Arc Raiders gear tiers get even messier as one gunsmith finds low-rarity mods are by far the best bang for your buck, and suddenly I don't feel bad about my uncommon blueprints

1. Games
2. Third Person Shooters
3. Arc Raiders

Arc Raiders gear tiers get even messier as one gunsmith finds low-rarity mods are by far the best bang for your buck, and suddenly I don't feel bad about my uncommon blueprints News By Austin Wood published 26 November 2025

Bury me with my Vertical Grip II

Comments (0) ()

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

(Image credit: Embark Studios)

In the greatest Arc Raiders debate of our time, I stand firm that bad guns being good is good, actually. However, based on new research conducted by a very dedicated Raider who'd begun to raise eyebrows in Speranza for all the shooting range trips they'd taken, you could argue that good mods being bad is perhaps bad.

Let me explain. As PC Gamer spotted, YouTuber ModerNik recently "tested every stock, grip, compensator, muzzle break, silencer, mag, extended barrel and Anvil splitter to see how they work." After throwing every weapon mod in Arc Raiders under a microscope, tracking recoil and rate of fire and every other stat under the sun down to individual frames, ModerNik's data bears out two main conclusions: mods can help a lot, but high-rarity mods don't help that much more than basic ones.

For the most part, weapon mods do what they say on the tin, barring some outliers with multiple bonuses or extreme bonuses offset by drawbacks. Magazines are the most obvious one; they all add a set amount of bullets to your clip. Mods affecting ADS (aim-down-sights) speed are about as clear-cut: with one equipped, you can sight in more quickly. Silencers, you'll be shocked to hear, quiet your shots to varying degrees.

You may like

• Arc Raiders has a weird problem for a shooter: the worst guns in the game are really good
• Arc Raiders players were already grumbling, and after another patch of nerfs a fierce debate brews: crafting UI is definitely a mess, but should the stash actually get buffed?
• Best Arc Raiders weapons and meta tier list (Nov 2025)

I'm pleased to report that, for once, my read of Arc Raiders' lingo was bang-on. Stocks can tighten recoil recovery time, or how long it takes for your reticle to get back to its default position, as well as dispersion, which affects the size of your reticle and how much it blooms with each shot, creating a larger area for bullets to potentially land.

You have to contend with per-shot and maximum dispersion – respectively, how much your reticle blooms with each shot, and how big that reticle can possibly get. The tighter everything is, the more accurate your shots will be. This is especially noticeable on guns like the Anvil hand cannon, where one missed shot can lose you a fight.

How All Attachments Work in ARC Raiders - YouTube Watch On

There's also plain ol' recoil, which determines the strength and variegation of how your gun kicks when fired. Within this, there's both horizontal and vertical recoil, though it's not like some guns fly dead left or right when you shoot them; it's just a measure of how cleanly they kick upward, with wobbling deviation to the sides. Think of it as drawing a big "S" shape as you lay on the trigger, as ModerNik helpfully demonstrates with visualized recoil patterns.

What strikes me throughout nearly all of these mod tests is the diminishing returns you get at higher rarities. This loosely follows the power curve of gun tiers: the most basic ones give you the most bang for your buck, while top-end pink gear requires a lot more materials for relatively minor bonuses. I've come to compare this to exercise in my head: a reasonable effort will get you most of the health benefits, but it takes extreme investment and effort to squeeze out that last 10 or 20% of gains, and for a lot of people it just isn't worth it.

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Let's use grips as an example. ModerNik examined a suite of four grips. The common grip reduced vertical recoil by 20%, an uncommon grip reached 30%, a rare one delivered 40%, and an epic one (with other benefits) also delivered 30% recoil reduction. Three tested muzzle breaks showed a similar spread: 15% reduction on a common, 20% on an uncommon, and 25% on a rare.

Going up a tier adds a set amount of percentage points of effectiveness, but you're getting worse results in terms of actual, proportional percentage gains. Slap on a common grip and you're getting a full 20% off your recoil. Upgrade to an uncommon and your recoil reduction is only increased by another 10 percentage points, or 50% proportionally. Adding another 10 points from a rare grip is an even smaller 33% improvement. And I'll tell you what isn't increasing proportionally: crafting costs.

(Image credit: Embark Studios)

Common and, to a lesser extent, uncommon mods are cheap to craft, but if you happen to have blueprints for some rare or even epic mods, you'll find that they cost far more hard-to-find materials. An epic shotgun silencer, according to the Arc Raiders wiki, requires two mod components and eight wires, and those components cost two springs and two mechanical components apiece. Despite what I might wish, these things do not grow on trees, and that's a lot to stack onto a single gun that you could lose at any time.

