Arc Raiders Developers Explore High-Stakes Raids While Aiming to Keep Player Base Unified
In discussions among players about free loadouts in Arc Raiders, opinions vary widely—some see them as a crucial game mechanic, while others view them as a major issue. Two common solutions are often suggested: one is to have players using free loadouts spawn later in active raids, and the other is to introduce exclusive raids that require a minimum gear value to participate. I spoke with design lead Virgil Watkins about the feedback regarding late spawns and his thoughts on the concept of premium raids that would function like high-stakes tables in a casino.
Has Embark ever considered implementing special raids that essentially require players to meet a certain gear threshold? “Absolutely,” Watkins confirms. “We’ve explored various criteria for matchmaking. There are examples out there, like the labs in Escape from Tarkov, which require a specific item for entry.”
“Right now, though, we want to avoid segmenting the player base too much. We don’t want to create situations where players can’t team up because they don’t meet certain criteria. There’s a reluctance to impose barriers that could prevent players from accessing the content they want to experience. While it’s not off the table, we need to approach it carefully.”
The idea behind these premium raids is straightforward. A modified version of one or more maps in Arc Raiders could feature a minimum loadout value—let’s say 40,000 coins. If your starting loadout doesn’t meet that threshold, you can’t enter that map variant. This isn’t prohibitively expensive, but it’s significantly higher than the budget builds associated with free loadouts, which are estimated to be around 4,000 to 5,000 coins. This change would likely ensure that everyone in a raid has something valuable.
The potential outcomes of this approach are twofold: it could filter out free loadout players, who often play more recklessly since they have little to lose, while simultaneously increasing aggression by making every player a tempting target. This also raises co-op challenges, as Watkins points out, since it effectively creates a gear-based matchmaking system. For example, if I’ve played Arc Raiders significantly more than a friend, I might need to share some gear with them to participate in a high-value raid together. There’s also the concern that players might exploit the value system with items that are worth a lot of coins but lack practical use, but that’s a separate issue.
“I completely understand the sentiment,” Watkins acknowledges. “You want to feel like you’re entering a raid fully equipped, knowing everyone else is too. It’s about creating that experience for players, rather than having someone drop in unexpectedly with a low-tier weapon.”
As for the game’s future, players are so skilled at taking down Arc that Embark is contemplating ways to “escalate” PvE challenges, hinting at new features like a Shredder escape and larger enemies looming in the background.
