ARC Raiders PvE Finally Stops Players Killing You. Shame It Can't Stop Them Being Bastards.
ARC Raiders' PvE beta is worth trying before it ends on October 20 at 11:00 AM Brussels time, especially if you enjoy scavenging, fighting ARC machines and exploring without some heavily armed bastard turning your afternoon into a funeral. You can finally concentrate on surviving the machines instead of wondering whether the stranger waving at you is genuinely friendly or simply waiting for you to open your inventory.
There are catches. Less valuable loot, missing map conditions and different matchmaking. But the biggest change is something you might not immediately notice until it's gone: the possibility that another human being might ruin everything.
And judging by the reactions so far, some players rather miss being shot.
Still craving the tension of an extraction shooter where other players can rob you blind? Meet SAND: Raiders of Sophie, where you fight over loot, escape with your valuables and operate a giant walking fortress. Because apparently ordinary getaway vehicles weren't expensive enough to lose.
What actually changes in ARC Raiders PvE?
The temporary test, which began October 13, disables player-to-player damage. Hostile throwable effects, including stun and fire effects, cannot be used against other Raiders either.
The ARC machines remain perfectly capable of murdering you, so this isn't exactly a relaxing countryside holiday. You're still scavenging, fighting and attempting to extract before something considerably larger than yourself decides to investigate your internal organs.
The rules governing other humans, however, have changed completely.
Someone can approach without immediately presenting the possibility of an expensive medical emergency. You can help another Raider without calculating whether their gratitude will arrive in the form of ammunition.
There are some important restrictions:
Lower loot value: PvE offers reduced overall loot value, while standard PvPvE receives slightly higher baseline loot values during the test.
Different matchmaking: Solo, duo and trio players can share sessions, with squad-size separation no longer prioritised.
Missing map conditions: Night Raid, Locked Gate, Hidden Bunker, Frigate and Redirection are unavailable.
Separate matchmaking rating: Playing PvE doesn't affect your existing PvPvE matchmaking rating.
Downed-player protection: Downed Raiders receive eight seconds before ARC enemies can reacquire them, although moving afterward may attract renewed attention.
Embark isn't trying to create an entirely rebalanced PvE game here. The experiment is specifically about removing hostile-player encounters.
Which raises an interesting question. If you remove the people trying to kill each other, what exactly is left?
Quite a lot, actually.
Apparently, cooperation is rather enjoyable
PC Gamer's October 14 report describes a more relaxed experience, with opportunities to explore, help strangers and engage with ARC enemies without constantly anticipating betrayal. And I can certainly understand the appeal. Consider what happens when you encounter another player during an ordinary extraction. They might need help. Perhaps they're carrying something valuable. Maybe they're just passing through. You have approximately three seconds to decide whether you've met a lovely person or someone whose primary ambition in life is to own your trousers. PvE removes that calculation.
There's something genuinely appealing about strangers tackling powerful ARC enemies together. Everyone can concentrate on the oversized mechanical nightmare instead of wondering which teammate might shoot them once the expensive bits start falling off. Embark's own player research suggests there's an appetite for this. The studio reports that 51% of surveyed players expressed interest in dedicated PvE. That doesn't mean 51% want PvP abolished, of course. Apparently, human beings can enjoy more than one thing. A discovery that continues to surprise the internet.
What happens when PvPvE stops being about scavenging and becomes an actual robbery? Meet Project Espresso, where competing crews infiltrate secure locations, steal valuable cargo and try to escape. Apparently, even thieves aren't safe from other thieves.
Unfortunately, peace hasn't cured people of being bastards
Here's where things become considerably more interesting. Removing player damage doesn't automatically make everybody cooperative. Community reports describe players taking advantage of downed Raiders, competing aggressively over loot and allegedly attracting ARC enemies toward other people. These are individual accounts rather than evidence of a widespread problem, but they expose a rather wonderful flaw in the idea that disabling violence automatically produces civilisation. You can stop somebody from shooting their neighbour. You cannot necessarily stop them from behaving like an arsehole.
