grenade placement can give you better progress per throw than swatting smaller targets. The downside is obvious: Rocketeers fight back hard, and bad positioning can turn a trial run into a failed extraction.

If you want the safer route, attack clusters of Wasps, Hornets, or other lighter flying enemies from elevated ground. Height helps because it improves your throw angle and reduces the chance that the grenade lands awkwardly beneath the target group.

• Use high ground whenever possible.
• Throw downward into grouped flying enemies.
• Target Rocketeers only if you can safely control the fight.
• Do not waste grenades on scattered single targets.

This is also one of those objectives where a good survival setup matters more than raw aggression. Bringing practical support tools and a stable weapon alongside your explosives gives you a stronger ARC Raiders survival loadout items package for recovering from missed throws or bad pulls.

4) Loot Bird Nests in Buried City

This trial is simple once Buried City is available, but map rotation is the real gate. When the map is up, start the run at the beginning of the round so you get the full timer to sweep the area. Bird nests are best handled as a dedicated collection route rather than something you do casually while fighting through the city.

Inventory planning matters here. A looting-focused augment or any setup that improves carry efficiency is worth bringing because the nests can produce trinkets and side-value items that add up quickly. This makes the objective more rewarding than it first appears.

• Enter as early in the round as possible.
• Run a full-city sweep instead of partial detours.
• Bring extra carry capacity if available.
• Bank valuable trinkets rather than overfighting for marginal loot.

This trial also pairs well with players hunting ARC Raiders Items for crafting, trading, or future offer turn-ins. Even when the nest objective is done, Buried City remains a good place to keep collecting compact valuables if your route discipline is solid.

5) Deal Damage to Flying ARC with the Whole Cracker

This is likely the easiest combat trial of the week if you already own the weapon. The Whole Cracker is naturally suited to splash damage against airborne enemies, and dense flying packs can push progress quickly.

The best recommendation is to look for the Close Scrutiny map condition if available. It tends to create exactly the kind of target-rich environment this objective wants, including Vaporizers, Rocketeers, and other flying threats that can soak enough damage to move the trial bar fast.

Grouping up is especially useful here. One player can pull or mark targets while another commits launcher ammo. That reduces the chance of losing an expensive weapon to a chaotic push and makes recovery easier if a larger machine pack collapses on the team.

• Prioritize dense flying enemy zones.
• Use scanners or awareness tools to pull Wasps before advancing.
• Fire into groups for maximum value.
• Run with teammates if you are worried about losing the launcher.

This objective naturally overlaps with farming ARC Raiders weapon Mods and machine drops from elite targets, especially if your route includes Rocketeers and similar enemies with more valuable component tables.

Take a look at: Phantom Targets guide

Mal's Offers This Week

The current offers are notable because they line up reasonably well with this week's activities, even if not every item feels perfectly matched to the trial list.

The Striker outfit is available through a high-value turn-in requiring top-tier ARC cores. For collectors, this is the headline cosmetic of the rotation. Players who have been sitting on elite machine resources may finally have a reason to spend them.

Since the cost leans toward stronger machine farming, this is more relevant to established players than fresh accounts. Still, if you already have a stable route for high-end targets, it is a clean sink for stored resources.

Whole Cracker Epic Pump Action Launcher

This is the most practical offer because it directly supports one of the current trials. The required items are manageable: a Music Box, a Doodly Duck, and an Ion Sputter. Two of those can realistically come from Buried City bird nest runs, which creates a nice loop with the nest trial.

The Ion Sputter appears to be the real friction point, with Stella Montis being the relevant place to target it. Because of that, secure storage discipline matters. If you find the key component, protect it immediately and avoid unnecessary fighting on the way out.

For players trying to keep momentum this week, this offer is a strong example of how ARC Raiders rare Blueprints, trinkets, and machine parts can all feed back into one another when you plan your expeditions correctly.

Padded Stock Blueprint

The Padded Stock blueprint is also in rotation, though it feels less directly connected to the trial set. Even so, the material requirements are fairly clear: Shredder Gyros, Bastion Cells, and Rocketeer Drivers.

