What should you pick up first during a raid?

The most important rule is simple: don’t loot based on what looks valuable, loot based on what you can actually convert into progress.

In practice, your priority should usually be:

• Ammo types you regularly use

• Med supplies you’re low on

• Crafting materials tied to your next upgrades

• High-value compact items (if they stack or sell well)

• Weapons only if they’re better than your current loadout or sell well

A common mistake is grabbing large weapons early because they feel rare. But a big rifle that takes up multiple slots can block you from collecting several smaller items that together are worth more or help you craft upgrades.

If you want consistent progress, treat inventory slots like currency. Every slot should be earning its place.

How do you decide what’s worth keeping vs selling?

Most players hoard too much early on because they don’t know what’s “important.” The truth is that most loot becomes important only when you have a specific plan for it.

A good way to decide is to ask yourself:

“Will I use this within the next 2–3 runs?”

If the answer is no, you should probably sell it unless it’s extremely rare or needed for a known upgrade.

Keeping random crafting materials “just in case” is one of the fastest ways to end up with a clogged stash and no flexibility.

What experienced players usually do is keep only:

• Materials needed for the next crafting goal

• A small backup of healing and ammo

• One or two spare weapons they trust

Everything else becomes trade money.

How do you avoid running out of space mid-run?

This happens to everyone, especially in longer raids. The key is to manage space actively instead of waiting until you’re full.

When your inventory starts getting tight, stop and do a quick cleanup:

• Drop low-value items that don’t stack well

• Replace bulky loot with smaller high-value loot

• Combine ammo stacks if possible

• Swap out “maybe useful later” items for “useful right now” items

A good habit is checking your inventory after every major fight or loot location. That’s usually when your bag fills up, and it’s easier to make smart decisions before you’re forced into them.

Also, don’t be afraid to leave loot behind. If you already have enough value for a good extraction, greed is what gets you killed.

Should you carry extra weapons or focus on loot?

For most players, carrying extra weapons is inefficient unless you’re specifically farming weapons or planning to sell them.

Weapons tend to take a lot of space compared to the value they provide. They can be worth carrying if:

• They sell for a lot compared to their slot cost

• They’re hard to find and you know you’ll use them soon

• You’re running a low-risk route and have room

But if you’re doing a loot-heavy run, your inventory should be optimized for items that stack or compress well.

Many experienced players stick to one main weapon and one backup, and only pick up extra guns if they are clearly an upgrade or high-demand sell items.

What items should you always keep in your stash?

Your stash should support your next several raids, not act like a museum.

In general, the items worth keeping long-term are:

1. Healing supplies you trust Even if you can buy them later, having a reliable stock prevents you from doing bad “budget runs” when you don’t want to.

2. Ammo for your main loadout Ammo shortages force you into weapon switching, and that usually leads to inconsistent performance.

3. Key crafting materials But only the ones tied to your next upgrades, not everything you’ve ever found.

4. One or two spare loadouts If you die twice in a row, you don’t want to be forced into a weak kit. Having ready-to-go gear keeps your progress stable.

The biggest difference between organized players and struggling players is that organized players can recover from losses quickly.

How do experienced players organize their inventory?

Most experienced players use a simple system: everything has a “category” and a “purpose.”

A common setup is:

• One section for weapons

• One section for healing and utility

• One section for crafting materials

• One section for sellable loot

Even if the game doesn’t have perfect sorting tools, you can still manually keep things grouped. It makes crafting faster and reduces mistakes like selling something you needed.

The real benefit is decision-making speed. When your stash is messy, you waste time comparing items and second-guessing yourself.

When is it better to craft instead of selling materials?

Crafting is usually worth it when it gives you:

• Better survival odds (armor, healing upgrades, utility gear)

• Access to higher-tier runs

• Gear that saves money long-term

Selling is usually better when you need immediate funds for:

• Restocking ammo and meds

• Buying a replacement kit after dying

• Preparing for a specific mission

A practical approach is to craft only when you already have enough supplies for at least one good raid. If crafting drains your entire stash, you might be upgrading your gear but weakening your ability to stay consistent.

What do you do with rare items you don’t understand yet?

This is one of the most common questions newer players have, and the safe answer is: don’t sell rare items immediately.

If you find something rare and you’re not sure what it’s for, stash it until you confirm its use. Many rare materials are tied to upgrades that appear later, and selling them early can slow you down.

That said, don’t keep ten copies of something just because it looks rare. Keep one or two, then sell extras if they start eating space.

A good inventory rule is: keep a small reserve, but don’t hoard.

Is it worth buying items instead of farming them?

Sometimes, yes. Farming is only efficient if you can extract consistently. If you’re dying often, you may be better off buying basic supplies and focusing on safer runs.

Some players also prefer trading or purchasing items rather than spending hours grinding specific loot spawns. If you’re looking for the best place to buy arc raiders items cheap, the important thing is still to be careful and avoid wasting currency on gear you can easily replace through normal runs.

In most cases, buying should be used to fill gaps, not replace your main loot strategy.

How do you stop yourself from over-looting and dying?

Over-looting is a habit problem, not a skill problem.

Most players die because they stay “just a little longer” after they already have a good haul. The fix is setting an extraction rule before the raid even starts.

Common extraction rules experienced players use:

• Extract once the bag is 70–80% full

• Extract after finding one high-value item

• Extract after completing the mission objective

• Extract after winning a major fight (before more squads show up)

This prevents the classic situation where you’re heavy with loot, slow, low on meds, and still pushing deeper.

A clean extraction with medium loot is better than dying with a full bag.

What’s the best long-term inventory strategy?

The best long-term strategy is building a loop where your inventory always supports your next run.

A strong routine looks like this:

1. After each raid, immediately sell junk

2. Restock ammo and healing

3. Store only what fits your next plan

4. Craft only when it improves consistency

5. Keep stash space open for future runs

The goal is to stay flexible. Arc Raiders rewards players who can quickly recover from deaths and stay ready for the next match.

If your stash is always full, you’re not rich. You’re trapped.

Inventory management in Arc Raiders is mostly about discipline. You don’t need perfect knowledge of every item in the game. You just need a consistent system: prioritize what helps you survive, sell what doesn’t support your next goal, and avoid filling your stash with “maybe later” loot.