Arc Raiders’ First Expedition: A Bold Reset That Hit a 5-Million Credit Wall

Arc Raiders just wrapped up its inaugural "Expedition," and the results are a mixed bag of innovative design and classic endgame fatigue. While Embark Studios is trying to solve the "seasonal wipe" problem that plagues extraction shooters, the final stretch of this first run felt less like a narrative journey and more like a spreadsheet-driven slog. We’ve seen plenty of games attempt to balance the "prestige" loop, but Arc Raiders’ decision to lean heavily on raw currency requirements is a stumble we hope they don't repeat.

The Raw Data: Participation vs. Completion

Embark’s numbers suggest a healthy initial interest, but the drop-off toward the finish line highlights exactly where the friction occurred. Out of 12 million copies sold, about 8% of the player base engaged with the Expedition. Of those, less than half secured the top-tier rewards.

The "Money Grind" Problem

The core issue here—and Design Director Virgil Watkins admits as much—was the pivot to a raw currency grind in the final leg. In our experience, nothing kills an endgame loop faster than "The Bank Simulator" phase. When you ask players to amass 5 million credits, you aren’t just asking for time; you’re disincentivizing them from using their high-tier gear.

If you're hoarding every penny to fund a caravan, you aren't spending money on the kits and upgrades that actually make the game fun. This creates a "gear fear" meta that saps the energy out of the final weeks of a cycle. We believe that for Expeditions to survive, the requirements need to shift toward gameplay variety rather than resource hoarding.

Analysis: Why "Voluntary Wipes" Matter

Unlike Escape from Tarkov or Rust, where your progress is essentially nuked on a schedule, Arc Raiders is trying a "gentler" approach. We’ve seen the damage forced wipes can do to casual player retention. However, a voluntary system only works if the "prestige" feels earned through skill rather than just being a tax on your stash.

• The Good: Tiered rewards like faster progression and larger stashes are genuine QoL buffs that respect a player's time in the next cycle.
• The Bad: Holding back the calibration data until late in the stage left players feeling blindsided by the 5-million credit "aspirational goal."
• The Ugly: The "slog for pennies" feeling at the end of the first Expedition likely burned out players who would have otherwise been ready for the next drop.

Our Verdict: Evolution is Mandatory

We’re encouraged by Embark’s transparency here. They recognize that turning the endgame into a credit-gathering simulator is a mistake. Moving forward, we expect to see Expeditions that involve more "mystery" or "oblique puzzles"—mechanics that require players to actually engage with the world rather than just looting and selling trash items for credits.

If the next Expedition doesn't offer more variety for the casual crowd, Arc Raiders risks creating a massive gap in its meta where only the top 5% of "min-maxers" feel the reset is worth the effort. The goal of a reset should be to refresh the game, not to make it feel like a second job.