Raider Bosses

Raider bosses are mini-bosses of the midgame, and are notable for showing up in random places, dropping exo plate scraps, fulfilling a Job and teaching 10-15 raw in their weapon skill.

All of these are in moderate demand. Exo plate scraps are used in making exogear, though both plates and fully formed exogear are sometimes farmed from an endgame boss instead. 10-15 raw is important for most builds, but the most popular build by a significant margin is Rifles, and most rifles builds don't need more than ten raw skill. This can also sometimes be bypassed by player-teaching. Finally, the raider killer job is a bit labor-intensive, but it's a fair XP source.

Finding a Raider Boss

Raider bosses invade Corpclave and Freedom City, kill a ton of people, and then run away to a zone where they wait in hiding. Watching a TV tuned to the FNN channel will give reports on what raider bosses are around right now (they'll have names like "One-Eyed Breakfast"), though unless they're actively raiding, it won't say their location. If you happen to run into an invading raider boss in the Freedom City area, you can learn from them there as you would anywhere else. They will likely be aggressive; sometimes, cops will tank them for you!

Once they're in hiding, they're able to wander from place to place, but will often be found in covert locations, an incomplete list of which is below. To figure out where a boss is hiding, either get a Medium to seek the name you see on TV, or say -john where One-Eyed Breakfast (or whatever name) to Johnny Fiveaces, in Round Corner, Slagtown. The latter costs a fee.

• Mt. Fisty: In the cave, up a few climbs.
• Sewers: Near the Chud mutation spot.
• Sub Sewers: Near the porn landfill.
• Weezer Dam: Can usually be found along the top of the dam.
• Mountain Pass: Northwest of the waterfall, near the yetis.
• Canyon Depths: Right outside the room of the vampire mutation.
• Stormfront: A few floors below Savage Michael.
• Oil Refinery: In the party room (behind a locked door).
• Gangland: In the Syndicate Operations Shack, or wandering around.
• Birchwood: Behind a door.
• Slagtown: Behind a door.
• Botany Bay: Wandering around town, or in Lady Gao's place.
• Shoreline: Under the soda warehouse.
• Luskytear Plateau: Off on a trail somewhere.
• Screamer Base: Inside the base, behind the gauntlet.
• Aphotic Grotto: Behind a door, past the Chimaera.

Equipment and Tactics

Each raider boss has a chosen weapon skill. This will be the skill that they teach from 10 to 15 raw, and it can be any of the main combat skills except for Flails. Generally, players with 30+ weapon skill should take raider bosses no problem. None of the weapons are particularly difficult to dodge or parry except for guns, which demand good burn armor for the plasma rifle, and good shot armor for the AR, bullpup, and .71 Dhawk (or else good use of Focus and attack speed).

All raider bosses have mediocre dodge and mediocre armor; they wear the equivalent of an unmodified exosuit. They can and will feint dumb opponents, but otherwise have no great tricks up their sleeves.

• Clubs: Combustor hammers, Piston hammers.
• Blades: Shiver swords, Boss and Bruce Springsteels.
• Whips: Flame Chain, Blacklash, Flash whip.
• Rifles: Plasma Rifle, AR-17, Bullpup.
• Pistols: Desert Hawk .71.
• Spears: Assegai, Willy Pete, Titanium Bo Staff.
• Fists: Pata Gauntlets.