ARC Raiders Addresses Recent Nerf Backlash, Confirms IL…

Embark Studios has released a statement addressing backlash from the ARC Raiders community regarding recent nerfs introduced in February’s Shrouded Sky update. The shooter's latest patch was released for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on February 24, bringing tons of new content for ARC Raiders players to check out. Unfortunately, the community quickly took issue with some of the balance adjustments included in the update, blasting developer Embark over the changes.

Aside from a new Map Condition, two new ARC enemies, and much more, this month's ARC Raiders update also brought tons of bug fixes, quality-of-life improvements, and, most importantly, balance adjustments. The Kettle, Stitcher, and Venator all received much-needed nerfs, but what took fans by surprise was the additional crafting materials now required for the Wolfpack, Deadline, and other items. The former now requires a Rocketeer Driver to craft, while the latter requires a Comet Igniter, which can be looted from one of the new ARC types. These nerfs angered ARC Raiders players, which has now led to developer Embark Studios issuing a new statement.

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By Kyle Knight

ARC Raiders Responds to Crafting Recipe Changes

In a new statement on the game's official Discord, a community manager for Embark Studios acknowledged the response to some of the nerfs included in ARC Raiders' Shrouded Sky update, saying the studio "adjusted the Wolfpack recipe by adding a Rocketeer Driver and removing two Explosive Compounds to bring the ratio of cost vs effectiveness more in line with the trend of other items." The statement continues by explaining that Wolfpacks "offered a lot for their cost," but that Embark didn't want to "diminish the capability" of the item, so it opted to adjust the crafting components to better reflect its power. In short, the studio believes that such a powerful item shouldn't be so easy to craft.

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As mentioned previously, the February 24 update also saw some weapon adjustments, mainly to the Stitcher, Kettle, and Venator. Many agreed that these weapons needed to be toned down, as the Venator was dominating most PvP encounters, and the Stitcher and Kettle were far too powerful considering they are part of ARC Raiders' free loadout system. However, what angered players was the lack of adjustments to the IL Toro, a powerful shotgun that is also a popular choice for PvP. Thankfully, Embark has now confirmed that it is currently working on changes to the weapon.

"When it comes to your feedback about the weapon balancing, we wanted to give you a quick update on the current work being done," an Embark community manager said. They then explained that the studio has seen the calls from players to nerf the IL Toro, before confirming that "work is currently underway," presumably on a nerf for the weapon. "Our goal is to approach these changes carefully to ensure they’re well-tested before going live. Balancing weapons is an ongoing priority for the team. We regularly analyze telemetry and read community discussions to ensure changes are informed and measured," the community manager said.

Embark's statement confirms that the team is also investigating numerous other issues that have arisen following the release of ARC Raiders' latest update. The most notable problems are regular crashes for some users, which Embark says "haven't gone unnoticed," as well as the Patchwork outfit not displaying correctly for those who have previously departed on ARC Raiders' first Expedition. The glitch seems to give fans a sneak peek of what's to come, as the outfit will be receiving new toggles for the second Expedition next week. Thankfully, Embark says it will address this to ensure the correct rewards are shown for all players.