Are you overwhelmed by the sheer amount of loot you've collected in ARC Raiders? To avoid progression stalls and improve inventory efficiency, check out the latest Arc Raiders loot cheat sheet to manage your items and stash in the best way.  

ARC Raiders Loot Cheat Sheet V3

Recycling is a core feature in ARC Raiders that lets you break down unwanted items into basic materials you can use for crafting. Unlike selling items for coins, recycling gives you usable parts instead of currency, and it’s permanent; you can’t get the original item back once you recycle it. You can recycle nearly any item in the game. But should items be prioritized for recycling or kept? The Reddit user u/pRoDeeD updated the ARC Raiders loot cheat sheet to V3. What to note is that many items have been removed from the Safe to Recycle list. 

ARC Raiders Items to Recycle (Safe to Recycle List)

Recycling is prioritized for ARC Raiders items that you need to convert into usable materials (rather than currency) and that are easy to replace or no longer serve a purpose. Key items to recycle include:

• Excess basic materials beyond a buffer stock – hoarding thousands is unnecessary, as these are easily farmed in raids, and recycling frees up stash space while yielding component parts.

• Unused gear components, such as shotgun attachments if you never use shotguns, and extra grenade stacks you don’t deploy. These can be recycled for basic materials, and most can be re-crafted or repurchased later.

• Low-tier, broken-down items, if you do not plan to sell them whole, while selling whole items yields more currency, recycling broken gear into base materials is better than letting it occupy stash space.

• Leftover quest/expedition/workbench materials after completing all upgrades, quests, and expeditions (e.g., surplus ARC drops, rusted gears, or industrial batteries) – these have no further use once progression is finished.

ARC Raiders Items to Keep

Retention focuses on items critical to gameplay, progression, or hard-to-replace rare gear. Core items to keep include:

• Raid-usable gear and utility items: Guns/attachments/ammo, shields, augments, med kits, and utility items that you actively use in raids – only keep what you deploy regularly (avoid hoarding unused variants).

• Unique progression items (non-craftable/non-purchasable): All ARC drops (Tick Pod, Hornet Driver, Rocketeer Driver, ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, ARC Circuitry, etc.), rusted tools/gears, industrial batteries, mechanical motors – these are required for maxing workbenches and cannot be bought from Celeste or crafted in the refiner.

• Quest/expedition-specific items: Water Pumps, Fertilizer, Cooling Fans, Leaper Pulse Units, etc. These are needed to complete quests and expedition tiers (only a small number of each is required, but they are mandatory).

• Moderate stock of basic materials: 200–300 of each basic material (metal/rubber/plastic parts, fabric, chemicals, seeds) – metal parts are especially important to keep a buffer for gun repairs/upgrades, as they deplete quickly.

• Tracked resources: Any item marked with the "track resources" eye icon (enabled at workbenches/refiners) – these are for upcoming upgrades, so avoid recycling/selling them accidentally.

• Rare, non-craftable items: High-tier utility gear (e.g., rare grenades) that cannot be easily replaced – even if used occasionally for fun, these are worth retaining as they require in-game blueprint unlocks to re-craft.

1. ARC Raiders Items Keep for Expedition

2. ARC Raiders Items Keep for Quests

3. ARC Raiders Items Keep for Workshop Upgrades

What Items to Sell in ARC Raiders?

1. Items Not Needed for Workshop Upgrades or Quests

If an item is not listed as important for quests or workshop upgrades, it’s usually best to sell it. These items often have better value when sold rather than recycled. For example, common loot like basic electronic parts, low-tier components, or junk that doesn’t appear in the “Keep for Quests” or “Workshop Upgrades” lists should be sold.

2. Items with Low Recycling Value (Recycling Returns Less Than Selling)

Recycling during raids typically returns only about 50% of the materials compared to selling. Many high-value components lose a significant portion of their sell value when recycled. So, if you don't need materials immediately for crafting or upgrading, selling these items is more profitable.

3. Items That Are Easily Found or Purchased Later

Some materials, like basic cloth, batteries, or common electrical parts, are easy to get from quests or vendors. If you have more than you need, selling the excess is better than recycling it for a smaller return.