ARC Raiders headshot damage — multipliers, shields, and TTK

If you’re wondering whether it’s worth aiming for the head in PvP, the short answer is yes. Headshots apply a damage multiplier, and the game’s shield system changes how that extra damage shows up on the health bar. Understanding both parts is the key to consistent time‑to‑kill.

Headshot multiplier in ARC Raiders (PvP)

Headshots deal more than body shots with a consistent multiplier on the standard weapon roster in PvP. In practice, that value is 2.5× the weapon’s listed body damage. Weapons that explicitly call out “headshot damage” (for example, Anvil, Renegade) benefit in the same way, and high alpha weapons convert headshots into faster downs very reliably.

Note: the shooting-range dummies don’t reflect the headshot multiplier. Don’t use them to judge PvP headshot damage.

Base vs headshot damage (×2.5)

These are base values. The health actually removed by a headshot depends on whether a shield is active at impact, due to the shield’s health‑damage reduction.

Why the multiplier can feel inconsistent: shields change the math

ARC Raiders does not run shields as a separate “blue bar” that fully soaks a hit. A single bullet does two things at once while any shield is active:

• Applies full damage to the shield.
• Applies the same damage to health, reduced by the shield’s damage reduction.

Once the shield is gone, subsequent hits deal full damage to health. Because the reduction applies even if the shield has only a sliver left, the effective health of a target can vary depending on how your shots were sequenced.

# Simplified model for a hit while any shield is up
shield_damage = impact_damage            # body or head
health_damage = impact_damage * (1 - shield_reduction)

# After shield breaks
health_damage = impact_damage

Example with a light shield and a Ferro (40 body damage, 100 on headshot):

• Body shot into light shield: 40 to shield and 24 to health (light shields reduce health damage by 40%), leaving 76 HP with no shield.
• Headshot into light shield: 100 to shield and 60 to health, leaving 40 HP with no shield.

This is why a headshot can instantly turn a three‑shot kill into a clean two‑shot sequence with high‑damage weapons.

Worked kill sequences (light shield)

• Ferro, all body shots: three hits to down a full‑health raider with a light shield.
  • Shot 1: shield breaks (40), health takes 24 → 76 HP left.
  • Shot 2: no shield, 40 to health → 36 HP left.
  • Shot 3: no shield, 40 to health → downed.
• Ferro, one headshot + one body shot: two hits to down through a light shield.
  • Headshot: shield breaks (100), health takes 60 → 40 HP left.
  • Body shot: 40 to health → downed.

High‑alpha hand cannons and battle rifles follow the same pattern. This also explains why “chip damage” that leaves a sliver of shield can still blunt the health portion of your next big hit.

Real TTK patterns you can expect

• Ferro and Anvil: three body shots, or two hits if one is a headshot (light shield).
• Il Toro: can one‑tap with a headshot at appropriate range.
• Low‑damage automatics have long body‑shot counts through a light shield:Headshots trim these counts (for example, down to seven with Stitcher).
  • Bobcat ≈ 20 body shots
  • Stitcher ≈ 17
  • Torrente ≈ 15
  • Rattler ≈ 14
  • Kettle and Burletta ≈ 12

Headshots always help, but they matter most on high‑damage single‑shot weapons that can convert the multiplier into fewer total impacts.

Why headshots sometimes feel slower

• Binary shield reduction: any amount of remaining shield applies full reduction to the health portion of your next hit. If you “graze” off most of a shield with small shots and then land a headshot, the headshot’s health damage is still reduced by the shield that’s technically still active.
• Consistency vs precision: on recoil‑heavy weapons, chasing heads can lower your hit rate enough that your TTK gets worse than disciplined center‑mass tap‑firing.
• Misleading practice range: dummies don’t demonstrate the multiplier, masking how much headshots do against players.

Quick tips

• Go for headshots with high‑alpha guns (Ferro, Anvil, Renegade). One clean headshot sets up a fast two‑hit down.
• If you’re mid‑spray with a low‑damage automatic and struggling to hold head level, prioritize reliable center‑mass hits and let controlled bursts carry the fight.
• Pair a hard opener with a cleaner: a Ferro headshot into a controllable automatic like Stitcher finishes quickly because you’ve already removed most of their health.

Headshots are worth it. Just factor in how ARC Raiders applies damage while shields are up, and choose your aiming strategy based on the weapon in your hands and the state of the target’s shield.