Elias here, back at the workbench for Rival Sector. Look, I get it. We all have that one piece of gear we swear by. That one gun that feels like an extension of your own arm, the one you trust when your pack is full of X-Mat and an ARC patrol is closing in. For a lot of you, that gun is the Tempest. I see it all the time in the field, and I read the comments. “Elias, why don’t you talk about the Tempest more? It’s a laser beam! It’s the best AR!”
I’m here to tell you why, in my expert opinion, it’s not.
Don’t get me wrong, the Tempest is a good gun. It’s the definition of a solid, reliable, “ol’ faithful” assault rifle. But in the lethal landscape of ARC Raiders, “good” doesn’t always cut it. When I’m building a loadout to take on a Harvester or wipe a geared rival squad, I’m not looking for “good.” I’m looking for “the best.” And for me, the Tempest just doesn’t make the cut. It’s the king of the B-tier, the top of the “almost-great” pile.
Let’s break down why this popular AR stays on my workbench more often than it stays in my loadout.
The “Jack of All Trades, Master of None” Problem
The core identity of the Tempest is its versatility. It’s an Epic-rarity, full-auto, Medium Ammo assault rifle. On paper, this is a perfect combination. It’s meant to be the gun that can handle everything. And in a way, it does. But it doesn’t handle any single, critical thing exceptionally well.
Its single greatest stat is its stability. It has almost no recoil. You can hold down the trigger and put 25 rounds in a tight grouping at mid-range, and I’ll admit, that feels amazing. It’s comfortable, it’s easy to use, and it’s forgiving.
But that’s where the praise stops for me. In ARC Raiders, a gunfight is decided by specialization. The Tempest’s “jack of all trades” profile means it’s a “master of none,” and it loses out in the moments that matter most.
- It’s a mediocre ARC killer. You’re dumping mag after mag into armor plates that a Heavy Ammo weapon like the Bettina or even the Uncommon-rarity Anvil pistol would crack in a few, well-placed shots.
- It gets out-gunned in PvP. That easy-to-control recoil comes at a cost, and that cost is Time-to-Kill (TTK). In a pure 1v1 against a geared Raider, the Tempest often loses. Its 10 base damage per shot is decent, but it can’t compete with the high-alpha damage of a Renegade, the faster TTK of a “sleeper” pick like the Arpeggio, or the raw panic-inducing power of a Vulcano shotgun.
It’s the gun you use when you don’t know what you’ll be fighting. The problem is, in a high-stakes raid, you should always be kitted out for the worst-case scenario.
The Numbers Don’t Lie: A B-Tier Comparison
I love a good gun that feels good, but I trust the data more. The Tempest’s biggest weakness is that it’s an Epic-rarity weapon that gets outclassed by other guns in its own category, and even by some lower-rarity options that specialize.
Let’s put it side-by-side with the guns I would take instead.
| Weapon | Rarity | Ammo | Why It Beats the Tempest |
| Tempest | Epic | Medium | (Baseline) The all-rounder. High stability, but average damage and penetration. |
| Bettina | Epic | Heavy | The True PvE King. This is the other Epic AR. Its “Strong” armor pen and Heavy Ammo make it vastly superior for killing ARC. |
| Renegade | Rare | Medium | The PvP Specialist. Hits like a truck. A skilled player with a Renegade will drop a Tempest user almost every time, thanks to its high single-shot damage. |
| Anvil | Uncommon | Heavy | The Ultimate Utility. The fact that an Uncommon pistol is a better anti-armor tool than an Epic AR says everything. This is my go-to sidearm for cracking armor. |
Looking at this, the Tempest’s role disappears. If I want an AR for killing ARC, I’m taking the Bettina. If I want a Medium Ammo weapon for killing Raiders, I’m taking the Renegade or Arpeggio. The Tempest tries to do both and ends up being second-best at both.
The 25-Round “Generosity” Trap
Let’s be clear, I’m not one of those players who thinks the 25-round magazine is a flaw. In ARC Raiders, 25 rounds of Medium Ammo is more than generous. It’s practically a drum mag compared to the 8-round Renegade or the 20-round Bettina.But here’s the problem, and the real reason the Tempest stays in B-tier for me: that generosity is a trap. It feels like you have a deep magazine, but the gun’s mediocre stats mean you need every single one of those 25 rounds. That “Moderate” armor pen and average damage just tickle heavy ARC units. You’re forced to dump an entire “generous” mag into a single Baron, while a Bettina would have done the job with half its ammo. The mag size is fine, but the bullets are B-tier.
My Final Verdict: The King of Comfort, Not Performance
So, is the Tempest a bad gun? No. Absolutely not. It’s one of the most comfortable and stable guns in the game. It’s a fantastic entry point into Epic-rarity weapons and a great choice for players who are still mastering recoil control.
But it is definitively a B-tier weapon for me.
It’s a gun that gives you a false sense of security. It feels powerful, right up until you face an enemy who is using a weapon that specializes. It doesn’t have the stopping power for elite ARC, and it doesn’t have the TTK for elite Raiders.
It’s the ultimate “safe” pick, but in ARC Raiders, playing it safe doesn’t get you the best loot. Making it onto my personal ARC Raiders best weapons list requires more than just comfort, it requires a killer instinct. The Tempest just doesn’t have it.
For more deep-dive analyses and brutal, honest takes on the ARC Raiders meta, make sure you’re checking out our ARC Raiders category. We’re dedicated to giving you the real data you need to survive.
Do you disagree? Do you think the Tempest is S-tier? Fight me in the comments, I want to hear your loadouts.