If you are already using the Whole Cracker against flying enemies, Rocketeers become a natural farm target. That gives you a decent shot at collecting Drivers while also progressing the launcher trial. Shredders are similarly manageable. Bastion Cells are the only part likely to slow some players down, especially if they do not routinely engage heavier ground units.

This is where broader ARC Raiders Workbench progression starts to matter. Blueprints are only as useful as your ability to consistently feed them with components, so it is worth thinking beyond the unlock itself and into repeatable farming routes.

How to Prepare for Phantom Targets Part 2

Early information points to the next Phantom Targets step arriving around August 18, and the likely preparation path is already clear enough to matter. The safest assumption is that players will need Tick Pods, ARC pieces, and damage on flying ARC using Fireworks.

The first two are easy to plan around. Stella Montis looks like a strong candidate for these prep runs because it supports access to the machine types most likely to drop the needed ARC-related components. Probes, Couriers, and Assessors are especially worth targeting because they commonly provide the sort of machine loot tied to progression objectives.

• Start banking Tick Pods now instead of selling them.
• Hold extra ARC machine drops until the objective is confirmed.
• Favor routes with searchable utility machines.
• Do not ignore flying enemy spawns if you want to test Fireworks early.

The Fireworks requirement is the wildcard. Even if the exact interaction is still unclear, it is smart to keep a few on hand and test them in low-risk runs before the objective goes live. That way, you are not learning the mechanic under pressure while competing for spawns.

If you are already following a broader Phantom Targets route, it may also help to review a more complete progression breakdown. For deeper stage-by-stage planning, check out our Phantom Targets guide coverage below.

Discussion around player numbers and long-term health continues, but the practical picture is more mixed than the most negative takes suggest. Full lobbies still exist, and many players continue to engage consistently with both PvE and PvP sessions. The more realistic issue is not that the game becomes unplayable, but that content cadence can make some players log in with narrower goals.

That changes how the game is best enjoyed right now. Instead of marathon sessions, the current structure rewards focused expeditions: complete trials, collect needed loot and resources, secure offer materials, then extract. That loop can still be satisfying, especially when weekly content gives a reason to revisit specific maps and enemy types.

In practice, this means burnout management is part of efficient progression. A shorter session with a clear objective often produces better results than forcing long, unfocused raids. It also keeps your stash growing in a more controlled way, whether you are saving for future offers or building toward later ARC Raiders build upgrades.

Take a look at: enemy guide

Best Priorities for This Week

If you want the most efficient order, focus on objectives that overlap with offers and future prep.

• Run Buried City early for bird nests and trinket offer items.
• Queue electromagnetic storm maps for probe, courier, and assessor searches.
• Use the Whole Cracker trial to farm Rocketeers and related components.
• Bank Tick Pods and spare ARC machine drops for Phantom Targets.
• Only force Snap Blast damage when you have favorable terrain.

This order gives you a better chance to leave the week with completed trials, useful stash growth, and enough inventory flexibility to react once the next project phase goes live. It also naturally supports players who still need ARC Raiders Weapons, blueprint unlock progress, or a steadier pile of machine-derived crafting parts.

FAQ

What is the easiest ARC Raiders trial this week?

Searching ARC probes, couriers, and assessors is usually the fastest, especially during electromagnetic storm conditions where those targets appear more often.

Snap Blast grenade damage on flying ARC is the most inconsistent. It depends heavily on angle, grouping, and whether you can safely engage targets like Rocketeers.

Is Buried City worth running beyond the bird nest objective?

Yes. It can also provide trinkets useful for Mal's offers, making it a strong route for loot and side-value inventory gains.

Should players save machine drops for Phantom Targets Part 2?

Absolutely. Holding Tick Pods and extra ARC parts now can save time later if those leaked objectives are confirmed.

What offer has the best practical value this week?

The Whole Cracker offer stands out because it helps with a current trial and can be assembled through items tied to active farming routes.