There's no reason not to use high-rarity mods you find in the wild (unless you'd rather sell or recycle them), but making them yourself is a much harder bargain knowing you can get most of the benefits of modding from lower-rarity options. All of my mod blueprints have been uncommon-tier so far, and suddenly I don't feel so bad about that. And really, this all just feeds into what's quickly becoming my hottest Arc Raiders take: high-rarity gear is fun to use but ain't what it's cracked up to be.

The backbone of Arc Raiders, Scrappy the rooster, is based on a real bird who crashed a dev Zoom meeting and was photoscanned in as something "we'll definitely replace later."

CATEGORIES PS5 Xbox Series X PC Gaming Platforms PlayStation Xbox Austin WoodSocial Links NavigationSenior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Arc Raiders has a weird problem for a shooter: the worst guns in the game are really good    Arc Raiders players were already grumbling, and after another patch of nerfs a fierce debate brews: crafting UI is definitely a mess, but should the stash actually get buffed?    Best Arc Raiders weapons and meta tier list (Nov 2025)    I tried an Arc Raiders community tip for hunting blueprints after 40 hours of next to nothing, and I found my most-wanted blueprint almost immediately    Arc Raiders already has an online market for blueprints, a rare one could cost you more than the game itself, and you might not even get to keep it    "I have to kill them before they kill me": In just one week, Arc Raiders has ruined my ability to trust, and the killer robots aren't even the problem    Latest in Third Person Shooters The backbone of Arc Raiders, Scrappy the rooster, is based on a real bird who crashed a dev Zoom meeting and was photoscanned in as something "we'll definitely replace later"    Helldivers 2 studio CEO says despite improvements, there's "more work to be done" with performance patches: "The intent is that new releases don't bork quality but build on it"    Arc Raiders dev answers one big question about what counts toward bonus skill points for Expeditions, but Embark still won't say how much cash you actually need    Arc Raiders has a weird problem for a shooter: the worst guns in the game are really good    Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2's new Reclamation update is not only free but adds new weapons, stratagems, and even a boss    Christmas comes early for Helldivers 2 players as Arrowhead adds a minigun, flamethrower drone, and a chain sword all in one glorious Warbond    Latest in News Arc Raiders gear tiers get even messier as one gunsmith finds low-rarity mods are by far the best bang for your buck, and suddenly I don't feel bad about my uncommon blueprints    Logan: Black White & Blood #1 flashes back to the decades before Wolverine joined the X-Men in brutal stories of his most hardcore adventures    GTA 6 fans grab their spare pitchforks and torches as AI "leak" gets out of hand, turning 8 million views into an angry mob: "I wouldn't have thought it would go this far"    Award-winning actor Ben Kingsley is taking his MCU imposter Trevor Slattery to the next level, offering acting lessons ahead of his return in Wonder Man    After miracle revival, Hytale head "now assembling a dedicated team" to satisfy fans of a key genre that's only grown since the Minecraft-inspired game's reveal: cozy and farming games like Stardew Valley and Animal Crossing    Destiny 2 game director says "we don't want to be a dead live game" as Renegades arrives at a low for the MMO, admits "relatively few [new] people come" in and Edge of Fate pivot "didn't work"    GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS

1. 1Escape from Tarkov review: "An extraction shooter that will make you truly miserable if you let it, but can offer dizzying highs you won't find elsewhere"
2. 2Fans think this is the best strategy board game ever made, and I have to admit that they've got a point
3. 3Constance review: "If Hollow Knight: Silksong seems too daunting, this wonderful paint powered adventure should do nicely"
4. 4This enthralling team board game is perfect for playing with family this Thanksgiving
5. 5Kirby Air Riders review: "This racer is also equal parts fighting game, minigame collection, and roguelike – and I'm shocked at how well that works"

1. 1Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery review: "Brings Knives Out back to its roots for a sequel that's almost on a par with the original"
2. 2Wicked: For Good review: "Builds to an incredibly cathartic conclusion, but isn't quite as captivating as Part 1"
3. 3The Running Man review: "Some fun action and Glen Powell's star power aren't enough to energize this disappointing Stephen King adaptation"
4. 4Predator: Badlands review: "Die-hard fans may be disappointed, but as a blockbuster action-adventure, Badlands kills it"
5. 5Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc review "Storytelling just as compelling as the chainsaws, devils, and visually excessive fight scenes"

1. 1Pluribus season 1 review: "Easily one of the year's best dramas"
2. 2The Witcher season 4 review: "The Henry Cavill-less fourth season is the best yet"
3. 3IT: Welcome to Derry review: "A supremely confident step back into the history of Stephen King's cursed town and killer clown"
4. 4Splinter Cell: Deathwatch review: "A pale imitation of the long-dormant stealth franchise"
5. 5Marvel Zombies review: "A fun expansion of the What If episode with delightful MCU Easter eggs and truly gross R-rated kills"