ARC Raiders now has more gadgets than it has gadget slots worth filling. Frozen Trail 2.0 added the Grappling Hook, Tether Launcher, two Cameras, the Mountaineer's Detector and two new instruments, and it nerfed the Snap Hook in the same patch so the two hooks would stop overlapping. Updates 2.1.0 and 2.2.0 then spent most of their item notes polishing the Grappling Hook. So the old answer ("bring a Snap Hook, bring a Cloak") needs re-checking. This ARC Raiders gadgets guide ranks every item in the game's Gadget category, gives the craft recipe, station and blueprint route for every gadget worth crafting, and settles the question most Raiders are actually asking: Snap Hook or Grappling Hook. Stats are taken from the ARC Raiders Wiki gadget pages and checked against Embark's own patch notes.
Quick answer (TL;DR): For most raids, run the Grappling Hook. It's Uncommon, has a 20 m range, crafts at Utility Station 1 from 2 Rope, 1 Cable Stripper and 1 Mechanical Components, and you can repair it with 1 Rope and 1 Cable Stripper. Keep the Snap Hook (Legendary, 18 m, now 4% durability and 60 power per use since 2.0) for PvP pushes and fast escapes where speed beats cost. The Photoelectric Cloak (Epic, 5 power per second, no blueprint needed) is the best non-movement gadget for breaking ARC aggro. The Tether Launcher is a strong new B-tier pick, and the Noisemaker, Binoculars and Flame Spray are cheap filler. Cameras and instruments are for quests and fun, not survival.
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What counts as a gadget in ARC Raiders?
Gadgets are one of five Quick Use categories, alongside Healing, Utility, Grenades and Traps. The wiki describes them as "single-purpose tools with wide variety of functions" (Quick Use, ARC Raiders Wiki). That's narrower than most players assume. Ziplines, Door Blockers, Barricade Kits, Remote Raider Flares, Fireworks Boxes and Surge Coils are Utility items, not gadgets, and the Yank Grenade from 2.0 sits under Grenades. This ranking covers the Gadget category only, which currently holds 19 items:
- Movement: Snap Hook, Grappling Hook, Powered Descender
- Combat and survival: Photoelectric Cloak, Tether Launcher, Flame Spray, Noisemaker
- Scouting and searching: Binoculars, Mountaineer's Detector, Dockmaster's Detector
- Augment-locked: Integrated Binoculars, Integrated Shield Recharger
- Social and quest: Basic Camera, Advanced Camera, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Harmonica, Recorder, Shaker
What is the best ARC Raiders gadgets tier list for Update 2.2?
The tier is about how often a gadget earns a slot in a real loadout, weighted by what it costs to replace when you lose it topside.
| Tier | Gadget | Rarity | Why |
|---|---|---|---|
| S | Grappling Hook | Uncommon | Cheap, 20 m, climb, swing and rappel; repaired for 1 Rope + 1 Cable Stripper |
| S | Snap Hook | Legendary | Fastest burst mobility in the game, but expensive and burns 4% durability per use |
| A | Photoelectric Cloak | Epic | ARC lose sight of you, even mid-fight; no blueprint needed |
| B | Tether Launcher | Rare | Two shots, 30 m, roots ARC or Raiders for 10 s |
| B | Powered Descender | Epic | Controlled drops from towers and cliffs; pricey Turbine Compressor recipe |
| B | Mountaineer's Detector | Rare | Finds buried objects in Pendola Pass snow and Riven Tides sand |
| C | Noisemaker | Common | 8 m Raider alarm, stacks to 3, crafts in your inventory |
| C | Binoculars | Common | Two zoom levels for scouting; cheap and light |
| C | Flame Spray | Uncommon | 10 damage per second, in-round craft only |
| C | Dockmaster's Detector | Uncommon | Only useful during the Beachcombing condition on Riven Tides |
| Quest | Basic and Advanced Camera | Uncommon and Rare | Needed for photo objectives, including the first Outpost step |
| Fun | Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Harmonica, Recorder, Shaker | Varies | Attract ARC and entertain other Raiders |
| Auto | Integrated Binoculars, Integrated Shield Recharger | Common | Come free with Mk. 3 augments; can't be dropped |
Snap Hook vs Grappling Hook: which should you run?
