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What does the Free Loadout Augment actually give you?

On paper, the Free Loadout Augment offers slightly more backpack space and carry capacity compared to having nothing. In reality, it is extremely restrictive.

You are limited to:

Light shield compatibility only

A low weight limit

No safe pockets

A small backpack with 14 slots

No built-in support for grenades, healing items, or utilities

What this means in actual raids is that you have to make decisions early. You cannot hoard items. You cannot safely stash valuables. You cannot carry heavy loot without becoming overweight very quickly.

Most players using this augment focus on:

Lightweight materials

Early extraction

Scouting enemy behavior

Completing simple contracts

It is not designed for long loot runs or PvP-heavy play.

How do players normally use the Free Loadout Augment?

In real gameplay, the Free Loadout Augment is used in a few very specific ways.

First, new players use it to learn maps and enemy patterns. Since dying costs nothing, mistakes are easier to accept.

Second, experienced players use it for recovery runs. If you just lost a good kit and your coin balance is low, free runs let you rebuild without risk.

Third, some players use it for information runs. You can move through high-traffic areas, observe other Raiders, and extract with whatever you survive with.

What you rarely see is someone trying to "optimize" this augment. That usually leads to frustration. It performs exactly as intended: barely enough to function.

Is the Free Loadout Augment worth keeping?

For most players, the answer is no.

You receive a Free Loadout Augment every time you deploy with a Free Loadout. There is no scarcity. Keeping extras in storage serves no real purpose.

Because it cannot be upgraded, recycled, or salvaged, it does not scale with your progression. Once you have access to better augments, the Free Loadout Augment becomes obsolete outside of its niche use.

Many players keep one or two out of habit, then start trading or selling the rest.

Can you sell the Free Loadout Augment, and should you?

Yes, you can sell it for 100 coins.

From an economic standpoint, 100 coins is not much. One decent extraction run with basic loot easily beats that value. However, if you are sitting on several unused Free Loadout Augments, selling them is still better than letting them gather dust.

That said, selling is usually not the best option.

Most experienced players do not sell this augment unless they urgently need coins. The reason is simple: trading offers more practical value.

What are the trade options for the Free Loadout Augment?

You can trade one Free Loadout Augment to Lance for one of the following:

Looting Mk. 1

Combat Mk. 1

Tactical Mk. 1

This trade is where the real value lies.

Each of these Mk. 1 augments is a clear upgrade over the Free Loadout Augment. They give you more flexibility, better inventory handling, and playstyle-specific advantages.

In practice:

Looting Mk. 1 is useful if you want to make your runs more profitable

Combat Mk. 1 helps with survivability and fighting consistency

Tactical Mk. 1 supports mobility and situational control

Most players pick based on what they lack at the moment, not long-term planning.

Why trading is usually better than selling

The key reason trading is better is opportunity cost.

Spending 100 coins on any Mk. 1 augment is usually more expensive than trading one Free Loadout Augment. If you already have the augment sitting unused, the trade effectively converts a low-value item into something you would otherwise need to pay for.

Over time, this adds up. Players who consistently trade instead of selling tend to stabilize their loadouts faster after losses.

Selling makes sense only if:

You already have enough Mk. 1 augments

You desperately need coins for crafting or repairs

You do not plan to deploy with better augments soon

Otherwise, trading is the smarter move.

How does this affect early-game and low-economy players?

For early-game players, the Free Loadout Augment is part of a transition phase.

You start with free runs. You learn the basics. Then you trade your way into Mk. 1 augments. That transition is smoother if you treat the Free Loadout Augment as a stepping stone rather than a safety net.

Low-economy players benefit the most from trading. Turning free items into usable augments reduces the need to grind coins inefficiently.

This is also where players often start looking for external resources, price comparisons, and best deals on arc raiders items online, especially when they want to shortcut early progression or recover faster after setbacks.

What mistakes do players commonly make with this augment?

One common mistake is overestimating it. Players try to play normal loot routes and end up overweight or forced into bad fights.

Another mistake is hoarding it. Since you always get access to it through Free Loadouts, storing multiple copies is pointless.

A third mistake is selling too early without checking trade options. Many players sell for coins, then later buy a Mk. 1 augment for more than they gained.

The Free Loadout Augment rewards simple thinking: use it, trade it, or ignore it.

When does the Free Loadout Augment completely lose relevance?

Once you have a stable supply of Mk. 1 or higher augments and enough coins to sustain losses, the Free Loadout Augment becomes irrelevant for most playstyles.

At that point, Free Loadouts are mostly used for:

Warm-up runs

Testing weapons

Risk-free scouting

Even then, the augment itself is not the reason to deploy. It is just part of the package.

Experienced players stop thinking about it entirely, which is usually a sign you have moved past the early survival phase of the game.

Final practical takeaway

The Free Loadout Augment is not meant to be good. It is meant to be available.

Use it when you need zero-risk runs. Trade it when you want to progress. Sell it only when coins matter more than gear.

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