ARC Raiders Amplified Weapons: All Nodes & Unlock

Quick answer (TL;DR)

Weapon Amplification is ARC Raiders' new fifth weapon tier, and it is live now — it shipped with the Frozen Trail 2.0 update on October 8, 2026 (console build 1.000.061), and the full game is free to play October 8–12. Amplification splices ARC internals into a weapon's frame, adding a branching path of upgrade nodes that change how the gun behaves — a Full-Auto Burletta, a Scoped Renegade, a Rattler with a Drum Mag — instead of a flat stat bump. To use it you must unlock the Outpost and upgrade both the Gunsmith and the Research Station to Level 4. The change is permanent and cannot be reverted, so pick the gun and the node before you commit. This page is the hub: every confirmed amplification node, exactly what it does, and which weapon takes it.

The nodes are only half the grind — the other half is the crafting materials. For where to farm the epic topside mats every node consumes, see our Pneumatic Actuator and Pressure Regulator farm guide.

Three hard facts to anchor on before you grind:

• It is permanent. Amplification "integrates the module's ARC internals straight into the frame. It fundamentally changes the weapon and cannot be reverted," per Embark's in-game description. There is no undo.
• It is double-gated. You need the Outpost built and both the Gunsmith and Research Station at Level 4 — a half-upgraded bench does nothing.
• Amplified guns carry risk. They have higher max durability, but on death the weapon drops to 10% durability, and repairing one requires that you have already researched the needed modules.

What is Weapon Amplification in ARC Raiders?

Amplification is Embark Studios' answer to the problem every extraction shooter hits eventually: late-game players settle on one or two guns and never touch anything else. In the Frozen Trail content preview, Embark framed it as a way for "late-game players to reinvent their arsenal and personalize their weapons with high-tier upgrades that set them apart from the crowd."

Mechanically, every eligible weapon currently tops out at quality tier IV. Amplification adds a fifth quality level on top — but the fifth tier is not one fixed upgrade. It is a branching menu of nodes, each of which you research and then apply. Some nodes change the firing mode, some swap the ammo type, some bolt on a scope or a drum. The in-game flavor text sells it as Speranza finally reverse-engineering enough ARC tech to push a favorite weapon past its normal ceiling.

Two things separate this from the crafting you already know. First, it is base-gated — you cannot do it at a standard Gunsmith bench alone. Second, it is a one-way door: an amplified weapon is a different weapon, and you do not get the base version back.

How do you unlock amplified weapons?

The gate is specific, and getting it wrong wastes a whole evening. Per the live requirement text, you must:

• Unlock the Outpost. The Outpost is a new base offered by Celeste, sitting topside between the Rust Belt and the mountains. You unlock it by completing a multi-stage project — accept the quest and bring a camera.
• Upgrade the Gunsmith to Level 4. Amplification is a gunsmithing operation at heart, so the Gunsmith bench has to be maxed to the required level.
• Upgrade the Research Station to Level 4. This is the ARC-tech half of the splice. The Research Station lives inside the Outpost, so step 1 is a hard prerequisite for even starting it.
• Get the weapon to tier IV first. You can only amplify a maxed weapon — amplifying raises its max durability above the tier IV ceiling, so the gun has to already be at the top of its normal upgrade tree.
• Amplify the weapon at the Gunsmith. In the Gunsmith's Weapon Upgrades tab, select the gun and choose Amplify. This initial step consumes one Amplification Module matching the weapon's rarity — a Mk. I for a common weapon, a higher mark for rarer ones — and amplifying also repairs the gun. This is what pushes the weapon to the fifth tier and opens its node tree.
• Research and apply the nodes you want from that tree to shape how the amplified weapon behaves.

Because the whole chain hangs off the Outpost and two Level-4 benches, base development is tightly tied to weapon power in Frozen Trail. The Gunsmith already linked workshop progress to your guns; the Outpost and the two Level-4 benches now stack a second, higher gate on top. Since the Outpost itself is brand new, everyone starts this race from zero — which is exactly why it is worth prioritizing from day one. For the full base breakdown, see our ARC Raiders Outpost build guide.

Note on naming: Embark's materials use "Research Bench" (the 2.0 patch notes), "Research Station" (the in-game requirement text), and "Research Workstation" (the September First Look) interchangeably. They are the same thing — do not go hunting for three different benches.

Which weapons can be amplified?

Amplification is rolling out to 15 weapons at launch, with more planned in future updates, per Embark. The confirmed amplifiable weapons visible across the current node list are the Anvil, Bettina, Burletta, Canto, Hairpin, Hullcracker, Jupiter, Kettle, Osprey, Rascal, Rattler, and Renegade. The three Embark showcased up front tell you how dramatic the swing can be: a Burletta that goes full-auto, a Renegade that gets a scope, a Rattler that feeds from a drum.

