Snitch looks harmless in Arc Raiders, but it is one of the most punishing enemies to ignore. It does not shoot, it does not chase — it simply tags you and pulls extra ARC units from orbit. If you are farming Snitch Scanners or trying to keep a low profile, you need to kill it quickly and cleanly.
Snitch basics and why it feels so punishing
Snitch is a flying reconnaissance ARC with no armor plating and no direct damage attack. Its threat comes from detection:
- It sweeps the area with a wide-angle laser scanner that looks like a moving spotlight.
- Once it fully spots you, the scanner turns red, it emits a siren-like alarm, and it starts a series of “calls.”
- Reinforcements are only guaranteed once it begins the third call in that series — usually a small group of flying ARC such as Wasps and/or Hornets dropped in from orbit.
On paper its health is low — about 158 HP — so it is not a bullet sponge. The real problem is timing: by the time most players react and start hosing the centre of its body, the Snitch is already mid-call and reinforcements are on the way.
Snitch weak spots and hitboxes
Snitch has one clear structural weakness: its thrusters. Understanding that is the difference between a panicked mag dump into its body and a controlled two-shot kill.
| Area | Description | Effect when destroyed | Recommended ammo |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thrusters / “wings” | Three rounded white segments arranged around the body, functioning like rotors or fins. | Breaking two thrusters disables flight and sends Snitch crashing to the ground. | Heavy ammo (Anvil, Ferro) for quick removal. |
| Underside plating | Three panels on the bottom of the drone, forming a ring of vulnerable white sections. | Destroying two of the three underside sections is usually enough to kill or drop it. | Any precise weapon; heavy ammo drops it faster. |
| Lower “spindle” / thrust point | The lowest point of the spinning top–shaped body. | Side hits with heavy ammo can flip it, causing it to fall and destroy itself from impact. | Single strong heavy shot. |
The Snitch flies on four unarmored thrusters, and those are the parts you actually want to hit. Destroying multiple thrusters in any combination destabilizes the drone: it loses flight control and spirals into the ground, and each collision with the environment deals heavy damage that will often finish it for you. Because its total health is low (around 158 HP), you are not trying to chip it down everywhere — you are breaking thrusters before the alarm finishes. One catch: once thrusters are gone, its flight becomes erratic and it gets noticeably harder to hit, so it pays to land your first shots cleanly.
Best weapons to kill Snitch quickly
Several weapons work, but Medium and Heavy Ammo guns are noticeably more reliable, especially while you are still learning the thrusters. A few well-placed Medium or Heavy shots are usually enough to drop a Snitch before it can finish calling for reinforcements.
| Weapon | Ammo type | Why it is good on Snitch | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anvil | Heavy | High damage per shot, controllable rate of fire, enough bullets to take multiple cracks at the thrusters. | Primary pick for focused Snitch hunting or general ARC fights. |
| Ferro | Heavy | Hits hard and can shred thrusters in a handful of accurate shots. | Open with Ferro to strip “wings,” then swap if reload timing is risky. |
| Berletta | Light/medium (depending on build) | Can finish a damaged Snitch with a fast mag dump if it tries to escape after the first heavy hits. | Follow-up fire after Anvil/Ferro to ensure it falls instead of drifting out. |
| Renegade, Venator, Bettina | Medium | Lower per-shot damage than heavy weapons but accurate enough to chew through the underside plating if you track well. | Fallback options when you do not have an upgraded heavy weapon. |
| Remote bomb / homing grenades | Throwable | A well-placed sticky explosive or homing grenade can one-shot a Snitch. | Situational; best when you can get underneath it unseen or when you already carry homing throwables. |
High-end launcher ammo, such as Hullcracker or Wolfpack grenades, technically delete Snitch, but they are far more valuable on large ARCs. Heavy rifles are the intended workhorses here.
How to kill Snitch before it calls reinforcements
1. Control the engagement distance
The easiest Snitch kills happen before it is on top of you. At long to mid range:
- Watch for the blue scanning beam and the distinctive hovering silhouette.
- Stay behind cover or in foliage until you are in a comfortable firing position.
- Ideally, you want your first shot out before its light turns red.
Tip: If the scanner is already hard-locked on you and flashing red when you first aim, you are late. Either commit to a flawless burst or consider disengaging.
2. Aim for thrusters or underside, not the center
Centre-body shots waste time. Instead, commit to one of two target zones:
- The thrusters — the Snitch flies on four unarmored thrusters arranged around its body. You do not need all of them; destroying multiple thrusters in any combination is enough to destabilize it.
- Underside angle — if you are below it or roughly level with it, you get a clean line on the thruster ring. Break two of them and the drone loses lift, spirals, and usually finishes itself on impact with the ground.