Run the Grappling Hook by default and the Snap Hook when the raid plan is aggressive. Before 2.0 the Snap Hook was simply the best movement item, so the Grappling Hook could have been a cheaper copy. Embark deliberately split them instead. From the official Frozen Trail 2.0 patch notes:
"While the Snap Hook has previously been a 'general use' mobility gadget, with the introduction of the Grappling Hook, we felt the need to give them their own identity outside of a 'linear upgrade' path. With these changes, we aim to make the Snap Hook better fit its role as being a burst mobility gadget; something that is used to quickly close distance or traverse a location, but with more commitment when doing so." — Embark Studios, Frozen Trail 2.0 patch notes
The nerf that came with it: Snap Hook range dropped from 20 m to 18 m, durability use per pull doubled from 2% to 4%, and power cost rose from 50 to 60. Embark says you can still chain a few pulls from full power, just not back-to-back. Here's how the two compare now:
| Snap Hook | Grappling Hook | |
|---|---|---|
| Rarity | Legendary | Uncommon |
| Range | 18 m | 20 m |
| Craft | 2 Power Rod + 2 Steel Cable + 1 Exodus Modules | 2 Rope + 1 Cable Stripper + 1 Mechanical Components |
| Station | Utility Station 3 | Utility Station 1 |
| Blueprint | Scavenged, or the Trophy Display project (Part 1, Stage 5); not researchable | Scavenged, or researched for 2,000 Research Points + 10 Rope at Research Station 1 |
| Repair (+50 durability) | 1 Power Rod + 1 Exodus Modules | 1 Rope + 1 Cable Stripper |
| Sell price | 14,000 Coins | 1,200 Coins |
| Best at | PvP pushes, fast escapes, getting on top of a Queen or Matriarch | Climbing, swinging, rappelling down slowly, reaching high loot |
What players say after two weeks with both: in r/ArcRaiders threads such as "Grappling hook or Snap hook?" and "What's the point of the grappling hook?", the common view is that the Snap Hook is still faster and better for quick PvP repositioning, while the Grappling Hook gets used far more often because it's cheap enough to bring every raid without worrying about it. One player put it bluntly: the durability burn has turned the Snap Hook into a "repair after every game" item. The main complaint about the Grappling Hook is that climbing and descending feel slow, so dropping off a tall building with it takes longer than just jumping with a Snap Hook. One player sums up the split well: the Snap Hook launches you in a straight line, the Grappling Hook lets you actually swing.
Embark has kept tuning the Grappling Hook since launch. Update 2.1.0 made it easier to vault onto ledges and roofs "especially on Pendola Pass" and fixed the line breaking when you hook onto a moving Ballistic Gondola. Update 2.2.0 on October 20 improved rappelling to the ground, made wall detection more reliable on steep slopes and let you go straight from wall-climbing into ladders and ziplines. Two known issues are still listed: in rare cases the hook can throw you upward at high speed, and it can't be thrown from inside the Matriarch's shield.
The verdict: if you farm PvE or run Pendola Pass, the Grappling Hook is the better slot. Its 20 m range is longer, it's cheap to repair, and the 2.1 and 2.2 fixes were aimed at exactly that map. If you're heading into a PvP-heavy lobby or a boss fight where you need to get on top of something fast, bring the Snap Hook and budget for a repair.
Is the Photoelectric Cloak still worth bringing?
Yes, for anything ARC-heavy. When it's active, "any ARC entity will lose sight of you, even if engaged in active combat," per the Photoelectric Cloak wiki page. The trade-off is that you can only walk slowly, and Raiders can still see you.
Its power cost has moved twice. Update 1.26.0 raised it from 2.5 to 10 power per second and the weight from 1 to 3, which is when the "Cloak is useless now" threads started. Update 1.29.0 halved the cost back to 5 per second. Then Live Update 1.42.0 added: "The Photoelectric Cloak now works against Turbine lightning attacks and Matriarch missiles." That made it a real counter for the two machines most likely to end a solo run.
Three details matter in practice:
- Use it in long bursts. Each activation takes a chunk of energy up front, so tapping it on and off drains it faster than holding it.
- Two Cloaks don't double the duration. The energy meter is shared across every Cloak you carry.
- It recharges while stowed. You don't need it in your hands for the meter to refill.
It crafts at Utility Station 3 from 2 Advanced Electrical Components and 4 Speaker Component, with no blueprint required. Repair costs 1 Advanced Electrical Components and 2 Speaker Component for +50 durability. It's an Epic that sells for 5,000 Coins, so losing one hurts less than losing a Snap Hook.
What does the Tether Launcher actually do?
The Tether Launcher is a Rare, two-shot gadget with a 30 m range. Each shot anchors a line to whatever it hits and links the two points together for 10 seconds. Embark's Frozen Trail preview described it as connecting two points with a wire and rooting them in place, and noted it can even attach Raiders to ARC so they get dragged away. In PvP it's a disruption tool: link a pushing Raider to the scenery and you buy time to trade shots.
It sits in B tier because it takes setup and good aim. It crafts at Utility Station 2 from 2 Steel Cable, 1 Advanced Electrical Components and 1 Calculator. The blueprint can be researched for 2,000 Research Points + 3 Steel Cable + 1 Unusable Weapon at Research Station 2. One quality-of-life fix to know about: in-round repair didn't work at 2.0 launch, and Update 2.2.0 fixed it, so field repairs now work. If you're spending Research Points anyway, our Research Points priority guide helps you decide whether this blueprint is worth them.
Powered Descender: who should craft it?
The Powered Descender is an Epic that slows your fall in mid-air. It has a wind-up before reaching full force and shuts off when its power runs out. That makes it a specialist pick for players who drop off Spaceport launch towers, cliffs and rooftops to escape. The problem is the recipe: 1 Power Rod + 1 Turbine Compressor at Utility Station 3, and Turbine Compressors come from destroying the ARC Turbine. The blueprint is researchable at Research Station 3 for 3,000 Research Points + 2 Cooling Fan + 1 Advanced Electrical Components. It sells for 10,000 Coins and weighs 5. A Snap Hook pulled at a wall mid-fall does a similar job, which is why the Descender stays in B tier.
