The Hullcracker is ARC Raiders' Epic pump-action grenade launcher: Launcher Ammo, a 5-round magazine, 100 damage per grenade and Very Strong ARC armor penetration. Its grenades "only detonate when hitting ARC", so it's a machine killer, not a PvP gun. Frozen Trail 2.0 made it amplifiable, and it's one of the few guns where the decision isn't "which path". It only gets two nodes, Mag Reload and Incendiary Grenades, and they don't conflict. The real question is whether each one is worth a permanent slot, and whether Incendiary's damage trade is one you want. This Hullcracker amplification guide covers both nodes with the tooltip values and costs from the ARC Raiders Wiki amplified-weapons table, the research behind Incendiary Grenades, the full material bill, and the fastest current route to the gun itself now that Shani no longer sells the blueprint.
Quick answer (TL;DR): The Epic Hullcracker needs one Amplification Module Mk. IV to reach Level 5, after the Gunsmith and Research Station both hit Level 4. It has two nodes that stack. Mag Reload (3 Propellant Valve Assembly, no research listed) removes single-shell loading, so you reload the whole 5-round magazine at once. Incendiary Grenades (3 Fossilized Lightning, Compact Combustion Charges research) adds 11.25 burn damage per second for 5 seconds but cuts grenade damage by 40% and projectile velocity by 50%. Our pick: Mag Reload first, always. Take Incendiary only if your Hullcracker's job is slow, heavy ARC. If it's your Rocketeer killer, skip it: amplifications are permanent.
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What is Hullcracker amplification?
Weapon Amplification arrived with Frozen Trail 2.0 on October 8, 2026. Amplified weapons can be upgraded to Level 5, which unlocks amplification slots that change how the gun works (Amplified Weapons, ARC Raiders Wiki). The Level 5 upgrade consumes an Amplification Module matching the weapon's base rarity. The Hullcracker is Epic, so it takes an Amplification Module Mk. IV, the second-highest tier after Mk. V. Every Level 5 weapon also gets +70 Max Durability.
Two rules apply to every amplified gun:
- Activated amplifications are permanent. You can't remove or swap a node once it's on.
- Some nodes need research first. On the Hullcracker, only Incendiary Grenades does.
The stock gun explains which node matters more. The Hullcracker holds 5 grenades and reloads them one shell at a time, which is why long ARC fights with it turn into a reload-dance behind cover. If you're still deciding what to amplify at all, the amplified weapons hub lists every eligible gun, and our best weapons for killing ARC guide explains where the Hullcracker fits.
What are the Hullcracker amplification nodes?
The Hullcracker sits in the wiki's Specials table with two nodes:
| Node | Effect | Research | Materials | Rules |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mag Reload | Removes the need to reload one projectile at a time | None listed | 3 Propellant Valve Assembly | None |
| Incendiary Grenades | +11.25/s burn damage, +5s burn duration, 40% reduced projectile damage, 50% reduced projectile velocity | Compact Combustion Charges | 3 Fossilized Lightning | None |
ARC Tracker's upgrade tree for the Amplified Hullcracker agrees: two perks, Incendiary needs the Compact Combustion Charges research and 3 Fossilized Lightning, Mag Reload costs 3 Propellant Valve Assembly, and it lists a combined "Incendiary Rounds + Mag Reload" variant, which confirms the two stack. (ARC Tracker labels the node "Incendiary Rounds"; the wiki's Specials table calls it Incendiary Grenades.)
What does Mag Reload do?
The tooltip is one line: "Removes the need to reload one projectile at a time." Instead of feeding grenades in one by one, you reload the magazine in one go. No stat penalty is listed, no research is listed, and it doesn't conflict with anything. The wiki doesn't publish a reload time for either version, so we won't put a number on the saving. Being able to empty five grenades into a Bastion and get all five back in one action is the upgrade most Hullcracker players actually want.
What does Incendiary Grenades do?
The tooltip: "Adds an incendiary compound to the projectile, causing it to spread fire when detonating on ARC." The Hullcracker's numbers:
- +11.25 burn damage per second for +5 seconds
- 40% reduced projectile damage (100 down to 60 per grenade)
- 50% reduced projectile velocity
Because the Hullcracker's grenades only detonate on ARC, the fire only spreads when you hit a machine. A miss on the ground does nothing, same as before.
Mag Reload vs Incendiary Grenades: which first?
