Direct answer: start with Horizontal Sensitivity 80, Vertical Sensitivity 60, Zoom Sensitivity Multiplier 25, Scoped Zoom Sensitivity Multiplier 50, Exponential response curve, Look Inner Deadzone 5, and Movement Inner Deadzone 15. These values match the public ARC Raiders settings snapshot's documented defaults, so they are a reproducible starting point—not a claim that every controller or player should keep them.
Use Aim Assist On for the first test. If it feels sticky around small targets or pulls your reticle during a correction, compare On and Off in the same Practice Range drill. Keep the profile that produces repeatable tracking and stops, not the one that feels impressive for one clip. The controller menu and values below were checked against public sources on July 29, 2026; the live client tooltip remains the final authority because the detailed community settings page was last edited on January 15, 2026.
Start With This Controller Baseline
The table is deliberately conservative. It uses documented menu defaults as the first checkpoint, then tells you what symptom justifies a change. Public guides publish different “best” values—including high sensitivity, Linear, or Aim Assist Off—so no single number has enough evidence to be called universal.
| Setting | First value to test | Change it when… | Keep the change only if… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aim Assist | On | The reticle feels sticky, is pulled across a small target, or behaves differently between repeated tests | You can track the same target without fighting the assist; otherwise run the On/Off A/B below |
| Horizontal Sensitivity | 80 | You cannot turn onto a close Raider or ARC before losing the target | A controlled 180-degree turn is fast enough without overshooting the landing point |
| Vertical Sensitivity | 60 | Vertical corrections lag behind horizontal tracking, or head/weak-point corrections overshoot | You can move from body to upper target area without repeated overcorrection |
| Zoom Sensitivity Multiplier | 25 | ADS tracking is too slow or too twitchy compared with hip fire | A moving target stays inside the reticle during a short, repeatable burst |
| Scoped Zoom Sensitivity Multiplier | 50 | Scoped aim feels disconnected from normal ADS | A longer-range correction remains controllable without dragging the stick across its range |
| Look Response Curve | Exponential | Small inputs feel too slow at the start; test Linear | The same micro-adjustment is repeatable at low and high stick deflection |
| Look Inner Deadzone | 5 | The reticle moves while the right stick is untouched; raise in 1–2 point steps | Drift stops while a small deliberate correction still registers |
| Movement Inner Deadzone | 15 | The character creeps when the left stick is released; raise in 1–2 point steps | The character stays still without making the first movement feel delayed |
| Horizontal/Vertical Look Boost | 55 / 15 | A full stick turn is too slow; reduce boost if the turn jumps past the target | You can turn quickly while small stick movements remain predictable |
| Look Boost Ramp-Up Time | 1.6 | The response feels late, or the boost arrives too abruptly | A full-stick turn reaches the target without a second correction |
| Zoom Horizontal/Vertical Boost | 55 / 39 | ADS tracking jumps when the stick reaches the edge | The same moving-target drill remains stable while zoomed |
| Zoom Boost Ramp-Up Time | 1.2 | Zoomed movement accelerates too late or too sharply | Aiming down sights does not require a new, unexplained timing habit |
The public ARC Raiders Wiki settings snapshot documents these fields, their ranges, and the 80/60/25/50/5/15 defaults. Its page is a community-maintained snapshot, not an official settings API. The Playhub controller guide gives a different 70–80 horizontal, 55–65 vertical, 35%–45% Zoom and 45%–55% Scoped range; that disagreement is why the table uses a testable starting profile instead of a “pro” preset.
Conceptual editorial comparison of controller symptoms. Use the live Practice Range for the actual pass/fail test; this visual is not a screenshot or measurement.
Tune the Sticks in the Right Order
Changing sensitivity, curve, deadzone, boost, and ADS multipliers together destroys the evidence you need. Use this order:
- Deadzone first. Put the controller down in a quiet area. If the character or reticle moves, raise only the affected inner deadzone by 1–2 points. If drift remains at a high value, inspect or replace the controller; a larger deadzone is not a repair.
