ARC Raiders Dev Says Players Are Burning Through Bosses…

An ARC Raiders developer has admitted that players are taking down bosses, such as the Queen or Matriarch, much quicker than anticipated, as they are "not intended for the full server to go up against." As some of the deadliest enemies in ARC Raiders, the Queen and Matriarch also reward players with some of the best loot in the game, but Embark has acknowledged that it can be frustrating when a whole server teams up against the large ARC, leaving some with nothing to loot.

When ARC Raiders was first conceptualized at Embark, the studio intended for the shooter to be PvE only, similar to the likes of Helldivers 2. But after some early internal playtesting, the team said it simply wasn't fun enough and pivoted development to include PvP. Despite the alteration, many of ARC Raiders' original enemies remain intact, such as Leapers, Queens, and more. However, one thing that still seems to surprise the studio is servers coming together and refusing to engage in PvP. This is largely down to ARC Raiders' aggression-based matchmaking, but Embark now says it's resulting in players killing larger ARC far too quickly.

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By Derek Nichols

ARC Raiders Didn't Expect Full Servers to Go Against the Queen and Matriarch

Two of ARC Raiders' numerous map conditions are the Harvester, which sees a giant ARC enemy known as the Queen defending a Harvester, and the Matriarch, an even deadlier enemy that not only has her own attacks, but can also spawn numerous "children," such as Bastions, Leapers, Hornets, and much more. Solo, these enemies are to be feared. With a whole server of other players...not so much. This is something Embark is aware of, as design lead Virgil Watkins tells PC Gamer that they are "not intended for the full server to go up against and get equally rewarded." The developer explains that they are designed for "a couple of dedicated squads" who work together while also having to deal with other players.

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However, the game's aggression-based matchmaking makes it possible to find lobbies with other PvE-focused players, which can sometimes result in entire lobbies taking down these enemies. This isn't something Embark ever anticipated, and they admit that's on them. "I think we gave players too effective abilities to take down these things too early. So they were tuned more for what I would call mid-game gear," Watkins said. With so many players working together to take down a single enemy, this creates one big problem: there simply isn't enough loot to go around.

Although there are many pros to the system, instances such as these are the downside of aggression-based matchmaking. Players who don't engage in any form of PvP will be placed into lobbies with like-minded individuals, which leads to lobbies filled with friendly players. However, Watkins also tells PC Gamer that there's no such thing as friendly lobbies in ARC Raiders, insisting that PvP and PvE players are still mixed together to a certain degree. Many disagree with this, though, as there are thousands of players who do not engage in PvP and say they are very rarely ever shot by other players.

The aggression-based matchmaking system is something that ARC Raiders will continue to tweak, according to Embark's CEO, Patrick Söderlund. The developer recently acknowledged the controversy surrounding the system, as some don't believe it should be possible for players to manipulate their way into PvE-heavy lobbies. In response, the CEO admitted that it is "not the intent of the game's design" and that the studio does not want to segment its playerbase. Although Söderlund says Embark wants players to have the experience that makes them happy, he says the system will continue to be tweaked as time goes by.