iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
For most new ARC Raiders players, unlock Gunsmith Level 1 first. It is the broadest early upgrade for players who want more weapon choices. Move Medical Lab ahead of it if healing supplies are limiting your raids, choose Utility when mobility or access tools define your routes, and favor Explosives when grenades are central to your loadout. There is no developer-published universal ranking, and current guides disagree on some costs, so treat this as a decision framework and confirm the live requirement in Speranza before spending materials.
The short answer: pick the station that solves your current bottleneck
The free Workbench already covers a useful baseline: basic weapons, several ammunition types, bandages, shield rechargers and a light impact grenade. Your first specialist upgrade should therefore add the capability you use most, not merely duplicate an item you can already make.
| Player priority | Best first specialist direction | Why it fits | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|---|
| More weapon options | Gunsmith Level 1 | Expands weapon crafting and is the most consistently recommended general-purpose first step. | Current guides report conflicting material requirements; check the station screen before confirming. |
| Healing and longer raids | Medical Lab | Prioritizes medical supplies and sustain when damage, healing downtime or solo survival is the main constraint. | The exact current recipe list and level costs are not established consistently in published guides. |
| Mobility and access | Utility Station | Supports routes that depend on traversal or access tools; Zipline is listed at Utility Level 2. | Some mobility tools may instead be available through Survival progression and Nomadic Crafting. |
| Grenade-focused combat | Explosives Station | Makes an explosive-centered loadout more practical. | Wolfpack is listed as a Level 3 craft, so this is usually a later investment rather than a universal starter. |
| Keeping upgrades funded | Refiner, then return to specialist progression | Converts common materials into components used for further upgrades. | This sequencing is a guide recommendation, not an official progression order. |
What you can already craft at the starting Workbench
Before buying a station upgrade, inspect the free Workbench and compare its output with what you actually carry into raids. It already provides basic weapons, most ammunition categories, shield rechargers, bandages and a light impact grenade. That baseline changes the value of every specialist station: a player who mainly needs more ammunition may gain less from an immediate station upgrade than a player who needs a new weapon class or a stronger sustain loop.
Inventory pressure matters too. If your usual failures come from running out of healing items, Medical Lab can produce more practical value than an additional weapon option. If you routinely abandon a route because a gap, rooftop or locked approach is inaccessible, Utility may be the better first investment even though Gunsmith is the safer general recommendation.
#1 Best Overall
- Powerful Turbo Fan:CAGIWIRU Electric Air Duster have reached speed up to 130000RPM,Can efficient remove dust and debris.With LED light and Three Adjustable Speed to meet with different cleaning tasks.
- With Attached USB C Fasting Charging cable.Charing 3 hours,Enjoy up to 240 minutes of use on the lowest setting, For third speed can use for 25mins.with four charging options to meet with your needs.
- Wide Application: attached 5 different nozzles,making it suitable for a variety of scenes, such as car,pet, pc, keyboards, and other electronic devices. It also serves for office and home clean duster.
- Handy Design & Portable:Cordless air duster electric nozzle is Light weight and small size, design and comfortable to hold and space saving, convenient to carry around. You can put it in your room or inside the car without taking up space.
- Economical &Reusable: Built durable materials with a long-lasting battery,our CAGIWIRU air duster it's a sustainable alternative to disposable air cans.
How Workshop upgrades and blueprints work
Station levels expand the catalog
Workshop stations unlock additional craftable items as they level. The station upgrade and the recipe are separate considerations: increasing a station does not necessarily mean every item in its expanded catalog is immediately available.
Blueprints are learned in Speranza
The community-maintained ARC Raiders Wiki describes blueprints as consumable unlocks. In Speranza, select a blueprint and choose “Learn and Consume”. Once consumed, the recipe becomes available if you also meet the station and material requirements. The wiki lists scavenging, trials, quests and projects as blueprint sources. Because this is a community reference rather than official documentation, use it to understand the system but confirm the current in-game wording.
Do not spend a blueprint before checking prerequisites
Open the destination station first and inspect the recipe details. A blueprint can be consumed and still leave you unable to craft the item if the station level, components or another prerequisite is missing. Keep the blueprint until you can verify that the recipe belongs to a station you intend to upgrade.
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteWhat to unlock first for different playstyles
General early progression: Gunsmith Level 1
Gunsmith Level 1 is the most defensible default because weapon variety affects solo runs, squads and different enemy situations. ARC Raiders Ultimate explicitly recommends Gunsmith first and Medical Lab second. That is an editorial recommendation, not an official ranking, but it aligns with the broadest early use case: more weapon choices can change how you handle close combat, range and ammunition shortages.
