Arc Raiders doesn't care if you've got good vibes or a "smart" route planned—your kit either keeps you breathing or it doesn't, and people will burn through ARC Raiders Coins chasing a setup that actually feels reliable in the field. That's why the Hairpin sparks so many fights in voice chat. Pick it up early and you might swear it's the worst thing ever shipped in a loot pool. Stick with it long enough and you'll hear a totally different story.

Why it gets trashed on sight

The hate usually starts with the first ten minutes of using it. Base Hairpin damage feels soft, especially when you're staring at an Arc unit that's not even flinching. You dump a magazine, you get a few sad hit markers, and the thing is still coming. No big punch, no "oh, that worked" moment. A lot of players don't even give it a second raid. They'll toss it, grab almost anything else, and honestly, I get it. In a messy fight you want a weapon that saves you now, not a project you're supposed to babysit for later.

The part defenders keep bringing up

Hairpin fans aren't pretending the early version is great. They're talking about the end state. The whole pitch is simple: level it to 4 and it stops playing like a joke. The damage profile and efficiency into Arc enemies ramps up in a way that feels like the gun "clicks" into its real role. You're not trying to win every duel against other raiders with it. You're trying to delete machines fast, conserve resources, and keep moving. Once it's upgraded, you can feel that shift—less panic spraying, more deliberate bursts, more consistent takedowns.

Where it lands for most experienced players

Most veterans I run into don't crown it king, but they don't dumpster it either. It ends up as that awkward middle pick: a C-tier gun that can look like A-tier in the right hands, in the right raid, with the right progression behind it. The grind is the price. If you're the type who swaps guns constantly, you'll never get the payoff and the Hairpin will always feel undercooked. If you like committing to a build and learning one weapon's rhythm, it starts making sense.

Making the grind feel less painful

If you do decide to commit, treat the early levels like training wheels: avoid forcing close-range hero plays, lean on cover, and let teammates handle the "need damage right now" moments. Focus on machine-heavy routes where the Hairpin's identity actually matters as it scales. And if you're short on time and would rather spend your sessions raiding than scraping for upgrades, some players use RSVSR to pick up game currency or items and get their loadouts online faster without dragging out the weakest part of the weapon's journey.