The Frozen Trail update (ARC Raiders 2.0) rebuilt the skill tree from the ground up, and almost every old build guide is now out of date. Skills moved between branches, 16 new abilities arrived, 13 vanished, and the big capstone nodes now force you to pick between options instead of grabbing everything. For Raiders who split their time between fighting other players and farming ARC, that means a fresh plan is needed. A good ARC Raiders PvPvE build needs to do more than win a firefight. It should help you reach cover, deal with ARC, search bodies quickly, and carry your rewards to extraction. In this guide, we bring together the new best PvPvE skill tree builds for solo Raiders, squads, loot runs, and aggressive ambush play.
For a balanced starting point, choose the Security Breach and Sprinting on Fumes hybrid. For squad combat, shift more points toward downed protection. For ARC farming, consider Road Warrior instead of a second movement-focused endpoint.
ARC Raiders 2.0 Best Skill Trees for PvPvE (Solo & Squad)
Frozen Trail did not tweak the skill tree; it rebuilt it. The three branches of Conditioning, Mobility, and Survival remain, but each one now funnels you through a choice node at 10 points where you pick one of two skills, followed by end nodes at 30 and 40 points that share three capstone abilities, so a first capstone costs 31 points in a branch and a second costs 41. With 76 points at max level and a cap of 91 after three Expeditions, you cannot come close to the 93 points needed to top out every branch, and a full reset runs 2,000 Coins per point, so careless spending gets expensive fast. Many skills also changed homes: Security Breach moved from Survival to the top of Conditioning, Broad Shoulders, Loaded Arms, and Safety Press shifted branches, and Fight or Flight now sits in Mobility with a buffed stamina return, which turns Conditioning into the carry-weight and loot branch, Mobility into the fighting and rotation branch, and Survival into a cheap source of Quick Roll and looting speed. For PvE players this means Security Breach and Road Warrior compete for a limited budget against Mule's Gallop and the crawl skills, while PvP players now have to choose between Sprinting on Fumes, Wall Run, and Bull Rush rather than grabbing every movement perk, and hybrid Raiders must decide early which two capstones define their raid. Because the capstones dictate everything else, the builds below are organized around which end skills to lock in first and how to fill the path to them with points you will actually use. So now let's show you how to set up the new best skill trees for PvPvE in Frozen Trail update!
The individual skills now lead into complete builds. Start with your available point total, choose the endpoints you want, and then fill the required paths. Four builds follow. Each one is written at 76 points first, then shows where the 15 Expedition points go. Node costs count the choice node and capstone as 1 point each.
Skill Tree 1: Balanced Solo PvPvE (Security Breach + Sprinting on Fumes)
This is the most well-rounded hybrid for a solo Raider. You get Security Locker access for loot, infinite sprint for rotations, and enough Survival to loot bodies quickly.
Conditioning (31 points)
Used to the Weight 1, Three Deep Breaths 5, Vigorous Vaulter 1, Stubborn Mule 2, Vault 'N' Carry 1 (reach 10)
Choice node: Mule's Gallop
Loaded Arms 1, Broad Shoulders 5
Downed but Determined 5, Crawl Before You Walk 5
Speedy Mule 3 (reach 30)
Capstone: Security Breach
Mobility (31 points)
Youthful Lungs 1, Nimble Climber 5, Fight or Flight 4 (reach 10)
Choice node: Vault Spring
Marathon Runner 5, Swift Start 5, Effortless Roll 5
Fight or Flight to 5, Right Back At It 1, Off the Wall 2 (reach 30)
Capstone: Sprinting on Fumes
Survival (14 points)
In-Raid Crafting 1, Looter's Instinct 5, Sturdy Ankles 3, Silent Scavenger 1 (reach 10)
Choice node: Quick Roll
Traveling Tinkerer 1, Looter's Luck 2
91-point expansion
Off the Wall to 5, Slip and Slide 5, Sure-Footed Scrambler 1, then pick up Wall Run as your second Mobility capstone. Spend the last 5 on Looter's Luck to 5 and 2 into Speedy Mule or Proficient Pryer.
Downed but Determined and Crawl Before You Walk roughly double your crawl distance when knocked, which matters even solo because self-revive items exist. Swift Start plus Sprinting on Fumes gives you the fastest map traversal in the game, and Security Breach keeps the loot flowing.
Moving from solo to group play, the next setup trades Security Breach for disruption tools that shine when a teammate is covering you.
Skill Tree 2: Squad PvPvE (Bull Rush + Sprinting on Fumes + Turtle Crawl)
In squads, your downed state is a resource because someone can pick you up. This build leans into that with Turtle Crawl while keeping the infinite sprint and adding Bull Rush for interrupting enemy loots and extractions.
