ARC Raiders Weapon Amplification Guide: Modules, the Upgrade Tree and All 15 Researches
Frozen Trail added a fifth weapon level. Fifteen guns can be Amplified, and each one then opens its own upgrade tree with abilities like incendiary rounds, burst fire or a scope. Getting there takes a fully built Outpost, two endgame workshop parts and a module that only drops on the Frigate or inside the Fallen Emperor. Here is the whole path
What you need before you can amplify
- The Outpost with 4 rooms. Both level 4 workshop stations require it
- Gunsmith level 4: 3 Radial Press, 3 Magnetic Accelerators and 1 Emperor Modulator, which only drops inside the Fallen Emperor
- The weapon at tier IV. The three Legendary guns, Aphelion, Equalizer and Jupiter, have no tiers and can be amplified as they are
- One Amplification Module of the weapon's rarity. That is the whole cost: no Coins and no Research Points
For the upgrade tree you will also want Research Station level 4: 3 Thermal Shakers, 3 ARC Data Modules and 1 Frigate Inductor. The game files only gate the amplification itself on the Gunsmith, but the Amplified Researches all live on the Research Station
Which module each gun needs
| Rarity | Module | Guns |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Mk. I | Hairpin, Kettle, Rattler |
| Uncommon | Mk. II | Burletta, Il Toro |
| Rare | Mk. III | Anvil, Canto, Osprey, Rascal, Renegade |
| Epic | Mk. IV | Bettina, Hullcracker |
| Legendary | Mk. V | Aphelion, Equalizer, Jupiter |
Modules only drop in two places: the cargo and containers of the ARC Frigate, and the containers inside the Fallen Emperor. All five Marks share the same drop rate. No trader sells them and no quest gives one
What amplifying changes
- Max durability goes to 200. That is +70 on a tier IV gun and +100 on the Legendary three. It is added to the current durability, not a refill, so repair a worn gun before you amplify it
- The combat stats stay the same. Damage, fire rate, magazine and ARC armor penetration match the tier IV gun in the game files. The real power comes from the upgrade tree
- It is permanent. An amplified gun can't be turned back, and its own rarity shows as Amplified
- It is worth more: a Rattler IV sells for 7,000 Coins, an Amplified Rattler for 11,200. The Mk. V guns go from 27,500 to 35,200
The upgrade tree
Right-click an Amplified gun to open its tree. Each gun has two to four nodes, 44 across all fifteen, and nothing is random: you pick every node. Choices are permanent, and some nodes lock out others, like Burst Fire and Full-Auto on the Burletta
Each node costs Amplified parts such as Pressure Regulators, Pneumatic Actuators, Propellant Valve Assemblies and Fluted Rotor Cores, plus things like Fossilized Lightning, boss Reactors, Assessor Matrices or Turbine Compressors. Many nodes also need a one-time Amplified Research first
| Gun | Module | Nodes in its tree |
|---|---|---|
| Aphelion | Mk. V | Bigger Mag, Incendiary Rounds, Increased Burst, Charged Burst |
| Equalizer | Mk. V | Ramping Damage, Bigger Mag, Anti-Weak Point |
| Jupiter | Mk. V | Bigger Mag, Ergonomic Bolt, Scoped |
| Bettina | Mk. IV | Semi-Auto, Bigger Mag, X-Rounds |
| Hullcracker | Mk. IV | Mag Reload, Incendiary Rounds |
| Anvil | Mk. III | Anvil Splitter, X-Rounds |
| Canto | Mk. III | Carbine Conversion, Incendiary Rounds, Sprint Shooting |
| Osprey | Mk. III | Anti-Weak Point, Tracker Rounds, Ergonomic Bolt |
| Rascal | Mk. III | High Velocity, Incendiary Rounds, Sprint Shooting |
| Renegade | Mk. III | Scoped, More Reload |
| Burletta | Mk. II | Burst Fire, Full-Auto, Sprint Shooting, Increased Burst |
| Il Toro | Mk. II | More Reload, Slug Rounds |
| Hairpin | Mk. I | Incendiary Rounds, Semi-Auto, Tracker Rounds, Sprint Shooting |
| Kettle | Mk. I | Full-Auto, X-Rounds, Anti-Shield |
| Rattler | Mk. I | Incendiary Rounds, More Reload, Drum Mag |
Some nodes cost a mod slot. The Canto loses its stock with Carbine Conversion or Sprint Shooting, the Osprey with Ergonomic Bolt, the Renegade loses its magazine with Scoped and the Kettle with X-Rounds. Otherwise an Amplified gun has the same mod slots as its tier IV version
All 15 Amplified Researches
Every research is done at Research Station level 4 in two steps: an in-raid task, then 5,000 Research Points plus ARC parts. Once finished it is permanent for your account and works on every gun that uses that node
