ARC Raiders Augment Tier List: Every Augment Ranked (Best to Worst)

All 12 augments in ARC Raiders, ranked and explained — from the best common to the most powerful epic. Know exactly what to run, what to skip, and what to farm for.

Survivor Mark 3 — Survivor Mark 3 —

ARC Raiders Augment Tier List (Quick Reference)

Before diving into the full breakdown, here's the complete tier list at a glance:

Tier	Augment
S	Looting MK3 Survivor, Tactical MK2, Tactical MK3 Defensive
A	Looting MK2, Combat MK3 Aggressive, Tactical MK3 Healing
B	Looting MK1, Combat MK2, Combat MK3 Flanking
C	Combat MK1, Looting MK3 Cautious
D	Tactical MK1

Within each tier, order matters — left to right from strongest to weakest. Now let's get into the full reasoning for every single one.

How Augments Work in ARC Raiders

Augments are your character loadout foundation. Every time you drop into a raid, the augment you're running determines your backpack size, carry weight, quick slots, safe pockets, shield compatibility, and any passive bonus effect your character benefits from.

Choosing the right augment isn't just about stats — it's about matching your playstyle. A looting-focused player doesn't need heavy shield access. A solo player values self-sufficiency. A team player can lean into utility and healing effects. Understanding what each augment actually offers — and what it costs — is the key to building an efficient loadout.

Augments come in three rarities:

Common — Three variants; basic stats, no bonus effects; inexpensive
Rare — Three variants; unlocked via leveling; purchasable from the Clinic trader (~6,000 coins each) or craftable at Gear Bench Level 2 (2 electrical components + 3 magnets); include bonus passive effects
Epic — Six variants; require blueprints (found via RNG or looted from other players); craftable at Gear Bench Level 3 (2 advanced electrical components + 3 processors); the most powerful augments in the game

Common Augments: Ranked

Looting MK1 — B Tier

Stats: 18 backpack slots | 50 carry weight | 4 quick slots | 1 safe pocket | Light shields only

The best common augment available, and the clear choice if you're running commons regularly. The extra backpack space compared to the other common options is the deciding factor — at the level where you're running common augments, your primary goal is looting efficiently and getting out with as much value as possible. You don't need heavy shield access for that. Light shields are fine, deaths are cheap, and the expanded carry capacity makes each run more profitable.

Best for: New players focused on farming coins and building resources. Pure looting runs where survivability isn't the priority.

Combat MK1 — C Tier

Stats: 16 backpack slots | 45 carry weight | 4 quick slots | 1 safe pocket | Light and medium shields

The Combat MK1's distinguishing feature is medium shield compatibility — something neither of the other common augments offer until MK2. If you're heading into a known combat zone like Stella Montis and want to bulk up your defenses on the cheap, slapping this on and running medium shields is a legitimate choice. However, the backpack slots and carry weight are lower than the Looting MK1, so you're trading loot capacity for a bit of extra tankiness.

Most of the time, the Looting MK1's additional carry space provides more consistent value, which is why Combat MK1 falls to C tier. But in specific combat-heavy scenarios, it earns its place.

Best for: Players who want medium shield access without spending on rare augments. Runs into high-combat areas where survivability matters more than loot volume.

Tactical MK1 — D Tier

Stats: 15 backpack slots | 40 carry weight | 5 quick slots | 1 safe pocket | Light and medium shields

The weakest common augment, and not by a small margin. The Tactical MK1 has the lowest backpack capacity and carry weight of any common augment. Its one advantage over the Looting MK1 is an extra quick slot and medium shield access, but those benefits don't make up for the meaningful reduction in how much you can actually carry out of a raid.

At this rarity tier, augment slots are a real resource. Running Tactical MK1 is simply giving up value that the Looting MK1 would provide, without getting enough back in return. Skip it.

Best for: Nothing at this tier — upgrade to a rare augment as soon as possible.

Rare Augments: Ranked

Rare augments are where the game opens up. Purchasable from the Clinic trader at approximately 6,000 coins per reset, or craftable at Gear Bench Level 2 for 2 electrical components and 3 magnets, these are accessible to any player who's put in reasonable time. Every rare augment includes a bonus passive effect on top of improved base stats.