Which cheap gadgets are worth a slot?
- Mountaineer's Detector (B): a Rare added in 2.0 that finds buried objects in the snow on Pendola Pass, and in the sand on Riven Tides. You move at a slow walk while it's active, and it beeps faster as you get closer. It has no craft recipe and no quest reward, so you have to find it topside, and its energy meter is shared between detectors, just like the Cloak.
- Noisemaker (C): a Common proximity alarm that goes off when enemy Raiders enter an 8 m radius. It stacks to 3, weighs 0.3, and crafts straight from your inventory with the Traveling Tinkerer skill (1 Speaker Component + 2 Plastic Parts). Apollo also sells it for 1,920 Coins. It's good for covering a stairwell while you loot.
- Binoculars (C): a Common scouting tool with two zoom levels. It crafts at Utility Station 1 from 8 Plastic Parts and 4 Rubber Parts. Skip crafting it if you run the Looting Mk. 3 (Cautious) augment, which gives you Integrated Binoculars that weigh nothing.
- Flame Spray (C): an Uncommon that sprays fire for 10 damage per second. It can only be crafted mid-raid through In-Round Crafting (1 Air Freshener + 1 Fireball Burner). Its range was buffed in 2.0, but it's still a fun pick rather than a reliable one.
- Dockmaster's Detector (C): the Uncommon original detector. It only finds objects during the Beachcombing map condition on Riven Tides, so the Mountaineer's Detector mostly replaces it.
Do you need a Camera or an instrument?
You need a Camera, at least once. In 2.0 Embark rewrote several older quests (The League, Reduced to Rubble, Life of a Pharmacist, Battening Down, Groundbreaking) to require photos, and the first Outpost step, "Research Topside Living Conditions", asks for a photo of a farmland house. The Basic Camera crafts at Workbench 1 from 8 Plastic Parts and 1 Wires, and Shani sells it for 1,920 Coins. The Advanced Camera adds more manual controls and needs a blueprint (Utility Station 1: Camera Lens + Calculator + Electrical Components). The finished Advanced Camera is also on the free Reward Pass and sold by Shani for 3,000 Coins, while its blueprint is scavenged or earned from the Outpost project (Part 1, Stage 1). See our Outpost build guide for what the photo step unlocks.
The five instruments (Acoustic Guitar, Banjo, Harmonica, Recorder and Shaker) all draw ARC attention and entertain nearby Raiders. That's a fun way to make friends topside, but none of them deserves a slot in a serious loadout.
How do you unlock ARC Raiders gadgets fastest?
The cheap tier needs no blueprint: Binoculars, Basic Camera, Noisemaker (with Traveling Tinkerer), Flame Spray (with In-Round Crafting) and the Photoelectric Cloak all craft from base recipes. The rest is a blueprint chase:
| Blueprint | Research Station route | Other sources |
|---|---|---|
| Grappling Hook | Level 1: 2,000 RP + 10 Rope | Scavenging |
| Tether Launcher | Level 2: 2,000 RP + 3 Steel Cable + 1 Unusable Weapon | Scavenging |
| Powered Descender | Level 3: 3,000 RP + 2 Cooling Fan + 1 Advanced Electrical Components | Scavenging |
| Snap Hook | Not researchable | Scavenging, Trophy Display project (Part 1, Stage 5) |
| Advanced Camera | Not researchable | Scavenging, Outpost project (Part 1, Stage 1) |
No quest currently awards any of these blueprints. The Snap Hook is the only top-tier gadget you can't research, so unless you've reached Stage 5 of the Trophy Display project, it's still the one most players are stuck farming. The blueprints index lists every blueprint and where it drops.
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FAQ
What is the best gadget in ARC Raiders? For most raids it's the Grappling Hook: it's cheap, has a 20 m range, and is easy to repair. The Snap Hook is still the best for burst movement in PvP, but since 2.0 it costs 4% durability and 60 power per pull.
Is the Snap Hook worse than the Grappling Hook now? Not worse, just different. The Snap Hook is faster and launches you in a straight line. The Grappling Hook reaches 2 m further and can climb, swing and rappel. Embark split them on purpose in Frozen Trail 2.0.
Can you research the Snap Hook blueprint? No. The wiki lists it as not craftable at the Research Station. It comes from scavenging or the Trophy Display project (Part 1, Stage 5), and no quest awards it. The Grappling Hook, Tether Launcher and Powered Descender blueprints can all be researched.
Does the Photoelectric Cloak hide you from other players? No. It only makes ARC lose sight of you. Raiders can still see you, and you can only walk slowly while it's on.
Do two Photoelectric Cloaks last twice as long? No. All Cloaks you carry share one energy meter, so a second Cloak doesn't add duration.
Is the Zipline a gadget? No. In-game it's a Utility item, along with the Door Blocker, Barricade Kit, Remote Raider Flare, Fireworks Box and Surge Coil.
