Arc Raiders Showstopper vs. Hornet Driver: Which is Best?

[midnightvoid]

In ARC Raiders, crowd control can save your life. When you are Topside in the Rust Belt, getting swarmed by ARC or ambushed by a rival squad means you need a quick way to freeze the action. That is where electric stun utilities come in.

Two of the most popular throwables for this are the Hornet Driver and the crafted Showstopper grenade. While they share similar mechanics, they serve very different roles in your loadout budget and crafting loops.

Below is a breakdown of how they compare, how to use them, and how to optimize your inventory costs.

The Baseline: Hornet Driver
The Hornet Driver is a raw, recyclable resource that doubles as a tactical throwable. You get it directly by hunting flying Hornet ARC units (often tracked via Shani's early quest, The Trifecta).

Weight: 0.75 kg
ARC Stun Duration: 7 seconds (6-meter radius)
Raider Stun Duration: 0.5 seconds
How it plays: It is a budget panic button. If you get pinned down by a ground machine or need to slow down a pusher, you throw this directly at them. It explodes on impact if it hits an enemy, giving you a quick window to line up a Vulcano shotgun blast or reposition.
The Catch: It has a brief self-stun (0.5s) if you throw it too close to your own feet, and it carries decent weight for a raw material.
The Upgrade: Showstopper
The Showstopper is a dedicated tactical grenade built at your crafting station. It uses the Hornet Driver as a base component.

Weight: 0.4 kg (Lighter to carry)
ARC Stun Duration: 7 seconds (6-meter radius)
Raider Stun Duration: 2 seconds
Crafting Recipe: 1x Hornet Driver + 1x Electrical Components + 1x Voltage Converter
How it plays: It is a high-tier utility item meant for deep runs. It cuts your inventory weight in half compared to the raw item and provides visual clarity on your throws.
The Downside: The community has noted that while the item text boasts heavy lockdown, the actual visual stun on massive ARC units like Bastions or Bombadiers can feel shorter or inconsistent if you miss their core thrusters/launchers. Furthermore, if you get caught in its blast radius, it stuns you for a massive 2 seconds, which is usually fatal in a PvP duel.
Quick Comparison Table
Metric Hornet Driver Showstopper Grenade
Source Farmed from flying Hornet ARCs Crafted via Blueprint
Weight 0.75 kg 0.4 kg
Base Value 1,000 Coins (Recycles for ARC Alloy) 2,100 Coins
Self-Stun (Raider) 0.5 seconds (Low risk) 2.0 seconds (High risk)
Primary Use Budget defense / Crafting material Dedicated PvP/PvE escape tool
Real-Case Analysis: When to Use Which?
Case A: The Eco-Run & Extraction Defend
You are running solo with a budget setup, aiming to clear small camps. You shoot down a Hornet and grab the Hornet Driver.

Verdict: Keep it as a Hornet Driver. If a team tries to camp your extraction elevator, throwing the raw Driver gives you a 7-second distraction window against local ARC or a quick stop on an aggressive player. Since the self-stun is only 0.5 seconds, it is highly forgiving in chaotic close-quarters indoor fights.
Case B: The High-Tier Squad Raid
You are gearing up for a 30-minute run into heavy ARC territory to farm elite parts. Weight management is crucial because every kilogram saved means more high-tier loot in your backpack.

Verdict: Craft the Showstopper. It cuts your utility weight down to 0.4 kg, leaving more room for heavy salvage. Just ensure you throw it from a distance—getting caught in your own 2-second Showstopper radius makes you an easy target for enemy Raiders.
Crafting Economy & Blueprint Tips
Because the Showstopper requires multiple electrical components, building a steady supply can become expensive if you rely purely on random Topside drops.

Look for Progression Discounts: Keep an eye out for an arc raiders blueprints discount through vendor level-ups. Maximizing your reputation with traders like Shani or Apollo reduces the raw coin investment needed to assemble your utility wheel.
Using Third-Party Marketplaces: If you are struggling to find the specific upgrade specs or want to skip the heavy RNG grind for higher-tier gear layouts, trading platforms like U4N offer a secure marketplace to acquire Arc Raiders blueprints directly. This lets you bypass weeks of searching for rare drop locations so you can focus on live gameplay.
Summary
Use the Hornet Driver if you want low-risk, immediate crowd control without burning extra salvage materials.
Upgrade to the Showstopper if you need to optimize backpack space for long extractions and have the skill to avoid self-stunning.