Tactical MK2 — S Tier

Bonus Effect: Upon shield break, automatically deploys a small smoke grenade (fixed cooldown)

The best rare augment in the game, and one of the best augments period regardless of rarity. The core reason is the shield-break smoke grenade — a passive effect that activates exactly when you need it most.

When your shield breaks in a fight, a smoke grenade pops out automatically. That smoke instantly creates a vision block between you and whoever is shooting you, giving you a window to reposition, heal, or disengage. It works in every situation: PvP, ARC fights, being ambushed from behind. It's a safety net that activates without you having to think about it, which is precisely when you need safety nets most.

The deployable slot is another serious perk. Mines, ziplines, and similar items normally eat up a quick slot. With the Tactical MK2, your deployables get their own dedicated slot, effectively giving you five usable quick slots instead of four.

Medium shields are the sweet spot for shield tier in the current meta — tough enough to matter, cheap enough to sustain. The Tactical MK2 pairs perfectly with them.

This is the go-to solo augment and one of the strongest overall purchases available for the cost.

Best for: Solo players, players who frequently get caught in unfavorable engagements, anyone who wants a cheap safety net that activates passively.

Looting MK2 — A Tier

Bonus Effect: Automatically throws off attached ticks after 1 second

The best bang-for-your-buck augment in the game from a pure looting efficiency standpoint. At 6,000 coins or minimal crafting resources, this augment gives you 22 backpack slots, a 60-unit carry weight, two safe pockets, and three trinket slots. The sheer volume of loot you can extract per run with this augment is extraordinary for its cost.

You will easily recoup the 6,000 coin purchase price on a single decent looting run. Over consistent use, the Looting MK2 generates a significant coin surplus that funds the rest of your progression.

The tick-removal bonus effect is underwhelming — it removes ticks after 1 second, which is roughly the time it takes to remove them manually. An instantaneous removal or some form of tick immunity would make this effect genuinely powerful, but as-is it's more of a minor convenience than a meaningful advantage.

The light shield restriction means you need to be careful in fights and shouldn't be the one initiating PvP. Play smart, prioritize looting, and this augment pays for itself constantly.

Best for: Pure looting runs, farming coins efficiently, players who want maximum inventory capacity at low cost.

Combat MK2 — B Tier

Bonus Effect: Restores 1 health every 5 seconds when damage is taken (effect paused for 30 seconds after damage)

The Combat MK2's headline feature is heavy shield access at rare-tier cost. This is the most affordable way to run heavy shields in the game, making it a legitimate choice for any player who wants serious durability without investing in epic augments.

The health regeneration passive is modest — 1 health every 5 seconds is extremely slow and won't save you mid-fight — but it does allow gradual health recovery between engagements if you duck into cover and wait. Over time in a long run, it does add up. Just don't expect it to turn fights around.

The grenade slot is a genuine quality-of-life improvement. Normally you'd need to slot a grenade into a quick slot, eating into your usable inventory. The dedicated grenade slot frees that up, giving you an effective five-item quick slot capacity.

Good augment. Not flashy, not as impactful as the Tactical MK2's passive, but solid and functional for players who want to absorb more punishment.

Best for: Players who want heavy shield access cheaply, anyone heading into high-intensity combat zones where durability matters.

Epic Augments: Ranked

Epic augments cannot be purchased from any vendor — they require blueprints found through RNG drops in raids, or looted off other players in PvP. Once you have a blueprint, crafting requires Gear Bench Level 3 and 2 advanced electrical components plus 3 processors. The crafting cost is manageable; finding the blueprint is the real challenge.

Looting MK3 Survivor — S Tier (Best Augment in the Game)

Bonus Effect: While downed and stationary, health regenerates up to 75% of downed health

This is, without question, the best augment in ARC Raiders. It excels in every dimension simultaneously — backpack size, carry weight, survivability, utility slots, and shield access — in a way that no other augment matches.

The 80-unit carry weight is the highest of any augment in the game. Three safe pockets is the most of any augment. Five quick slots plus a dedicated deployable slot means your inventory has room for practically everything you'd want to bring or take out. This is the full package.

