Like any ongoing multiplayer game, the future of ARC Raiders is constantly in flux. Live-service games survive on a constant drip of new content, and sometimes fans hope for transformative changes. A constant debate regarding the balance between ARC Raiders’ PvE and PvP combat has been ongoing since the game launched, and even though aggression-based matchmaking tries to appease all camps, some players feel they aren’t incentivized enough.
It’s true that PvP has little upside other than for the fun of it. You aren’t adversely rewarded for eliminating other raiders, and you regularly attract ARC’s attention by making a lot of noise. There are often suggestions that Embark Studios add metagame incentives, like kill leaderboards, so the most hardcore players can vie for positioning. I understand the appeal of such motivators, but I’m incredibly relieved to hear Embark has already ruled them out.
ARC Raiders Won’t Add PvP Kill Leaderboards Or Nemesis System
In a recent interview for GamesBeat, Dean Takahashi spoke to Embark CEO Patrick Söderlund and former Nexon CEO Owen Mahoney during an extended ARC Raiders play session (via PC Gamer). One of the more interesting aspects discussed was a potential increase to the game’s PvP emphasis, which Söderlund made clear was a very thorough discussion during development.
In Embark’s vision for ARC Raiders, though, the game remains free of highly competitive aspects like leaderboards. Simply providing more metrics to gauge PvP performance makes fighting other players more attractive, and the fact that ARC Raiders is devoid of them is