• The PvP Core: Despite community pleas for a PvE mode, Arc Raiders is fundamentally a PvP-first extraction shooter. Embark’s pivot from its original PvE design occurred because the early build was merely "quite fun"—the PvP overhaul is what gave the game its teeth.
  • Economic Imbalance: Introducing a PvE-only matchmaking option would break the loot economy. If players can extract high-tier gear without the risk of player interference, the core risk-reward loop collapses.
  • The "Prey" Factor: Standard matches rely on a mix of playstyles. Removing PvE-focused players into their own bubble would strip the "standard" mode of the tension and varied encounters that make extraction shooters work.
  • Sustainability Issues: While a dedicated Raid mode (à la Destiny) would give legendary weapons a purpose, it creates a content "black hole" that is notoriously difficult for live-service developers to fill consistently.
  • Current Performance: The game is a massive hit regardless of the PvE debate, boasting roughly 6 million weekly active users and 1 million concurrent players in January.

The PvE Trap: Why Embark Can’t Just Flip a Switch

There is a persistent segment of the community calling for a dedicated PvE mode in Arc Raiders, but as someone who’s seen dozens of extraction shooters rise and fall, we believe this would be a "monkey's paw" wish. The tension in Arc Raiders comes from the fact that Arc machines are just hazards meant to funnel you into other players. Without the threat of being shot, you're just running around a map collecting junk to use for collecting more junk.

Embark’s leadership is well aware of this. The original incarnation of the game was fully PvE, and they walked away from it because it lacked staying power. In their own words, the game only truly came together once it was overhauled to include PvP. While players are currently "Defender of the Swamp" or showing surprising kindness, that organic interaction only carries weight because the threat of violence is always present.

The Loot Economy and the "Prey" Problem

The tech behind Arc Raiders’ matchmaking is already doing heavy lifting with its "aggression-based" system, which keeps things relatively safe for the less combative. However, a hard PvE-only mode would act as a spanner in the works of the loot economy. If you can earn legendary gear in a vacuum, why would anyone ever step into a PvP zone? Furthermore, a healthy extraction ecosystem needs "prey"—players who are focused on the objective rather than hunting others. If you siphon those players off into a PvE mode, the standard matches become a hyper-sweaty deathmatch that alienates everyone else.

The Sustainable Content Black Hole

We’ve toyed with the idea of a high-end PvE Raid mode, which would certainly give our legendary, PvE-focused weapons a chance to shine. It sounds great on paper: fighting through waves of bots and solving puzzles for a big boss. However, we have to look at the practical side of live-service development.

Content like that is a black hole for resources. Even a powerhouse like Destiny struggles to release enough PvE content to keep the community fed. By making a raid the "capstone" of the experience, Embark would essentially be turning the core extraction matches—the most repeatable part of the game—into a boring grind. It shifts the focus from the unpredictable nature of human players to a static, scripted experience that gets old after three runs.

Current Meta and Technical Hurdles

While the PvE debate rages, the game is currently grappling with some serious balance and technical issues that need immediate attention from the tech team:

  • Weapon Imbalance: Basic weapons are currently performing so well they are overshadowing legendary gear, making the endgame grind feel redundant.
  • Exploits: Recent reports have highlighted game-breaking bugs, including an infinite ammo glitch and an item duplication bug. While Embark has issued hotfixes and warned of bans, the "min-max" culture is already starting to sour the endgame for the 5% of players who have reached it.
  • Leaderboard Philosophy: Interestingly, Embark’s CEO has stated they are unlikely to add a PvP leaderboard. They "don't necessarily want to foster that kind of gameplay," preferring the odd, unscripted player interactions over raw competitive metrics.

Our Take

Arc Raiders is currently sitting on a goldmine with 6 million weekly active users, putting it on par with the biggest MMOs on the market. Trying to cater to the PvE-only crowd right now would be a strategic blunder. It would dilute the player pool, break the risk-reward balance, and create a content treadmill that is impossible to maintain. For now, the "aggression-based matchmaking" is the right middle ground. If you’re not getting shot at occasionally, you’re not really playing Arc Raiders.