Arc Raiders has always felt like one of those extraction shooters that just gets it. The world feels tense without being overwhelming, and every run carries that familiar mix of excitement and stress that fans of the genre love. Even when things are not perfect, there is a strong sense that Embark Studios understands why players show up and what keeps them coming back.
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That is why Expeditions stand out in a bad way. What should feel like a meaningful goal instead feels like busywork that asks players to grind without giving them much reason to care. As players push toward Expedition wipes, motivation drops fast, and Embark has already admitted the system is not hitting the mark and that change will be coming. Expeditions are supposed to be a major part of Arc Raiders’ long-term appeal, but right now they feel more like a question mark than a reason to log back in.
Why Arc Raiders’ Expedition Rewards Aren’t Appealing to Players
The biggest issue with Expeditions is not difficulty or complexity but payoff. Players are being asked to commit to long-term progress that resets, while the rewards at the end fail to feel exciting or meaningful, largely due to the disproportionate amount of work it takes even to get them in the first place. In a game where every raid already carries tension, risk, and the chance of losing gear, Expeditions need to offer something that feels worth that extra effort. Asking players to restart their hard-earned progress needs to have significantly more impact if the work required remains the same. Right now, many players struggle to see that value, especially when wipes erase progress without delivering a satisfying sense of closure beyond the cool send-off cutscene.
Another problem is that Expedition rewards do not feel distinct enough from Arc Raiders’ regular progression. When a wipe is completed, the results often blend into the background instead of standing out as something special. What you gain are typically cosmetics and, more importantly, additional skill points. While the skill points are nice, skills in Arc Raiders largely do not feel “necessary” to be successful, therefore diminishing their value. There is little sense of prestige or long-term impact, which makes Expeditions feel disconnected from the broader experience rather than a core pillar of it.
This lack of excitement also hurts player motivation over time. Expeditions are meant to encourage repeat engagement with the game’s systems, but without a strong mechanical hook, they fail to create momentum. Instead of feeling like a goal worth chasing, they come across as a slow burn that never quite pays off. In a genre driven by high-stakes moments and clear rewards, that disconnect makes Expeditions easy to ignore once the novelty wears off, typically after the first time you do it.
The Tightrope Embark Faces in Revamping Expeditions
Fixing Expeditions is not as simple as increasing rewards or shortening the grind, though. Embark Studios has to be very careful not to undermine Arc Raiders’ balance or identity in the process. If Expeditions suddenly become the most efficient path to progression, offering all the best rewards and giving participants huge advantages, players may feel forced into content they already view as uninteresting. That kind of pressure risks shifting Expeditions from optional to mandatory, which rarely ends well in extraction shooters, or most games for that matter.
There is also the challenge of respecting existing players. Many have already invested time into Expeditions under the current system, and drastic changes risk making that effort feel wasted, overvalued, or undervalued. At the same time, leaving Expeditions mostly untouched sends the message that player feedback is being sidelined. Embark needs to find a middle ground where improvements feel meaningful without invalidating what has already come before.
Still, there is reason to be optimistic. Embark has been open about the issue and is willing to talk about incentivising Expeditions in smarter ways. Arc Raiders already has a strong foundation, and Expeditions feel like a system that could shine with clearer goals and more satisfying payoffs. If Embark can strike the right balance, Expeditions could evolve from a weak link into a feature that reinforces why players care about Arc Raiders in the first place.
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