In ARC Raiders, the various robots scattered across the map serve as both resources and, at times, a nightmare for players. Some of these ARC units move swiftly, others are heavily armored, and a few take to the skies, pinning players down inside buildings with overwhelming firepower.
One such aerial ARC that often gives players trouble is Firefly. It will trail behind you, determined to burn you to a crisp. To help you overcome this foe, IGGM is here to share Firefly’s weaknesses and the best ways to take it down in open ground with no cover.
Yellow Fuel Tank
According to the developers’ tips, a quick way to bring down a Firefly is to target its yellow fuel tank. This weak point only becomes exposed when Firefly is preparing to attack.
Player testing has confirmed this method works. After landing a few shots, the fuel tank will catch fire, sustaining damage over time while setting off explosive flames on the ground and in the immediate vicinity. If other ARC units are nearby, this can trigger a chain reaction of fire.
That said, even if you manage to destroy its fuel tank, Firefly can still keep attacking. You’ll need to land a few more well-placed shots before it finally explodes for good. Overall, this is an effective weak point, but it’s not the best option.
If you have a weapon like Jupiter, Firefly will hardly pose any threat to you – it has long range and high power, allowing you to destroy Firefly from a great distance. If you need weapon blueprints to significantly enhance your Raider’s power, you can choose to buy cheap ARC Raiders blueprints from IGGM. You no longer need to endure the long grind and rely solely on RNG drops. IGGM provides fast, secure, and reliable service.
Destroy the Thrusters
In truth, the thrusters are Firefly’s real weak point – and the part most worth targeting. Firefly is covered in heavy armor, making its exterior nearly invulnerable. However, its thrusters are offset in design. As it flies, the rear of the unit tilts upward slightly, exposing the rear thrusters. This makes them easy to hit when Firefly is flying toward you from a distance.
This applies to Fireflies and any other flying ARC units. If you can maneuver yourself beneath one, you can theoretically strike its thrusters directly, without needing to break through its armor first.
Another advantage is that attacking the thrusters requires fewer rounds and is far more efficient. When you see a Firefly heading your way, simply aim slightly above it, target its rear, and you’ll hit the rear thrusters. Once these are struck, its flight pattern becomes disrupted. Continue firing to destroy both the front and rear thrusters, and it will lose the ability to stay airborne, ultimately crashing to the ground.
One important note: even after it crashes, lying upside down on the ground, it may still spray flames in all directions as a final retaliation. So don’t rush in immediately to collect ARC Raiders items.
Seeker Grenade
A faster method is to use Seeker Grenade. A single Seeker Grenade missile can take down a Firefly – provided you hit its critical area.
Do not throw Seeker Grenade behind Firefly, as it will strike the rear armor, forcing you to use multiple grenades to finish it off. The best approach is to lob Seeker Grenade high into the air, so the missile attacks from above, where its top armor is relatively weaker.
That said, this method isn’t entirely consistent. Since you can’t control Firefly’s flight path, it can sometimes fail. The most reliable approach remains targeting its thrusters.
The in-game shop sells six Seeker Grenades daily, but if you can acquire ARC Raiders blueprint for it, crafting your own is far more economical. Plus, the materials you recover from downed Fireflies are usually enough to craft one Seeker Grenade.
Firefly Attack Patterns
Based on player testing, a Firefly takes a full 14 seconds to eliminate you, assuming you start with full health and full shields. That’s a considerable span of time in any game, giving you ample opportunity to react.
This data was gathered using a light shield. If you’re equipped with a medium or heavy shield, your survival time will be even longer – and the 14 seconds give you plenty of time to counterattack.
Its attacks are not continuous but come in intermittent bursts, with pauses between its flame sprays. Because Firefly flies very low when attacking, you can easily take that chance to charge toward it and leap onto its top.
How to Handle a Firefly in the open?
If you encounter a Firefly in an open area, do not try to run away. Turning your back and fleeing will almost certainly get you killed. Instead, you should charge straight toward it. As you rush in and dodge beneath it, Firefly will stop its flame attack and turn to reacquire you – it cannot simultaneously spray fire and make sharp turns.
Additionally, Firefly almost always descends to a height low enough to ignite you, but this actually makes it easier for you to jump onto its chassis.
If you manage to leap onto it, you may only be hit by the first or second pulse of its attack, avoiding the full brunt of a sustained blast. So, in open terrain, your best bet is to charge toward it and attempt to jump onto it, using Firefly itself as your cover.
During those 14 seconds, you could also choose to shoot its fuel tank. However, if Firefly is at eye level with you, you may not have a good angle to hit its thrusters, leaving you with either attacking its armor or targeting its fuel tank.
How to jump onto a Firefly?
When a Firefly is right on top of you, the correct move is to sprint beneath it, quickly turn around, and jump onto its top. Once you’re standing on top of it, it can no longer harm you.
From there, aim for the two thrusters at its rear, destroy them, and bring it down. Alternatively, you could detonate the entire chassis, but doing so will deal heavy damage to you and leave you caught in a sea of flames.
This is a high-risk maneuver, but it offers you a far better chance of survival than futilely fleeing. If you focus solely on the thrusters, you can destroy them and leap off, performing a roll as you land – Firefly will crash and explode. You might suffer some burns during your sprint, but at least you’ll make it out alive.
These are the best methods for taking down Firefly, as shared by IGGM. When facing this persistent airborne enemy, charging directly into danger gives you a far greater chance of survival than trying to run away.