This guide covers the best strategies for killing Rocketeers in ARC Raiders, including the solo peak-and-shoot tactic, the Wolfpack grenade approach, and the cheapest Ferro I loadout that works. Whether you play solo or with friends, you will learn how to take down Rocketeers quickly without wasting expensive items or dying to missile barrages.
By the end of this guide, you will know exactly where to find Rocketeers, which weapons and grenades destroy thrusters fastest, how to break line of sight to avoid missile salvos, and which building locations give you the safest cover to fight from.
How to Kill Rocketeer in ARC Raiders
The Rocketeer is a heavily armored flying ARC with 1,100 health that dominates open areas with powerful missile attacks. It has four thrusters that keep it airborne and armored plating that protects each thruster from damage. Understanding how to exploit its weak points while staying safe behind cover is essential for solo and team fights. It is recommended to do this in the Annex building in Dam Battlegrounds with a semi-budget loadout.
Peak-and-Shoot
The peak-and-shoot strategy is the safest way to kill Rocketeers when playing solo. You use a building with windows or doorways to peek out, and shoot at the thrusters while it is safe and no laser is seen.
Hide immediately when the Rocketeer returns fire. This strategy works with any heavy weapon and requires a building with good cover.
Long-Range Engagement
Rocketeers travel slowly through the air, which gives you the option to shoot them from far away before they get close. Some players recommend engaging Rocketeers at long range with heavy weapons to chip away at their health and armor before the fight becomes dangerous. They don’t fire at you from this far, so this stage is entirely safe. However, they will eventually, once they are close enough.
Start shooting the Rocketeer from a distance while it flies toward you. Focus on a front thruster and break through the armor plating early. As the Rocketeer gets closer and begins returning fire, switch to one of the building-based strategies like Testing Annex or Pattern House.
This long-range approach reduces the time you spend in close combat, where it doesn’t fire at you; by the time the Rocketeer reaches effective firing range, you may have already destroyed one thruster or severely damaged its armor, making the dangerous phase much faster and safer.
Buildings Strategy
Any building away from PvP hotspots works for killing Rocketeers solo. Look for buildings with multiple windows or doorways because more openings give you more angles to peek from when the Rocketeer moves to different positions.
Find a building, get inside, and position yourself a few steps back from windows. Shoot once to aggro the Rocketeer, then execute the peak-and-shoot cycle. One shot, retreat roll when you see the red laser, reload during cover, then repeat.
The Rocketeer can shoot salvos of up to three missiles in a row if it maintains line of sight on you. Breaking line of sight as soon as you see the red laser prevents the second and third missiles most of the time, which keeps you much safer.
If you stop shooting the Rocketeer for an extended period and it cannot find you, it will eventually deaggro and fly away. Just shoot it again to bring it back and resume the fight.
Wolfpack Grenades
Wolfpack grenades are the fastest way to kill a Rocketeer in ARC Raiders. One Wolfpack grenade explodes into 10 to 12 missiles that automatically target nearby ARCs and will almost one-tap a Rocketeer. You only need one Wolfpack and a backup heavy weapon to finish the job.
Before throwing the Wolfpack, kill any nearby Wasps or Hornets first so they do not steal the missile lock from the Rocketeer. Stand near cover in case the Rocketeer survives and returns fire.
Throw the Wolfpack grenade into the air so the missiles can lock onto the Rocketeer. The missiles will track and hit the Rocketeer automatically. If the Rocketeer survives with low health, finish it off with a few shots from your Ferro, Anvil, or Hullcracker aimed at the damaged thrusters.
Wolfpack grenades are very expensive and can only be crafted at the Explosives Station level 3 after finding the blueprint. Save them for situations where you need a fast kill or when fighting tougher enemies like the Queen. For regular Rocketeer farming, cheaper options work just as well.
Sticky Grenades
Snap Blast grenades and Trigger grenades are effective against Rocketeers because they stick directly to the thrusters and deal high explosive damage. Explosive damage is particularly strong against all ARCs in the game, including Rocketeers.
