The Frozen Trail 2.0 update adds Weapon Stencils to ARC Raiders, a brand-new cosmetic system that lets players add custom visual patterns to their firearms. Unlike permanent skins that stay bound to your account, stenciled weapons keep their cosmetic applied on the physical gun. This creates an important risk: if you get downed during a raid, other raiders can loot your weapon, and they will also take the stencil with it. This guide explains how ARC Raiders Weapon Stencils work, their rarity tiers, material costs, unlock steps, loot locations, and the best farming strategy for Stencil Parts.
ARC Raiders 2.0 Weapon Stencils Guide
Weapon Stencils function in a similar way to weapon blueprints. Before you can use any stencil, you must first learn its blueprint. Once learned, the stencil stays unlocked permanently for your account, but you still need to spend Stencil Parts to apply that pattern to a compatible weapon.
A key rule to understand: stencil rarity does not need to match your weapon’s rarity. A legendary stencil can go onto a rare or uncommon gun, and an epic stencil works fine on lower-rarity weapons. Compatibility does not depend on weapon level, installed mods, or general weapon class. Instead, every individual weapon model has its own list of supported stencils. Two weapons of the same rarity may not share the same stencil support. For example, Rattler and Kettle are both uncommon weapons, but only Rattler can use epic stencils.
There are 14 total Weapon Stencils in the 2.0 update:
8 stencils can be looted Topside during raids
5 stencils are exclusive rewards from the Frozen Trail Premium Pass
1 stencil comes only with the Collector Set DLC
The 8 lootable Topside stencils are split into three groups: 3 uncommon, 3 rare, and 2 epic.
Uncommon: Garnet, Ochre, Verdigris. These have broad compatibility and can fit most weapons except rocket launchers (Rascal, Hullcracker) and legendary weapons.
Rare: Cerulean, Dusty Camo, Milky Terracotta. Each rare stencil works on a limited list of specific weapons. Cerulean is notable because it can apply to Bettina, Bobcat and Volcano, while Dusty Camo is the only lootable rare stencil compatible with Tempest.
Epic: Slipstream, Tortoise. These two epic stencils have the narrowest compatibility pool. Slipstream works on Rattler, Il Toro and Anvil; Tortoise only supports Rattler and Anvil.
ARC Raiders Weapon Stencils Rarities & Stencil Part Cost
Stencils have four rarity tiers: Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary. The higher the stencil tier, the more Stencil Parts you need to apply the pattern to a weapon.
Common/Uncommon: 2 Stencil Parts
Rare: 4 Stencil Parts
Epic: 7 Stencil Parts
Legendary: 15 Stencil Parts
Uncommon stencils (Garnet, Ochre, Verdigris) are cheap to apply and have wide weapon support, so many players prefer them for regular loadouts. Epic stencils cost more parts and only fit a small selection of guns, making them less practical for most players.
How to Unlock and Use Weapon Stencils in ARC Raiders 2.0?
Loot a stencil blueprint from containers while raiding Topside.
Back in your lobby, right-click the blueprint item and select Learn. This consumes the blueprint and permanently unlocks that stencil in your workshop.
Open the Workshop menu, then navigate to the blueprints tab in the bottom-left corner. You will see all stencils you have unlocked here.
Pick a compatible weapon and select the stencil you want. Spend the required number of Stencil Parts to apply the cosmetic pattern.
After application, the weapon carries the stencil. Remember the risk: death means other raiders can take the weapon with its stencil.
Where and How to Find All Stencil Parts & Stencil Blueprints in ARC Raiders 2.0?
Stencil Parts and stencil blueprints drop randomly from open-world containers during raids. The loot containers that can spawn these items include trash bins and blue suitcases. You can search residential, commercial, and industrial zones for them. Good zones for stencil blueprint finds:
Stella Montis: Lobby area and cafeteria kitchen are reliable spots to find stencil blueprints.
Pendola Pass: The supermarket office and staff room containers can spawn stencil blueprints.
Buried City: Kitchen cupboards occasionally drop stencil blueprints.
Spaceport: Has blue suitcases, though fewer trash bins than Stella Montis.
Pendola Pass does not perform well for farming Stencil Parts. The spawn rate of useful containers is lower compared to Stella Montis.
Best Location to Farm Stencil Parts
Stella Montis is the best map to farm Stencil Parts quickly. Its residential zone has a dense cluster of trash bins and blue suitcases. These containers spawn consistently every raid, so you do not rely on random spawn luck. In a single successful run, players can collect over 15 Stencil Parts.
Recommended farming tips for Stella Montis:
Start from the lobby area with your snap hook. This lets you move between multi-level containers fast.
Prioritize trash bins and blue suitcases first.
Move away from paths other raiders usually take. You want to hit untouched containers before other players loot them.
Keep your run fast. Focus only on target containers instead of fighting other raiders unless forced.
Check sheet metal and other extra loot on the way, but do not let it slow your container route.