Understanding the Weapon Upgrade System

Arc Raiders gives you a basic free loadout when you start, but that won't cut it for long. If you want to survive encounters and extract successfully, you'll need to upgrade your weapons. The entire system revolves around the Gunsmith workbench, where you can boost weapon stats and craft better equipment. This guide walks you through everything from unlocking your first Gunsmith to maxing out your arsenal.

Arc Raiders Workshop Interface — The Workshop serves as your base for all weapon upgrades and crafting

Unlocking the Gunsmith Workbench

Prerequisites and Requirements

The Gunsmith (also called the Weapon Workbench) unlocks after you finish the introductory quests. It's one of the core parts of your account and won't take long to get.

Installing your first Gunsmith (Gunsmith I) requires:

Metal Parts x20
Rubber Parts x20

Getting the Materials You Need

Metal Parts come from:

Scavenging metal objects during drops
Recycling ARC Tech items
Breaking down metal scrap

Rubber Parts come from:

Disassembling Chemical Containers
Breaking down abandoned gear like Ruined Parachutes
Recycling Destroyed Vests and similar equipment

Material Collection Tip

You'll gather enough materials during your first few drops. Tutorial quests also reward these items. If you're short, just recycle the junk in your inventory. Breaking down objects is the fastest way to get the Rubber and Metal Parts you need.

Installing the Gunsmith

Head to your Workshop from the main lobby. Look for the Install option in one of the tabs next to Scrappy. Select Install and choose the Gunsmith I crafting recipe. Once you've got the materials, the station installs immediately and you're ready to go.

The Workshop also lets you install other crafting stations, so keep their resource needs in mind while you're scavenging.

Installing the Gunsmith workbench — Install your Gunsmith workbench to begin weapon upgrades

How Weapon Upgrades Work

Opening the Upgrade Menu

Once your Gunsmith is installed, click on the crafting table inside the Workshop to open its interface. The Gunsmith shows as "Level 1" at first, which means you can upgrade it later. You'll see several tabs:

Crafting Tab: Shows available recipes
Weapon Upgrade Tab: Where you upgrade individual weapons
Level Up Tab: For upgrading the Gunsmith itself

Upgrading Your Weapons

Click on the Weapon Upgrade tab to see every weapon you can currently upgrade. This menu shows all weapons in your inventory that can be improved. Weapons in your Stash automatically appear here too, so you don't need to pull them out first.

Pick a weapon from the list. The right side of the screen shows what you need for the upgrade. Click the Upgrade button to level up the weapon (Level 0 to 1, Level 1 to 2, and so on).

Each upgrade costs specific materials listed below the Upgrade button. If you've got the resources, you can track them and start the upgrade.

Weapon Upgrade Benefits

Damage Output

Primary - Increases weapon damage per shot

Magazine Size

Secondary - More rounds before reload

Reload Speed

Tertiary - Faster weapon reload times

Durability

Tertiary - Weapon lasts longer before breaking

What Upgrades Actually Do

Every weapon upgrade increases these stats:

Damage output
Magazine size
Reload speed
Durability

There's no downside to upgrading weapons. It's one of the best ways to get powerful gear early without burning through too many materials. Each level makes a noticeable difference in combat.

Weapon Rarity and Upgrade Costs

Rarity Tiers Explained

Arc Raiders has multiple weapon rarity levels marked by color:

White/Grey (Common)
Green (Uncommon)
Blue (Rare)
Purple (Epic)
Yellow (Legendary)

Weapon rarity tiers in Arc Raiders — Each rarity tier requires progressively more rare materials for upgrades

How Rarity Affects Upgrade Costs

Higher rarity weapons need matching quality materials for upgrades. Even at level one, these weapons require resources that match their rarity color. This gets expensive fast, especially when you consider how hard it is to find rare weapons in the first place.

High-Rarity Weapon Warning

Because of the huge resource investment and difficulty getting high-rarity weapons, save these upgrades for specific situations like important drops where you really need the edge, when you're running with a full team that can back you up, or when you've stockpiled enough rare materials. Losing an extremely rare weapon because you forgot to unequip it or died during a solo drop is a massive waste.

