5 Things Arc Raiders Needs to Do to Stay Alive

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Arc Raiders quickly made a splash in the world of extraction shooters with its stunning graphics and distinctive science fiction style, offering fast-paced, third-person gameplay. Developed by Embark Studios, this free-to-play game gained immediate attention for its look and feel, and even overshadowed some of the hype surrounding Bungie’s Marathon. It’s been incredibly popular, already reaching over 700,000 concurrent players in under a month. As with all online games that are constantly updated, the real test will be keeping players engaged long-term.

Arc Raiders is currently a very popular game, but its success isn’t assured. To ensure the game lasts, Embark Studio needs to improve its gameplay, fix technical issues, and find ways to keep players engaged. Here’s a look at what’s needed to maintain Arc Raiders’ momentum.

5) Make Speranza a Social Hub

The main base in Arc Raiders is called Speranza, and it really captures the game’s gritty, futuristic look. It’s a visually appealing place, but right now it feels a little lifeless. This is disappointing because the game has a welcoming community, particularly for those playing alone. If Arc Raiders wants to thrive as a game that’s constantly updated, the developers at Embark need to make Speranza a lively place where players can connect and interact.

The underground city would feel much more vibrant if players could move around freely and encounter each other, with opportunities for player-versus-player combat. Currently, it mostly serves as a crafting and gearing hub before heading out to explore. Allowing free movement would encourage more player interaction and keep people engaged, and the developers could still offer the existing menu system for those who prefer quick access to different areas.

A central social area isn’t just about how a game looks – it’s what gives a lasting world its heart. If Speranza, in Arc Raiders, becomes a lively, player-focused space, it could be the key to making players feel connected to the game and want to keep playing. Things like small games, bounty boards, NPC conversations, and spontaneous public events within Speranza would turn it from a static backdrop into a true community hub.

4) Add Quality of Life Features

Arc Raiders looks fantastic, but the way you actually play the game still feels unfinished. The biggest problem is the crafting – it’s clunky and frustrating. The core gameplay itself is great, but other areas, like organizing loot, understanding weapon stats, and balancing risk and reward, need improvement. Overall, the game is visually appealing, but the user experience isn’t quite polished.

It’s often difficult to manage resources because of the limited storage space and complicated item system. Later quests frequently require seemingly useless items like old light bulbs or broken tools. It would be really helpful if the game showed more clearly how each item is used in crafting, and offered better ways to organize everything. A feature to ‘favorite’ important items and store them separately would also make it much easier to keep track of what you need.

Player-versus-player combat is a core part of the game, but it can be difficult to figure out which weapons are most effective. The game also emphasizes risk and reward, but the potential gains aren’t always obvious. Many players have been frustrated by raiding challenging areas or using keys to open rooms, only to find minimal loot. This is especially discouraging after traveling a long distance for a small reward. Improving the loot chances in these situations is crucial, and we strongly urge the developers to reduce how often the Bettina blueprint appears.

3) Launch New Content (For PvP & PvE)

Currently, the plan is to add new content to Arc Raiders. However, Embark Studios needs to appeal to both players who enjoy player-versus-player combat (PvP) and those who prefer playing with others against the environment (PvE). The game’s current content feels a bit repetitive. While the four maps look different, gameplay generally follows the same pattern: parachute in, rush to find good loot, avoid enemy attacks, and then escape.

To keep the game fresh, adding new ‘Arcs’ – essentially large-scale content updates – would be a great approach. While new maps are good, they need more depth. Introducing new enemies, unexpected events happening in the game world, and objectives with multiple steps could make gameplay much more engaging. Think about big cooperative missions where players team up to defend against huge attacks or explore old, hidden locations for valuable rewards. Improving the story and how players progress would also be a big help.

To keep players engaged in PvP, Embark Studios could add ranked matches, changing objectives, and battles between factions – giving competitive players something to strive for and improve upon. Introducing new weapons and gadgets would also make combat more dynamic. A bounty system, where players can collect tags from others, could be another exciting feature. While many enjoy cooperative play, the studio needs to provide more compelling reasons to participate in PvP beyond simply taking loot from other players.

2) Implement End Game Content

At first, Arc Raiders is a thrilling cycle of dropping into raids, collecting resources, staying alive, and escaping. However, once you get the hang of it, the gameplay becomes quite repetitive. Even the toughest enemies, like the Queen Arc, are surprisingly easy to defeat with basic tactics. The long-term appeal of games like this depends on having enough endgame content, and currently, Arc Raiders doesn’t quite stand out in either a positive or negative way – it’s stuck in between.

A compelling endgame experience should give players a variety of ways to improve and feel rewarded for their efforts. This could include challenging group activities like raids that demand coordination, powerful enemies that drop unique items, or missions that get progressively harder. Adding systems like faction standings, leaderboards, and long-term crafting projects can also give players clear goals to work towards and a sense of accomplishment.

The goal for the later stages of the game isn’t simply to make things harder. It’s about making players feel their time is well spent. By creating a variety of engaging and rewarding systems for experienced players, Arc Raiders could grow beyond a temporary experience into a long-lasting community. Offering exclusive cosmetic items and rewards would be a great way to recognize player effort and give them continued goals to work towards.

1) Fix Desync

Even a beautifully designed game with great combat and a captivating world can’t succeed if it doesn’t run well. Right now, Arc Raiders is struggling with a major problem: desynchronization. Players are constantly experiencing issues like enemies teleporting, shots not registering even when aimed correctly, and failed extractions due to server lag. These technical problems quickly destroy player confidence and will likely cause people to stop playing.

As a huge fan, it’s honestly so frustrating when I clearly hit an enemy and it doesn’t register, or when my character’s actions don’t quite match what I’m seeing on screen. It just feels unfair, and in a game where skill is supposed to matter, that’s a killer. There’s nothing worse than grinding for awesome gear and then losing it all because of a glitch or lag – something completely out of my hands! I really think the developers at Embark need to focus on making the servers rock-solid, reducing lag, and improving how the game connects players before they add any more content. That’s what will really make this game amazing.

Addressing the desynchronization problem is crucial because it impacts all other aspects of the game – competitive play, challenging raids, and large events all need a smooth, stable connection. Without fixing this core issue, no new updates or content will be enough to sustain the game. Embark Studios needs to make resolving desync their top priority.

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2025-11-12 17:16