In ARC Raiders, the quality of your weapon directly impacts your survival rate. Among the vast arsenal, many players prefer the feel and gameplay experience of Submachine Guns (SMGs).
Currently, there are three SMGs in game: Stitcher, Canto, and Bobcat. So, which one is the strongest SMG? Recently, a gamer conducted a test to find out.
Below, I will detail his testing process and results, comparing these three SMGs from different perspectives to help players make their choice.
PvE Performance Comparison
After equipping the attachments, it was time for the actual testing. First, let's see how these three guns perform against ARC enemies.
Shield Breaking Ability Test
Shields in ARC Raiders include Light Shield, Medium Shield, and Heavy Shield. Since SMGs are difficult to penetrate Heavy Shields, this player mainly used the first two for testing.
He first tested their ability to break through Light Shields with three level 1 guns, and all three passed the test.
When testing with Medium Shield, the player fired at a distance of 20 meters. Stitcher and Bobcat were able to penetrate shield, but Canto failed - not because of insufficient damage, but because the bullet spread was too large, making it difficult to hit the target.
Armor Penetration Test
However, Canto possesses a unique armor penetration capability - it can penetrate Fireball's Armor.
This is because Fireball's outer shell is extremely strong; Light Ammo will bounce off, and only Medium Ammo or Heavy Ammo can penetrate it.
Therefore, Canto, which uses Medium Ammo, can penetrate Armor, but Stitcher and Bobcat, which use Light Ammo, cannot.
Ammo Sustain Test
In terms of ammo sustain, Stitcher and Bobcat using Light Ammo performed poorly.
In reality, weapons using Light Ammo generally suffer from this problem: low single-shot damage, requiring a large number of bullets to kill an enemy, while the limited ammo capacity in the backpack results in poor ammo sustain.
In contrast, Canto, although with a slightly slower rate of fire, has higher single-shot damage and better ammunition retention.
Therefore, in PvE performance, Canto performs best overall.
PvP Performance Comparison
ARC Raiders is a PvPvE game; some weapons perform well in PvE but may not perform as well in PvP.
Bobcat
On paper, Bobcat has the fastest rate of fire of these three guns. This means that ideally, it has the shortest Time to Kill (TTK) - you can unleash enough bullets on the enemy in the shortest time.
And this is also the case in actual testing. Bobcat's TTK is about half a second faster than Stitcher's, a fatal difference in close-quarters combat.
However, despite having the fastest rate of fire, Bobcat is more prone to failure in actual combat. The reason is its extremely high rate of fire; bullets spray out like water.
If an enemy suddenly jumps, or your crosshair isn't perfectly aligned with them, the magazine will be empty before you even have time to adjust your stance. What follows is a long reload time - enough for the enemy to kill you.
This is the downside of such a high rate of fire: low margin for error. You must achieve perfect aim in an extremely short time, or you're out of luck.
Canto
However, Canto, using Medium Ammo and with a slower rate of fire, actually feels better to handle, giving the player some reaction time.
Canto's rate of fire is slower than Bobcat's, and its time-to-kill (TTK) is about 0.1 seconds slower. But it's precisely this 0.1-second difference that gives you time to fine-tune your crosshair during firing.
If you miss the first shot, you still have a chance to bring your crosshair back to the enemy, instead of being forced to reload after emptying the entire magazine.
However, Canto is also the most difficult of the three guns to control. Because of its high recoil, it requires strong recoil control skills; its bullet spread is also the highest, making it difficult to hit targets at even slightly longer distances.
Stitcher
In PvP, Stitcher combines the disadvantages of both Bobcat and Canto. Not only is its rate of fire slower, but it also has lower damage and higher recoil, making it unsuitable for PvP.
Therefore, if you have experience and skill in handling firearms, Bobcat, with its high rate of fire, is the best choice. However, if you prioritize survivability and have excellent recoil control skills, Canto is more suitable.
Acquisition Difficulty Comparison
Comparing the acquisition difficulty of ARC Raiders Blueprints for these three weapons: Bobcat Blueprint is relatively difficult to obtain, requiring considerable luck;
Canto Blueprint has moderate acquisition difficulty, sometimes obtainable from the weekly trial reward pool; Stitcher Blueprint is the easiest to obtain.
Upgrade Performance Comparison
This player also upgraded these guns to level four and compared their performance at level four.
Even after these guns are upgraded to level four, Bobcat remains the strongest in PvE, with a significant time-to-kill (TTK) advantage; Canto follows closely behind, with a TTK only 0.1 seconds slower; while Stitcher remains at bottom.
This concludes the comparison of the three SMGs in ARC Raiders. In summary, if you enjoy PvE, Canto is your best choice; if you prefer PvP, Bobcat is more suitable.