The downed health regeneration passive is deceptively powerful. When you go down and stay stationary, you regenerate up to 75% of your downed health. In solo, this means crawling away, finding cover, going still, and recovering enough health to potentially survive — or at minimum buy time. In team play, your downed survivability increases dramatically, giving teammates more window to reach you.

The biggest surprise of the MK3 Survivor is its medium shield compatibility. A looting augment that can run medium shields is exceptional — you get the best carry capacity in the game and meaningful combat durability. That combination doesn't exist anywhere else at this level.

If you only farm one epic blueprint, make it this one.

Best for: Every situation — looting, combat, solo, team play. The universal best-in-slot augment.

Tactical MK3 Defensive — S Tier (Low S)

Bonus Effect: Shield rechargers can be used while running (jogging, not sprinting)

The best heavy shield augment in the game, and it's not particularly close. Every other heavy shield option requires you to be mostly stationary to recharge, making the windows where your shield is down feel long and dangerous. The Tactical MK3 Defensive closes that gap by letting you use your shield recharger while moving at a run, dramatically reducing your exposure time.

The integrated surge shield recharger is included at no extra inventory cost — it doesn't eat a quick slot, it's just there. The 120-second cooldown is on the long side and is the one aspect that holds this augment back from a firm S tier placement. A 40–60 second cooldown would feel far more impactful without being overpowered.

Still: heavy shields, medium shields, a built-in shield recharger, usable on the move, generous inventory space. This is the durability augment of the entire game, and it earns its S tier placement despite the cooldown complaint.

Best for: Heavy shield runners, tanks, players who want maximum defensive capability, high-aggression PvP loadouts.

Combat MK3 Aggressive — A Tier

Bonus Effect: Restores 2 health every 5 seconds when damage is taken (paused 30 seconds after damage)

The Combat MK3 Aggressive is a clean upgrade over the Combat MK2 — more backpack slots, better carry weight, two grenade slots instead of one, and double the health regeneration rate. For players who loved the Combat MK2, this is simply better in every way.

That said, the health regeneration effect (2 health per 5 seconds) remains slow in absolute terms, and if you're already running the Combat MK2, the upgrade isn't necessarily a must-have. The core use case is the same: heavy shield access with a useful grenade slot configuration. The two grenade slots are particularly nice for players who like to carry multiple grenade types.

It's a solid A tier — definitively good, worth running, but not the transformative leap that some epic augments represent.

Best for: Players committed to heavy shields, aggressive combat-forward loadouts, players who carry multiple grenade types.

Tactical MK3 Healing — A Tier

Bonus Effect: Upon being revived from down, releases a healing cloud restoring 20 health over 10 seconds (30-second cooldown; applies only to yourself)

An outstanding team-play augment with a genuinely unique inventory configuration. Three dedicated healing slots mean you can carry three medical items — stems, adrenaline, bandages, whatever combination you prefer — without touching your quick slots. That's four additional quick slot items available for grenades, tools, and utilities.

Three safe pockets is tied for the highest in the game (matching the Looting MK3 Survivor), making this one of the safest augments to carry high-value loot with.

The revive-triggered healing cloud is situational — it only applies to you, not teammates, and requires you to be revived rather than self-reviving. But when it activates, combined with a defibrillator revive from a teammate, it can bring you close to full health. In sustained team engagements where you're going down and coming back up repeatedly, this passive genuinely extends your survivability.

The smaller backpack (16 slots) and lower carry weight (55) are the concessions you make for the healing slot configuration. If you're playing team-focused and want to be the squad's medic and utility carrier, this is the augment for it.

Best for: Team play, squad medic roles, players who rely heavily on medical items and want to run maximum healing capacity.

Combat MK3 Flanking — B Tier

Bonus Effect: Stowed/unequipped pistols and hand cannons are 33% faster to equip

The most unusual augment in the game, and the one that creates the most divided opinions. The upsides are genuinely impressive: 20 backpack slots, 60 carry weight, five quick slots, and — most distinctively — three dedicated deployable slots. Three mines, three ziplines, or any combination you want, all without touching your quick slots. For team utility builds, this is the most tactically flexible augment available.

