Knowing what to sell and what to keep in ARC Raiders is the difference between a healthy wallet and a wasted raid. Every backpack you drag back to Speranza is full of loot that can either become cold, hard currency at a trader or stay locked in your stash for quests, crafting and survival. This guide breaks down exactly which items to cash in, which to never sell, and how to make the call quickly when your stash starts overflowing.
ARC Raiders is an extraction shooter, so loot management happens between runs, back at the underground hub. After you extract, you head to the traders and your stash and decide what to do with everything you hauled out. The smart play is to be ruthless with surplus and protective of anything tied to your progress.
What you need before you sort loot
- A completed raid with loot in your backpack, safely extracted to your stash.
- Access to the traders in Speranza (the surface hub), where selling happens.
- A rough idea of your active quests and the recipes you are working toward at your workbench.
- An eye on your stash capacity, which is limited and fills up fast.
How to decide what to sell and what to keep
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Step 1: Understand the sell-versus-keep choice
Every looted item ultimately gives you one of two kinds of value. Selling turns it into currency you can spend on gear, ammo and trader unlocks. Keeping means it stays in your stash because you need it for a quest, a crafting recipe, a workbench upgrade, or to stay alive on your next run. Sort your loot into these two piles first, and the rest of the decisions become easy.
Sell items for cash now, or keep them for quests, crafting and upgrades later. -
Step 2: Sell surplus loot and valuables
Sell anything that is worth more as cash than as a spare part. That means high-value valuables and trinkets with a strong vendor price, duplicate weapons and gear you will not field, and common loot you have more than enough of once your stash is full. Off-recipe components — parts nothing you craft actually uses — are also safe to sell. Currency is what funds your better loadouts, so do not hoard items you will never touch.
Trade valuables, duplicates and true surplus to the traders for the best cash return. -
Step 3: Keep quest, crafting and recovery items
Some loot should never hit the sell button. Hold onto quest and delivery items that traders ask for, workbench materials tied to upgrades you are saving toward, and recipe components you craft your gear from. Just as important, keep your meds and consumables — healing and revive items keep you alive on the surface. Selling one of these by accident can undo a raid's worth of progress.
Quest items, crafting materials, recipe parts and consumables belong in your stash, not the sell tab. -
Step 4: Manage your limited stash space
Your stash is small, and a full inventory forces you to make decisions. When you are out of slots, sell in a clear order: cheap junk you cannot craft with first, then duplicate gear and weapons, then valuables once you simply want the cash. Never sacrifice quest items, meds or recipe parts to free up room — store those and offload the clutter instead. Keeping your stash tidy after every run means you always have space for the next big haul.
When the stash fills up, sell the cheapest clutter first and protect your essentials. -
Step 5: Use a quick rule for every item
When you are unsure, run each item through three quick questions. Does a trader or active quest ask for it? Keep it. Do you need it for a recipe or workbench upgrade? Keep it. Otherwise, is it surplus or a valuable? Sell it. This simple flow handles almost every item in seconds, and when something genuinely sits on the fence, lean toward keeping it for one more raid.
Three questions decide it: keep for quests or crafting, otherwise sell for cash.
Tips for smarter loot decisions
- Check your quest list before selling. Traders regularly want specific items, so a quick glance can save you from selling something you will need to hand in.
- Hold a small buffer of crafting staples. Common materials are easy to recycle into, so keeping a modest reserve means you are never short when a recipe unlocks.
- Sell duplicates, keep the best. If you have two of the same weapon, field the better one and turn the spare into currency.
- Do not let valuables rot in your stash. Pure valuables exist to be sold — keeping them forever just ties up slots you could use for useful gear.
- Spend the currency you earn. Cash is only useful when invested in gear, ammo and trader progress, so do not sit on a fortune you never use.
Common mistakes to avoid
I sold an item a quest needed
This is the most common slip-up. Before a selling spree, open your active quests so you know which items are flagged as deliverables, and keep those aside until the objective is complete.
My stash is always full
You are probably keeping too much low-value clutter. Be ruthless with cheap junk and duplicates — sell them every time you return so the stash never clogs up.
I am short on currency
Make a habit of selling valuables and surplus after each run instead of stockpiling them. Valuables in particular are designed to be cashed in, not collected.
Frequently asked questions
What should you always keep in ARC Raiders?
Keep quest and delivery items, crafting materials tied to upgrades, recipe components, and your meds and consumables. These all feed your progress or keep you alive, so they should never be sold.
What is safe to sell in ARC Raiders?
Sell high-value valuables and trinkets, duplicate weapons and gear, off-recipe components nothing uses, and excess common loot once your stash is full.
Should I sell valuables or keep them?
Sell them. Pure valuables exist mainly to be turned into currency at a trader, so there is little reason to leave them taking up stash space.
How do I free up stash space without losing progress?
Sell in order of least importance: cheap junk first, then duplicate gear, then valuables. Always protect quest items, meds and recipe parts.
Is it bad to sell crafting materials?
Usually, yes, if you are still building toward upgrades. Keep the materials your active recipes and workbench need, and only sell true surplus you have no plans for.
Final thoughts
Deciding what to sell and what to keep in ARC Raiders comes down to one habit: sort every haul into cash and value the moment you return. Sell your valuables, duplicates and clutter for currency, protect your quest items, meds and crafting parts, and keep your limited stash lean so there is always room for the next run. Master that loop and you will never again hand a trader something you needed. For official details and updates, check the official ARC Raiders website.
