There are many reasons to kill a Leaper, Arc Raiders’ terrifying robotic spider-like menace that can cross vast distances in seconds. The quest “Into the Fray” specifically asks you to take one out. Weekly trials frequently require you to damage or destroy a Leaper. They’re also a source of some solid loot. Their Pulse Units do respectable damage as a throwable and they’re needed for stage four of the current Expedition Project. Here’s the best way to take them out.
While I’d wager Leapers, though intimidating, are the weakest of the larger Arc forces, their ability to traverse large distances quickly makes them a tough target. They can also crush you to death without much effort. Luckily, they’re large, they can’t squeeze into tight spaces, and they don’t fire any projectiles. So if you can find a safe spot with a clear sightline, and you’ve got the right weapons, their ass is grass.
After spending nearly 200 hours in this game, I’ve found what I consider to be the best place for taking down a Leaper quickly, whether you’re running solo or in a crew. To get there you’re gonna head to Spaceport, specifically the center of the map near the Central Elevator. There’s a bunker northeast of the Elevator, sandwiched in between it and the South Trench Tower. That’s our spot.
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The only downside to this spot is that it’s in a wide open area, so you’re unlikely to be the only one who’ll join the fight and you’ll have to keep an eye out for hostile players. To be honest, this is also true of just about any place in the game. But this specific location has a few critical advantages when it comes to PvP and quick extraction, so let’s dive in.
Spaceport: The ultimate Leaper killing grounds
© Screenshot: Embark Studios / Kotaku
This bunker is an excellent location to dig in for a Leaper assault as both of its doors are pre-blocked (if you get there and there’s no option to breach the door, it means other players have broken in already). The Leaper won’t be able to climb into the bunker and, as I mentioned before, they don’t shoot projectiles, so if you stay away from the windows when it charges up its singularity area-of-effect attack, you’re basically untouchable while you pour the heat on our robotic spider pal.
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Speaking of that Leaper, they usually spawn in the surrounding area. You’ll typically see it walking around near the Elevator, or close to the Launch Towers and Departure Building south of the Elevator.
Sometimes, a Leaper will also spawn on the opposite, eastern side of the Launch Towers. In theory, you can lure one over to the aforementioned bunker, but it’s a hike and you open yourself to a lot of risk by doing so. If there’s no Leaper in the area near the bunker, I advise making yourself busy with something else and loading back into a new instance of the map where, hopefully, our prey will be waiting.
Step one: Arming up and fortifying the bunker
Any gun with Heavy Ammo will deliver sufficient damage to the Leaper. A maxed-out Ferro will do well, as will an Anvil. If you’re bringing either of those weapons, be sure to have a healthy amount of ammo. The Leaper will go down faster than you think, but it will take a lot of shots.
Hullcrackers are okay, but I’d save those for bigger threats. Thrown explosives are also handy to have, though having said that, we’re going to be shooting the Leaper through a two-foot window in the bunker and there’s a good chance that in the chaos of your assault, you may screw up the throw and end up bouncing the grenade back into the bunker and, well, that’s a less-than-ideal situation.
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If you’re at all a fan of Rainbow Six: Siege, you’re going to love this next part. Any combination of the following items will help make your mission more successful:
- Barricade Kit
- Door Blocker
- Any trap or mine (Blaze Grenade Traps, Jolt Mines, or even Trigger ‘Nades will work well)
- Lure Grenade (good for sending the Leaper or other Arc away from you if things get messy)
While the Leaper can’t get into the bunker, other players can and there’s no guarantee that they’ll be friendly. So we have to do what we can to make it hard for other players to get inside while you’re taking on the Leaper.
Good thing the bunker is pre-blocked! Other players can break those blocks, but they make a lot of sound while doing so, which can buy you time to shift your focus to the invading threat.
But you’ll need to smash one of the blocks yourself to get in. I recommend picking the west-facing door to break open. Once you’re inside, immediately block that door again with a Door Blocker or place Barricade Kits right up to both doors. (You can get the Barricade Kit close enough to the door frame that you can’t walk past it on the western door. This is harder to do on the eastern door, hence the reason I advise leaving that door untouched when you break in).
© Screenshot: Embark Studios / Kotaku
At this point, with doors blocked or barricaded, you’ll have bought yourself some valuable time from invading players looking to take advantage of you. Also, since there’ll be a Leaper jumping around the bunker as you attack it, enemy players open themselves up to serious risk if they try to break through the door blocks or take down the barricades.
Still, there’s a chance an enemy player can get in to ruin your day. It can be hard to hear an enemy player breaching a door or taking down a barricade while the Leaper is making a racket while bouncing around.
That’s where the traps come in handy. Go nuts here with whatever you have: Place Jolt Mines in front of the door or behind barricades. Rig the door with Blaze Grenade Traps. You could even place some Lure Traps which in theory would go off, sending the Leaper to the doorway and calling over any nearby drones, positioning the invading player in between you and Arc threats.
You can also place some Explosive Mines at the doors too, but I’d be wary of the shrapnel inside the bunker hitting you. There’s risk of that with the Jolt Mine too, but those just temporarily stun and don’t do any damage.
Step two: Luring the Leaper and commencing the attack
Once you’ve fortified the bunker, you should be able to spot a Leaper from inside. There’s usually one patrolling south of the bunker. If there’s no Leaper in the area, you may have to just reload into a new instance. It’s a common area for our spider pal, so you’ll see one eventually. Just fire a shot at it to get its attention and let it race over to try and attack you.
© Screenshot: Embark Studios / Kotaku
Since it can’t get into the bunker, it won’t be much of a threat to you. Its charged-up area-of-effect attack can do damage if you’re close enough to the window, so if you see it charging up, just back away from the window.
Prioritize your fire on its eye. Just keep pouring the damage in. It’ll go faster if you’re with friends, but this is a perfectly soloable activity provided you brought enough ammo. Also, it sure would be nice if you had some grenades or Wolfpacks (just be careful throwing them).
The Leaper isn’t a total fool, however. After taking enough damage without returning any, it will start to walk away from the bunker. If you keep shooting it, however, you’ll retrigger its aggravated state and it will continue to try and jump on top of the bunker and squeeze into the windows. But try as it might, it can’t.
Keep shooting and it will eventually go down.
Step three: Loot (if you need it) and GTFO
You’re going to make a ton of racket with this assault. Any nearby players who are looking to take advantage of you might wait until you’re looting the wreckage to jump you. So, once the Leaper’s dead, head out, grab what you need and then race over to the nearby Elevator to extract.
Unless you’re doing a Night Raid (where Elevators are your only way out), I advise using a Raider Hatch Key to get out somewhere else so you don’t have to mess around with any rats camping the Elevator.
Closing thoughts and considerations
© Screenshot: Embark Studios / Kotaku
Just about any place similar to this bunker will be a good spot for taking out a Leaper. That said, this particular bunker on Spaceport is advantageous given its proximity to an Elevator for quick extraction, the fact that the doors come pre-blocked, and its right near a common Leaper spawn point.
There is a pre-blocked bunker south of the Central Elevator that also may work, but it’s a bit too close to the Departures and Arrivals Building where hostile players may be waiting to snipe or jump you.
Also, if you’re taking out a Leaper for a weekly trial, be sure to run this tactic during a Night Raid or an Electromagnetic Storm since it will double the trial points. The storms are riskier if you want to loot the remains as you open yourself up to a lightning strike, however.
There are many other places across Arc Raiders’ current maps to take out Leapers, but this bunker in Spaceport is by far the most reliable spot to just load in and kill one while covering your ass from any rats looking to ruin your day.
Happy hunting!