With Anvil, Ferro, or another heavy weapon, that often means two to three precise shots total. Medium weapons will need more bullets, but follow the same logic: commit to a specific component and break it instead of spraying around.
3. Use heavy ammo first, then swap if needed
A practical sequence for many loadouts looks like this:
- Open with a heavy weapon (Anvil, Ferro) and fire controlled shots at the thrusters as soon as you line up.
- If it is still airborne and turning away after you have broken visible components, instantly switch to a faster-firing gun (like Berletta or Renegade) and finish it before it can drift off and despawn.
- Do not get greedy with reloads on slow guns like Ferro if multiple ARCs are pushing you; use the secondary to clean up.
4. Abuse physics when you have a clean angle
Snitch’s body shape works in your favor. Hit the lowest point of its spinning “top” from the side with a strong, heavy shot, and the model can flip over, lose lift, and slam into the ground. This is most consistent when:
- You are roughly on the same vertical level or slightly below it.
- It is rotating toward or away from you slowly enough that you can line up the side of the lower spindle.
Done right, one well-placed heavy round can end the fight instantly.
5. Decide early whether to fight or run once the alarm starts
Once Snitch’s scanner is red and the beeping begins, a hidden timer is ticking. At that point, you have two realistic options:
- Full commit: If you have already landed at least one accurate hit on a weak spot, stay exposed for one or two more shots and finish the job. Killing Snitch cancels its ability to direct the reinforcements, and any ARC it has already called can often be reset by breaking line-of-sight and hiding.
- Hard disengage: If you have not hit it at all and you have already burned multiple shots, stop shooting and break detection — into bushes, behind solid cover, or by simply sprinting away. Taking an extended fight under fresh Wasp/Hornet pressure is usually not worth it, especially early on when gear is weak.
Note: If the call finishes and extra drones spawn, prioritize survival. Once line-of-sight is broken and Snitch is gone, the called-in ARCs will eventually lose their fix on you.
Solo Snitch kills and grenades
For solo players or duos, Snitch can feel oppressive until you learn a few low-risk patterns:
- Underneath stickies: If you can lurk under a Snitch — bushes help — a remote-detonated bomb or sticky explosive placed directly on the body is a one-shot answer. Trigger it as soon as you are clear.
- Homing grenades: ARC-seeking grenades will happily lock on to Snitch. One toss can delete it without careful aiming, which is especially helpful if you struggle with leading thrusters while it’s rotating.
- Invisibility tools: Items like the Photoelectric Cloak prevent ARCs from detecting you while channelled. Staying cloaked until you are in the perfect position above or below Snitch gives you all the time you need to line up a clean heavy shot.
Where Snitch tends to spawn and how to farm Snitch Scanner
Snitches patrol “strategic” outdoor areas rather than cramped interiors. They behave like roaming spotters for bigger encounters, sweeping open spaces and paths that other ARCs might follow. When you are specifically hunting them for the Snitch Scanner drop:
- Expect them more often in wide, exposed sections of the map where Wasps and Hornets also appear.
- Play cautiously and move slowly through open ground instead of sprinting between objectives; you want time to spot the scanning beam before it sees you.
- Bring at least one reliable heavy weapon into each raid and keep a stack of ammo ready so you do not hesitate to open fire.
There is no guaranteed location for the Snitch Scanner itself — it is simply part of the Snitch’s loot pool, which also includes ARC Powercell, ARC Alloy, ARC Synthetic Resin, ARC Thermo Lining, and Sensors — so consistency comes from clean, repeatable kills rather than a specific farm spot. The Snitch Scanner is the standout drop: it is used to upgrade the Utility Station, and it can even be thrown like a gadget, where it triggers on landing and calls reinforcements toward whatever it detects. Each kill is also worth experience — roughly 100 XP for destroying the drone and another 200 XP if you recover its Scavenging Core.
How to stay hidden from Snitch when you do not want a fight
Sometimes the smartest play is to let a Snitch pass. If you are low on ammo or hauling valuable loot, staying undetected is safer than gambling on a fast kill.
- Use bushes and foliage to break line-of-sight as its blue scanner sweeps the area.
- Keep solid cover between you and the drone when crossing wide spaces; wait for it to rotate away before moving to the next piece of cover.
- If it enters an alerted state and begins beeping, but you are still behind cover, do not peek. Wait for it to lose you instead of giving it a clean scan.
Snitch only becomes dangerous once it has a clear visual; if it never fully tags you, it never calls backup.
Once you treat Snitch as a precision target instead of a flying health bar, it stops being a run-ending menace and becomes a predictable, fast resource check. Heavy ammo to the thrusters or underside, disciplined timing on the first shot, and a quick decision to commit or run are usually all it takes to keep the skies quiet — and your pockets full of Snitch Scanners.
