If you’re diving into ARC Raiders, get ready to spend a lot of time with the Weapon Workbench. This little beauty is your go-to station for crafting, upgrading, and fine-tuning your weapons. It’s basically your best buddy for turning standard gear into absolute monster-slaying machines.

The Workbench isn’t just for upgrades either — it’s how you’ll craft better-quality weapons and accessories that give you that extra edge in combat. But here’s the catch: if you want to get the most out of your weapons, you’ll need a ton of materials and the right tools to level up your Gunsmith.

This guide will walk you through how to unlock the Workbench, upgrade your weapons, and unlock better recipes for all your gear.

How to Unlock the Weapon Workbench in ARC Raiders

You can unlock the Weapon Workbench (also known as the Gunsmith) pretty early on — right after finishing the Intro Quests. Once you’ve done that, head over to your Workshop and look for the Install option in one of the tabs below (you’ll find it next to Scrappy).

Here’s what you’ll need to build it:

Metal Parts x20
Rubber Parts x20

Metal Parts are easy enough to come by — just scavenge or recycle metal junk and ARC Tech. Rubber Parts are usually found by breaking down Chemical Containers or scrapping old, abandoned gear like ruined parachutes or busted vests.

How to Upgrade Weapons in ARC Raiders

Once your Gunsmith is up and running, interact with it (or click the crafting table in your Workshop). You’ll see it starts out as Level 1, which you can upgrade later for even more options.

Inside, you’ll spot different crafting recipes and two key tabs: Weapon Upgrade and Level Up. Here’s how to make your gear stronger:

Head to the Weapon Upgrade tab.

Pick any weapon from your inventory — stuff in your stash will show up too.

On the right side of the screen, hit Upgrade to bump your weapon from Level 0 → 1, Level 1 → 2, and so on.

Each upgrade will cost you a few materials listed just below the button.

Every upgrade gives your weapon a nice stat boost — faster reloads, bigger mags, higher damage, better durability — all the good stuff. It’s one of the easiest ways to get stronger gear early in the game without burning through your rare mats.

One thing to note: higher-rarity weapons (Green, Blue, Purple, and Yellow) need materials that match their tier. So, don’t waste your best stuff too early — save those premium mats for when you’re confident surviving in ARC Raiders’ toughest fights.