How to find and kill a Matriarch in Arc Raiders
If the Queen wasn't scary enough for you, then the Matriarch added in Arc Raiders' Stella Montis update will surely do the trick. This hulking robot is somehow even larger and stronger than the Queen, who's already been usurped from the top of the food chain.
As you'd imagine, you'll be rewarded handsomely for taking down a Matriarch, though that's no easy feat. Below, I'll go over how to find a Matriach, the best way to kill them, and all the loot you'll earn for doing so.
Arc Raiders Matriarch spawn locations
Like the Queen during the Harvester event, you'll only encounter the Matriarch during the Matriarch event map condition. You'll know when this is active, as you'll see the modifier before picking a map on the main menu, and again when you load into the match. It's worth noting that the Matriarch event spawns on normal map nodes, not a separate node like the Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm.
Once you're in the match with the event active, you'll need to search the following location for the Matriarch, depending on the map:
- Dam Battlegrounds: The Breach area of the dam, east of Red Lakes
- Spaceport: Around Launch Towers in the centre of the map
The Matriarch can also spawn on Blue Gate, though this event has not yet returned to this map following its bugged debut. I'll update this guide once the location is known.
Given the Matriarch's size, it can't spawn on smaller maps like Buried City and Stella Montis. I don't even want to imagine how chaotic that would be.
How to kill a Matriarch in Arc Raiders
The Matriarch is very similar to the Queen (that being, a massive robot armed to the teeth), so you'll want multiple players to take it on. Here are some tips to kill this elite Arc:
- The Matriarch can continually spawn minions, including Bastions, Bombardiers, Leapers, Rocketeers, Wasps, and Hornets.
- Bring high-penetration weapons like the Jupiter, Hullcracker, or Bettina, and plenty of ammo (especially because of the other robots the Matriarch spawns). Wolfpack Grenades are also invaluable against Arcs.
- Aim for the knee joints for extra damage, just as you would for Queens, Bombardiers, and Bastions.
- Stick to high ground and areas with cover to avoid the Matriarch's cannons. Bringing Barricade Kits to make your own cover is also helpful.
- Avoid the gas mortars until they expire. This can effectively block areas of cover for a duration, so make sure you've got room to move around.
- The Matriarch can create an energy dome shield that blocks projectiles for a duration.
- As mentioned, bring friends and team up with other players in the match to take the Matriarch down faster and easier.
As for your prize, killing a Matriarch rewards you with its unique Matriarch Reactor, which can be used to craft the new Aphelion weapon (once it's available, at least). Other than that, it's worth 13,000 credits and can be recycled into a Power Rod and Magnetic Accelerator. You'll also get a Magnetic Accelerator for killing the Matriarch, alongside the usual Arc materials like Alloy, Circuitry, Power Cells, and Motion Cores.
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