- Response curve second. Keep Exponential as the stable first profile. Test Linear only when the beginning of the stick movement feels too muted. Test Sinusoidal if you want a different transition between micro-adjustments and full deflection. The menu describes Linear as a direct 1:1 mapping, but that does not make it automatically easier.
- Look sensitivity third. Raise Horizontal before Vertical if turning is the problem. Keep Vertical lower when vertical corrections are the source of overshoot. Change by a small, recorded step rather than jumping from 80 to 300.
- Zoom and Scoped multipliers fourth. Fix hip-fire movement first. Then test ADS against a wall line or moving Practice Range target. If only zoomed aim is wrong, do not rebuild the whole look profile.
- Boost and ramp-up fifth. Boost is a second movement layer, not free sensitivity. If the reticle is stable for small corrections but flies past the target on a full-stick turn, lower the relevant boost or increase ramp-up time. If turning is too slow only at full deflection, make the smallest boost change that solves that symptom.
- Binds last. Move Dodge, Crouch/Slide, or Jump only after aim feels stable. Keep the right thumb on the look stick during a movement test when your controller layout allows it, but treat a new bind as a separate learning cost.
This sequence follows the useful part of the Playhub testing order: deadzones, curve, look sensitivity, zoom/optic sensitivity, then binds. It is a testing method, not proof that its published baseline is best for your device.
Use the Symptom, Not the Number, to Choose a Fix
| What you feel | First change | Do not change first | Stop signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reticle moves with the stick released | Raise the affected inner deadzone 1–2 points | Do not lower sensitivity or turn Aim Assist off | Drift remains, or the required deadzone makes the stick unusably slow |
| Close target escapes behind you | Increase Horizontal Sensitivity slightly, then test full-stick boost | Do not immediately raise every sensitivity and boost | You can turn but cannot stop on the target |
| Small corrections overshoot | Keep Exponential or lower Zoom multiplier | Do not raise deadzone on a healthy stick as a substitute for control | You still skip past the same target after several identical tests |
| Aim feels slow only while zoomed | Adjust Zoom or Scoped multiplier | Do not change hip-fire sensitivity | ADS tracking improves without breaking hip-fire turns |
| Full-stick turn accelerates late | Reduce ramp-up time slightly or add a small boost | Do not use Linear as a universal cure | The turn becomes fast but the landing point is no longer repeatable |
| Aim feels sticky or pulled | Run Aim Assist On/Off A/B at the same distance and FPS | Do not lower graphics solely to chase a reported aim-assist effect | Keep the state that gives steadier stops across three runs |
| Movement creeps but aim is clean | Raise Movement Inner Deadzone only | Do not alter Look Inner Deadzone | Creep stops without a delayed first step |
The last row matters because movement and look deadzones solve different symptoms. ARC Raiders exposes them separately; treating both as “controller deadzone” hides which stick is failing.
Test Aim Assist Without Confusing It With Sensitivity
Public advice conflicts. Skycoach recommends turning Aim Assist off, while the public settings snapshot lists it On by default and Playhub recommends starting high before reducing it if it feels sticky. That is not enough evidence to declare On or Off the best state.
Run this short A/B test instead:
- Enter the Practice Range and choose one target type and one distance.
- Keep curve, deadzones, sensitivity, zoom, frame-rate cap, and weapon unchanged.
- With Aim Assist On, make three passes: a slow horizontal track, a short target-to-target correction, and a full turn into the target.
- Repeat the same three passes with Aim Assist Off. Do not change your stick technique between passes.
- Keep the setting that improves repeatability across all three tests. If On helps tracking but pulls across small targets, keep On for routine ARC fights and use the A/B result to decide whether the problem is target size, zoom, or assist—not simply “bad sensitivity.”
An independent PC Gamer report observed stronger and less consistent aim-assist behavior at different frame rates on a specific RTX 5070 Ti test system, and reported that Frame Generation worsened the result in that test. Treat this as an independent signal, not an official mechanic. Do not lower all graphics settings or promise better aim from a target FPS unless you can reproduce the same conditions on your system.