Bring a lot of sticky grenades and at least one heavy weapon for optimal play. Throwing grenades through windows may result in misses, so having extra grenades ensures you have enough to finish the job. When you are near a Rocketeer, throw a sticky grenade at its body or thrusters if you have a clear shot. The grenade will stick and detonate after a short delay.
Snap Blast grenades explode quickly and deal burst damage, while Trigger grenades give you control over when they detonate. Both options work well and cost significantly less than Wolfpack grenades while still dealing enough damage to bring down a Rocketeer with follow-up shots.
After throwing grenades, use your heavy weapon to target any remaining thrusters. This combination of explosive damage and focused fire brings down Rocketeers efficiently without spending too much on expensive consumables.
Budget Loadout
The Ferro I is the cheapest gun in ARC Raiders that can effectively kill a Rocketeer solo. This loadout is perfect for players who want to farm Rocketeer Drivers without risking expensive gear.
Bring one Ferro I weapon, one to two stacks of heavy ammo (you will only use about one stack), a light shield, one stack of shield rechargers, and two stacks of bandages. Optionally, bring a looting augment to get better drops and a cheap backup weapon like a Stitcher or Kettle for dealing with enemy Raiders.
The great thing about this loadout is it costs very little, so dying is not a major setback. You can afford to attempt multiple Rocketeer kills even if you fail a few times while learning the mechanics.
Use this loadout with the peak-and-shoot strategy from any building. Focus your shots on the front thrusters because 95 percent of the time the Rocketeer will be facing you, making the front thrusters the easiest to hit consistently.
One stack of heavy ammo is sufficient to destroy a Rocketeer if you land your shots on the thrusters instead of wasting ammo on armored body sections. Keep your shield charged with rechargers and use bandages when your health drops.
Team Focus Fire
When fighting Rocketeers with a team, coordination makes kills much faster and safer. Have your entire team focus fire on one thruster until it explodes, then immediately switch to another thruster on the same side.
Do not have teammates shooting random parts of the Rocketeer. Splitting damage across multiple thrusters wastes time and ammo because each thruster has its own armor that must be broken before dealing real damage.
Call out which thruster the team should target. The front left or front right thrusters are usually the best first choices because they stay visible most of the time. Once one thruster explodes, call the next target on the same side to do the same side thrusters rule and ensure that the rocketeer falls out of the sky.
After destroying two thrusters on the same side, the Rocketeer loses balance and crashes to the ground. If it crashes from sufficient height, it will be destroyed instantly. If it survives the crash, it will be on the ground and easy to finish off.
Teams can also use one player with a Showstopper to stun the Rocketeer for a few seconds. This gives the entire team free time to deal massive damage without dodging missiles. Stunning is especially useful when combined with Wolfpack grenades or concentrated heavy weapon fire.
Where to Find Rocketeers in ARC Raiders
Testing Annex Building (Dam Battlegrounds)
The Testing Annex building on Dam Battlegrounds is the best location for this strategy. Go to the top floors by following the stairs and clear all turrets and other ARCs before engaging the Rocketeer.
Once the top floor is clear, jump out to the balcony and locate a nearby Rocketeer. The room on the top floor becomes your fortress because the Rocketeer has a tough time hitting you through the windows when you stay inside.
Shoot at the Rocketeer to get its attention, then immediately move back inside the building. From inside, peek through windows or doorways and fire one shot at the front thrusters. As soon as you see the red laser appear on the Rocketeer, retreat to hard cover and reload your weapon.
Repeat this cycle continuously until the Rocketeer crashes. Never stay exposed after shooting because the Rocketeer will return fire with 1 to 4 missiles that deal massive damage. The Testing Annex location is also near an extraction point, so you can extract quickly after collecting loot. Be aware that this is a high-traffic area and may result in PvP.