Mag Reload, and it isn't close. Here's the math on Incendiary. It assumes every grenade lands on the target and the target burns for the full 5 seconds, which a moving machine won't always do:
| Per grenade | Stock | Incendiary Grenades |
|---|---|---|
| Impact damage | 100 | 60 |
| Burn damage (best case) | 0 | 56.25 over 5s |
| Total (best case) | 100 | 116.25 |
| Projectile velocity | 100% | 50% |
So Incendiary is, at best, about 16% more damage per grenade, and you get it late: you lose 40 damage on impact and earn back 56.25 over five seconds. The wiki doesn't say whether burns from several grenades stack on one target, so don't count on a 5-grenade dump multiplying the fire.
Two more things push it down the list:
- Half the velocity. Slower grenades are harder to land on anything that moves. On a Rocketeer or anything flying, that's a real loss of hits, and every miss is a 0.
- Frozen Trail already reworked explosive damage against ARC. The 2.0 patch notes say explosives like the Hullcracker now deal over 50% more damage to armor plates and about 30% less to fragile parts (Frozen Trail 2.0 patch notes). Incendiary cuts that front-loaded impact hit by 40%, so you're trading away the part of the grenade that just got buffed.
Mag Reload has no trade-off at all. It's cheaper to unlock (no research), its material comes from the same runs that drop your module, and it fixes the Hullcracker's biggest weakness. Put it on first.
Which Hullcracker amplification build is best?
Rank them by what you bring the Hullcracker for:
- Rocketeers and other fast or flying ARC: Mag Reload only. Keep the full 100-damage grenade and the stock velocity. That's the version that lands hits on moving targets.
- Bastions and other slow, heavy ARC: Mag Reload, then Incendiary Grenades. A slow machine sits in the fire long enough to take most of the burn, so the best-case math is closer to real.
- Not sure yet: Mag Reload and stop. Incendiary is permanent and costs Fossilized Lightning, one of the rarer node materials. You can always add it later. You can never take it off.
Our verdict: Mag Reload is the Hullcracker amplification. Incendiary is a niche add-on for players who use the launcher as a slow-target tool, not a straight upgrade.
How do you unlock Hullcracker amplification?
The chain is the same for every amplifiable weapon (Amplified Weapons, ARC Raiders Wiki):
- Get a Hullcracker (next section).
- Raise the Gunsmith to Level 4.
- Raise the Research Station to Level 4. The Outpost build guide covers the order.
- Upgrade the Hullcracker to Level 5 with one Amplification Module Mk. IV.
- Activate Mag Reload. Finish Compact Combustion Charges first if you also want Incendiary Grenades.
The research: Compact Combustion Charges
Amplified Research projects have two steps: a challenge, then 5,000 Research Points plus ARC components (Amplified Research, ARC Raiders Wiki). The research text sums it up: "Most explosives end with the detonation. Blaze Grenades have the good sense to keep causing trouble afterward."
- Step 1: deal 3,000 damage with Blaze Grenades. Not with the Hullcracker. A Blaze Grenade burns for 5 damage per second over 10 seconds in a 10 m radius (Blaze Grenade, ARC Raiders Wiki), so one grenade on one target is worth up to 50. Throw them into groups of ARC to get there faster. Apollo sells Blaze Grenades (4,800 Coins, 3 per day), or you can craft them at the Explosives Station 3 once you have the blueprint.
- Step 2: submit 5,000 Research Points and 5 Bombardier Cells.
Once it's done, Incendiary Grenades is unlocked for good on every eligible weapon. That includes the Rascal, the other launcher, whose Incendiary Grenades node has the same research and cost but only a 15% velocity penalty. If Research Points are your bottleneck, see which research pays best.
The materials
- Propellant Valve Assembly (Mag Reload, 3 needed): an amplification material that ARC Tracker lists in two containers only, the Fallen Emperor and the ARC Frigate. That's the same pair of sources as the modules, so you'll usually find them on the same runs.
- Fossilized Lightning (Incendiary Grenades, 3 needed): Epic, "occasionally found at the epicenter of lightning strikes" during the Electromagnetic Storm map condition (Fossilized Lightning, ARC Raiders Wiki). The wiki lists that condition on Dam Battlegrounds, Spaceport and The Blue Gate. It's the exotic one: it isn't in the Fallen Emperor or ARC Frigate loot, so your module runs won't cover it. Check the map conditions before you drop and go storm-chasing.
- Bombardier Cell (research, 5 needed): Epic, scavenged from destroyed Bombardiers (Bombardier Cell, ARC Raiders Wiki).
How do you get the Hullcracker in Frozen Trail?
The old answers are out of date. Frozen Trail 2.0 removed the Hullcracker Blueprint from Shani's shop (Hullcracker Blueprint, ARC Raiders Wiki), and Tian Wen no longer sells the finished gun: the patch notes moved the Hullcracker into the weekly Nomadic Envoys rotation. Today there are three routes:
- Research the blueprint. The Research Station can now make the Hullcracker Blueprint at Research Station 3 for 4,500 Research Points, 5 Bombardier Cells and 1 Complex Gun Parts. If you're amplifying anyway, your Research Station is already past that level. That makes this the quickest route for most players.
