ARC Raiders PvE Mode Is Fun, But It Definitely Needs a Better Risk-Base Hook
ARC Raiders PvE test is underway, and while there’s been plenty of concern about introducing PvE mode, with mixed reactions, it looks like a decent number of players are enjoying it for what it is. I mean, as someone who’s been in the very shoes of a raider who was killed off by some “rat” that was camping the extraction point, I completely understand why some would want this kind of mode. That, and I really love the world that Embark Studios has crafted with ARC Raiders, along with all the cool robotic enemies that we get to face off against. After a few hours of PvE, teaming up with other raiders to take down Arcs and gather loot, there’s some fun to be had.
That said, PvE is pretty, well, “barebones” in that it’s literally ARC Raiders with no killing. Strip away the player-versus-player threat entirely, and you realize how much of the game’s overarching tension relied on the constant, lingering paranoia of fellow humans rather than the machines’ mechanical weight alone. You might say that’s proof enough that PvE is a bad idea, and I ain’t arguing that, but I do think there’s untapped potential for a co-operative survival loop if Embark Studio decides to build a PvE mode out properly in the future.
But the question is: how far will Embark go, and will it come at the cost of the core experience most of us came for?
The Identity Crisis: Extraction vs. Co-op
One of the biggest misunderstandings about PvE is thinking it means people want a “safe” place to play, with little to no threats. Someone says they just want lobbies where no one shoots at them to steal their loot, and the immediate response is to question their skill and call them a bad player.
On the other hand, PvE players also call out PvP players who oppose the PvE idea, calling them rats who are upset because they won’t get easy kills anymore.
It’s hard to have a genuine discussion when it’s met with criticism that doesn’t address anything beyond name-calling, lazy generalizations, or dismissing entire playstyles out of hand, turning what should be a healthy debate about game design into a toxic shouting match. How can someone expect a system to improve if the feedback amounts to “yeah, this sucks” or “yeah, this is good”? Where’s the why in those? Why do you think this suck, or what makes this good?
But I digress. That applies to all games out there, so let’s get back to the topic at hand. PvE doesn’t mean players want it easy; they just want a different kind of experience.
I get some of the criticism, because it can feel like wanting a completely different ruleset—a shift from the tense, competitive calculus of watching your back against other players to a cooperative loop focused on overcoming environmental and mechanical threats together. You would essentially be designing two very different games, and I think that is where the issue with PvE in ARC Raiders lies. PvP players understand what this version of PvE offers, which is why they say it’s boring and ruins ARC Raiders’ core experience. I can agree with that. The Rustbelt should feel dangerous every time you go topside, and PvE eliminates a large chunk of that.
The current state of PvE is dumbed-down loot and no player-to-player damage. That’s it; everything else is the same. I’m not saying there’s no fun in it. I’ve gotten into plenty of lobbies that turn into more of a social space, but you can do that in PvPvE lobbies too. I like that I won’t get backstabbed by another player, and I like the idea that we’re all working together to extract safely. The problem is that ARC Raiders still wants to keep its core loop of competitive PvPvE in its dedicated PvE mode, which only works if you see it as part of a bigger system.
The way I see it, I jump into PvE, gather loot, craft better gear, and then risk it all in the standard PvPvE lobbies. This loop can work for many, as it treats PvE as a safety net for gear recovery, but if it doesn’t feed back into the core extraction tension in a meaningful way, it risks feeling like a disjointed side mode rather than a true alternative way to play.
That’s what I think PvE players really want. They don’t want a mode that is simply ARC Raiders without player killing. They want something that justifies the grind, a loop where surviving the machinery and gathering rare components in a controlled environment feeds back into the high-stakes risk of the open map, giving the mode purpose instead of feeling like a hollowed-out playground.
So, going back to that misunderstanding that PvE players want a safe place to play. It’s far from that. We want a challenge, a reason to squad up with other players and progress through a map together, with real threats lurking around. I don’t think ARC Raiders is there in its current state. I spawn on the map, wander endlessly until I hear or see a gunfight, then go help that player out, and we share loot. Most fights end up easy and short because everyone knows how to take ARCs down, and it’s easy to join a match and see most ARCs taken down by the time you get there. So there’s not really much to explore beyond that.
Repetitiveness is natural, but the PvPvE mode keeps things unpredictable because it blends all the elements together. PvE feels like it lacks unpredictability, and much of that comes from how basic the mode is. Now, don’t get me wrong: with the right players, the mechanics can come together and deliver some really special moments that make you feel like there’s more to the co-operative side of the game.
Helldivers 2 handles PvE very well. The core is pretty simple, and in a lot of ways, very similar to ARC Raiders in terms of flow, but it gives players dedicated mission structures, clear squad-based objectives, and a persistent galactic campaign that makes every drop feel like it’s part of a larger war effort rather than just a stripped-down version of a competitive game mode.
The problem is that this is a very different game. Embark Studios likely won’t go down this road, but if PvE succeeds, simply making bullets have no effect on players probably won’t cut it long term. It needs a better “hook” with real risk. I should feel like I’m going in with the weight of the world on my shoulders in this mode, not feeling like I’m coasting on lowered damage values and missing human threats, turning what should be a desperate scramble for survival into a social hub.
Will Embark allocate the resources needed to flesh out PvE into a much grander idea? Who knows; it would certainly come with its own issues, including alienating a fanbase that came for the extraction experience. Again, it’d be a different game we are asking them to build. I’m not saying it’s impossible. They can add objectives for PvE players to complete, in-match events that bring everyone in the lobby together, like round-based waves of enemies or coming together to take down a much beefed-up version of the giant ARCs.
PvE can also help Embark build the world’s story further, with community events and the like tied to it.
As I type this and you read it, you can already see that, yes, this is a very different game we are talking about. It goes from an extraction shooter to a full-fledged cooperative shooter. I’d probably enjoy that game too, but at that point, I might as well look for something else to play, since it changes the game’s identity.
I’m not sure which direction is right here. PvE is in high demand, but will it survive, or will it eventually fade into a niche part of the game? I firmly believe PvE has a place in ARC Raiders; I just think Embark needs to figure out how to balance the core ARC Raiders experience with a standalone PvE, rather than tweak a few things and call it a day. On the other hand, let’s say Embark comes out and makes the “perfect” PvE mode. What does the cost of that look like in terms of the survivability of the game?
This past year, it’s clear that Embark wasn’t quite ready for the kind of success that ARC Raiders got. The community’s endless demand for new content, and much more of it, has certainly put a ton of pressure on the studio. I don’t think most of us fully understand Embark’s position. I’m hopeful they eventually get a handle on it, and that content drops and updates improve, but it’s clear they’re struggling to keep up with demand for the current PvPvE experience. So adding a whole new experience with an entirely different loop might not be the best option, at least right now.
Now, I have high hopes that we’ll eventually see something more fleshed out on the PvE side of things, but right now, I’m not sure if this is the time for it. I don’t want to say bye to it forever, and ultimately, I’m glad they’re testing it. But as Embark looks ahead, they’ll have to decide: can ARC Raiders successfully house two completely different experiences under one roof, or will one eventually cannibalize the other?
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