ARC Raiders recently underwent a major update for the game’s first anniversary. It was called ‘Frozen Trail’, and it effectively introduced a 2.0 version of the game, packed with new ARC enemies, fresh weapons, a new hideout, and a stack of new game mechanics. Put simply, it was the most important ARC Raiders update ever.
Days after it dropped, Embark Studios, the game’s developer, pushed out something monumental: a PvE test. They introduced a ‘toggle’ that allowed players to switch between PvPvE and PvE settings. It proved controversial, but it addressed the biggest point of contention in the game’s ecosystem, one that had existed since its October 2025 launch.
I recently asked more than 1,100 ARC Raiders players what they thought about PvE in this disruptive extraction adventure title, and the results were pretty surprising…
Do People Want ARC Raiders PvE?
I’ll preface this by making one thing very clear: I love PvE modes in games. If I can pick PvE over PvPvE, I will do it every single day of the week. I do it in games like Gray Zone Warfare and Escape from Tarkov, and I did it in ARC Raiders. Being transparent, I hadn’t touched ARC Raiders for five months before this toggle was added, and the moment I flipped that switch, I fell in love all over again.
It made me curious, so I put the question to more than 1,100 players via a video. I wanted to know what they thought about the new PvE mode in ARC Raiders, which has been set up as a limited-time test by Embark Studios, just a toe-in-the-water kind of situation. If it’s a success, it’s easy to see it becoming a permanent fixture, but they were quick to stress there’s no guarantee of that.
My video landed, and within 12 hours, it had amassed 800+ comments. Eventually, I was staring down the barrel of 1,100+ comments, a drop in the ocean of ARC Raiders’ player base, but enough to extrapolate something representative of the wider community.
I’ll be honest, YouTube’s algorithms might have driven players already primed to appreciate PvE content to the video, so I’ll consider that, but the results of my little experiment were clear: everybody loves PvE in ARC Raiders.
I shouldn’t generalize, but the vast, vast majority of comments coming back were gushing with compliments, praise, and gratitude to Embark Studios for adding the PvE test to ARC Raiders. I saw so few hate-based comments, and those who didn’t approve of the PvE test were critical but constructive, in most cases.
For instance, one user wrote:
I haven’t played since the hurricane event. I was 500 hours at that point. From the 13th until today I have logged 22 hours. Wouldn’t have been a thought without PvE. Thanks Embark, I’ll buy your next game.
Another said:
Bought the game, played seven hours, gave up after getting smashed by chads and sweats in PvP. Left a post on the official Embark Reddit saying this game needs PvE, so glad to see this mode.
I came back for PvE and will be palying more over the next week. My wife and I really enjoy co-op games like this.
That’s a sentiment that I saw echoed over and over again: ‘My wife and I’, ‘my son and I’, ‘me and my kids’, ‘me and my Dad’. I saw words and terms like ‘relaxing’, ‘peaceful’, ‘chill’, and ‘laid back’.
I’m loving the PvE. I played for about six hours last night. I enjoyed turning the HUD off and going exploring. The sound design and world-building is so immersive. Also, making the PvE and PvPvE characters separate would be for the best.
This builds on some ‘improvement actions’ I discussed in the video. I suggested some key elements that need to be addressed by Embark Studios if they make the mode permanent:
- PvE and PvPvE progress and stashes should be kept separate (whether or not that splits the community)
- Looting needs to be instanced to deter ‘thieves’ who hang around key rooms or large-scale ARC enemies, waiting to leap on the effort of others
- ARC presence needs to be denser, or the enemies that exist need to be more challenging to reflect the inherent lack of ‘threat’ from other players
- Player-vs-player collisions should be removed, as we’re seeing griefers use this mechanic to disrupt the entertainment of others
- Nothing should be ringfenced away from PvE players. If they make it permanent, PvE-focused players need to have access to the same content slate, map conditions, and rotations as PvP-focused players
RELATED: ARC Raiders is the Perfect Extraction Shooter for People Who Don’t Play Them
Overwhelming Support
When ARC Raiders’ Frozen Trail update landed on October 8, it eventually pushed the player count to the highest point it had been in six months – 185,443 players. By October 12, that had dropped to a peak of 152,547, and then when the PvE test came on October 13, a small spike took it back up to 164,228.
It’s no major shake, but it was enough to represent the interest players had in the PvE test.
I’ll be as unbiased as possible here and say that the comments I saw weren’t all supportive. For instance, one player wrote, ‘Some a**hole followed me around the map and bumped off loot he told me he won’t let me extract unless I drop my gun maddening.’