Pattern House (Dam Battlegrounds)
The Pattern House on Dam Battlegrounds is another excellent location for solo Rocketeer kills. Make your way to the Pattern House and go upstairs to find a good position with multiple windows.
Post up near windows where you have clear shots at the Rocketeer but can quickly move to hard cover. The upstairs area gives you enough protection to safely execute the peak-and-shoot strategy while maintaining line of sight on flying Rocketeers.
Fire one shot at the Rocketeer through a window, then immediately step back into cover when you see the red laser warning. Wait for the Rocketeer to fire its missiles, then peek back out and repeat. This building has good cover from multiple angles, which helps when the Rocketeer changes altitude or position.
Other Rocketeer Spawn Locations
Rocketeers spawn on most maps in ARC Raiders except Stella Montis. Generally, there is at least one Rocketeer per map, with Bluegate often having more spawns and Clear Skies providing easy sightlines to find them again. They patrol open areas and fly at different altitudes, making them visible from long distances.
The most reliable spawns are found near research buildings, admin offices, and bunker extraction points. These locations often have both Rocketeer spawns and nearby buildings you can use for cover during the fight.
Before engaging a Rocketeer, scout the area from high ground or inside buildings to see where it patrols and identify nearby cover. Never fight Rocketeers in completely open areas with no buildings or structures because you will have nowhere to break line of sight, and the missile salvos will kill you quickly.
Why Kill Rocketeers in ARC Raiders? Loot & Rewards
Rocketeer Driver
The most valuable drop from killing a Rocketeer is the Rocketeer Driver. This epic item drops from the main body of destroyed Rocketeers and can be found by searching Rocketeer Husks after the fight.
The Rocketeer Driver is required for completing certain quests in ARC Raiders, including the Out of the Shadows quest. This quest requires you to collect a Rocketeer Driver and bring it back to base, making Rocketeer kills necessary for progression.
Even outside of quests, Rocketeer Drivers are valuable because they can be recycled into high-tier crafting materials. If you do not need the driver for a quest, recycle it for resources to upgrade your gear and weapons or to make a quick profit.
Crafting Materials
Rocketeers drop valuable crafting materials that are essential for upgrading equipment in ARC Raiders. When you destroy a Rocketeer, it breaks into multiple debris piles that contain different materials.
The large main debris from the Rocketeer body contains ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, ARC Motion Core, ARC Circuitry, Advanced ARC Powercell, Heavy Gun Parts, Rocketeer Driver, and Heavy Ammo. These materials are used for crafting high-end weapons and upgrading your base facilities.
The smaller debris pieces from destroyed thrusters contain ARC Alloy, ARC Powercell, Advanced ARC Powercell, and sometimes additional Rocketeer Drivers. Make sure to loot every destroyed thruster section, not just the main body, to maximize your material gains.
Extract quickly after looting because other players may hear the explosions and come to investigate. Rocketeers make loud noises when they crash, which attracts attention from enemy Raiders looking to steal your loot.
Rocketeer Weak Spots and Armor Mechanics
Two-Thruster-Same-Side Rule
The most important mechanic for killing Rocketeers efficiently is the two-thruster-same-side rule. You must aim to destroy two thrusters on the same side of the Rocketeer to make it crash.
Destroying one thruster alone does not crash the Rocketeer. Destroying two thrusters on opposite sides also does not crash it. Only destroying two thrusters on the same side (both front, both rear, both left, or both right) causes the Rocketeer to lose balance and fall from the sky.
When the Rocketeer crashes from high altitude, it will be destroyed instantly on impact. If it crashes from lower altitude, it will hit the ground but may still be alive. Finish off any surviving Rocketeers with a few more shots to the remaining thrusters or body.
Grounded Rocketeers that survive the initial crash will eventually burst into flames and be destroyed after a short time even if you stop shooting. However, finishing them off quickly is safer because they can still fire missiles while grounded.
Front Thrusters
The front thrusters are the primary weak spots you should target when fighting a Rocketeer. Each Rocketeer has four thrusters that keep it airborne, but the front two thrusters are accessible 95 percent of the time because the Rocketeer almost always faces toward you during combat.