Rank #2
- Screen Cleaner is Your Screen’s New Bestfriend! - EVEO is proud to present a screen cleaner that’s perfectly suited for your TV. Meet your new screen cleaner, computer screen cleaner, laptop cleaner, iPad cleaner, Macbook,tv cleaner or any other electronic device. Our screen cleaner spray and wipe along with the included plush microfiber cloth, easily removes dust, fingerprints & other smudges on the screen’s surface. Clean effectively for a streak-free screen
- Gentle on your Screens - Our screen cleaner spray and wipes is compatible to be used even for the most sensitive LCD, LED, CRT, and OLED screens in proper use. Be at ease knowing that this product is compatible with all the major brands: LG, SONY, Samsung, Sharp, iPad, iPhone, Android screens, Kindle, PC monitors - we’ve got you covered! Can be used as LCD screen cleaner, tv cleaner, smart tv screen cleaner, and more
- Premium Super Soft Plush Microfiber Cloth - Included in this efficient screen cleaning kit. This screen cleaner spray and wipe has our signature plush microfiber cloth specially designed to comply with screens and monitors and leave them streak-free. Has been shown to effectively absorbs stubborn stains, zero streaks, and no fiber shedding. Always use this together with our screen cleaner for the best results
- Easy-to-Use Screen Cleaner Kit + microfiber cleaning cloth - The EVEO Screen Cleaning Kit will easily be your new favorite tool when it comes to taking care of the things you love most, quick and easy solution for a streak-free screen. Simply screw on the sprayer gun on the screen cleaner bottle. Spray the cleaning liquid onto the microfiber cloth, then wipe the screen until desired cleanliness & shine is achieved.
- Quality Screen Care Kit Worth Purchasing - Enjoy a convenient Screen Cleaner anytime, anywhere you need it. Your satisfaction is our top priority. We stand behind the quality of our products and that’s why, you shouldn’t be worrying at all. We manufacture the Best Screen Cleaner. and can be used for laptop cleaning kit, laptop screen cleaner, tv screen cleaner for smart tv. MacBook screen cleaner, monitor cleaner or screen cleaner spray for electronic devices with microfiber cleaning cloth
Use this route when your current Workbench loadout feels mechanically limited rather than economically expensive. After Gunsmith, reassess whether your next constraint is healing, components or a particular utility item instead of automatically buying the next station level.
Sustain-focused progression: Medical Lab first
Choose Medical Lab ahead of Gunsmith when your raids end because you cannot recover from damage, when healing items consume too much carry space or when you play cautiously and value repeatable sustain over new weapons. It is a dedicated medical crafting station, but published guides do not provide a stable, complete current recipe list. Read the station’s live recipe panel for the exact items, level gates and component costs.
Medical Lab is particularly sensible for players learning extraction routes, playing solo, or taking frequent chip damage while exploring. It is less urgent if the starting Workbench already supplies enough bandages and shield rechargers for your normal raid length.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesMobility and access: Utility Station
Utility should move up your list when traversal determines which routes you can safely use. The current Workshop reference lists Zipline at Utility Level 2. A mobility tool can save time, open alternate approaches and reduce exposure, but the value depends on whether your regular maps and squad already provide those options.
Rank #3
- 【Large size】：Measuring 800 x 300 mm/ 31. 5×12 inches, which is wider and taller than others. Large mouse pad can perfectly fit your keyboard and mouse of any size, and there is also ample space for peripherals such as phones, tablets, etc.
- 【LED backlight mouse pad】：Blade Hawks RGB mouse pad provides 7 static modes and 7 dynamic modes will give you the options you are looking for. Power-off memory function remembers the last lighting mode you selected. The super glow fiber Chroma will give you a colorful gaming setup that you want.
- 【Anti-slip rubber base】：Made from Natural rubber, this gaming mousepad will firmly grip your desktop, allowing you to enjoy the ultimate precision in the games you are most passionate about. It also comes with a texture that enhances this ability even further.
- 【Smooth and waterproof surface】: Micro-textured cloth surface, for extremely precise mouse control and a smooth movement. When liquid splashes on the gaming mouse pad, it forms water droplets and slides down. Will not delay your work or gameplay.
- 【Plug and play】: This mouse and keyboard pad is powered by USB, plug and play, no driver required. One button control light modes. Press one time to change the lighting mode, press twice to change the brightness, press and hold about 3 seconds turn ON/OFF.