Another addressed one of the chief issues with PvE: ‘PVE sucks because it’s nothing but a bunch of vultures. Kill a Bastion to unlock my Work bench and there is a ton of people that just rush it they wouldn’t do that if I shot them for it. They don’t even ask or say anything; just vultures.’
One user bagged on the state of the ‘reduced loot pool’ that was introduced for the test:
Tried the toggle, found about 1/3 the normal loot options so I turned that sh*t off.
On YouTube, you can filter by ‘negative feedback’, and I ran some reports to see what I could dredge up, but believe me, it was tough to find legitimate complaints. There were a lot of comments deemed negative because they said things like, ‘The only people who don’t like it are rats’, or ‘F**k those people who just wanna kill everybody and hide in corners, etc.’
At the far end of the support spectrum, I found folks pre-grudging Embark Studios for the inevitable ending of the PvE test:
If they end the test and get rid of PvE mode, then I will uninstall the game until they bring it back. We are at a zero sum game with this development team. They can either acede to our demands or go broke. It’s that simple. We have all the cards.
Bit much, but okay.
My teenage son and I quit playing about six months ago after dumping in close to 100 hours, but because of the PvE we did pick it back up and we have been enjoying running missions and exploring the maps and taking out ARC! If it comes back permanent, I might just buy us both some new skins for our characters.
See, people are willing to part ways with cash money to show their appreciation for PvE content.
Holding my hands up and speaking with full transparency, it has been extremely tough to see genuine complaints about PvE content, and that’s out of a field of more than 1,100 comments, with more coming in every minute.
The consensus is so clear, and players want PvE to stay.
RELATED: ARC Raiders is the Highest-Rated Multiplayer Shooter in a Decade
The Great PvE Debate
PvE vs. PvP is the new XBOX vs. PlayStation (and that’s still going on…), and it’s one of the liveliest debates in the business.
What I gathered from this ARC Raiders PvE experiment is that people generally want this content. They at least want the choice to play PvE. I’m even seeing PvP-focused players advocate for a PvE mode because they can simply appreciate that some folks just want a different way to play the game they love.
Most of the comments referenced people coming back after a long break, experiencing the PvE test, and feeling that rush they might have gotten when the game first came out. I know that’s what happened to me.
The emergent gameplay is still there; you still have the tension and intensity of the ARC enemies; you can still enjoy the looter-shooter loop, and you can still make friends, if that’s your thing. The only difference is, you’re not watching your back for a betrayal every second of every raid.
You’re not dodging cheaters. You’re seeing less toxicity and griefing. You’re not needing to worry about exfil campers, or people trying nefarious exploits to catch you off guard.
Ultimately, if ARC Raiders gets a permanent PvE mode and it’s managed properly by Embark Studios, it could be a breath of fresh air for the extraction adventure game. If Escape from Tarkov, a hardcore PvP shooter, can get a PvE platform that can accommodate up to 50% of the player base, why can’t ARC Raiders, a narrative-driven post-apocalyptic adventure title?
After all, Embark Studios wants it to be around for ten years…
Let me know in the comments or on the Insider Gaming Discord server what your thoughts are about all this.
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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
I 100% disagree with separate lobbies. That will fracture and end the game.
I feel an elegant fix to preserve mixed lobbies (and the player base) could be to implement reputational factions, with significant gameplay consequences for killing the ‘friendly’ faction. Friendly faction players have a VERY visible coloured aura to distinguish them immediately on sight.
Eg. If you’ve killed an innocent/friendly, to return to Speranza on extract you need to pay X amount of credits, and this penalty increases significantly with every kill. Other possible penalty conditions: you can’t repair your gear for X amount of rounds. You can’t access traders. You can’t use the tubes for X amount of time.
I’m all for allowing players with different intentions to enjoy the game in the way they wish, but it shouldn’t come at the expense of the spirit of the game.
Some way, some how the rats and griefer will find away around it, you know they will, they always do.
Let’s just put it this way. I stopped playing Arc Raiders after continously getting killed extracting. PVP is not enjoyable too me. It actually stresses me out and games are my escape from stress. I’ve been playing the pve mode and absolutely loving it. The people are phenomenal and it’s just a much better game. Hopefully the pve is adapted into the game or I’ll just go play something else.
Agree. Me and my friend have been playing everyday since PvE test started.
Completed a lot of quests, killed a lot of big arc and bosses.
Finally could take my equilizer and hullcracker to shoot stuff without fear of some sweattard killing me in the back just from seein those gunc on my character.