Imagine a group of Raiders fighting an enormous ARC machine. Everybody contributes, everybody survives, and everyone gathers around the rewards. Then one player discovers they can get to the valuable loot first. Suddenly, the atmosphere resembles the final ten minutes of a family inheritance dispute. Nobody can legally punch Uncle Patrick, but that doesn't mean anybody likes him.
The hypothetical is exaggerated, but the underlying problem isn't. Loot remains valuable, resources remain contested and other players can still influence your experience. The absence of bullets doesn't eliminate selfishness. It simply encourages selfishness to find alternative employment.
Has removing PvP made ARC Raiders boring?
For some players, apparently yes. GamesRadar has documented divided reactions, including complaints that PvE feels less tense and that large ARC encounters become less threatening when several Raiders work together. Other players welcome precisely those changes.
The machines provide a threat you can learn. Their behaviour can be studied, their weaknesses understood and encounters approached with increasing confidence. Other people are rather less cooperative with your carefully prepared strategy. A Raider might help you fight an ARC enemy, ignore you completely or decide that your backpack would look considerably better attached to their spine. You cannot prepare for every possibility because you're dealing with somebody who may have spent the last twenty minutes developing a personal grudge against the entire species.
And strangely enough, that uncertainty makes peaceful encounters more meaningful. A stranger choosing not to shoot you means something when they could have done so. When shooting you is impossible, their restraint becomes considerably less impressive. Some community accounts also describe quieter PvE lobbies, suggesting that removing danger may reduce the need to communicate. It's hardly a universal finding, but the possibility fascinates me. The threat of violence might actually encourage people to talk.
It would be a magnificent piece of social engineering if Embark accidentally discovered that the best way to encourage people to say hello was to give them access to firearms.
Should ARC Raiders keep PvE permanently?
There's an important distinction between asking whether PvE should replace PvPvE and asking whether both deserve to exist. Embark hasn't confirmed a permanent mode. The studio intends to gather feedback after the experiment, and the current implementation isn't a promise of anything beyond October 20.
Interestingly, ARC Raiders was originally conceived as a cooperative PvE game before development shifted toward PvPvE. So we're watching a game revisit its original concept after building an identity around something else. I rather like that. The test doesn't prove PvP was a mistake. It demonstrates that ARC Raiders contains activities some players would prefer enjoying without other people shooting them. Whether that can support a permanent mode, with appropriate rewards and matchmaking, remains unanswered.
Is ARC Raiders PvE worth playing before October 20?
Yes. Particularly if you've previously abandoned ARC Raiders because hostile players made exploration more frustrating than enjoyable. Try it while the option exists. See whether fighting machines and cooperating with strangers can sustain your interest without the constant possibility of betrayal.
If you're primarily interested in valuable loot, dangerous encounters and gambling everything on the behaviour of strangers, ordinary PvPvE remains the better choice, especially with its higher loot value during the test. And if you enjoy both? Splendid. There's no law requiring lifelong allegiance to one matchmaking setting.
The beta ends October 20 at 11:00 AM Brussels time, with no permanent return confirmed. Personally, I find the most revealing part of this experiment isn't that some players prefer peace. It's that ARC Raiders has temporarily removed everyone's ability to murder one another, and the community is already discovering whether there's anything else they can do to be horrible.
Humanity really is a remarkable species.
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ARC Raiders PvE Beta FAQ
When does the ARC Raiders PvE beta end?
The PvE beta ends on October 20, 2026, at 11:00 AM Brussels time (CEST). Embark has not confirmed whether the mode will return.
Can other players kill you in ARC Raiders PvE?
No. Direct player-to-player damage and hostile throwable effects are disabled. However, ARC machines can still kill you, and other players may interfere indirectly.
Do you get less loot in PvE mode?
Yes. PvE has reduced overall loot value, while standard PvPvE offers slightly higher baseline loot values during the test. Embark hasn't specified exact percentages.
Can solo players join squads in PvE?
Yes. Solo, duo and trio players can share the same PvE sessions because matchmaking no longer prioritises separating squads by size.
Are all maps and events available in PvE?
No. Night Raid, Locked Gate, Hidden Bunker, Frigate and Redirection are excluded from the beta.
Will ARC Raiders get permanent PvE?
Nothing has been confirmed. Embark is testing player behaviour and plans to collect feedback before deciding what happens next.
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