ARC Raiders Is Testing PvE Again, Years After Embark Decided It Wasn’t Working

ARC Raiders has always been a strange beast. It is technically an extraction shooter, but treating it as nothing more than “another game where players shoot each other over loot” misses what makes it special and explode in popularity in the first place. However, now that ARC Raiders’ admittedly long honeymoon period has ended, the number of people playing has greatly dwindled. The game was originally conceived as a PvE co-op game before Embark decided that concept wasn’t working and rebuilt it as the PvPvE extraction adventure we have today. Now, Embark is planning to return to that idea.

Embark’s upcoming PvE-only test will let players queue into an experience where there is no PvP, and experience ARC Raiders as a purely cooperative PvE game. I completely understand why Embark wants to try this, but as someone who genuinely enjoys ARC Raiders’ PvP, I can’t help wondering whether removing the thing that makes every encounter interesting is solving a short-term problem at the expense of what makes the game, well, memorable.

Embark Has Already Been Down This Road Before

The funny thing about this entire situation is that Embark isn’t really discovering PvE for the first time. When ARC Raiders was conceived roughly seven years ago, the game was envisioned as a raid-based PvE co-op experience built around looting. That idea had promise, but Embark’s own testing revealed that it was rather boring to play, which lead to a reset of project. The studio then rebuilt ARC Raiders around the high-tension PvPvE extraction formula that eventually became the game’s identity. So this isn’t Embark just now learning about the viability of a PvE-only experience. It’s not some bright idea they just came up with.

It’s important to be aware of that because it would be super easy to look at this announcement and conclude that Embark has finally realized it made some grand mistake like the game’s Expedition system. That’s not what happened. The original PvE concept wasn’t necessarily bad because PvE itself was bad; it simply wasn’t producing the game Embark wanted to make. The question isn’t really whether ARC Raiders can work without PvP anymore, but whether the version of ARC Raiders that exists today can support players who don’t want PvP.

The pivot is concerning though. PvPvE nature of the game is built on a fundamental unspoken tension that gets eliminated when you drop the PvP aspect from it. It changes how players interact with literally everything else in the world. A rare item isn’t merely valuable because you need it for a quest, but because carrying it around makes you a more attractive target. A seemingly harmless trip to grab some junk can suddenly become a frantic escape because you heard footsteps that definitely weren’t made by an ARC. Even choosing whether to help another player becomes a gameplay decision with actual consequences. That’s the magic Embark created when it moved away from pure PvE, and it’s the part I’m most curious to see the PvE test live without.

PvE Could Help ARC Raiders, But It Isn’t the Whole Answer

I don’t think Embark’s PvE test is necessarily a bad idea. If someone loves exploring the Rust Belt, completing quests and generally soaking in the world without wanting another player to turn their relaxing afternoon into a funeral, it makes sense to give them somewhere to play. Detailed in a blog post from September, Embark is testing PvE on October 13 through October 20. A toggle will let players be able to choose between traditional PvPvE matchmaking and the dedicated PvE test, with Solo, Duo, and Trio play fully supported.

Embark is also being careful about what it removes alongside PvP. Map conditions such as Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate, and Frigate won’t be part of the test because those activities rely heavily on the uncertainty created by other players. Loot values will also be reduced because removing PvP naturally makes successful extractions safer and more common. I actually think that’s a fantastic compromise, because it acknowledges Embark clearly understands PvP is part of the game’s economy and risk structure. If you remove the guy hiding behind a wall waiting to turn your backpack into his backpack, you can’t simply leave every reward exactly where it was.

I absolutely believe a PvE option could improve ARC Raiders’ numbers and give existing players somewhere to go when they aren’t interested in fighting other Raiders. But the possibility of another player showing up is what gives even mundane activities their teeth; you’re never just deciding whether to fight an ARC, you’re deciding whether that strange person in the distance is your new best friend, your next problem, or somehow both. Remove that uncertainty and ARC Raiders could become more comfortable, but I’m not convinced it becomes more interesting. This upcoming test will be something to certainly watch.

How do you feel about ARC Raiders getting a dedicated PvE-mode? Do you think its a long time coming? Got a thought? Leave a comment below!