Which node a weapon can take is fixed per gun — you are not free-picking any effect on any weapon. The table below is the important part of this whole system, so it is worth reading in full.

Every ARC Raiders amplification node

Each node has a research name (what you unlock at the bench) and an effect. Stats are shown where Embark has published exact values.

Node	Research tech	What it does	Known stat change	Weapons that can take it
Amplified Durability	—	Raises the weapon's maximum durability	—	All amplifiable weapons
Full-Auto	Sustained Fire Mechanisms	Makes the weapon fully automatic, trading accuracy and control for volume	+60% fire rate; -2 base damage; -60% headshot multiplier; +50% vertical and horizontal recoil; +50% dispersion; 2x dispersion recovery time	Burletta
Burst-Fire	Exodus Ratchet Mechanisms	Switches the weapon to burst fire	+2 projectiles per burst	Burletta
Increased Burst	Extended Burst Cycles	More rounds per burst	+2 projectiles per burst; +3 magazine size	Burletta
Semi-Auto	Trigger Reset System	Converts the weapon to semi-automatic	+3 base damage	Hairpin, Bettina
Scoped	Top Mounted Optics Retrofittings	Adds a scope for a true ADS magnified view	—	Renegade, Jupiter
Straight Bolt	Straight-Pull Bolt Tech	Lets you cycle the bolt while still scoped	—	Osprey, Jupiter
Carbine Conversion	Exodus Carbine Tech	Rebuilds the Canto into a carbine — big stability and accuracy gain, less agility	—	Canto
Incendiary Rounds	Thermite-Tipped Rounds	Projectiles light targets on fire on hit	Hairpin tooltip: +5 burn damage per second; +2s burn duration	Hairpin, Rattler, Canto
X Rounds	Concussive Impact Engineering	Adds an explosive compound; slightly more damage to Raiders, much more to ARC armor plating	—	Kettle, Anvil, Bettina
Incendiary Grenade	Compact Ignition Charge	Projectile spreads fire when it detonates on ARC	—	Rascal, Hullcracker
Anvil Splitter	Payload Fragmentation Tech	Replaces the Anvil's round with one that splits into 4 weaker projectiles	—	Anvil
Bigger Mag	Space Efficient Stacking	Raises magazine capacity	—	Bettina
Drum Mag	Drum Feed Assembly	Bolts on a drum for a much larger mag, but it still reloads a few rounds at a time	+40 magazine capacity; +50% vertical and horizontal recoil; +30% dispersion; -10% ADS speed	Rattler
Mag Reload	Quick-Load Magazine Retrofittings	Removes the one-round-at-a-time reload	—	Hullcracker
More Reload	Stripper Clips	Load more rounds per reload action for a faster reload	Loads 2 at a time	Rattler, Renegade
Sprint Shooting	Mobile-Fire Grip Fittings	Lets the weapon be fired comfortably while sprinting	—	Hairpin, Burletta, Canto

A dash means we have left the exact figures out of this summary table — either because no stable value is published yet, or because the in-game tooltip varies by weapon and early sources disagree on the number. Where a node's tooltip value is confirmed and consistent, it is shown. We would rather omit a figure than print a disputed one, so treat every stat here as current-best and check your own in-game tooltip before committing a permanent amplify.

How to read the table in practice

The headline example — Full-Auto on the Burletta — is also the clearest lesson in reading the trade-offs. On paper "+60% fire rate" sounds like a pure win, but the same node costs you 2 base damage, 60% of your headshot multiplier, and half your recoil control. A full-auto Burletta is a close-range panic button, not an upgrade to your precise sidearm. Amplification is a re-roll of the weapon's identity, not a straight buff — which is exactly why the permanence matters.

Contrast that with X Rounds on the Anvil, Bettina or Kettle. Explosive compound that does "significantly increased damage to ARC Armor plating" lines up directly with Frozen Trail's own reworked explosive-damage formula, where explosive weapons now hit armor plates for over 50% more. If you grind ARC more than you fight Raiders, that is the node to chase.

Which amplification should you pick first?

There is no single best node, because the right pick depends on what you farm. A quick decision guide:

• You fight ARC (bosses, world events, the Frigate): prioritize X Rounds (Anvil/Bettina/Kettle) — its explosive compound is the one node Embark explicitly calls out for bonus damage to ARC armor plating. Incendiary Grenade (Rascal/Hullcracker) spreads fire on ARC and looks strong here too, though Embark has not spelled out an armor-specific bonus for it, so treat that as the likely-but-unconfirmed pick.
• You run and gun against Raiders: Full-Auto or Burst-Fire on the Burletta, or Sprint Shooting on a Hairpin/Canto for aggressive pushes.
• You play slow and precise: Scoped (Renegade/Jupiter) or Carbine Conversion (Canto) for reach and control, or Semi-Auto on the Hairpin for the clean +3 damage.
• Your problem is uptime, not damage: Drum Mag (Rattler), Bigger Mag (Bettina), or the More Reload / Mag Reload family to stop reloading mid-fight.