Lock a Profile Only After the Six-Test Check
Before taking a valuable loadout into a raid, record the final values and run this check:
- Drift: release both sticks for several seconds; the character and reticle stay still.
- Micro-adjustment: make small left/right corrections around a static target; the reticle does not jump over it.
- Tracking: follow a moving target for a short pass without changing distance or weapon.
- Turn: perform a controlled 180-degree turn, then stop on a fixed landmark.
- ADS: repeat the tracking and micro-adjustment tests with Zoom and Scoped multipliers.
- Movement: strafe, crouch, slide, and dodge while keeping the target in view; the bind should not force the aiming thumb away at the wrong moment.
If one test fails, revert the last setting group and retest. Do not keep a profile just because the close-range turn feels faster if the ADS or drift test fails. Save a screenshot or written note of the values before another experiment so a patch or controller profile can be rolled back cleanly.
When Settings Are Not the Real Problem
If input feels delayed everywhere, the controller drifts in other games, or the behavior changes after a driver, console, or third-party controller-profile update, stop tuning in-game numbers. On PC, Embark's crash and launch guidance includes checking peripheral and system drivers, Windows, game files, and overlays. That page is not a controller calibration guide, but it gives the correct boundary for diagnosing technical instability.
Also record your platform, controller model, connection mode, game version, frame-rate behavior, and final values. A profile that feels good on a wired Hall-effect controller is not proof that the same deadzone works on a worn wireless pad. If the live client shows different names or ranges from this page, trust the installed client and wait for the source snapshot to catch up before treating the difference as a bug.
FAQ
What controller sensitivity should a player start with in ARC Raiders?
Use the public settings snapshot as a starting point: 80 Horizontal, 60 Vertical, 25 Zoom Sensitivity Multiplier, and 50 Scoped Zoom Sensitivity Multiplier. These are community-documented defaults, not an official best setting. Test them in the Practice Range and change one group at a time.
What deadzone should a player use in ARC Raiders?
Start around 5 Look Inner Deadzone and 15 Movement Inner Deadzone, then raise only the affected stick in small steps if the character or reticle moves without input. Do not lower a deadzone below the point where drift returns.
Should Aim Assist be on or off in ARC Raiders?
Start with Aim Assist On, then compare On and Off in the same Practice Range test if the reticle feels sticky or is pulled away from small targets. Public guides disagree, and an independent high-FPS report is not an official universal rule.
Is Linear the best response curve for ARC Raiders controller aim?
Linear is a useful test when Exponential feels slow at the start of a stick movement, but it is not universally best. Keep Exponential if it gives steadier micro-adjustments, and judge both with the same tracking and turn tests.
Why does an ARC Raiders character move when the controller is released?
That is a deadzone or hardware-drift symptom until proven otherwise. Raise the affected Look or Movement Inner Deadzone by 1–2 points and repeat the stillness test. If drift persists at a high setting or appears in other games, inspect the controller instead of masking the problem with a larger in-game deadzone.
Sources and Version Boundary
The ARC Raiders Wiki settings snapshot was checked on July 29, 2026 and displays a last-edit date of January 15, 2026. It supplies the menu names, ranges, and documented defaults used for the starting profile. The Playhub guide and Skycoach guide provide competing community recommendations and testing ideas, not official values. A PC Gamer report is a device-specific independent observation and should be treated as a signal rather than a universal mechanism.
ARC Raiders can change controller fields, defaults, aim behavior, frame-rate interactions, or platform handling in an update. Reopen the live controller menu before publishing or after a major patch. This guide does not claim a universal best sensitivity, a fixed aim-assist advantage, a guaranteed accuracy improvement, or a controller-equivalent setting across PS5, Xbox, and PC.
The cover and calibration visual are original AI-generated editorial bitmaps, not official screenshots, UI captures, or benchmark evidence.
