Hornets are small, armored flying ARC drones whose electric shots damage and briefly stun Raiders. In an early raid, break contact if the fight would expose you to other ARCs; if you choose to engage, dodge the slow stun round and damage multiple thrusters to destabilize the drone. A kill may also yield a Hornet Driver used to upgrade the Gear Bench, but that reward alone is no reason to take an unsafe fight.
What is a Hornet in ARC Raiders?
The Hornet is a small flying ARC drone. The in-game codex description, reproduced by the community-maintained ARC Raiders Wiki, says it has protective armor on its front and an electric shock weapon that stuns and damages targets. In combat, it aims a red laser before firing a stun round.
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The round drains shields and briefly stuns a Raider. The wiki describes the projectile as slow enough to dodge with good timing. That stun makes a Hornet more disruptive than a simple flying target: being interrupted can leave you exposed to it or to other nearby ARC machines.
Should you fight a Hornet or evade it?
Decide based on the encounter, not just the possibility of loot. The beginner guidance in the wiki’s Getting Started guide says Wasps and Hornets are among the ARC machines players are likely to encounter early. It recommends using cover, retreating when useful, and avoiding fights against multiple ARCs at once.
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| Choice | When it makes sense | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Evade or break contact | A safe route or solid cover is available, or other ARCs could join the fight. | You avoid spending time and ammunition on the Hornet, but leave its potential salvage behind. |
| Engage | You have room to dodge, can focus on the Hornet, and judge the exposure acceptable. | You risk a stun and damage, and the noise or time spent may leave you exposed to other threats; a kill may provide salvage. |
Cover can help break interest, including by retreating into a building, but do not treat windows or open doorways as safe: the beginner guide warns that ARCs can shoot through them. If the encounter is unfavorable, retreating is a sound choice rather than a failed fight.
How do you kill a Hornet?
- Get a clear, manageable encounter. Avoid committing while several ARCs can attack you. Use cover to break contact or reposition, while accounting for shots through windows and open doorways.
- Watch for the red targeting laser. When the Hornet aims and fires its electric round, time a dodge rather than standing still. The wiki describes the projectile as relatively slow; it does not provide a guaranteed dodge window.
- Target the thrusters. The front is armored, while the rear is described as the less-protected angle in the fan guide. The wiki’s more general counterplay advice is to damage multiple thrusters: this destabilizes the Hornet, and collisions can then deal heavy damage to it.
- Use suitable ammunition if you have it. The Hornet wiki recommends Medium or Heavy ammo for armor penetration. A separate fan guide says Light ammo is a poor choice against the armored front. Treat these as guide recommendations, not a tested universal weapon ranking.
There are no established damage values or guaranteed time-to-kill figures in the available references, so weapon choice, aim, and circumstances matter. Do not rely on a precise shot count or a promise that one specific weapon will always win the encounter.
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What does a Hornet drop, and why does the Driver matter?
The community wiki lists Medium Ammo and a Hornet Driver among possible Hornet salvage. It says the Driver is used to upgrade the Gear Bench. The wiki also says a Driver can be thrown at a foe, immediately discharging and stunning the target. It does not establish a drop probability, so a Hornet kill is not a guaranteed way to obtain one.
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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →The Driver gives the encounter a possible progression benefit, but weigh that against ammunition, time, stun risk, and nearby ARC threats. The available references do not establish a universal cost-benefit calculation for fighting Hornets.
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What is established—and what is not?
The Hornet’s basic identity, electric stun attack, armor, thruster counterplay, and listed salvage are described by the community-maintained ARC Raiders Wiki; the beginner encounter advice comes from its Getting Started guide. A separate fan-made Hornet guide supplies secondary tactical context and identifies itself as unaffiliated. These are community references, not independently tested measurements.
Precise damage, time-to-kill, spawn coordinates, and exact spawn distributions are not established by the cited material. Mechanics and loot may change with game updates. The official ARC Raiders site provides general game and platform information, not Hornet-specific combat statistics.
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