Coins move everything in ARC Raiders — stash upgrades, Workshop crafting, vendor gear. The fastest path to a healthy balance is combining a predictable loot route with loadouts built for carrying, not fighting, and a few economy tricks that keep more of what you earn.

ARC Raiders coins: what pays and what to ignore

Trinkets — the items marked with a small diamond — are the most reliable money makers. Prioritize stackable trinkets with good single‑slot value over one‑off rares that eat a slot for only a small gain. Always secure your most valuable stack in a Safe Pocket when you have one.

If you run out of space, don’t drop items outright. Salvage extras to convert them into basic materials. It’s less profitable than selling or full recycling, but it frees space without wasting value and keeps you out longer, which means more coins per extraction.

Fast early coin farm (Dam Battlegrounds → Old Battleground)

This loop is quick, low setup, and pays consistently in the early game.

  • Queue into Dam Battlegrounds and head to Old Battleground. Use a Free Loadout to avoid risking personal gear.
  • Expect traffic: it’s a popular hotspot. If you spawn inside the area, your approach is safer; otherwise move carefully.
  • Climb the Baron Husk in the center. Breach from the head. The surface ignites right after the breach — dodge off immediately, then return once it cools to loot.
  • Sweep the nearby crash sites. Five to six ARC Courier pods typically surround the Husk. Breach each and roll away the instant it opens to avoid occasional electrical shocks.
  • Watch for high‑value drops like the Rocketeer Driver (epic). When found, it sells for about 15,000 coins apiece.
  • Extract at the site just east of Old Battleground. Don’t overstay — bank the run.
  • Back in town, sell epic or unneeded items for coins and recycle the rest for components.

With clean execution and a little luck, this route yields roughly 15,000–40,000 coins per run.

Breaching hazards: take the loot, skip the damage

  • Baron Husk: the breach point overheats after completion. Leave immediately and only return once the fire subsides.
  • ARC Courier pods: shocks can trigger when the breach completes. Time a dodge as the lid pops to avoid random damage.

Loadout progression built for looting (not dying)

ARC Raiders limits both slots and carry weight, so the right augment is a direct multiplier on income. Start with the Free Loadout and trade up as soon as you can.

Augment Backpack slots Quick‑use slots Carry weight Safe Pockets Notes
Free Loadout Augment 14 4 35 kg 0 RNG basics; augment is locked until you survive a run.
Looting Mk.1 (via Lance) More than Free 4 ~50% higher than Free 1 Trade the unlocked Free Augment for an affordable upgrade.
Looting Mk.2 (crafted) 22 (plus 3 trinket slots) 4 60 kg 2 Best for farming: more slots, more weight, and insurance.
Tip: Survive a run with the Free Loadout Augment, then trade it at the Clinic for an Mk.1 specialist augment instead of buying one outright — that move saves about 1,920 coins.

Tutorial prologue: keep your loot through the ambush

There’s a forced ambush in the prologue right after breaching a locked door. Anything on your character — even in the Safe Pocket — is normally lost in the cutscene. Before you breach, drop your entire inventory at your feet. After the scene, pick it all back up. That early stash can fund upgrades the moment you reach Speranza.

Scrappy the Rooster: free supplies over time

In the Workshop, Scrappy can be trained to gather useful items on a timer. You’ll need a Dog Collar (rare) to start. If you don’t already have one from the prologue, search Residential areas — drawers and shelves are prime spots. Check back regularly to claim what Scrappy finds.

Map selection: low risk edges, high‑yield events

Two approaches consistently pay:

  • Low‑risk runs: Stay on the map edges, work structures off main routes, and use outer extraction points. Spaceport is a strong pick for this slower, steadier style.
  • High‑yield conditions: Choose Buried City or The Blue Gate when special conditions like Night Raids or Launch Tower Loot are active. These runs are lucrative but punishing — expect to lose gear if you push too hard.

Watch for the Husk Graveyard event on Dam Battlegrounds, Buried City, or Spaceport. Large numbers of ARC machines go down on their own, leaving easy husks to loot. It draws other Raiders, so treat it like a contested bounty: get in, loot quickly, extract.

Prioritize, salvage, extract — repeat

  • Fill Safe Pockets first with your best coin stack or single top‑value item.
  • Favor stackable trinkets. A common trinket worth ~1,000 coins that stacks is often better than a rare one‑off at ~4,000 that eats a full slot.
  • When capped on space, salvage low‑value gear instead of dropping it to squeeze a bit more value into your bag.
  • Stack trader, daily, and weekly objectives where possible to multiply payout for the same route.
  • Extract early and often. Most lost runs happen to greed, not lack of loot.

Spend less to keep more coins

  • Skip buying Shield Rechargers. Farm ARC drones for ARC Powercells and recharge in the field or craft rechargers in the Workshop.
  • Upgrade augment smartly. Survive with a Free Loadout Augment, then trade it for an Mk.1 at the Clinic instead of paying full price.
  • Need materials? Farm Assorted Seeds and barter with Celeste rather than recycling sellable items you could have converted into coins.

If you’re short on gear, stick to Free Loadouts and the Dam Battlegrounds route until you can trade into a Looting augment. Once you’re carrying more and dying less, expand into Spaceport edges for calm money runs and dip into event conditions when you’re comfortable with the risk. The loop is simple: prioritize trinkets, salvage overflow, bank early, and stop buying what you can craft or scavenge. The coins add up fast when every slot and step is planned.