Canto

At 6.5 damage per shot, the Canto strips a Light Shield in 12 shots and a Heavy Shield in 31. Breaking a Heavy Shield takes more than the 18-round magazine holds, so plan on reloading mid-duel or opening with a different weapon.

Among the 3 smgs in ARC Raiders, the Canto ranks 2nd for DPS and 2nd for damage per shot. Its closest performance rivals are Bobcat (400 DPS) and Stitcher (294 DPS).

The Canto is a rare smg in ARC Raiders, currently rated A-Tier tier in the current weapon meta (Frozen Trail 2.0 Update). With 6.5 damage per shot and a fire rate stat of 56.7, it puts out 369 DPS — placing it in the top damage bracket among all ARC Raiders weapons. The 18-round magazine and 1.8s reload window mean you should be conscious of mag dumps but can usually finish a 1v1 before reloading.

Recoil sits at 61/100, which makes the Canto a high-skill weapon that rewards muscle-memory and recoil-pattern practice. Effective range tops out around 51/100, so the Canto excels in medium-range fights — open courtyards, Spaceport runways, and Buried City rooftops. It feeds on medium ammo (42.5% armor penetration), so it punches through Heavy shields and lets you contest armored Raiders directly.

For ARC Raiders players asking where to find the Canto, the most reliable spawns are at Crafted at Gunsmith (Level 3, requires Canto Blueprint), Rare world spawn in Blue Gate and Dam Battlegrounds, ARC Operation loot crates. If RNG isn't on your side, you can also craft the Canto at the Gunsmith (Level 3) using 2× Adv. Mechanical Components, 5× Magnets, 3× Medium Gun Parts. The blueprint drops as rare loot during raids — keep an eye on Workshop containers and ARC drops.Best paired with shields and augments that complement its aggressive close-range pressure. For a side-by-side comparison against the rest of the ARC Raiders weapon roster, see our weapon tier list.