5 Things Arc Raiders Needs to Do to Stay Alive

Arc Raiders burst onto the extraction shooter scene with dazzling visuals, a unique sci-fi aesthetic, and the promise of intense third-person action. Developed by Embark Studios, the free-to-play extraction shooter quickly drew attention for its style and atmosphere and may have stolen the thunder from Bungie’s Marathon. The game has broken record after record, already hitting over 700K concurrent players less than a month from release. However, with any live-service game, retaining players after the honeymoon period is over is always a challenge.

Arc Raiders is definitely one of the hottest games right now, but there is no guarantee it will remain that way. To survive and thrive in the long run, Embark must address its gameplay depth, technical polish, and player retention strategy. Here’s what it’ll take to keep Arc Raiders alive.

5) Make Speranza a Social Hub

At the heart of Arc Raiders lies Speranza, the game’s primary outpost. This grimy, neon-lit settlement perfectly encapsulates the game’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi aesthetic. However, despite its visual charm, Speranza currently feels static, which is a shame given how friendly the community is, especially for solo players. For it to succeed as a live-service game, Embark needs to turn Speranza into a social hub.

Players should be able to freely walk around the underground city, greeting one another where there is a chance of PvP. This would make it feel more alive, something akin to the Tower in Destiny 2. As it stands, it is nothing more than a place to craft and equip gear before heading topside and exploring the Rust Belt. Making this change would be a big step toward keeping the player base active, and Embark could always keep the current menu system for quick navigation.

A social hub is more than an aesthetic flourish: it’s the soul of a persistent world. If Speranza evolves into a space that feels dynamic and player-driven, it could become the emotional anchor Arc Raiders desperately needs to strengthen player identity and loyalty. Adding mini-games, bulletin boards for bounties, NPC chatter, and public events that erupt right in the hub would transform Speranza from a background set piece into a community space.

4) Add Quality of Life Features

While Arc Raiders shines in presentation, its user experience still feels rough around the edges, with the worst offender being the crafting system. The core gameplay loop is incredible, but the surrounding systems cause many frustrating issues. Other examples would include a streamlined loot sorting system, clearer weapon stat displays, and risk vs. reward. While Arc Raiders shines in presentation, its user experience still feels rough around the edges.

The loot system and limited stash make it hard to keep track of and recognize what materials you need. Later questlines are notorious for needing items that seem pointless, such as light bulbs or rusty tools. Giving more indication of an item’s use in crafting and better ways to sort them would be great. Being able to favorite items and put them in a separate storage tab would go a long way to help track what resources are needed.

PvP is a major part of the game, but it is sometimes hard to tell what weapons are good. Likewise, the game focuses on risk vs. reward, but doesn’t always make the values clear. Too many times, raiders have gone into Night Raids or unlocked rooms with keys to get squat for loot. This feels disheartening, especially if you have run across the map for a small reward. Offering better chances for these rooms is a must, and for the love of all things Arc Raiders, please make the Bettina blueprint less common.

3) Launch New Content (For PvP & PvE)

The most obvious thing is new content, for which there are already plans. But Embark Studios has two major audiences for Arc Raiders: PvP and PvE fans. To keep the fan base alive, it needs to cater to both. Right now, the content pool feels somewhat limited. The four maps offer different aesthetics, but largely offer the same routine. Drop in, run to a high loot area, avoid Arcs, and extract.

An easy way to expand this is by introducing new Arcs. New maps are great, but they need something more. New enemy types, dynamic world events, and multi-layered objectives could reinvigorate the core loop. Imagine large-scale cooperative operations where squads fend off massive ARC incursions or delve into abandoned bunkers for rare loot. Enhancing the narrative and progression would also go a long way in this department.

For PvP, ranked modes, rotating objectives, and faction-based conflicts would offer competitive players a reason to grind and improve. New weapons and gadgets would also shake up the player’s combat. Or introducing a bounty system where you can collect player tags. While many players prefer to be friendly, Embark Studios needs to give more reasons for PvP other than stealing loot.

2) Implement End Game Content

The core gameplay loop of Arc Raiders is drop in, scavenge, survive, extract, and it’s exhilarating at first. But once players master the mechanics, it starts to become repetitive. Even the Queen, one of the most deadly Arcs, can be taken down with some simple strategies. Endgame content is where extraction shooters either thrive or fade away, and right now, Arc Raiders sits in an awkward middle ground.

A strong endgame should offer layered progression systems that reward mastery. This could mean raid-style encounters requiring teamwork and strategy, elite-tier enemies with exclusive drops, or prestige missions with escalating difficulty. Incorporating faction reputation systems, leaderboards, and long-term crafting goals can also give players tangible milestones to chase.

Endgame design isn’t just about more difficult content. It’s about giving meaning to the time invested. By offering diverse, challenging, and rewarding late-game systems, Arc Raiders can evolve from a fun experiment into a sustainable ecosystem. Unique cosmetics and rewards would be a good way to reward players for participating and give them something to strive toward.

1) Fix Desync

No matter how stylish a game is, no matter how refined its combat or immersive its world, technical performance determines survival. And for Arc Raiders, the most glaring issue right now is desync. Players frequently report situations where enemies teleport, bullets miss despite perfect aim, or extractions fail due to server lag. These issues erode trust in the gameplay loop faster than any content drought and will see players drop the game.

When hits don’t register or movements don’t align with visuals, the game feels unfair, and fairness is sacred in a skill-based environment. There is nothing more frustrating than collecting great loot and losing it all to something out of your control. Embark must prioritize server stability, latency optimization, and netcode improvements before expanding the game further.

Fixing desync also lays the foundation for everything else: competitive modes, endgame raids, and large-scale events all rely on a synchronized, stable experience. If this issue doesn’t get resolved, no update or new content will keep the game alive. Desync should be the number one priority at Embark Studios before it even thinks of anything else.

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