October 2026 field-crafting coverage also lists Grappling Hook and Zipline among Nomadic Crafting outputs. That means a player seeking mobility should compare two investments: Workshop Utility levels and Survival skill progression. If you mainly want to improvise during a raid, Nomadic Crafting may reach the goal more directly than a station upgrade.
Explosive-focused progression: Explosives Station
Move Explosives earlier when grenades are a core part of your damage, area denial or escape plan. The current reference lists Wolfpack among Level 3 crafts, making it a longer-term target rather than a reason for every new player to spend their first materials here. Verify which grenade recipes are available at the level you can afford and whether the required components compete with ammunition or medical supplies.
Material-constrained progression: Refiner before another specialist level
A September progression guide recommends building the Refiner to convert common materials into components needed for later Workshop upgrades, then returning to Gunsmith progression. Another June guide proposes a different sequence. The useful principle is not the exact order: if you repeatedly have raw materials but lack the processed components shown on an upgrade screen, Refiner can remove that bottleneck. If you already have the required components, spending those materials on a station that changes your raid options may be faster.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Known costs and why you should verify them in-game
A current Workshop reference lists Gunsmith Level 1 at 20 Metal Parts and 30 Rubber Parts. Other guides report conflicting costs or component counts. No reliable, complete official table of station-level prices is available in the cited material, and a guide summarizing Embark Help Center and patch-note information says official pages do not publish a full station-cost and recipe catalog.
Rank #4
- 【Softer and More Comfortable】Vaydeer wrist rest has unique diamond pattern, which is the combination of softness and aesthetics. The materials of wrist rest are improved into higher quality memory foam and covered with silky smooth lycra. The computer wrist rest makes you as comfortable and cushiony as like rest your wrists on clouds.
- 【Ergonomic Wrist Saver】The wrist rests for keyboard and mouse comes with a 17.32×3.15×0.83 inch keyboard wrist pad and a 5.94×3.15×0.83 inch mouse wrist support. Based on ergonomic design, the unique concave shape is the perfect fit for your wrist joints. The wrist rest pad fits most computer keyboards and laptops, improve hand and wrist posture, release your wrist and arm stress.
- 【Non-Slip Rubber Bottom】Featuring an anti-skid silicone base on the bottom, this wrist keyboard support stays firmly in place on your desk, preventing the padding from sliding around, ensuring stable and consistent wrist support during extended computer sessions.
- 【Better Experience & Pain Relief】Our keyboard arm rest is beneficial to alleviate the soreness caused by direct contact and friction between your arm and a hard desk surface, reducing the risk of wrist fatigue or carpal tunnel. The soft texture of memory foam can evenly distribute the pressure around your wrists and provide good support with just enough give.
- 【Helpful in Multiple Scenarios】Whether you're working, studying, writing, typing, gaming, this keyboard and mouse rest combo is an essential accessory to add comfort and support to your hands and wrists. It’s also a great gift for men, women, family, friend, coworker, gamer, teacher, etc.
| Unlock or item | Published detail | How to use the detail |
|---|---|---|
| Gunsmith Level 1 | 20 Metal Parts and 30 Rubber Parts in one current Workshop reference. | Treat as a snapshot, not a permanent price. Confirm the live upgrade screen. |
| Utility Level 2 | Zipline is listed at this level. | Check whether your current patch and station show the same level gate. |
| Explosives Level 3 | Wolfpack is listed among the crafts. | Use it as a later target, not proof that Explosives is the best first station. |
| Medical Lab costs and full recipe list | Not stated consistently in the available guides. | Read the current Medical Lab panel in Speranza. |
| Refiner costs and complete output list | Not stated as a stable, complete table. | Use the live recipe panel; note that Patch Notes 1.2.0 changed a Refiner recipe. |
Prices can change with patches, and the cited guides were published at different times. The in-game requirement is the authority for your account and patch version.
Blueprints, Research Bench and Nomadic Crafting
Blueprint discovery is no longer the only progression idea
GamesRadar reported on September 24, 2026 that the Frozen Trail update was adding Outposts and a Research Bench on October 8. The report describes research points as a way to choose some unlock targets instead of relying only on random blueprint discovery and attributes that explanation to executive producer Aleksander Grøndal. The report does not establish a complete list of targets, prices or restrictions, so inspect the Research Bench itself before planning a route around it.
Nomadic Crafting works during a raid
PC Gamer’s October 8, 2026 guide describes Nomadic Crafting as an expansion of earlier In-Round Crafting and Traveling Tinkerer Survival unlocks. It lists Shotgun, Light, Medium and Heavy Ammo, Grappling Hook, Zipline and Shrapnel Grenade among the crafts. This system changes the decision: not every desired item requires a permanent Workshop investment. If your priority is emergency ammunition or a traversal tool while deployed, invest in the relevant Survival skills and verify the current tooltip rather than assuming Utility or Gunsmith is the only route.
