ARC Raiders will let players opt out of player-versus-player combat for one week in October. Embark Studios’ PvE matchmaking test runs October 13–20, giving players a choice between the current PvPvE format and sessions focused on cooperative play against ARC machines.
The test does not create a separate version of the game. Players can switch between the two matchmaking options, and time spent in PvE will not affect their PvPvE matchmaking rating. Solo, duo and trio parties will share the same PvE sessions.
Player-to-player damage is disabled in the PvE queue, but Embark is keeping pressure elsewhere. Overall loot value will be lower than in PvPvE, while PvPvE sessions receive slightly higher baseline loot. Downed players can also be targeted again by ARC enemies if they crawl; staying still causes those enemies to ignore them.
Some of the riskiest conditions stay PvPvE-only
Four conditions are excluded from the beta: Night Raids, Hidden Bunker, Locked Gate and Frigate. Embark says those activities depend on uncertainty and higher tension, making them a poor fit for this first PvE test.
The PvE sessions otherwise let players scavenge, complete quests and explore without hostile Raiders. Embark says the goal is not to test harder PvE combat or a new progression system. It wants to learn whether removing unwanted player encounters creates a useful alternative for people already drawn to the game’s co-op and machine threats.
The company says its current audience is divided into 37% friendly co-op players, 27% mixed players and 34% pure PvP players. According to Embark’s survey figures, more than 70% of friendly players and 40% of PvP players want fewer hostile encounters, while 51% of surveyed players expressed interest in a dedicated PvE option.
A return to the game’s abandoned starting point
The experiment revisits an earlier version of ARC Raiders. Embark says the project began seven years ago as a raid-based PvE co-op game with looting, then underwent a reset after the original concept ran into development challenges. The result became the high-tension PvPvE extraction game that launched to a broader mix of play styles than the studio expected.
That history also explains the studio’s caution. Embark warns that PvE could reduce the tension central to ARC Raiders, increase extraction rates and earned value, and split the population enough to lengthen queues or weaken PvPvE session quality in quieter regions and hours.
The toggle will be removed when the test ends. Embark says it will review feedback and player data afterward, but the beta is not a promise of a permanent PvE mode. Any later version could work differently from the October experiment.
Gaming