| Research | Unlocks | In-raid task | Then pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Action Economy | Ergonomic Bolt (Jupiter, Osprey) | Deal 1,000 damage with a Hairpin | 5,000 RP and 8 Sentinel Firing Cores |
| Beam Resonance Tech | Ramping Damage (Equalizer) | 1,500 damage to Vaporizers with an Equalizer in one round | 5,000 RP and 2 Queen Reactors |
| Burst Assembly Recovery | Burst Fire (Burletta) | Destroy 3 Shredders with a Raider Tool | 5,000 RP and 20 Pop Triggers |
| Compact Combustion Charges | Incendiary (Hullcracker, Rascal) | 3,000 damage with Blaze Grenades | 5,000 RP and 5 Bombardier Cells |
| Embedded Blast Engineering | X-Rounds (Anvil, Bettina, Kettle) | 1,000 damage each to Fireflies, Hornets, Fireballs and Surveyors with Light Impact Grenades | 5,000 RP and 5 Rocketeer Drivers |
| Extended Burst Cycles | Increased Burst (Aphelion, Burletta) | 10,000 damage with a Burst Burletta or a Charged Burst Aphelion | 5,000 RP and 10 Comet Igniters |
| High-Voltage Exposure | Charged Burst (Aphelion) | Destroy 5 ARC Turbines | 5,000 RP and 5 Leaper Pulse Units |
| Magazine Geometry 101 | Drum Mag (Rattler) | 15,000 damage to a Bastion with a Rattler and destroy one with it | 5,000 RP and 5 Bastion Cells |
| Mobile-Fire Grip Fittings | Sprint Shooting (Burletta, Canto, Hairpin, Rascal) | Visit 7 Pendola Pass places in one round | 5,000 RP and 20 Skulker Targeters |
| Shield Stress Testing | Anti-Shield (Kettle) | 700 damage to Raiders | 5,000 RP and 2 Matriarch Reactors |
| Solid-Core Casting Tech | Slug Rounds (Il Toro) | Destroy 50 flying ARC with shotguns | 5,000 RP and 20 Tick Pods |
| Targeted Component Trial | Anti-Weak Point (Equalizer, Osprey) | Destroy 40 thrusters on flying ARC | 5,000 RP and 20 Fireball Burners |
| Thermite-Tipped Rounds | Incendiary (Aphelion, Canto, Hairpin, Rattler) | Destroy 30 Fireballs with Explosive Mines | 5,000 RP and 5 Firefly Burners |
| Top Mounted Optics Retrofittings | Scoped (Jupiter, Renegade) | On The Blue Gate, deal 1,000 damage to ARC with an Osprey at Pilgrim's Peak in one round | 5,000 RP and 14 Snitch Scanners |
| Trigger Reset Systems | Semi-Auto (Bettina, Hairpin) | Destroy 5 Skulkers with a Raider Tool | 5,000 RP and 4 Vaporizer Regulators |
The Mobile-Fire places are the Electrical Substation, Truck Stop, Old Town, Almatera Station, Researcher Lodgings, Deep-Space Telescope and Commissary Supermarket. Research Points come from studying items: a Frigate Diagnostic Node is worth 1,000, an ARC Data Module 200
Repairs, death and the safe pocket
- Repairs use Amplified Fragments only. Each repair restores 50% and costs a fixed amount per gun: 7 for a Mk. I gun up to 22 for a Mk. V gun, rising with every node you add, up to 61 for a full-tree Aphelion
- Amplified Fragments come from recycling an Amplification Module (7 each), an Amplified gun, or an old Anvil Splitter (5)
- If you die, the gun is lost like any other. Whoever loots it gets it at 10% durability, with your nodes still on it. Your researches stay with your account
- To protect one, a weapon only fits your safe pocket with the Looting Mk. 3 (Safekeeper) augment
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to amplify a weapon?
Gunsmith level 4 (which needs the Outpost at 4 rooms and an Emperor Modulator), the gun at tier IV and one Amplification Module of its rarity
Where do Amplification Modules drop?
Only on the ARC Frigate and inside the Fallen Emperor on Pendola Pass. No trader sells them
Does amplifying make the gun stronger?
On its own it raises max durability to 200. The game files keep its combat stats the same as tier IV. The real gains are the nodes in its upgrade tree
Can I undo an amplification or a node?
No. Amplifying is permanent, and so is every node you pick. Some nodes also block others
How do I repair an Amplified weapon?
With Amplified Fragments. Each repair restores 50%, and the cost depends on the gun and how many nodes it has
What happens to my Amplified gun if I die?
It drops like any weapon. The Raider who loots it gets it at 10% durability with your nodes still on it. Your researches stay yours
Sources: the ARC Raiders Wiki (CC BY-SA 4.0), Embark Studios news and patch notes
