Arc Raiders, Embark Studios’ brand-new third-person extraction shooter, is taking the gaming world by storm — and if you’ve just dropped into the Rust Belt for the first time, there’s one crucial skill you’ll want to unlock as soon as possible: In-Round Crafting.
With a level cap of 75 and one skill point awarded per level, Arc Raiders gives players plenty of freedom to shape their playstyle across its various skill trees. But while it’s tempting to invest in flashy offensive perks or movement boosts early on, unlocking In-Round Crafting can make the difference between surviving a tough encounter or losing everything mid-extraction.
⚙️ Why In-Round Crafting Is So Important
At its core, Arc Raiders is all about survival, scavenging, and making smart use of limited resources. Whether you’re exploring the hostile wastelands solo or teaming up for PvPvE firefights, inventory management quickly becomes a serious challenge. Space runs out fast, especially when you’re juggling weapons, consumables, and valuable loot.
That’s where In-Round Crafting completely changes the game. Normally, crafting in Arc Raiders is limited to your base — between missions. But with this ability unlocked, you can create essential items like Bandages or Ammo Packs directly in the field, using materials gathered on the fly.
Here’s how it works:
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🧰 Skill Name: In-Round Crafting
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🧬 Skill Tree: Survival
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🔢 Skill Points Required: 3
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🔗 Prerequisites: Agile Croucher and Revitalizing Squat
Once unlocked, you’ll be able to take materials salvaged from the environment — or gained through recycling junk items — and repurpose them mid-mission into usable supplies. This means you can stay out in the field longer, heal between fights, or craft ammo instead of having to extract early due to low resources.
In other words, In-Round Crafting gives you control over your survival loop, making every scavenging run more flexible, efficient, and rewarding.
💡 How It Changes Gameplay
Without this skill, you’re limited to what you bring with you into a match — a painful restriction in a game where adaptability is key. You might find yourself desperately low on healing or ammunition after a big firefight, forced to extract early and waste precious time.
With In-Round Crafting, you can adapt your loadout on the go. Found some scrap metal and polymer fibers? Craft new tools. Ran out of healing items? Build a fresh batch of Bandages mid-combat.
This system also helps alleviate one of Arc Raiders’ most common frustrations: inventory space. By crafting in the field, you can recycle and repurpose junk immediately, freeing up slots for valuable loot instead of constantly juggling your backpack.
It’s the kind of small but powerful upgrade that quietly transforms how you play. Veterans of extraction shooters like Escape from Tarkov or The Cycle: Frontier will immediately appreciate the tactical flexibility it offers.
🚀 A Strong Start for Arc Raiders
The timing of this advice couldn’t be better — Arc Raiders is already enjoying a wildly successful debut. Within just 24 hours of release, the game reached “Very Positive” status on Steam, accumulating nearly 10,000 reviews and thousands of concurrent players across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
With Embark Studios’ emphasis on cross-play, fluid traversal, and deep customization, Arc Raiders feels like a strong contender in the crowded extraction shooter space. Early feedback from playtests and the recent server slam event also suggests that players are loving the game’s blend of fast-paced combat, scavenging, and risk–reward systems.
🧭 The Bottom Line
If you’re new to Arc Raiders and still deciding where to spend your early skill points, make In-Round Crafting your top priority. It’s a small investment — just three skill points — but the payoff is huge. Being able to craft critical supplies mid-mission can mean the difference between a flawless extraction and a devastating loss.
It’s not just a convenience upgrade; it’s a survival tool that will serve you through every raid, every firefight, and every clutch escape.
Unlock it early, and you’ll thank yourself later.
