Extraction Shooter used to be a niche genre back then. It is home to players who enjoyed the thrill of looting, with the associated risk of losing their entire gear. However, everything changed when Embark Studios’ Arc Raiders debuted last year. It wasn’t your regular extraction shooter, where every player was out on the hunt to slit everyone’s throats and secure loot at all costs. Arc Raiders turned out to be an extremely accessible extraction shooter that attracted both newcomers and veterans of the genre alike for different reasons.
The magical experience you get in Arc Raiders is very different from the one you will have in Escape from Tarkov or Bungie’s Marathon, as every raid’s outcome cannot be predicted at all. That’s what made Arc Raiders a special game in the first place. I was also one of the raiders who had not just one but many wholesome encounters with fellow players. I was out for blood at the start of the game, only to become great friends with fellow raiders at the end of the raid.
Lately, players who only seek these friendly experiences have begun pleading with Embark Studios to offer separate PvP and PvE modes. And I strongly believe that players should stop asking for individual modes in Arc Raiders, as splitting the PvPvE experience will set the game on a disastrous path.
A PvE-Only Mode Would Be Detrimental to Arc Raiders
In recent times, a new survey claims that now more than 60% of Arc Raiders players prefer a PvE-only mode. There are also strong rumors that Embark Studios plans to add separate PvP and PvE modes in the future. Apparently, players can switch between the two modes in an upcoming clan system. While the devs haven’t shared anything about separating the PvPvE experience, you can see that a majority of players demand that the modes be split across various social media platforms.
Although the idea of dividing the game into PvP and PvE sounds good on paper, implementing this would mark the death of the game. If you are wondering why offering players the experience they desire can lead to Arc Raiders’ downfall, it has to do with the very nature of the game. The risk and tension associated with every raid result from mixing PvP and PvE. Thus, PvPvE is the essence of an extraction shooter like Arc Raiders, and robbing its identity won’t end well.
Well, if you argue that there is no harm in offering three different matchmaking options like PvP, PvE, and PvPvE, there is a catch to that as well. Let’s just say the most requested PvE-only mode goes live in the future. At first, it will be all sunshine and rainbows, but soon every raid will feel monotonous and tiring, as there is zero risk involved now. Everything that made Arc Raiders a special game will be entirely absent in the PvE mode.
PvP and PvE Works Best Together in Arc Raiders
Whenever you get on a raid, you are automatically put in a constant fear and anxiety state of losing your entire worthy gear, be it against a menacing ARC enemy or a hostile raider. So, when you unexpectedly have a heartwarming interaction with another raider amidst all the chaos, that’s what makes it a memorable experience. Let’s not forget that!
It’s the unpredictability that keeps every encounter and raid unique, not the other way around. You cannot get the very same feeling in a PvE-only mode, where you would only meet like-minded PvE enthusiasts, and the outcome would be the same every single time. Players who seem to play for the fun of the game will soon find it boring, which is why I believe the separate PvE mode will become obsolete quickly once the hype dies down.
Arc Raiders is at its best when it stays intact as a PvPvE experience. Splitting it into different modes not just breaks the game, but also divides the fanbase and brings down the player numbers. We are living in a time where gamers are obsessed with player count, and it is hurting the games as well. If PvE or PvP is your preference, an Aggression-based matchmaking system is already in place, but it isn’t simply binary as you might think.
It ain’t perfect, and devs are striving hard to balance the experience. But it gets the job done so far by prioritizing fairness and players’ enjoyment. Recently, Embark Studios clarified how their matchmaking system works to clear fans’ doubts. One of the main factors is Playstyle-based matchmaking. Essentially, your behavior on raids is observed, taken into account, and dictates the fate of your upcoming raids.
As you can see above, if you are aggressive and prefer engaging in PvP fights, you are more likely to be placed in heated PvP lobbies full of players similar to your playstyle. On the other hand, if you are carrying on your own without disturbing anyone else, you are sent to a lobby where you can meet friendlier raiders just like you.
However, the special thing about this matchmaking system is that there is no guarantee you will meet the exact players you are looking for. While you do have a higher chance of being matched with raiders with a similar playstyle, it’s not always the same. And the game doesn’t want you to have a single experience that gets repeated every raid. That’s why fights will break out in your peaceful lobby during extraction, or you can meet a pacifist in PvP lobbies, vice versa, which keeps the game interesting as ever.
There is always room for unexpected betrayals, friendships, support, and truces. So there is no such thing as only ‘friendly’ or ‘aggressive’ lobbies, as many players believe. There are lots of factors related to your behavior that are taken into account for matchmaking.
Lastly, if players really want a PvE mode, then devs at Embark Studios can opt for a limited-time event. Encouraging players to unite and fight against a giant ARC threat, similar to how players engage in Queen and Matriarch events. In this way, adding a PvE-only mode won’t tarnish the game’s quality and affect it as a whole.
We all fell in love with Arc Raiders for its ever-changing scenarios and outcomes. Without its wild-card factor, Arc Raiders wouldn’t simply be the game we ended up loving so much. So, let’s stop asking devs to offer separate modes and have our utmost faith in them to balance the PvPvE experience as they continue to perfect their matchmaking system.
That said, do you agree with our take on abandoning the PvE-only mode in Arc Raiders? Let us know in the comments below.