Conditioning (31 points)
Used to the Weight 1, Three Deep Breaths 5, Stubborn Mule 3, Vigorous Vaulter 1 (reach 10)
Choice node: Mule's Gallop
Loaded Arms 1, Broad Shoulders 5
Speedy Mule 3, Crawl Before You Walk 5, Downed but Determined 5 (reach 30)
Capstone: Bull Rush
Mobility (31 points)
Youthful Lungs 1, Sure-Footed Scrambler 5, Fight or Flight 4 (reach 10)
Choice node: Vault Spring
Marathon Runner 5, Effortless Roll 5, Swift Start 5, Right Back At It 1
Fight or Flight to 5, Nimble Climber 2 (reach 30)
Capstone: Sprinting on Fumes
Survival (14 points)
In-Raid Crafting 1, Looter's Instinct 5, Silent Scavenger 1, Sturdy Ankles 3 (reach 10)
Choice node: Quick Roll
Stylish Landing 1, Turtle Crawl 2
91-point expansion
Turtle Crawl to 5, Slip and Slide 5, Stylish Landing to 5, then 2 points into Nimble Climber.
Turtle Crawl reduces damage taken while downed, which buys your teammate the seconds needed to reach you with a Defibrillator. Bull Rush lets you shove a player off a core, out of a container, or off an elevated platform while your squadmate finishes the job. Sure-Footed Scrambler also helps on stairs during pushes. Stylish Landing lets you recovery roll from greater heights, a good partner for the grapple hook.
If you want to spend more time in fights than in squads, the following setup pushes Mobility even harder.
Skill Tree 3: Mobility-First Solo PvPvE (Two Mobility Capstones)
This is the aggressive solo variant. It pulls 41 points into Mobility for two end skills while keeping just enough Conditioning to carry loot out.
Conditioning (22 points)
Used to the Weight 1, Three Deep Breaths 5, Stubborn Mule 3, Vigorous Vaulter 1 (reach 10)
Choice node: Mule's Gallop
Loaded Arms 1, Broad Shoulders 5, Speedy Mule 5
Mobility (41 points)
Youthful Lungs 1, Nimble Climber 5, Fight or Flight 4 (reach 10)
Choice node: Vault Spring (or Vaults on Vaults on Vaults if you prefer)
Marathon Runner 5, Effortless Roll 5, Swift Start 5, Off the Wall 4 (reach 30)
First capstone: Sprinting on Fumes
Off the Wall to 5, Fight or Flight to 5, Slip and Slide 5, Right Back At It 1, Sure-Footed Scrambler 1 (reach 40)
Second capstone: Wall Run (swap to In the Flow once it is fixed)
Survival (13 points)
In-Raid Crafting 1, Looter's Instinct 5, Silent Scavenger 1, Sturdy Ankles 3 (reach 10)
Choice node: Quick Roll
Traveling Tinkerer 1, Looter's Luck 1
91-point expansion:
Downed but Determined 5, Crawl Before You Walk 3 (Conditioning reaches 30), then take Security Breach as a bonus third capstone. Spend the remaining 6 on Crawl Before You Walk to 5 and Looter's Luck.
Effortless Roll (34% cheaper dodges) plus Quick Roll gives you near-endless rolling in fights. Two Mobility capstones mean you can run forever and vertical-escape through walls. At 91 points you add Security Breach, which turns this into a genuine three-capstone hybrid.
For players whose PvPvE sessions tilt toward long ARC-farming raids with occasional fights, the final build goes the other direction.
Skill Tree 4: Loot-Heavy PvPvE (Security Breach + Road Warrior)
This is the cheapest way to own two capstones at 76 points, and it is ideal for squads that farm heavy ARC and recycle on the move while still holding their own against players.
Conditioning (31 points)
Used to the Weight 1, Three Deep Breaths 5, Stubborn Mule 3, Vigorous Vaulter 1 (reach 10)
Choice node: Mule's Gallop
Loaded Arms 1, Proficient Pryer 5, Broad Shoulders 5
Downed but Determined 5, Crawl Before You Walk 2 (reach 30)
Capstone: Security Breach
Survival (31 points)
In-Raid Crafting 1, Looter's Instinct 5, Sturdy Ankles 3, Silent Scavenger 1 (reach 10)
Choice node: Quick Roll
Traveling Tinkerer 1, Looter's Luck 5
Gentle Pressure 1, A Little Extra 1, Turtle Crawl 5
Silent Scavenger to 5, Sturdy Ankles to 5 (reach 30)
Capstone: Road Warrior
Mobility (14 points)
Youthful Lungs 1, Fight or Flight 5, Nimble Climber 4 (reach 10)
Choice node: Vault Spring
Marathon Runner 3
91-point expansion:
Marathon Runner to 5, Swift Start 5, Effortless Roll 5, then 3 points into Speedy Mule.
Proficient Pryer at rank 5 cuts breach time by 30%, A Little Extra gives bonus metal and ARC alloy from breached doors and containers, and Looter's Luck at max reveals two items at once 33% of the time. Road Warrior doubles power cell drops and lets you recycle a Microscope into an Advanced Mechanical Component and magnets mid-raid instead of hauling the bulky item home. Silent Scavenger at 50% less looting noise keeps ARC off your back while you work.