Arc Raiders Weapon Tier List 1.17

Arc Raiders weapon balance has finally received some attention in patch 1.17, and if you've been playing the game for more than ten minutes, you'll recognize the names being changed: the Stitcher, the weapon every new player spams because it's cheap and surprisingly lethal; the Kettle, the tap-fire precision tool that punishes lazy aim; and the Ventor, which was quietly doing way too much work in PvP. All nerfed. Surprise.

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On the bright side – yes, there is one: the Jupiter and the Ailion both got buffs. The Jupiter in particular has been criminally underrated for PvE, and maybe now that it's slightly easier to use, people will stop sleeping on it. Probably not, but we can dream.

This Arc Raiders weapon tier list covers both PvE and PvP rankings post-patch, breaks down every notable change, and tells you exactly which guns are worth running and which ones belong in the same tier as your decision-making skills.

You've been running a level one Stitcher with zero attachments in PvE. This guide is an intervention.

Every Balance Change at a Glance

Here's the full patch 1.17 weapon change summary. Read it so you can stop blaming the game when you lose a gunfight with a weapon that's been nerfed for a week.

The PvE Arc Raiders weapon rankings are about sustained damage, armor penetration, and how well you can punish arc weak points from a safe distance. Spoiler: shotguns are not the answer. They never were. They're C tier now. We've made it official.

Putting shotguns in C tier isn't a demotion: it's them finally being where they always belonged and everyone just refused to admit it.

Let's break down what actually changed for each weapon in the Arc Raiders patch 1.17 update, starting with the ones that got nerfed into a slightly worse version of their former selves.

Bstitcher Nerfed

Base DMG: 7 → 6.5Headshot Multiplier ↓Dispersion +50% faster

The damage reduction is barely noticeable in PvE: the bloom speed is the real problem. Your lower-level, unattached Stitchers are going to feel significantly worse. A fully upgraded, fully attached Stitcher? Still works fine against bastions, still punishes weak points, still chews through ammo like it's an all-you-can-eat buffet.

The issue is the Comet and Firefly: new arc types that demand accurate, center-line shots. The Stitcher's faster bloom makes these fights messier. If you're running a gray Stitcher with nothing on it, you're going to feel this patch. If you're fully invested, it's more of a nuance than a catastrophe.

PvE Verdict: Bottom of B. A shotgun is worse. That's the bar. Stitcher clears it.

Bkettle Nerfed

Base DMG: 10 → 8.5

One change. Base damage down from 10 to 8.5. That's it. Fire rate untouched. Headshot multiplier untouched. In PvE, the sustained damage from the Stitcher: despite its accuracy issues: edges out the Kettle now, simply because you're laying more damage per second even through spread. The Kettle's accuracy advantage becomes less valuable when you're dealing reduced light ammo damage against heavily armored arc.

Against the new Comet and Firefly arc types, both the Stitcher and Kettle struggle. They were never built for heavy armor, and this nerf makes that even more apparent. Which, honestly, is probably the point.

PvE Verdict: Still B tier, but now closer to the bottom of it alongside the Stitcher.

Bventor Nerfed

Headshot Multiplier ↓Base DMG: 9 → 8 per shot

Headshots don't matter much against arc, so the headshot multiplier nerf is basically irrelevant in PvE. The base damage reduction from 9 to 8 is minor: you're still firing two shots simultaneously, still accurate, still effective at hitting weak points. Against flying arc like hornets, armored flyers, and fireflies, the Ventor's stopping power and dual-shot output still has real value.

The stopping power actually has mixed results: useful for keeping flying enemies stunned and reacting, but occasionally annoying when you just want them dead. Medium ammo remains viable against most arc types. The Ventor was never the best arc-killing weapon, and the nerf nudges it to where it probably should have been all along.

PvE Verdict: Top of B, down from A. A fair adjustment.

Ajupiter Buffed

ADS Magnification: 1.9 → 2.2Equip/Unequip Speed ↑

People genuinely don't know how good the Jupiter is in PvE. It is a cannon that fires through armor, penetrates directly into cores, and can kill a bastion by shooting straight through the plating from above. Fireflies die in one or two hits when you hit center mass and proc the penetrating effect. Same with wasps and hornets. You can two-shot comets and surveyors from far away.

It's also the most energy-efficient weapon in its class: five shots per clip, each one packing a serious punch. The ADS magnification buff makes long-range targeting even easier, and the faster equip speed makes it more practical in dynamic fights. It still isn't a DPS machine for queens and matriarchs: bring an Equalizer for that: but for everything else, the Jupiter is better than most players give it credit for.

The Ailion's biggest issue has always been consistency: needing to crouch to ensure both shots of a burst landed on target. The improved ADS settle speed changes that significantly. You can now fire accurately while standing, which makes the weapon more reliable in actual combat rather than just stationary sniping situations.

The faster burst interval and reload are nice additions too. You get into the triple-burst cycle quicker, and reloading in cover feels less like a punishment. Flying arc dies in two to three bursts. Ground arc often falls in one. Rocketeers get absolutely launched when you break their armor. The stopping power is still excellent.

The weakness is raw DPS: against cores and weak points you're hitting directly, the Ailion lags behind the Torrent or Tempest. Know when to use it. Bottom of A tier is accurate and fair.

PvP in Arc Raiders is where the Arc Raiders weapon tier list gets more unforgiving. Time-to-kill, headshot potential, accuracy at range, and accessibility all matter. The Ventor was doing too much. The Stitcher was doing too much. The Kettle was doing too much. Noticing a pattern?

The Hairpin is D tier and has always been D tier and will remain D tier until the heat death of the universe. This is not a debate.

Final Verdict

Patch 1.17 is good for the Arc Raiders weapon meta. The nerfs to the Stitcher, Kettle, and Ventor weren't overcooked: they're adjusted, not gutted. All three remain competitive in their respective modes, just with enough friction to make alternatives feel relevant. The Bobcat having more of a role in PvP is a welcome side effect of the Stitcher nerf.

The Jupiter and Ailion buffs are meaningful. The Jupiter in particular deserves more attention than it gets, and A tier PvE is a fair reflection of what it actually does when you know how to use it. The Ailion's improvements are quality-of-life focused rather than transformational, but they push the weapon from "technically viable" to "genuinely comfortable."