Week 3's Season 3 Trials in ARC Raiders don't reward bravado; they reward clean decisions. You're chasing that three-star line at 4,000 points, but the run only counts if you extract, so every risky peek has a price. Before you even drop, it helps to think about what you're bringing and what you can afford to lose, especially if you've been swapping builds around with different ARC Raiders Items to suit the rotation. The best mindset is simple: score fast, stay mobile, and always leave yourself a way out.



Score by tagging, not by "winning" fights
A lot of people get trapped in the same bad habit: they start a fight and feel like they've got to finish it. Trials usually don't care. They care that you dealt damage to the right ARC types, hit flying units, or interacted with the right objects. So play like a thief, not a champion. Put rounds into a target to tick the requirement, break line of sight, and rotate. If an elite unit is soaking ammo and time, let it live. You'll often bank more points by spreading damage across multiple enemies than by tunnelling on one big kill.



Build a route that stacks objectives
Wandering is what gets you killed. You want a route that keeps you in high-density zones where objectives overlap: probe interactions near resource clusters, patrol routes with regular flying spawns, and safe angles where you can tag enemies without getting boxed in. Try to chain tasks in a single area before you cross open ground. If you've got to move, move with a reason. Also, keep your extraction options in mind early. It's not just "where do I go next," it's "if things go sideways in 30 seconds, where do I run."



Use chaos windows and team roles
Some runs feel slow until the map wakes up. When events kick off and spawns ramp, that's your chance to pile on points quickly—if you don't get greedy. Wait for a strong moment, then farm smart: tag, reposition, tag again. In a squad, split the job. One player pulls attention and keeps enemies busy, another focuses on probes or resource grabs, and a third just tags the required targets as you move. Shared scoring turns it into a quick, controlled sweep instead of a long slog.



Cash out early when the run is "good enough"
The nasty truth is you can play perfectly for ten minutes and still lose everything to one bad corner. Once you're near 4,000, start thinking like you've already won. Top off, clear a path, and rotate toward extraction while you still have plates, meds, and stamina to spare. If you're short on gear, some players even use marketplaces like U4gm to restock items or currency between attempts, just to keep the next run consistent and less stressful. The three-star badge doesn't care how heroic you looked; it cares that you made it out alive.