- Finish The Major's Footlocker. Tian Wen gives it after A Symbol Of Unification: find Major Aiva's mementos in the apartments northwest of The Dam on Dam Battlegrounds in one round and bring them back. It rewards the blueprint, but it's deep in Tian Wen's questline.
- Barter for a built one. Cassio's weekly Nomadic Envoys stock has included a Hullcracker II for barter. It's handy for stocking up, but it doesn't teach the blueprint and the weekly stock rotates.
With the blueprint learned, the Hullcracker I crafts at Gunsmith 3 from 1 Magnetic Accelerator, 3 Heavy Gun Parts and 1 Exodus Modules (Hullcracker, ARC Raiders Wiki). Getting it from I to IV takes another 5 Advanced Mechanical Components and 6 Heavy Gun Parts.
One thing to plan for: the research-blueprint route and Compact Combustion Charges both ask for 5 Bombardier Cells. If you go that way and want Incendiary Grenades too, budget 10.
Where do you get an Amplification Module Mk. IV?
The wiki lists two sources for every Mark: the Fallen Emperor on Pendola Pass, opened with an Emperor Gateway Conduit, and the cargo inside the ARC Frigate during the ARC Frigate event (Amplification Module Mk. IV, ARC Raiders Wiki). The Amplification Module farm guide compares the two, and the Frigate guide covers the boarding run.
What happens if you lose an amplified Hullcracker?
Research is permanent. Once Compact Combustion Charges is done, it stays done. The Mk. IV module and the node materials are spent on that one gun. If you're knocked out, your amplified weapon drops with its durability cut to 10%. Lose it and the next one costs another Mk. IV, plus 3 more Propellant Valve Assemblies and, if you took Incendiary, 3 more Fossilized Lightning.
Level 5 weapons can only be repaired with Amplified Fragments. ARC Tracker lists 17 Amplified Fragments for a 50% repair and an Amplified Hullcracker sell value of 27,200, against 22,000 for a Hullcracker IV on the wiki. Since the Hullcracker does nothing to Raiders, it's mainly a weapon for ARC fights, which is exactly when you're most likely to get third-partied. Extract with it.
Is amplifying the Hullcracker worth it?
Yes, for Mag Reload. A Mk. IV module and 3 Propellant Valve Assemblies, with no research, fix the launcher's slowest habit. Incendiary Grenades is the optional part: Compact Combustion Charges (3,000 Blaze Grenade damage, 5,000 Research Points and 5 Bombardier Cells) plus 3 Fossilized Lightning buy you a best-case 16% damage gain against slow targets and a real loss against fast ones. Take it if you run the Hullcracker as a Bastion-killer. Otherwise, stop at Mag Reload.
For how the rest of the roster compares, the ARC Raiders amplified weapons hub lists every amplifiable gun and node, and the Kettle and Burletta guides cover two more builds. Our older Hullcracker blueprint guide has the full Major's Footlocker walkthrough.
Skip the Hullcracker grind? timesaver.gg can cover the blueprint and the Research Station for you:
- Hullcracker Blueprint: learn the Hullcracker without the questline or the Bombardier Cells.
- Outpost Research Boost: push the Research Station to the level that unlocks amplification.
FAQ
Can you have Mag Reload and Incendiary Grenades on the same Hullcracker? Yes. Neither node lists a conflict, and ARC Tracker shows a combined Incendiary plus Mag Reload Amplified Hullcracker. Amplifications are permanent, so add Incendiary only when you're sure you want it.
Does Mag Reload need research? The wiki lists no research for the Hullcracker's Mag Reload. It costs 3 Propellant Valve Assemblies once the gun is Level 5.
Is Incendiary Grenades worth it on the Hullcracker? Only against slow targets. It cuts each grenade from 100 to 60 damage and halves velocity, then adds up to 56.25 burn damage over 5 seconds. Best case that's about 16% more damage per grenade, and less against anything that moves out of the fire.
What module does the Hullcracker need? The Amplification Module Mk. IV, because the Hullcracker is Epic and the module must match the weapon's base rarity. Modules come from the Fallen Emperor on Pendola Pass and from ARC Frigate cargo.
Can you still buy the Hullcracker Blueprint from Shani? No. Frozen Trail 2.0 removed it from Shani's shop. Research it at the Research Station (4,500 Research Points, 5 Bombardier Cells, 1 Complex Gun Parts) or finish The Major's Footlocker.
Does the Hullcracker hurt other Raiders? No. Its grenades only detonate when they hit ARC, so amplifying it is a PvE investment. Neither node changes that.