A practical unlock sequence
- Audit the free Workbench. Write down which weapons, ammunition, healing items and grenades it already supplies and identify the item that actually ends your raids.
- Inspect the live station panels in Speranza. Compare Gunsmith, Medical Lab, Utility, Explosives and Refiner. Record the displayed level, materials, blueprint requirement and whether the output is Workshop-only or usable during a raid.
- Choose one bottleneck. Pick Gunsmith Level 1 for general weapon variety, Medical Lab for sustain, Utility for access, Explosives for grenade specialization or Refiner when processed components are the blocker.
- Check blueprint status before upgrading. If the desired recipe requires a blueprint, confirm that you have learned it with “Learn and Consume” and that the station level will expose the recipe.
- Reserve the upgrade materials. Do not spend Metal Parts, Rubber Parts or other components on a lower-priority craft if they are the exact materials shown on the upgrade screen.
- Re-evaluate after several raids. Track what you actually lacked: weapon choice, healing, traversal, explosives or processed components. Buy the next level that addresses the repeated problem, not the item that looks most advanced.
- Check Survival skills separately. If Nomadic Crafting can produce the ammunition or mobility tool you want, compare that skill cost with another Workshop level before committing.
Common mistakes and how to correct them
Assuming there is one objectively best order
Published recommendations differ, and no measured player survey or universal value-per-material calculation establishes a single optimal sequence. Use Gunsmith Level 1 as the broad default, then override it when your actual constraint is medical, mobility, explosive or component supply.
Best Value
- 【No Drill Mounted】Cable management tray can be assembled in as little as 3 minutes or less-simply. Side clips easily clampe the edge of desk, pass through the holes on the sides, and secure excess cables with baskets. Desk cable management supports inward or outward installation to meet your needs in different scenarios, and provides you with great convenience when collecting and organizing wires.
- 【Rubber Pad Protects Desk】Wire organizer under desk built-in soft rubber pads on the clamp protect your desk from scratches, so you will not damage your furniture or office.
- 【Sturdy and Beautiful】Cord management under desk is made of high-quality carbon steel and holds about 15 lbs. The wire basket has 2 holes on each side of the tray to enable your cables to pass freely. Cable baskets are suitable for desk thickness use from 0.4" to 2.4".
- 【Space Saving & Keep Organized】Desk cable management tray holds all your power cords, outlet strips, USB hubs and computer transformers hidden from your feet, and the data cables will not enter the vacuum cleaner to keep your desk clean and tidy. Desk wire organizer is also suitable for use in the kitchen and outdoors.
- 【Reduce Safety Risks】Cable tray under desk keeps all plugs away from your kids, no more worry about tripping. Using 2 holes wire tray saves extra space, helps you easily cabling and wire protection. The mesh design is not easy to accumulate dust, but avoids safety accidents caused by messy wires.
Treating a third-party table as permanent
Station prices and recipes can change. The conflicting Gunsmith figures and the Refiner change noted in Patch Notes 1.2.0 are reminders to use guides for orientation and the live game for the final number.
Ignoring the Workshop-versus-raid distinction
A permanent station upgrade and a Nomadic Crafting skill solve different problems. Workshop recipes help you prepare in Speranza; Nomadic Crafting helps you make selected items while deployed. Decide where you need the capability before spending materials or skill points.
Unlocking a recipe without planning the station level
Blueprints are consumed when learned. If the destination station is not part of your intended route, the blueprint may sit unusable until a later upgrade. Inspect the recipe and station requirement first.
Chasing a high-level explosive craft too early
Wolfpack being listed at Explosives Level 3 does not make Explosives the best first station. A high-level target is useful for long-term planning; it is not evidence that the early levels outperform Gunsmith or Medical Lab for your current raids.
Decision checklist
- Do you already have enough weapons and ammunition from the free Workbench?
- Are failed raids caused more often by damage and healing shortages than by weapon variety?
- Would Zipline, Grappling Hook or another access tool change your regular routes?
- Are grenades a deliberate part of your combat plan, or merely an occasional pickup?
- Does your next upgrade require processed components that a Refiner could produce?
- Is the item available through Survival and Nomadic Crafting instead of a Workshop station?
- Have you checked the current station panel for the exact cost and blueprint gate?
If the answers do not point strongly in another direction, choose Gunsmith Level 1, verify its live requirement, and use your next raids to gather evidence about the bottleneck that should determine the second upgrade.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
