“Arc Raiders Developer Acknowledges Frustrations with Late Spawns, Emphasizes Importance of Late Joiners”

Arc Raiders’ developer, Embark Studios, is currently evaluating the late spawn system, which often drops players into ongoing raids with only 17 to 25 minutes left on the clock. While this mechanic has its benefits, design lead Virgil Watkins admits it can be frustrating when you have little time to achieve your goals.

We’ve all experienced that moment. You’ve equipped your Equalizer and loaded up on Deadline mines, ready to take down the Queen. But suddenly, you find yourself 800 meters away from the Queen’s Harvester with 18 minutes remaining, only to hear the Queen’s defeat echoing in the distance, thanks to players who joined with the full 30 minutes. Time to head back to Speranza.

This scenario can occur with various objectives, whether you’re trying to damage Rocketeers in a weekly trial or completing quests scattered across the map. Joining late can completely derail your plans, often dictated by the unseen mechanics of Embark.

“That’s definitely a topic we’ve been discussing a lot,” Watkins explains. “We fully recognize the frustration of joining a trial only to realize you don’t have enough time to complete it, which is disappointing and can lead to players leaving. That aspect is certainly not ideal.

“However, the perception of late joining versus the actual benefits it provides is quite intriguing. Players often feel like ‘the loot’s all gone,’ but those who join late can actually gain more economically than those who start earlier. As the session progresses, it tends to quiet down, allowing late joiners to encounter remnants of battles or take down larger drones more easily than others. It’s an interesting dynamic to explore.”

Watkins emphasizes that the late join system was designed to prevent raids from emptying out after about 10 minutes. Without this mechanic, players would find themselves “running around by yourself,” which diminishes the thrill and danger that come with full lobbies. Essentially, it keeps the raids feeling lively for longer.

Embark aimed for late joiners to adapt their strategies, thinking, “Okay, my plan A is off the table; I’ll pivot to plan B or C instead.” To support this, Watkins notes that “the amount of loot we spawn, where it spawns, and the spawn points are all configured to ensure there’s plenty for players to engage with.”

Sometimes, these pivots are feasible. If I spawn late, I might dash to the nearest loot zone for scrap or target other players who I assume have already cleared the containers I intended to loot. However, during time-sensitive events like the Queen’s Harvester or when you have a key for a specific loot room, a late spawn can feel like a missed opportunity. It’s in these situations that Embark is looking for ways to alleviate the frustration associated with late spawns.

“When it comes to trials, where that’s the sole objective, it’s a different story, and it’s really disappointing because that was your dedicated time for it,” Watkins acknowledges. “I want to focus on improving that aspect. When players come in with a specific goal and it gets undermined by a late join, that’s where I want to address the pain point first.”

“Will this blow up the server?”: Arc Raiders players are so adept at taking down Arc that Embark is contemplating how to “escalate” PvE challenges, hinting at new threats like a Shredder escape and “the giant walking ones in the background.”