Nový Hrádek

[MunchyMoth]

In Arc Raiders, the Bastion is one of the most dangerous ARC enemies you’ll run into in the open world. Most players describe it as a walking fortress, and that’s accurate. It’s slow, but it controls space extremely well and punishes mistakes hard.

Bastions usually patrol areas where valuable resources spawn. In general, if you see one, it’s not there by accident. ARC tends to place them where it wants Raiders to think twice before looting freely. That’s why most players don’t fight a Bastion unless they have a reason to, like specific materials or a mission objective.

Its threat level is considered critical because of how quickly it can kill exposed players, especially squads that don’t coordinate.

Why Does the Bastion Feel So Hard to Kill?

The main reason Bastions feel unfair at first is their armor. The front and sides are fully plated, and most weapons barely scratch them. Newer players often waste ammo shooting center mass, which usually does nothing except alert it.

In practice, the Bastion’s strength comes from two things:

Extremely high durability from frontal armor

Heavy gatling-gun fire that locks down open ground

With an estimated health pool of around 2050 and thick plating, you’re not meant to brute-force it head-on. The game clearly pushes players to learn weak-point targeting instead of raw damage.

Where Are the Bastion’s Weak Spots?

Most players eventually learn that the Bastion is all about positioning. It has several weak points, but they are only accessible if you move correctly.

The key weak spots are:

Rear canister: A yellow canister on its back that takes direct damage

Leg joints: Yellow, unarmored joints on its legs

Rear barrel core: Revealed after destroying the rear canister

Shooting the rear canister or leg joints will stun the Bastion briefly. Usually, this stun window is the safest time to deal serious damage. Once the rear canister is destroyed, the back plate peels open and exposes a large barrel-like core. Hitting that core deals massive damage compared to any other spot.

In most fights, players who succeed focus entirely on these areas and ignore everything else.

How Does the Bastion Attack?

Understanding its attack pattern matters more than raw aim.

When alerted, the Bastion emits a loud screech. This is your warning. After that, it unloads gatling-gun fire for about three seconds at the last known Raider position. The important detail is that it doesn’t perfectly track moving targets during this burst.

In general, players survive by:

Breaking line of sight immediately after being spotted

Moving to new cover instead of peeking the same angle

Letting it waste its burst before repositioning

If you stay in the open or try to tank the damage, you usually go down fast.

What’s the Best Way to Fight a Bastion Solo?

Solo players usually avoid Bastions unless they’re confident or well-equipped. Fighting one alone is possible, but it’s slow and risky.

In practice, solo players tend to:

Use terrain, buildings, or foliage to stay hidden

Trigger the Bastion, then rotate around it while it fires

Take a few shots at the rear or leg joints, then disengage

Grenades help a lot. Blaze Grenades are especially effective, and Snap Blast Grenades can work in a pinch. Some players also use Deadline near the rear canister, which can instantly destroy the Bastion if placed correctly.

Ammo management matters here. A common mistake is burning through too much ammo early, which leaves you vulnerable if another threat shows up.

How Do Squads Usually Handle Bastions?

In squads, Bastions are much more manageable. Most groups assign informal roles even without voice chat.

Usually:

One player draws attention from the front

Another flanks to target the rear canister

A third focuses on leg joints or crowd control

Stuns from destroyed weak points give the whole team a damage window. Coordinated squads can take down a Bastion quickly with minimal losses.

Most experienced squads also clear nearby enemies first. Fighting a Bastion while smaller ARCs or other Raiders are around is a common way squads wipe.

What Loot Does a Bastion Drop?

Bastions drop a mix of high-value ARC materials and standard components. This is the main reason players risk fighting them.

Main debris loot usually includes:

ARC Alloy

ARC Powercell

ARC Motion Core

ARC Circuitry

Advanced ARC Powercell

Mechanical Components

Medium Gun Parts

Bastion Cell

Medium Ammo

Small debris loot often includes:

ARC Alloy

ARC Powercell

ARC Motion Core

Mechanical Components

Bastion Cell

In general, the drops are worth it if you’re farming specific ARC components. That’s why Bastions are often contested areas, and why players sometimes look for ways to prepare faster, including upgrading gear or, outside of gameplay, researching options like buy arc raiders coins to reduce grind time.

Is It Ever Better to Avoid a Bastion?

Yes, often. Most players don’t fight every Bastion they see. If you don’t need the loot or you’re low on ammo, avoiding it is usually the smarter move.

You can avoid Bastions by:

Staying out of their line of sight

Moving through buildings or dense foliage

Waiting for patrol routes to shift

The game doesn’t punish avoidance. In fact, Arc Raiders often rewards patience and decision-making more than constant combat.

Common Mistakes Players Make Against Bastions

From experience, these are the most common errors:

Shooting the front armor and wasting ammo

Standing still after triggering its alert

Fighting it in open ground

Ignoring nearby enemies

Overcommitting when low on resources

Most of these come from treating the Bastion like a standard enemy instead of a positional threat.

Final Thoughts From an Experienced Player

The Bastion is designed to teach players how Arc Raiders expects combat to work at higher levels. It’s not about raw DPS. It’s about movement, awareness, and knowing when to engage or disengage.

Once you understand its patterns and weak spots, it becomes less scary and more like a tactical puzzle. Most players who struggle early eventually learn to either kill it efficiently or bypass it entirely, depending on their goals for the run.