In a new documentary episode uploaded to showcase the origins of ARC Raiders, Embark Studios took a deep dive into where the game came from. It walks viewers through the original PvE title that saw players team up against enormous robotic enemies, to the extraction shooter with intense PvP mechanics that we know today.
It was revealed in one segment that the team at Embark wanted to balance PvP so perfectly that it would placate players who didn’t want to fight other users for fear of stumbling upon ‘tryhards’ who could defeat them in every engagement.
ARC Raiders Was Very Different
In the documentary uploaded on YouTube today, we get a glimpse behind the curtain at the development lifecycle of ARC Raiders, which unfolded over more than seven years. It started as a PvE-exclusive game that would see players team up to take down extremely threatening ARC enemies, and it evolved into a PvPvE extraction shooter out of necessity and to become more marketable.
In one segment of the documentary, David Dixon, Embark Studios’ Animation Director, explained how PvP was addressed to ensure that all comers could have as much fun as possible, even when fighting tougher opponents:
That’s why PvP is such an important addition to the game. A lot people have a strong reaction to what that might mean, but if you think about what happens when you play against other humans, you just realize that the finite distance gets closer to infinite, because now you have all the permutations of human behaviour in the session.
Some players might not like playing another person because they’ll get tryhards that are very, very good, but if we do our job well, then you’ll have something that feels balanced and fun, even if you’re not the best at aiming or the best at shooting.
You should still be able to find something rewarding in that experience of extracting stuff back out of the world.
When ARC Raiders hit the market, it felt like a positive and refreshing title that had everyone collaborating to explore this new world. Within a matter of days, the PvP theme had spiked, and every engagement felt heated and ‘on sight’. There are still positive interactions to be found, but as players became more capable and better equipped, the collaborative aspect mostly went out the window.
But fans accept that’s part of the PvPvE loop. It’s still not as bad as games like Escape from Tarkov, in which you have almost no chance whatsoever of collaborating with other random players.
Do you think ARC Raiders has good PvE, or is there something you’d change? Let your thoughts be heard on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that Black Ops 7 sales are down 50% in Europe
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
More from Grant Taylor-Hill
Well they failed, miserably. Arc Raiders is a great game, but it’s probably the most unbalanced pvp to come around in a decade. Nothing about this game is balanced. And it is nothing but try hards and streamers. Really hope they bring a pure pve mode/option here soon. The ARC actually are well done AI and challenging.
@Mr S, you sound like one of the goofs that demanded an “easy mode” for dark souls/elden ring. Pve only is never going to happen. Go play helldivers or atomic heart and stop making demands of developers to change their game to suit your tastes.
This game is going to be cooked, if it continues to play out like this.
It’s not balanced. And progressing requires taking down bigger ARC enemies. Every time I have tried to do so, however, I have been sniped by other players, effectively putting a stop to that.
So essentially progressing is now impossible, at least for me. Congrats to those who made it while the feelgood vibes lasted.
PvP should carry a greater downside in a world where humanity is literally hanging on by its fingernails. PvE and friendly behaviour should conversely be further incentivised.
Mr T spittin facts
Well,i just quit the game.
Tons of idiots shoot at first sight more in groups,its not PvPvE its just pure PvE now
Robots are a joke and you cant kill bigger ones whiout any idiot shooting at your back
Game turns so fast in frustration,its not fun anymore
If its PvP i go BF6 ,faster spawn and i dont have to deal with builds and stupid stuff just to play again
I love this game! The graphics, the gritty character skins and weapons, the shooting mechanics – it’s all soooo good! That said, it is my humble opinion that this game needs a bit of TLC. Not every player wants to immerse themselves in the pvp experience. And even pvp players may also agree that getting backstabbed by a “friendly”, sniped right after taking down a big baddy, or the worst, shot down by a-holes that are holding down the last extraction site (that don’t even have time to loot your body)… These are toxic elements that need balancing. Perhaps historically hostile players, aka “wolves” can be marked or instanced with other players while the “sheep” get to play/collaborate together to take down arcs. Pvp is inevitable, I just think it would be nice to adjust the settings a bit so everyone can play the way they want to. As it is, there is very little incentive to being actually friendly.
My two cents. Please be kind in the comments.
These commenters are dipshits.
The “balance” in the game that the devs are referring to is making it so that common guns can still fight against and win vs rare guns.
This is absolutely true, because the game gives a ridiculously large advantage to the person that shoots first. It is also the reason that people shoot on sight (not doing so is a disadvantage) and also the reason people heavily extract camp and do betrayals.
It is the optimal way to play, so people play that way, and literally everyone complains about it because it’s not fun losing 90% of fights that you didn’t start because there’s no way to reset to neutral to get a fair fight. First shot advantage is ridiculously bad, but the “balance” of low tier weapons being able to hold their own against high is generally true and correct.
Not balanced at all. It’s now just a dumpster fire full of streamers lemmings.