ARC Raiders has quietly shifted its Large ARC meta. Wolfpacks used to be the easy answer, but after the nerf and the higher crafting cost tied to Rocketeer Drivers, they are no longer the most efficient farming tool for most players. At the same time, recycled Large ARC cells now return fewer Advanced Mechanical Components, which means we need more kills to sustain high-end crafting. That changes the equation.

Here's the practical answer: Deadline is now one of the best fast-farm options for Large ARC, especially for Bombardiers and Leapers, and still very workable against Bastions if our placement is clean. Below is a field-tested breakdown of what to craft, what to farm first, and how to use Deadline without turning every run into a heroic mistake.

• Why Deadline Is Now the Better Farming Tool
• What this means in practice
• Getting Ready: Farm the Deadline Blueprint and Comet Igniters
• Deadline blueprint location
• Best ways to farm Comets
• Our practical recommendation
• Important survival note
• Best Deadline Targets: What to Kill First
• Bombardier: The Easiest Deadline Kill
• Why Bombardiers are so good
• The basic method
• If you find the approach too risky
• Critical warning
• Leaper: The Smartest Kill Is a Trap, Not a Chase
• The bait method
• Why this works
• Where it can fail
• Bastion: High Risk, Precise Placement, Still Worth Knowing
• Why Bastions are harder
• Best method: top-down placement
• Best tools for the setup
• Safe execution flow
• A location principle that helps
• When we recommend farming Bastions
• Recommended Farming Route by Need
• Loadout Tips That Make the Strategy Work Better
• Core utility setup
• Simple loadout logic
• FAQ
• What is the best Large ARC to farm with Deadline right now?
• Is Deadline better than Wolfpack after the nerf?
• How many Deadlines do we need per target?
• What is the fastest way to farm Comet Igniters?
• Is the Photoelectric Cloak necessary?
• Should we farm Bastions regularly?
• Final Takeaway

↖ Why Deadline Is Now the Better Farming Tool

The main reason is simple: the new cost curve favors Deadline over Wolfpack.

Wolfpacks now require a Rocketeer Driver, and Rocketeers are still one of the most annoying Large ARC targets to farm consistently. Not always because they are stronger, but because they are less convenient and less forgiving than most ground ARC. Deadline, by contrast, requires:

This changes the farming loop in our favor.

↖ What this means in practice

• Lower barrier to repeat crafting
• More reliable Large ARC farming volume
• Better efficiency per run if you need Advanced Mechanical Components
• Stronger value after the recycle nerf

If you are running Level 4 weapons regularly, this matters even more. We now need more Large ARC kills than before to keep up with upgrades and high-tier gear maintenance.

↖ Getting Ready: Farm the Deadline Blueprint and Comet Igniters

Before Deadline becomes your go-to tool, we need two things: the blueprint and a steady source of Comet Igniters.

↖ Deadline blueprint location

The most reliable place to search is Stella Montis.

We've seen the blueprint appear from general container looting, with especially good odds in:

• Assembly areas
• Medical sections
• Gun cases
• Higher-value loot rooms

Day or night both work. Night can feel slightly better because there are usually more containers to work through, but day raids are still perfectly viable.

↖ Best ways to farm Comets

Comets are the gatekeeper for Deadline crafting, so this part matters more than it looks.

The key mechanic is always the same: hit the core.

If you tag a Comet from range, it opens up and exposes its core. That is your damage window. If you fail to finish it before it self-detonates, you often lose access to the Comet Igniter, which defeats the whole point of the run.

Here's the practical weapon ranking:

↖ Our practical recommendation

• Use Jupiter if you have it and can protect it.
• Use Anvil or Renegade if you want a sustainable standard loadout.
• Use Seeker Grenades only for quick, selective kills rather than bulk farming.

↖ Important survival note

Comets can explode in your face and still leave you alive, but that does not mean the trade is good. Bring extra healing, and do not greed for the final shot if the approach is already collapsing.

If you are carrying a valuable Jupiter, Safekeeper-style protection is the smart play. In friendly lobbies, rare gear still has a strange way of becoming community property the moment someone sees it.

↖ Best Deadline Targets: What to Kill First

Not every Large ARC gives the same return for the same risk. That's where smart target priority saves time.

The short version: farm Bombardiers first, mix in Leapers, and only force Bastions when you specifically need their drops.

↖ Bombardier: The Easiest Deadline Kill

If you only remember one thing from this guide, make it this: Bombardiers are the safest and most efficient Deadline target.

↖ Why Bombardiers are so good

• They are easier to approach from behind
• Deadline placement is forgiving
• One clean plant usually gets the kill
• Risk is much lower than Bastion attempts

↖ The basic method

1. Approach slowly from behind.

2. Do not sprint once you enter its awareness space.

3. Plant the Deadline near the back/core area.

4. Move out immediately.

5. Avoid the close-range pulse attack.

In our runs, even slightly awkward placements still killed the Bombardier. That makes it ideal for repeat farming because consistency beats style points.

↖ If you find the approach too risky

Use a Photoelectric Cloak.

This gives you a much safer setup window and reduces the chance of eating the Bombardier's pulse while trying to place the charge. If your goal is efficient farming rather than flashy execution, the cloak is worth the slot.

