A Hullcracker paired with a Showstopper is a practical starting loadout for fighting Bullies in Arc Raiders: use the explosive weapon against armor, then use the stun to create a clear shot at a yellow knee joint. When planning equipment through ARC Raiders Items, choose tools that support that sequence. The aim is to create short, controlled damage windows, not trade shots with the machine in open ground.

Choose Your Weapon Around Armor or Exposed Joints

The Hullcracker suits the armor-breaking part of the encounter, but armor damage and weak-point damage are different jobs. The Frozen Trail update released on October 8, 2026, increased explosive weapon damage against ARC armor plates by over 50 percent while reducing damage against fragile parts by around 30 percent. That makes stripping protection a stronger reason to bring it than assuming every exposed component receives the same benefit.

Anvil and Aphelion are alternatives for players who want deliberate shots at exposed joints and head components. Jupiter also works from cover, particularly when the target gives you a clear firing opportunity. Choose the weapon whose shots you can place consistently: a powerful hit into the armored torso does not accomplish the same job as a controlled hit into a vulnerable joint.

Jupiter also changed with Frozen Trail. Its damage no longer applies twice to ARC parts behind the intended target, leaving it stronger against armor but slightly weaker against weak spots. Older expectations about its component damage therefore need to account for that adjustment.

Bring a Tool That Creates a Firing Window

A Showstopper can interrupt the Bully, while a Tether Launcher briefly restrains a leg. Use either immediately before your planned shots. Spending the restraint window moving into position leaves less time to aim, so establish your firing angle first and activate the tool when your weapon is ready. A Jolt Mine offers another option when you can place it along a straight charge route.

Snap Blast Grenades can attach to the machine or land along its route. Deadline placement asks more of your movement control because the Bully must remain close enough to the explosion. Treat those explosives as additions to a controlled encounter, not a substitute for a firing position and a reliable weapon.

Use the Loadout From Cover on Pendola Pass

Search around Almatera Station, Railroad Junction, or either side of the Commissary Supermarket, but treat those areas as patrol territory rather than fixed encounter markers. Before firing, identify a building edge, large rock, or another solid obstacle. Focus on one yellow knee, dodge sideways when the Bully charges, and use its turn to line up another shot. Its turret moves independently, so reaching its rear does not make you safe.

A solo attempt benefits from keeping the firing sequence simple: cover, interruption, aimed damage, then cover again. For Bait, Fetch, Blast, destroying the machine is only part of the task. You must also recover its Fragmenter, extract, and deliver the item to Apollo, so leave yourself enough resources to finish the return trip. Search the wreckage before committing to another encounter.

Choose your weapon and control tool before comparing replacement costs through cheap ARC Raiders Coins. For the next attempt, equip the combination you can replace, pick your cover before opening fire, and commit your first controlled burst to one exposed knee.