Not sure I will continue playing for a long time after the test ends.
Like the PvE mode and author made all valid points. Though PvP is the secret sauce, as a pacifist player – and a solo – it’s just not my thing. The reduced loot is a bit of a bummer and there definitely needs to be at least 50% more ARC. But, we don’t know the engine limitations or see the meta data that Embark sees. So, should PvE be allowed on the Frigate? I lean to no, as that platform is really for three man teams. I actually get to experience an opposite problem: sometimes requesting players to get in on downed Bastions and Bombardiers. This is because I de-fib anyone I can find and have been in virtual PvE lobbies for months. Played consistently from start and at over 1500 hours. Looking forward to see how the lore shakes up. Agree, with modifications, PvE is a good thing.
Once again I keep seeing the ” PVE will kill this game “…. ITS A TOGGLE! If you don’t like it you can keep on playing PVPVE or PVP. It absolutely does nothing to disrupt your gaming experience! They will bring PVE mode to our version like they did with the Chinese version but, it may be a while cause they have to fix a lot.
It’s all about ” Choices ” if a gamer has choices to choose how they like to play in any game that’s a winning recipe. You can’t lose when you have the choice to pick PvePvp,Pvp or Pve.
As someone who has played since beginning, I had to take a hiatus because the PvP toxic mentality took a hold of a lot of the circles I ran in. The ones it didn’t affect, also took a hiatus. The problem is NOT PvP inherently, the problem is the rat mentality, and the people who are actively cheating. Yes, eventually the cheaters will get caught, but Embark is fixing so much at once, give them a break. (However!!) I have been enjoying the PvE more than anything. My only complaints are the following.
1) Griefing: Players who are using the new tackle ability to push others off of loot, rushing for heavy arc they didn’t even engage, etc. (Solution? If you didn’t engage the arc, no loot for you, specifically, from it. A lockout, if you will.)
2) ARC “focus-killing” players who are now downed, is a little bit much. At least let us try to make it out. As a care-bear, I will rush over to help someone trying to depart safely, or someone struggling to go against arc. It’s part of the lore, if I’m correct.
3) Reduced loot?! No. Thats a no-no! – As mentioned somewhere in the above article, yes loot is reduced, in PvE. However. Loot should be instanced, and people should be able to find the same level of loot equally. We are actively CHOOSING PvE, so why punish us? Find a middle ground, instance it and make it a percentage more balanced towards normal, however that may come. Or, just don’t reduce it. It’s how we, the consumer, are choosing to play the game.
I think that about sums it up, from my notes.
Safe Raids, all.
I think that arc killing the player is fine.
There should be some risk to PvE and arc killing a downed player is that risk.
Especially considering that if you don’t move they won’t actually shoot you.
But, of course, it basically makes mk3 survival augment the only trully good choise for PvE.
Here’s the deal. Players with intent of cheating, griefing, and ratting will not end until Embark puts a real stop to it. They are universal. I thought that European servers were safer. I was wrong. What they need to do is stop letting players be killed and their stuff stolen. Yes, it is ridiculous and will not happen. However, until Embark does, these cowards will continue. Now, players will not be consistent after October 20th. You have to just laugh when these a$$holes do what they do. However, progression and exploration will be interrupted. In Call of Duty, you get killed, they take your weapon. However, when you load back in, you have your weapon again. This needs to happen with Arc Raiders. Embark will not stop the rats. They tried it with PvE and that only worked as long as you don’t put yourself in that situation. So honestly, PvE needs to be permanent and harassing behavior needs to be addressed.
I love the PvE test and have been playing every day of it. It reignited my passion for the game in a sense.
Needs some work of course, but mostly it checked the right boxes for me.
But I strongly disagree with the author about splitting characters for PvE and PvP. It doesn’t make any sense.
If people want to farm resources in PvE to craft better gear for PvP, then let them. It will basically make so that you can loot better guns from PvP, instead of just fighting free loadouts.
Destiny 2 and Division don’t separate characters and you can freely take your hard earned loot to use in Pvp and everything is fine.
And before you start talking about some mystical economy in the game, there is none. People need good items to upgrade stuff and do quests and after that loot stops to matter at all.
I hate both modes as they are now actually. PvE I liked at first but if you’re downed by ARC you’re toast and some trials can’t be completed (or map conditions, it’s already hard enough to make a key to the Emperor and the payoff is meh). Now the ‘normal’ mode is a free for all with more rats. They need to have some counterbalance to PvP or just make weapon damage against players nerfed, that would solve a lot. Right now really don’t like either mode completely.