Because the choice is permanent, amplify the weapon you actually run, not the one with the flashiest node. If you are still settling on a main, read our best ARC Raiders loadout breakdown before you commit a Level-4 research slot.

What do amplified weapons cost you in the field?

Amplification is not free power. Three live mechanics govern how an amplified weapon behaves once you take it topside:

• Higher max durability than the base weapon — a genuine upside for a gun you plan to keep.
• Death still works like every other raid. Amplifying does not protect the gun. If you die topside you drop your carried gear, and another Raider can loot your amplified weapon off your body just like any other loadout — extraction shooter rules do not change for amplified kit.
• Amplified guns take a durability hit on death. The current rule is that an amplified weapon drops to roughly 10% durability on death (some early-game reporting phrases this as about 10 points of durability rather than 10% — the exact figure is still being pinned down). Either way, assume you recover it badly worn, if you recover it at all.
• Repairs are gated. You can only repair an amplified weapon if you have already researched the required modules for it, and the repair consumes Amplified Fragments — obtained by recycling the retired Anvil Splitter mod, per the patch notes. Keep a reserve before you commit to running amplified gear every raid.

The practical takeaway: an amplified weapon is a high-floor, high-risk investment. Fantastic when you survive and repair it, expensive when you die with it — both because it comes back worn down and because, like any gear, it can walk off in someone else's bag. Treat it like your best kit, not your throwaway.

Frozen Trail weapon changes you should know alongside amplification

Amplification did not land alone. Frozen Trail also shipped the Stiletto (a light-ammo battle rifle) and the Bantam (a snub-nose revolver that now takes over as the uncommon hand cannon), plus 14 Weapon Stencils for cosmetics. The explosive-damage rework mentioned above matters directly here: the Hullcracker and similar now do over 50% more damage to armor plates but around 30% less to fragile parts, which changes which amplification nodes are worth it against ARC. For the two new guns, see our Stiletto and Bantam guide.

Want your Outpost and both benches at Level 4 the day you decide to amplify? Our team can fast-track the grind so your first amplified weapon is a decision, not a two-week project:

• ARC Raiders Outpost & Research Boost — get the Outpost built and the Research Station to the Level 4 amplification gate
• ARC Raiders Skill Tree Unlocks — round out the revamped Frozen Trail skill tree that backs your amplified build
• ARC Raiders Frozen Trail Runs — farm the materials and ARC components the research grind demands

FAQ

How do you unlock amplified weapons in ARC Raiders? Unlock the Outpost, then upgrade both the Gunsmith and the Research Station to Level 4 (a partially upgraded bench will not work). Get the weapon to tier IV, then use Amplify in the Gunsmith's Weapon Upgrades tab — this consumes one Amplification Module matching the weapon's rarity and pushes it to the fifth tier. Only after that do you research and apply the individual node upgrades from its tree.

Is weapon amplification permanent in ARC Raiders? Yes. Amplification integrates ARC internals directly into the weapon's frame and, per the in-game description, "cannot be reverted." You do not get the base weapon back, so choose the gun and the node deliberately.

How many weapons can be amplified? 15 weapons at launch, with more planned in future updates. The confirmed amplifiable weapons across the current node list are the Anvil, Bettina, Burletta, Canto, Hairpin, Hullcracker, Jupiter, Kettle, Osprey, Rascal, Rattler and Renegade.

What does Full-Auto do to the Burletta? It makes the Burletta fully automatic with a 60% higher fire rate, but at a real cost: 2 less base damage, 60% lower headshot multiplier, 50% more vertical and horizontal recoil, and increased dispersion. It turns a precise sidearm into a close-range spray weapon.

What happens to an amplified weapon when you die? Death works the same as any raid — you drop your carried gear and another Raider can loot the amplified weapon off your body, so amplifying does not make a gun safe. On top of that, an amplified weapon that comes back is heavily degraded (the current rule is roughly 10% durability on death). Repairing it requires that you have researched the needed modules and spends Amplified Fragments, so keep a reserve.

Is amplification just a stat boost? No. Each node is a behavior change — a new firing mode, a scope, an ammo type, a drum mag — not a flat damage increase. The right node depends on whether you mainly fight ARC or Raiders.