In ARC Raiders, few tools change the pace of a match quite like the legendary Snap Hook grappling tool. It transforms sluggish ground movement into high-velocity, vertical ziplines, letting you easily escape sticky situations or completely ambush unsuspecting squads.

However, because the Snap Hook is expensive to craft, players quickly developed the "Snap Hook Safe Pocket Tech." This exploit allows you to utilize the hook's aggressive momentum while safely tucking the physical item back into your secure Safe Pocket mid-flight. Doing this correctly guarantees that you reap 100% of the movement benefits without risking the legendary tool if a high-stakes PvP fight goes sideways.

Predictably, developer Embark Studios has been playing a game of cat-and-mouse with the community. In the major Shrouded Sky update (Patch 1.17.0), developers specifically targeting this behavior added code to ensure that opening your inventory or canceling the action mid-flight would immediately freeze your momentum and cause you to drop straight to the ground.

Despite the nerf, the community has already discovered seamless workarounds. By introducing an intentional weapon swap animation cancel right after firing, you can trick the game engine into letting you access your inventory without killing your forward velocity.

Why the Community Refuses to Give Up the Tech

Running the Snap Hook via the Safe Pocket provides an undeniable competitive advantage for three core reasons:

• Zero-Risk Legendaries: High-tier gear fear is a major factor in ARC Raiders. Tucking the tool safely away means you never drop it upon death. If you are struggling to gather the rare materials or find a vendor discount, visiting third-party trading communities like U4N can help you secure an arc raiders crafting blueprints discount to get your gear back quickly. However, keeping it in your pocket is still the ultimate insurance policy.

• In-Air Combat Actions: Normally, using a zipline locks your hands to the tool. Moving it to your Safe Pocket mid-flight instantly frees your hands. This allows you to reload, pop a bandage, or aim down sights and open fire on enemies while you are flying through the air.

• Extreme Velocity: Combining the initial launch with a backwards dodge roll or weapon swap cancel flings your character much faster and farther than the standard grapple physics intend, breaking normal positioning rules.

Post-Patch Step-by-Step Executions

Because the timing is now incredibly tight, the old method of simply dodging and opening the inventory no longer works. You must execute an explicit weapon swap input right after clicking fire to override the menu block.

PC Method (Mouse & Keyboard)

1. Equip the Snap Hook into an active quick-use slot.

2. Aim and Fire the Snap Hook toward a distant ledge or wall structure.

3. Instantly press 1 (or your primary weapon key) immediately after clicking fire. This triggers a weapon swap animation that overrides the momentum freeze.

4. Hit Tab to quickly open your backpack menu while your character begins to launch forward.

5. Drag and drop (or double-click) the Snap Hook out of the active slot and back into your Safe Pocket.

6. Close the menu. You will fly to your destination at maximum speed with your primary weapon already active in your hands.

Controller Method (Xbox / PS5 Quick-Swap)

Navigating text menus with a thumbstick is too slow for the post-patch window, so controller players must use a smart pre-selection trick instead:

1. Setup: Place the Snap Hook directly into your Safe Pocket slot. Equip a cheap, throwaway item into your first quick-use slot.

2. Pre-Select: Open your inventory, highlight the throwaway item inside your active slot, but do not swap it. Exit the inventory screen while hovering over it. The UI registers this slot as "primed."

3. Fire your hook normally.

4. Tap the weapon swap button (Y on Xbox / Triangle on PS5) immediately after firing to preserve your momentum.

5. Open your Quick-Use Wheel mid-flight and press your selection button (A on Xbox / X on PlayStation). Because of your pre-selection setup, the UI will instantly swap the deployed Snap Hook with the item in your Safe Pocket automatically, saving the tool before you land.