↖ Critical warning

If you hear the Bombardier charging a close-range pulse, back off immediately. That attack has enough radius and damage to end an otherwise clean run.

↖ Leaper: The Smartest Kill Is a Trap, Not a Chase

Leapers are awkward targets for direct planting because they move too much. So instead of trying to stick Deadline onto them, we should make them come to it.

This is where Deadline becomes surprisingly clever.

↖ The bait method

1. Identify the path the Leaper will take once aggroed.

2. Place the Deadline in that path.

3. Shoot the Leaper to trigger aggression.

4. Lead it into the charge.

5. Let its leap or advance carry it onto the trap.

↖ Why this works

Leapers are predictable when they commit. If you know where they are going to land, you do not need perfect aim or a risky plant. You just need timing.

In repeated attempts, this setup worked well enough to be worth using consistently. It is not flawless, but it is efficient.

↖ Where it can fail

• The Leaper hesitates instead of committing
• Your trap is too early or too late
• Terrain slightly changes the jump path
• You panic-move and break the lead

If that happens, the fight is often still salvageable. In one failed setup, the blast crippled the Leaper enough that a quick follow-up with an Anvil finished the kill.

That's the bigger lesson: even imperfect Deadline usage can still create a winning damage state.

↖ Bastion: High Risk, Precise Placement, Still Worth Knowing

Bastions are where Deadline stops being easy and starts demanding execution.

↖ Why Bastions are harder

• Their firepower punishes bad movement fast
• Placement is much less forgiving than on Bombardiers
• If the charge is off-center, the Bastion may survive
• Getting into position is the real challenge

↖ Best method: top-down placement

The most reliable Bastion kill comes from getting on top of it and placing the Deadline near dead center.

That last part matters more than anything else.

If your placement drifts too far to the side, the Bastion often survives. We saw this repeatedly: center placement kills, side placement disappoints.

↖ Best tools for the setup

• Snap Hook for vertical access
• Photoelectric Cloak for safer close entry
• High ground whenever available

↖ Safe execution flow

1. Pull the Bastion into an area with climbable structure or overhead access.

2. Use high ground to avoid direct fire lanes.

3. Drop or jump onto the Bastion.

4. Plant the Deadline center mass.

5. Stay on just long enough to confirm placement.

6. Bail before the counterfire connects.

↖ A location principle that helps

Any area where the Bastion can walk under a platform, ledge, or elevated interior structure is ideal. Those environments shorten the gap between safe positioning and plant window.

↖ When we recommend farming Bastions

Only prioritize Bastions if:

• you specifically need Bastion Cells
• you need them for quests
• you need them for workbench upgrades

If your goal is simply resource volume, Bombardiers are usually the more efficient use of time and gear.

↖ Recommended Farming Route by Need

Here's the cleanest decision table to follow mid-session.

↖ Loadout Tips That Make the Strategy Work Better

A good Deadline run is not just about the explosive. It's about making the whole route stable.

↖ Core utility setup

• Deadline
• A reliable anti-Comet weapon: Jupiter, Anvil, or Renegade
• Healing
• Shield
• Photoelectric Cloak if available
• Snap Hook for Bastion-heavy routes

↖ Simple loadout logic

• If you're farming Bombardiers, prioritize safety and movement.
• If you're farming Leapers, prioritize open lanes and clean aggro control.
• If you're farming Bastions, prioritize vertical mobility and escape options.

That sounds obvious, but it changes your success rate more than bringing a slightly stronger gun.

↖ FAQ

↖ What is the best Large ARC to farm with Deadline right now?

Bombardier is the best overall target. It is the easiest to approach, the least demanding in terms of precise placement, and one Deadline usually finishes the job.

↖ Is Deadline better than Wolfpack after the nerf?

For many players, yes. Wolfpack is no longer the easy default because the crafting requirement now depends on Rocketeer Drivers, which are harder to sustain. Deadline is cheaper to keep in rotation.

↖ How many Deadlines do we need per target?

In most clean executions:

• Bombardier: 1
• Leaper: 1 if the trap lands properly
• Bastion: 1, but only with strong placement near center

Poor placement can change the outcome, especially on Bastions.

↖ What is the fastest way to farm Comet Igniters?

Use Jupiter if possible. If not, Anvil and Renegade are both very dependable. Always focus the exposed core after the Comet opens.

↖ Is the Photoelectric Cloak necessary?

No, but it makes the strategy safer, especially against Bombardiers and Bastions. If you're still learning spacing and plant timing, it is one of the best support tools you can bring.

↖ Should we farm Bastions regularly?

Only if you need their specific drops. For general value, Bastions are usually less efficient than Bombardiers because the failure rate is higher and the setup is more demanding.

↖ Final Takeaway

The post-nerf Large ARC farming loop is much clearer than it first appears. Farm Comets for Igniters, craft Deadlines, then lean hard into Bombardiers for the best return. Mix in Leapers when the terrain supports a trap setup, and save Bastion runs for when their specific cell is the goal.

If you find yourself running low on upgrade materials, this approach gives you a repeatable path that is cheaper than the old Wolfpack route and, in many cases, faster once the rhythm clicks. The key is not raw aggression. It is target selection, placement discipline, and knowing when an efficient kill is better than a risky one.