ARC Raiders Close Scrutiny Guide

Close Scrutiny is the first ARC Operation: a new category of Major Map Condition introduced in the Flashpoint update (Patch 1.22.0) on March 31, 2026. It is available on four exterior maps: Blue Gate, Buried City, Spaceport, and Dam Battlegrounds. Stella Montis is spared, presumably because even the Arc have enough dignity not to land a giant three-legged alien platform inside a bunker.

This is labeled endgame difficulty. If your loadout is aspirational rather than functional, consider a different lobby. The game will not feel bad for you.

What Changes When Close Scrutiny Is Active

The overall design philosophy: remove the passive loot experience, replace it with high-value targets that actively try to kill you. If that sounds fun, this game mode is for you. If not, there are other lobbies. They are quieter.

Before the ARC Raiders Flashpoint update, Shredders were a Stella Montis problem. Stella Montis is indoors. You knew where they were. You could plan around them. During Close Scrutiny, they now roam freely across Blue Gate, Buried City, Spaceport, and Dam Battlegrounds. Embark decided they had been contained long enough.

Shredders punish players who stand still. If you are fighting a Vaporizer and you stop moving, a Shredder will find this an excellent time to introduce itself. Keep moving. Prioritize Vaporizers from cover. Handle Shredders when they close in. Do not try to hold a single position for more than a few seconds in a hot zone.

The combination of Vaporizers above and Shredders below is the entire design of Close Scrutiny. It is a pressure sandwich. You are the contents.

Full Run Strategy

Below is the complete Close Scrutiny ARC Raiders strategy, laid out without pretending any of this is comfortable.

1. Load into a Close Scrutiny map. Available on Blue Gate, Buried City, Spaceport, or Dam Battlegrounds. Not Stella Montis. Stella Montis has enough problems.
2. Watch the sky at the start. Assessors descend like meteors a few minutes in. They can land at the center or the outskirts: spawn is randomized. Keep visual.
3. Find the red beam. When an Assessor lands, it fires a massive red beam into the sky. This is not subtle. Every squad on the map sees it simultaneously. Get moving.
4. Approach with cover in mind. Scout Vaporizer patrol paths before entering engagement range. Rushing in directly under the beam is how you become part of the statistics.
5. Clear Vaporizers before breaching. Both Vaporizer groups near the Assessor need to be down before you initiate the breach. Non-negotiable. The breach makes noise. The noise brings more of them.
6. Wait for the platform to fan out. Assessor probes open periodically. You can't breach a closed cone. Wait. Fight whatever shows up while you wait.
7. Breach all three probes. Each leg has a container. Check all three. Leave nothing. Other squads will be annoyed that you were thorough, which is a bonus.
8. Watch other Raiders. This is an extraction game. Someone will try to take your kill or your Regulator. Account for it.
9. Repeat. Three Assessors per operation. When one is exhausted, find the next red beam. Bring healing. Bring more healing than you think you need.

Recommended Pre-Drop Loadout

• Primary: Hullcracker or Dolabra for Arc armor. Wolfpacks as sustained alternative.
• Secondary: Canto SMG for medium ammo conservation and anti-raider close range.
• Healing: More than you packed last time. The Vaporizer's fire damage stacks. You will burn through your supply faster than expected.
• Squad: Highly recommended. A coordinated team clears Vaporizers in a fraction of the time. Solo is possible. Solo is also humbling.

Squad Note The Deadline mine one-shot on Vaporizers remains functional as of this patch. Plant on top, enjoy the result. Completely impractical in a four-Vaporizer warzone. Do it anyway, once, for the story.