One Weapon Is Completely Breaking PvP in Arc Raiders

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Arc Raiders focuses on exciting player-versus-player-versus-environment battles that require careful positioning and smart decisions, not just good shooting skills. The game aims to make every fight feel challenging and a bit uncertain. When you’re defeated, it should feel like a result of a mistake or being outmaneuvered, rather than being instantly eliminated.

Currently, PvP in Arc Raiders is facing a major problem. The Kettle weapon has become overwhelmingly powerful, not because of skillful players or unique strategies, but due to an exploit. Players are using a simple click macro to bypass the weapon’s normal firing speed, turning it into a tool that can instantly eliminate opponents. This exploit is easy to use, widely available, and is causing significant frustration within the player community.

Why The Kettle Is Dominating Arc Raiders PvP

The Kettle weapon itself isn’t unbalanced. It’s meant to be a challenging, semi-automatic gun that favors accuracy and quick reflexes, and it’s relatively inexpensive to produce, like other weapons in the game. Experienced players can master its fast firing rate and slow bullet speed, creating a rewarding experience. This design fits well within the player-versus-player (PvP) context, where skill should be key. However, the Kettle fires as quickly as the player can input commands, and currently, Arc Raiders doesn’t have any systems in place to prevent players from using automated inputs to exploit this.

Macros completely bypass human reaction time. They allow players to fire weapons, like the Kettle, much faster than any human could physically manage. This makes the weapon incredibly powerful, able to defeat opponents almost instantly, often before they even realize they’re being attacked. Even if you suspect someone is using this cheat, a split-second advantage is all it takes for them to win. It’s essentially an instant-kill situation determined by cheating, and it’s a serious issue.

The problem with this issue is how readily available the item, known as the Kettle, is. It’s not a difficult-to-obtain weapon reserved for advanced players. People can get it very early in the game with minimal effort, meaning the exploit isn’t limited to a small group. We’re seeing it everywhere, and it’s ruining the experience for casual players, those playing solo, and newcomers to raids. They’re encountering players using problematic macros with the Kettle and are unable to defend themselves. When a game-breaking issue is this easy to access, it quickly spreads throughout the entire player-versus-player environment. Unfortunately, it’s common for people to prioritize ease of use over fair play.

Community Reactions and What Developers Could Do

The Arc Raiders community has understandably been very vocal and united about this problem, and rightfully so. Players aren’t debating small details or balance issues; they’re upset about cheating that ruins the fairness of the game. Online and in-game, you can find plenty of evidence – videos showing impossible firing speeds and instant kills – along with players expressing their frustration and feeling like their time is being wasted. Losing progress is one thing, but losing to cheating feels deeply unfair.

Honestly, I’m really worried about the state of PvP right now. If we don’t get a handle on this, I think it’s going to kill the player base. It’s getting to the point where every time I die quickly in Kettle, I immediately assume someone’s using a macro. It’s not fun competing when you don’t trust anyone! Good players are getting accused of cheating, and it’s just driving everyone new away. Once people lose interest in PvP, it’s super hard to get them back.

Embark needs to address the Kettle exploit quickly and thoroughly. A simple, temporary fix won’t be enough; they need a permanent solution like limiting the Kettle’s fire rate or standardizing player inputs to disable macros. Players who are exploiting the game should face serious consequences, including bans, to discourage cheating. Even after the exploit is fixed, those who used it should still be banned, as they’re likely to cheat again in the future. The tension and fairness that are crucial to Arc Raiders are being ruined by this exploit, and if Embark wants player-versus-player combat to succeed, they need to treat this as a critical emergency.

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2026-01-03 20:11