Weekly Trials Are Live: What This Week Is Really Asking You To Do

This week’s Arc Raiders Trials push players into a few very specific hotspots and interaction objectives. Expect crowded routes early in the week, especially where the tasks funnel everyone into the same sub-area. Below is a practical breakdown of each Trial objective, the fastest ways to progress it, and the common mistakes that slow runs down.

While Trials are ultimately about score and efficiency, the biggest “hidden” factor is player density: if an objective forces everyone into the same pocket of a map, your best strategy is often to either go very early (to contest) or wait until later in the week (to avoid the most competitive lobbies and optimize completion pace).

Trial 1: Damage Arc Enemies in Buried City (Old Town)

This objective is straightforward on paper but chaotic in practice because it concentrates Raiders into Old Town. Early-week runs typically turn into repeated third-party fights, with multiple squads rotating through the same lanes.

How to finish it faster

• Commit to Old Town immediately instead of “warming up” elsewhere. The objective is location-bound, so time spent outside that zone is usually wasted for progress.
• Prioritize safe damage over risky kills. If the Trial counts damage rather than final blows, tag targets consistently and disengage when another team arrives.
• Use cover discipline. Old Town’s angles punish long re-peeks; rotate between hard cover points rather than holding a single corner.

What will slow you down

• Trying to loot your full kit before entering Old Town, then dying to a stacked squad already set up.
• Over-committing to PvP when the objective is PvE damage; you can lose multiple attempts to one unnecessary fight.

Trial 2: Disarm Mines During Locked Gate

This week includes an objective tied to the Locked Gate event itself, which means your completion rate depends on how often the event appears in rotation. If the cadence is spaced out by hours, you’ll want to be intentional about when you queue and how you approach the disarm interactions.

How mine disarming works

• Step directly on top of the mine until the disarm interaction appears.
• Do not move during the interaction. Movement can trigger the mine and cause damage.
• Once disarmed, it’s effectively neutralized for your run’s purposes.

• Play the event window. If Locked Gate is on a predictable timer, plan short sessions around it rather than hoping to stumble into it.
• Clear the immediate area before interacting. A mine disarm is a “hands busy” moment; getting shot mid-interaction is the most common failure state.
• Communicate roles in squads. One player watches angles while another disarms; rotating responsibilities reduces repeated wipes.

Trial 3: Search Radar Caches (Hurricane Route)

Radar cache objectives tend to be about repetition and route discipline. Hurricane is a strong choice because you can often string together multiple cache checks quickly if you keep moving and listen for the telltale audio cues.

Efficient cache hunting loop

• Move light and fast. Treat this as a scavenger loop, not a loot-and-hold expedition.
• Listen for the beep/tick cues and sweep in a tight pattern rather than wandering wide.
• Chain multiple caches per run. Even if individual points are low, consistency adds up across attempts.

Because this objective can feel “capped” by point value, the goal is minimizing downtime: fewer long fights, fewer long looting stops, and cleaner extractions.

Trial 4: Damage Wasps (Snitch Scanner Strategy)

Wasp damage is one of the more abusable objectives because you can stockpile the tools that reliably generate the targets, then cash them in at the end of the week (or in a single focused session).

High-efficiency approach

• Collect Snitch Scanners throughout the week. Treat them like “stored progress.”
• In a dedicated run, deploy a scanner, clear wasps, repeat. This compresses your objective time into one or two matches.
• Manage risk while farming. Scanners can attract attention; plan your drop locations with escape routes and sightline breaks.

Why this works

Instead of trying to “naturally” encounter enough wasps across many runs, you control spawn opportunities. The result is a much higher damage-per-minute rate.

Vaporizers are the standout difficulty spike this week. They’re tanky, punishing, and easy to misplay if you don’t understand where your damage is actually going. Many players waste time firing into non-optimal areas or exposing themselves to return fire while trying to brute-force the objective.

Where to aim: bottom plate first

The consistent approach is to focus the bottom plate to reveal a more vulnerable spot. This is the difference between a controlled takedown and a drawn-out ammo drain.

• Start on the bottom plate until it breaks.
• Once the weak point is exposed, swap to sustained, accurate fire rather than panic spraying.

Positioning and survival tips

• Use real cover, not “soft” cover. Vaporizers punish shallow angles; stay behind hard objects that fully break line of sight.
• Don’t tunnel on thrusters. If you’re dumping rounds into low-value parts, the time-to-progress balloons.
• Plan an exit lane. The longer the fight lasts, the more likely another squad arrives to clean up.

For many players, a strong run can complete the three-star requirement within one or two Vaporizer engagements—if the weak point routine is executed cleanly.

Known Issue: Reload Misfire Glitch (Accidental Instant Shot)

A frustrating bug is currently impacting some players across platforms: after reloading, an accidental trigger press can cause an immediate shot. With low-cost ammo this is mostly annoying; with expensive ammunition types, it becomes a real resource leak and can even give away your position at the worst time.

How to reduce the impact until it’s fixed

• Deliberately pause after reloads before re-engaging, especially in stealthy rotations.
• Avoid “reload-cancel habits” that involve rapid input overlaps (reload plus immediate fire).
• Be extra cautious with high-cost weapons where every round matters.

If you’re tracking your Trials progress, this bug can indirectly lower scores by forcing extra resupplies, extending engagements, or triggering unwanted aggro.

Community Concept: A Combat Bow With Utility Arrows

A popular weapon concept circulating is a combat bow—an upgraded “Phantom Bow” style design with multiple arrow types. While purely conceptual for now, it’s an interesting idea because it adds utility choices that could change how squads approach fights and objectives.

• Electric arrows to stun or briefly disrupt targets, enabling safer pushes or disengages.
• Smoke arrows to create temporary cover for repositioning, revives, or objective interactions.
• Explosive arrows for burst damage and area denial.
• Fire arrows for damage-over-time pressure and forcing movement.

The key balance question would be ammo economy and counterplay: a utility bow is most compelling when it offers tactical options without replacing core gunplay.

Player Activity Check: Numbers Trending Up Again

Player counts appear to be rising again, with peaks returning to notably high daily activity. If a larger update is scheduled soon, this kind of momentum is typical: returning players test the waters ahead of content drops, and Trials become a focal point because they offer structured goals.

In practical terms, higher population means more contested objectives—so the “late-week is easier” pattern often becomes even more noticeable, especially for Trials that funnel players into a single area like Old Town.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the fastest Trial to complete this week?

Radar cache searching and wasp damage can be finished quickly if you run a tight Hurricane route and stockpile Snitch Scanners for a single focused session.

Why does Old Town feel so much harder early in the week?

The Arc enemy damage task funnels many Raiders into the same pocket of Buried City, creating constant third-party fights and more geared squads farming the area.

How do I disarm mines safely in Locked Gate?

Stand directly on the mine, start the disarm interaction, and do not move until it completes. Clear nearby threats first so you’re not interrupted.

Focus the bottom plate to open up a weak point, then maintain accurate sustained fire from hard cover. Avoid dumping rounds into low-value parts.

Is the reload misfire bug affecting everyone?

It appears inconsistent—some players report it frequently and others not at all. Until it’s patched, slow down your reload-to-fire inputs, especially with expensive ammo.