What Shared Watch is and when it runs
Shared Watch is a limited‑time PvE event in ARC Raiders that rewards you simply for fighting ARC machines, not other players.
- Dates: runs from February 10 to February 24, 2026 (server time).
- No separate playlist: any regular topside run during the event counts toward Shared Watch – you don’t need to click a special mode.
- PvE only: XP gained from fighting ARC enemies (damage, assists, kills, destroying parts) is converted into event currency called Merits.
- PvP excluded: XP from killing or damaging other Raiders does not generate Merits at all, which is why many players say the event is basically “business as usual, just don’t sweat PvP”.
The event is structured like a mini battle‑pass with a fixed end date and 21 rewards, and your only job is to hit the total Merit requirement before the event expires.
How Merits work (the core formula)
Shared Watch uses a very simple conversion:
- 1 Merit for every 100 XP you gain from actions against ARC enemies.
- Only XP tied to ARC damage / kills / assists / breaking armored parts counts.
- XP from players (PvP) = 0 Merits.
To fully complete the event track, you need:
- Total required Merits: 1050.
- That equals 105,000 XP vs ARC over the duration of the event.
The UI: your Merits and the current reward tier are shown in the Shared Watch pane in the event menu, and each reward has a specific Merit threshold.
Full reward track - all 21 Shared Watch rewards
There are 21 total reward nodes; depending on the source, the names or order may vary slightly, but the core list looks like this:
- Early tiers (around 50-200 Merits):
- Raider Tokens (small bundles like 10-20 at a time).
- Quick‑use consumables, including early versions of Vita Spray.
- Cosmetic items such as baseball face paint, a bat‑themed weapon charm, and a basic Slugger outfit piece.
- Mid tiers (roughly 250-700 Merits):
- More Raider Tokens (bigger stacks, ~30-50 per node).
- Blueprint: Vita Spray - unlocks crafting of this quick‑use heal/boost item permanently.
- Blueprint: Tactical MK.3 (Healing) - an upgraded healing tactical, very valuable for late‑game runs.
- Cosmetic unlocks: Slugger jacket/pants, Hand Signals emote, Acoustic Guitar social item.
- Late tiers (around 800-1050 Merits):
- More premium currency: total Raider Tokens from the full track add up to around 150–170 Tokens depending on the exact breakdown.
- Final Slugger outfit pieces, including variant colorways.
- Batting Helmet - Scrappy cosmetic at 1050 Merits, often shown as the “capstone” reward in screenshots and galleries.
The important part: none of the rewards are locked behind real money once you’re in the event - if you hit 1050 Merits in time, you get everything.
What actually gives XP (and thus Merits)
XP in ARC Raiders comes from multiple sources, but for Shared Watch you care only about those connected to ARC enemies.
These actions do generate XP → Merits:
- Direct damage to ARC units (any weapon).
- Assists on ARC kills.
- Final blows against ARC enemies.
- Destroying armored parts or critical sections on ARC machines (legs, wings, armor plates, weapon pods, etc.).
These actions do not generate Merits:
- Damage to or elimination of other Raiders in PvP.
- Pure exploration / traversal XP, if any, that’s not tagged to ARC combat.
Because of this, the event naturally pushes you toward ARC‑dense PvE runs instead of hunting other players or playing extraction more like a battle royale.
Best activity types for Shared Watch
Not all runs are equal in terms of ARC density and XP output. Guides and players who finished Shared Watch in one evening all recommend:
- Prioritize contracts and zones with high-tier ARC spawns – missions with Rocketeers, Bombardiers, Bastions, Queens, Matriarchs.
- Avoid low‑density, long‑travel runs where you spend more time walking than fighting.
- Treat hunting big machines like tactical farming – the more armor plates and segments you break, the more XP you squeeze from each encounter.
Many players report that doing a mix of high‑threat ARC contracts and world events is enough to clear the entire track in 4–6 focused sessions, or even a single long evening if you no‑life it.
Enemy targets and weapons that maximize Merits
Because of the 1 Merit = 100 XP formula, you want to farm situations where you:
- Deal lots of damage.
- Hit multiple segments and multiple enemies at once.
- Kill high‑value targets.
Priority ARC enemies
- Rocketeers and Bombardiers - mid‑to‑high level, with multiple armor sections and dangerous ranged attacks; lots of XP per kill and per broken part.
- Bastions - tanky units that soak damage, meaning more XP if you live through the fight.
- Leapers - armored, mobile threats; breaking legs and armor panels adds extra XP on top of the kill.
- Queens and Matriarchs - boss‑tier ARC with many vulnerable points; the best raw XP per encounter if your squad can handle them.
Best weapon types and tools
- Explosives:
- Grenades, mines, Seeker Grenades, Wolfpack‑style explosives – anything that hits multiple parts and enemies at once.
- These are especially strong vs Bastions, groups of drones, or bosses with large hitboxes.
- High‑DPS automatic weapons:
- LMGs, high‑RPM rifles or SMGs that can continuously strip armor and segments.
- Good for shredding weak points or focusing down rocket pods and cannons.
- Builds that boost damage to parts / weak points:
- Perks that reward hitting armor plates or exposed cores increase both kill speed and XP income.
The general rule: if a weapon “feels” great at deleting ARC armor and limbs, it will also feel great for Shared Watch.
Solo vs squad - which is better?
You can do Shared Watch solo, but the event is tuned such that playing in a squad is clearly more efficient.
- In squads, you can safely target higher‑threat ARC enemies that would be risky or too slow solo.
- XP (and thus Merits) also come from assists, so as long as you tag enemies and stay active in fights, you benefit from the team’s kills.
- Squads can run specialized roles - one player bringing heavy explosives, another focusing on sustained DPS, another on support and revives – which reduces downtime and deaths.
Players who brag about finishing the event “in one evening” almost always did it in duo or trio groups, chaining ARC‑dense contracts and boss encounters.
How long does it actually take?
Estimates from guides and player reports:
- If you’re playing decently and focusing on ARC‑heavy content, expect around 4–6 hours total to reach 1050 Merits.
- Sweaty squads farming only high‑value targets can push it down to 2–3 hours of very efficient play.
- Casual play mixed with PvP or lots of downtime will stretch it out, because PvP gives you zero progress for the event.
So despite being a two‑week event, Shared Watch’s actual grind is fairly mild if you commit to PvE and stop chasing Raider kills.
Practical tips to clear the event comfortably
- Turn off the PvP mindset: treat other Raiders as background noise; going out of your way to fight them just slows down Merits.
- Focus route planning on ARC density, not on extraction routes or PvP hotspots.
- Always carry at least one explosive option and use it on clusters and big targets.
- If you’re close to a boss or high‑threat contract, ping it and regroup - Shared Watch rewards coordinated ARC hunting far more than scattered skirmishes.
- Don’t hoard your consumables: Vita Sprays, tacticals, and explosives exist to help you survive and push ARC kills faster during this exact kind of event
