Arc Raider's attempt this week isn't for everyone, including me

The honeymoon may be over for many ARC Raiders players, and that may be part of the reason Trials feels so slow to pull off this week. I think there's more to the issue than just the drop in post-launch hype, and it comes down to a few different factors. Given how much of the community laments this week's Trails, it's clear that I'm not an extremist in this fight.

I'm struggling with ARC Raiders attempts this week, and I know I'm not alone

• Damage Rocketeers

• Download data under Hidden Bunker

• Search for First Wave shells

• Damage Snitches

• Damage ground-based ARC enemies

The trials ARC Raiders challenges for players to complete this week are all repeats from previous weeks, and unfortunately include a collection of my least favorite tasks. I don't mind looking for First Wave shells or damage Snitches as both are pretty easy. Downloading Hidden Bunker data, damaging Rocketeers, and damaging ground-based ARCs, on the other hand, prove to be the biggest problem for me. And I'm not the only one who feels this way; others echo a similar sentiment.

ARC Raiders need to make the hidden bunker available more often

The biggest complaint I have with this week's tests is the problem with downloading data from the Hidden Bunker. By itself, the Hidden Bunker event isn't the hardest to pull off, and players working together to activate all the rooftop antennas to unlock the bunker won't take too long. However, the problem with this evaluation lies largely in its availability.

Special events like the Hidden Bunker only take place at certain times of the day, meaning players who are not available to play during those times will be at a disadvantage. Right now Hidden Bunker runs in the middle of the day when I'm working, or late at night when I'm sleeping. This isn't a problem exclusive to me either, as anyone playing in a similar time zone will encounter the same challenges. To make this event more accessible, ARC Raiders should run Hidden Bunker more often, giving more players a chance to access it during prime time.

Nerfs to the hull breaker and explosives make damaging rocket launchers and ground ARC enemies a chore

Last week's Nerves to Hullcracker and Explosives in ARC Raiders patch 1.3.0 also seems to have a ripple effect on this week's tests. While it meant a lot more during attempts to damage Queens or Matriarchs, it's much harder to damage Rocketeers and ARC enemies like Bastions and Bombardiers with Hullcracker now. To make matters worse, explosives do less damage to these large ground ARCs, meaning I can't use the Deadline Mine strategy to quickly take them down.

ARC Raider's PvP Surge makes completing any attempt a gamble

By far the most frustrating part of this week's testing is the increase in PvPers I've encountered killing me and preventing my points from counting. I'm not against PvP in ARC Raidersbecause I think it adds excitement to the game loop. However, the first couple of weeks of the game felt like they had a good balance of PvP and co-op PvE moments, and now it's gotten out of hand.

ARC Raiders Streamer War has increased PvP

I am not sure if this is the root cause of the rise ARC Raiders PvP, but I suspect the streamer war between TheBurntPeanut and HutchMF played a role. Although TheBurntPeanut has since declared the war over, with his Bungulator faction claiming victory, I have still encountered players from this faction shooting others wearing the opposing faction's skin on sight. I'm not a participant in this war, so trying to navigate which skins are okay to wear without being chased by other players has been an extra challenge this week. I'm hoping things die down a bit more now that the war is probably over, so I can complete my trials in peace.

Next week's tests must be a reprieve for sick ARC Raiders players

Even with the problems this week's Trials have caused me, I'm still well on my way to ranking when the week is over. ARC Raiders have the chance to capitalize on a tough week with attempts at some easier ones next week. I hope to see task like:

• Harm wasps

• Harvested plants

• Destroy ticks, fireballs and pops

Wasps are plentiful and easy to damage without being too much of a threat in return, so completing this task wouldn't be too difficult. Harvesting plants was already a task for last week's attempt, but I found a great spot in the trench on the spacegate map that I used to complete it quickly. Destroying ticks, fireballs and pops is also quite easy, as they spawn in a variety of locations indoors and only take one or two shots from a gun like the anvil to destroy.

While this information should make next week's testing much easier, it still doesn't solve the PvP problem that is plaguing ARC Raiders this week. Maybe I'm just unlucky with the matchmaking, so there's still hope that things will improve in the coming weeks. But I must admit, my experience of ARC Raiders' Attempts this week have somewhat soured my perception of the game, and I hope that will turn around soon.

Released

30 October 2025

ESRB

Teen/violence, blood