Upgrading Common Weapons

Lower rarity weapons (white, green) need common materials for upgrades. For example, upgrading a basic weapon to the next tier might need:

Mechanical Components
Simple Gun Parts

These materials are easy to find through regular scavenging and recycling, making basic weapon upgrades perfect for early progression.

Upgrading the Gunsmith Workbench

Why Workbench Upgrades Matter

Your starting Gunsmith I station has limits on which weapons you can upgrade and what recipes you can access. Upgrading the Gunsmith unlocks better crafting recipes for accessories, weapons, and combat gear, while letting you upgrade higher-level equipment.

Finding the Upgrade Option

A lot of players can't find where to upgrade workbenches. Just click directly on the Gunsmith workbench you installed. An Upgrade option appears at the top of the interface. The Studding Workbench doesn't have this option, but that's intentional.

Important Note

Inside the Gunsmith menu, go to the Level Up tab. This section shows exactly what you need to advance the station to the next level. The interface tells you which materials are required and where to find them.

How to Upgrade Your Gunsmith

Example: Gunsmith Level 2 requires:

Rusted Tools x3

The game helps you find materials. Rusted Tools drop in Mechanical and Industrial areas.

Locating Required Materials

Use the in-game map to find what you need. Open your map during a drop and check the location markers. Areas display logos showing their loot type:

Mechanical area logo
Industrial area logo

These markers tell you which locations drop Mechanical and Industrial loot, so you can farm specific materials more efficiently.

Once you have all required resources, select Level Up and your Gunsmith advances to the next tier. This works the same way for each level.

Upgrade Priority Guide

When to Upgrade Weapons

Deciding which weapons to upgrade depends on several factors:

Upgrade Now If:

You have extra common materials
The weapon is in your regular loadout
You need better combat performance immediately
The weapon is low rarity (easy to replace if lost)

Wait If:

You need materials for other Workshop stations
The weapon is extremely rare (high loss risk)
You don't have team support for extraction
You haven't tested the weapon enough

Managing Your Resources

Weapon upgrades give clear benefits with zero downsides, but you still need to manage resources carefully. Different Workshop elements compete for the same materials, so you'll have to make choices.

That said, weapon upgrades should usually come first. Better weapons directly improve your survival and extraction rates, which means more resources for future upgrades.

Your Upgrade Path

New players should follow this order:

Complete introductory quests for starter materials
Install Gunsmith I as soon as possible
Upgrade your most-used common weapons first
Focus on Gunsmith workbench upgrades to unlock better recipes
Gradually move to upgrading higher rarity weapons as resources build up
Reserve rare weapon upgrades for team play or critical drops

This approach maximizes early efficiency while building toward long-term power.

Common Questions

Weapon Storage and Upgrades

Weapons in your Stash show up automatically in the upgrade menu. You don't need to move them to your inventory first.

Material Tracking

The upgrade interface includes resource tracking. If you're missing materials, you can track them to get location hints during drops.

Crafting vs. Upgrading

The Gunsmith does two things:

Craft new weapons and accessories from recipes
Upgrade existing weapons to higher levels

Both use the same workbench but different tabs.

Workbench Levels and Weapon Caps

Your Gunsmith's level determines how high you can upgrade weapons. You'll need to level up the workbench to keep improving weapons past certain points.

Critical Reminder

Always prioritize weapon upgrades over most other Workshop investments. Better weapons directly improve your extraction success and combat performance across all difficulty levels.

Wrapping Up

The Gunsmith is your most important tool for surviving Arc Raiders. Understanding how to unlock it, upgrade weapons, and find materials will steadily improve your combat effectiveness.

Remember these points:

Unlock Gunsmith I immediately using tutorial rewards
Upgrade common weapons first for quick power gains
Target specific map areas for the materials you need
Upgrade the Gunsmith workbench to unlock better options
Save rare weapon upgrades for high-stakes situations
Prioritize weapon upgrades over most other Workshop investments

With upgraded weapons and a leveled Gunsmith, you'll see a major improvement in your extraction success and combat performance across all difficulty levels.