The 33% faster pistol and hand cannon draw speed is a niche but real advantage for players who run sidearms like the Anvil or Bruléta alongside a primary. If you're the type who constantly swaps between weapons in dynamic engagements, that speed boost is meaningful.

The problem is the light-shield-only restriction. For a combat augment at the epic tier, this is a shocking limitation. Every other combat augment at this rarity can run at least medium shields. Running light shields while positioned as a frontline flanker is a significant survivability compromise.

If you're committed to a deployable-heavy utility role and accept the light shield constraint, this augment delivers exceptional toolkit flexibility. For most players, though, the shield restriction is too punishing to push it higher.

Best for: Utility-focused team players, deployable specialists, players who run ziplines and mines as core tactical tools.

Looting MK3 Cautious — C Tier

Bonus Effect: Upon shield break, automatically administers a weak adrenaline shot (fixed cooldown)

The Looting MK3 Cautious has the largest backpack of any augment in the game — 24 slots and 70 carry weight. On paper, that sounds incredible. In practice, the trade-offs drag it down to C tier in the epic category.

The integrated binoculars take up a slot that most players would rather use for something actually impactful. Binoculars have niche utility for scouting at range, but the vast majority of engagements in ARC Raiders don't benefit from them. Having them built in is essentially a dead perk for most playstyles.

The shield-break adrenaline shot gives you a burst of stamina recovery when your shield goes down, which can help you escape a bad situation. It's a reasonable defensive utility — better than nothing — but compared to the Tactical MK2's shield-break smoke (which creates active vision denial) or the Looting MK3 Survivor's downed health regen (which can save your run entirely), the weak adrenaline shot feels pedestrian at epic tier.

Light shields only with the largest backpack in the game means this is exclusively a looting tool — and for that role, the Looting MK3 Survivor does it better in almost every way (medium shields, more safe pockets, better passive) while giving up only 4 backpack slots and 10 carry weight.

Best for: Maximum volume looting runs where you want to carry the absolute most possible and never intend to fight anyone.

Full Augment Tier List: Final Rankings

S Tier — Must Run

Looting MK3 Survivor — Best augment in the game. Highest carry weight, three safe pockets, medium shields, powerful downed regen passive.
Tactical MK2 — Best rare augment. Shield-break smoke grenade is game-changing at a cheap cost.
Tactical MK3 Defensive — Best heavy shield augment. Integrated recharger usable while moving.

A Tier — Excellent

Looting MK2 — Best value augment in the game. Absurd loot capacity for 6,000 coins.
Combat MK3 Aggressive — Strong all-around combat augment with heavy shield access and two grenade slots.
Tactical MK3 Healing — Best team-play augment. Three healing slots and three safe pockets with solid revive passive.

B Tier — Solid Choices

Looting MK1 — Best common augment. Simple, effective, cheap.
Combat MK2 — Affordable heavy shield access with a grenade slot.
Combat MK3 Flanking — Exceptional utility with three deployable slots, held back by light-shields-only restriction.

C Tier — Situational

Combat MK1 — Passable. Medium shields on a common augment, but inferior to Looting MK1 for most uses.
Looting MK3 Cautious — Largest backpack in the game, but binoculars and weak passive don't justify epic rarity.

D Tier — Avoid

Tactical MK1 — Worst stats at common rarity. Upgrade away from this as quickly as possible.

Which Augment Should You Run Right Now?

Not sure where to start? Here's a quick recommendation based on where you are in progression:

Just starting out: Run Looting MK1. It's cheap, gives you good carry space, and gets you earning coins fast.

Mid-game with access to rare augments: Buy or craft the Tactical MK2 from the Clinic trader. The shield-break smoke alone makes it worth every one of the 6,000 coins.

Focused on looting runs: Grab the Looting MK2 for maximum value-per-coin. Stack runs, extract efficiently, fund your progression.

Farming for your first epic blueprint: Target the Looting MK3 Survivor. It's the best augment in the game and transforms every aspect of your run — looting, survivability, and utility simultaneously.

Building a team composition: Consider the Tactical MK3 Healing for the medic role or the Combat MK3 Flanking for the utility/deployables role alongside squadmates running Survivors and Defensive augments.

Tier list based on in-game testing and community analysis. Augment balance may shift with future updates — check back for revisions as the meta evolves.