Week 20 Trials in ARC Raiders, running March 16 to 22, don't feel like side missions you tick off on autopilot. They sit right in the extraction loop, so your score only matters if you make it back out with your skin intact. That changes your whole mindset, especially once you've started tuning your kit and checking what you've got in your stash of ARC Raiders Items before you drop. You're not just chasing points. You're deciding what risks you can actually survive.

How the scoring really plays out

The big number this week is 4,000 points for the three-star tier, and the best part is the game only cares about your single best run per trial. That means you can treat your early drops like dry runs. Learn where fights break out, see which routes feel "quiet" and which ones always turn into a mess. A lot of players burn themselves by trying to force a perfect run too early. Instead: 1) do a recon-style run, 2) do a scoring run where you push a bit harder, 3) save the all-in attempt for when you've got the rhythm of the map and the evac timing in your head.

Turning Hornets and Bombardiers into points

This rotation leans hard into combat efficiency, mainly dealing damage to Hornets and Bombardiers. Waiting around and hoping you bump into them is a slow way to score, and it usually ends with you getting third-partied. You'll get better results if you play like you're hunting them: use scans, listen for audio cues, and pay attention to the spots where they tend to get triggered. In a squad, it helps to keep roles simple. One person pulls attention and keeps moving, the others just pour damage in and call reloads. Don't get fancy. Get the damage done, grab what you can, then reset your position before another patrol drifts in.

Spaceport walls, carriables, and a storm to the face

"Damage flying ARCs inside the Spaceport walls" is the one that catches people out. You can see targets in the air and think you're good, then realise you were a few metres outside the zone and the progress didn't count. Lure them in. Back up, use cover, and let them cross the boundary before you start dumping ammo. The carriable objective is a different kind of stress. You move slower, you can't fight cleanly, and you scream "easy kill" to anyone watching. Clear the route first, then pick it up and go straight for evac. And yeah, the lightning task during an electromagnetic storm is real. Don't chase it like a maniac—wait for the weather, step into open ground, take the hit, then tuck back into cover before something else finds you.

Getting out is the whole point

The players scoring high this week aren't necessarily cracked aim-gods. They're disciplined. They chain objectives, they don't overstay fights, and they know when to leave points on the table because extraction is worth more than pride. If you're one good run away from 4,000, don't gamble it on "just one more Bombardier." Lock the route, play the timer, and leave while you're still ahead—then come back later when you're ready to buy ARC Raiders weapons and try a cleaner, faster run with less panic in the middle.