With the North Line update shaking things up, fights feel way more unforgiving. Your health bar can vanish in seconds, so waiting behind cover to heal is a luxury you often do not get. The trick now is burst recovery. Hit a Vita Shot for a quick 50 HP, and before that boost fades, slap on a Bandage. If you have a sterilized one, you will notice your HP climbing fast enough to keep moving without stopping. Same story with shields — a Surge Recharger layered with a standard shield can pull you from nothing to full almost instantly. Keep these in your quick slots; being able to do this mid-fight can make or break a raid. A lot of players ignore this, but if you want to kit out faster, sites like ARC Raiders Items are worth a look for getting what you need without the grind.
Movement is survival in Stella Montis. Always use the sprint roll instead of the regular one — it covers close to twice the ground and can pull you out of a losing shotgun push. If you are running low on stamina but need to get over a wall, hit a stim right before the vault and you will skip the sluggish animation. The crouch-back-jump-mantle move on shelves gives you sneaky access to upstairs loot and great ambush angles. A small tweak in settings helps too: turn off ‘Blocked Line of Fire’ so your aim stays locked where you want, even when close to cover. Pair that with the MK3 Survivor Augment to regen fast when downed, and you become a nightmare to finish.
In combat, thinking a step ahead often beats sheer speed. Rocketeer ARC giving you trouble? Crack its front turbines with a Showstopper EMP and it is done. Against other players, Jolt Mines are gold for locking down angles; toss them where someone might rush without thinking. Noisemakers are underrated — they can give you just enough warning during extractions or breaches. And sure, it is ruthless, but the fake friendly emote followed by a surprise strike works if you want loot fast. Always check sketchy corners or bushes with smoke or a few bullets. Wasting ammo is better than walking into a hidden squad.
Loot runs are about knowing where to look, not just grabbing what is in front of you. Locked rooms are nearly always worth the key, since they almost guarantee blueprint drops. If you spot a lightning storm rolling in, head to commercial districts — storm boosts mean better spawns. Do not skip the smaller areas either; assembly silos hide crates, and residential spots are full of trinkets and keys you can sell. Craft stims and bandages as you go so you keep pace without returning to base. And if grinding for high-tier schematics like Storm or Heavy Shield gets old, a lot of vets simply buy BluePrint to save time and get back to dominating raids.