Shooting the armored body of the Rocketeer deals minimal damage and wastes ammo. Always aim specifically at the thrusters to deal real damage. Each thruster is protected by armor plating, but once you break through the armor, your shots deal significantly more damage to the exposed thruster mechanisms.
Focus all your fire on one front thruster until it explodes, then immediately switch to the other front thruster on the same side. Do not alternate between different sides because you need to destroy two thrusters on the same side to trigger the crash mechanic.
Sectional Armor Mechanics
Each thruster on a Rocketeer is protected by armor that is not one solid piece. The armor is divided into sections, which means you can knock off individual armor pieces on specific sides of a thruster.
For example, you can destroy the left side armor on one thruster and continue hitting that exposed section for extra damage. This allows you to deal damage more efficiently once you identify which armor sections have been destroyed.
You can tell when armor breaks off because you will see the metal plating fly away from the thruster. After armor is removed, your damage numbers increase significantly because you are hitting the vulnerable internal mechanisms directly.
When you hit armor, you deal about 14 damage per shot. When you hit an exposed thruster after breaking armor, you deal 144 damage per shot. This massive difference shows why focusing on breaking armor and hitting exposed sections is critical for fast kills.
Understanding Rocketeer Attack Patterns
Red Laser and Audio Cue Warning
The Rocketeer telegraphs every missile attack with a clear warning system. Before firing missiles, the Rocketeer aims four yellow lasers at its target. These yellow lasers line up and turn red a moment before the Rocketeer fires.
When you see the red laser and hear the audio cue, you have a brief moment to get behind hard cover. This warning is your signal to immediately break line of sight by moving behind walls, inside buildings, or behind large obstacles. The missiles create a large area of explosion on impact, so you need to create extra distance after entering cover instead of just hiding directly behind it.
Never ignore the red laser warning. Each missile deals massive damage, and two direct hits will down a Raider even with shields equipped. The splash damage radius is also very large, so standing near where missiles land will still hurt you even if you are not directly hit.
Missile Salvos
Rocketeers can fire salvos of up to three or four missiles in a row if they maintain continuous line of sight on you. The first missile fires after the red laser warning, but if the Rocketeer can still see you, it will immediately fire a second and third missile without delay.
To prevent these follow-up shots, you must break line of sight immediately after the first missile is fired. As soon as you see the red laser, move behind hard cover and stay there until the Rocketeer stops firing.
If you successfully break line of sight quickly, the Rocketeer will usually only fire one missile before stopping. This significantly reduces the danger and ammo consumption because you are only dodging one projectile instead of three or four.
Staying in cover for a few extra seconds after the missile lands ensures the Rocketeer has lost its lock on you. Then you can peek back out, fire one shot, and repeat the cycle safely.
Deaggro Behavior
If you stop shooting the Rocketeer and stay hidden for a long time, the Rocketeer will eventually deaggro and fly away. It loses interest when it cannot find you and will return to its patrol route.
This behavior can be useful if you need time to heal, reload, or reposition. Let the Rocketeer deaggro, then shoot it again to bring it back when you are ready to continue the fight.
Sometimes when the Rocketeer deaggros and flies farther away from your position, you can get two or three shots off before it reacts and returns fire. Use this opportunity to deal extra damage safely before resuming the normal peak-and-shoot cycle.
Splash Damage Radius
Rocketeer missiles have a very large splash damage radius. Even if a missile does not hit you directly, standing close to the impact point will deal significant damage.
Never stand near doorways, windows, or openings where missiles might land. Stay several steps back into the room so that even if a missile hits the doorframe or window, the splash damage does not reach you. Treat it as a cue to roll away from the laser.
The splash damage can also destroy objects in the environment and damage other ARCs. If you are fighting near other enemies, the Rocketeer missiles might accidentally hit them, which can work in your favor by clearing additional threats.
Other Arc Raiders Items 40
